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A Method to the Madness

2013 October 28
by Ryan

So I’ve talked in the past about some of the steps coffee takes to get to us, but I haven’t really gotten into what happens once the coffee is in the roasterie. I think it’s about time to change that.

Let’s talk processes…

First up, I look around and think to myself “Wow, I’m low on coffee. I should change that.” Naturally. A quick phone call to my importer nets me their current spot offering list:

Spot offer sheet

Spot offer sheet

Since I do not have an easy way to sample roast any of the coffees onsite, I take our importers’ word for it when I ask for their tasting notes, which is what is seen in the hand-written notes on the side of the column. A quick aside here: a spot offer list is named that because these are coffees they have available to order “on the spot.” We also have forward contracts where we have placed coffees on hold for purchase in the future (forward from order date).

So now I have made my decisions on what coffees I want, and I have placed the order. The next thing is our Delivery Order.

Our contract for coffee!

Our contract for coffee!

As soon as I sign and/or write a confirmation email the coffee is MINE! ALL MINE!! — along with paying for it.

So then I wait for the delivery, which comes via semi truck. Palette and all.

The coffee has arrived! The inspection is optional... :)

The coffee has arrived! The inspection is optional… 🙂

Once we un-palletize the coffees, I check that we got what we ordered:

Yup. It's a bag of coffee.

Yup. It’s a bag of coffee.

And it looks pretty good, too!

And it looks pretty good, too!

So, now what? Well, I need to check my roasting style against their tasting notes. So a pound goes into the little Sonofresco roaster we have on the counter:

Mmmmm. Blurry coffee photography rocks.

Mmmmm. Blurry coffee photography rocks.

I do this thrice and end up with

Hey, coffee pros: no comments about using zip-seal bags, k?

Hey, coffee pros: no comments about using zip-seal bags, k? But if you see coffee in one of these bags on the bar, ask for a sample!

So you may be asking yourself “Why three bags?” I have an answer for you. Three different roast levels. City, City+, and Full City. (What, what kind of roasts are these? The answer’s here.) See, coffee, just like when you cook food, changes taste the longer it’s exposed to heat. It’s my job as a roaster to find out at what roast level the coffee “sings” and the only way to do that is to roast multiple levels.

Then I let the coffee rest for one to three days. Well, not rest per se, since I keep opening the bag and sniffing the developing aromas. Aahh, the perks of the job…

Then, it’s time to cup the coffees

Want to learn more about the cupping process and why it's important for determining your coffees? Drop by every Monday at 4:00 for the free public cupping!

Want to learn more about the cupping process and why it’s important for determining your coffees? Drop by every Monday at 4:00 for the free public cupping!

I taste every roast level of the coffee and make extensive notes on aroma, taste, body, aftertaste, and anything else about the coffees I can determine. These are used to fill out all that random stuff that shows up on the bag label later. I take the roast profile that I feel best represents the coffee and rock out a full batch in the big roaster. I’ll cup that batch after a few days from roast just to make sure that things didn’t change and then it’s off to the shelves and the bar.

Now this is where we used to stop and get coffees on the shelf. But it’s time to take it a little farther…

Brewing methods galore!

Brewing methods galore!

Here’s almost all of the brewing methods available to us here.  Each and every one of these will give you a different flavor profile to the coffee–seriously.

Forgive the coffee splatter. It happens more often than not 'round these parts.

Forgive the coffee splatter. It happens more often than not ’round these parts.

While the overall notes will be the same (it is the same coffee, after all), differences in flavor and body emerge as you dig that deep into the brewing. Our newly designed bag labels will have the tasting notes for the best brew method.

And, of course, you can't forget about espresso!

And, of course, you can’t forget about espresso!

In all, from the start of the order to when the coffee is available on the bar, we have at least two weeks of work. Why do we do this? Well, most might say we’re just crazy, and you’re probably right. But I like to think that, just like delicious recipes for meals, just like a killer microbrew beer, and just like that amazing glass of wine, we are just trying to get the best out of the ingredients we have. Coffee is moving beyond “just a cuppa” into a realm where every little thing can matter in the cup quality. Wine did this a long while ago, beer is doing it right now, and food–well– just ask any foodie what a difference 25 degrees can make in an oven.

Come on down the dark path with me and drop by to enjoy the fruits of our labor. You’ll be happy you did.