What's Your Roast?

Will you order that big juicy steak - rare, medium rare, medium or (gasp) well done?  Well, the roast of your coffee beans offers you the very same choices.  Sometimes, we prefer our steaks and our coffee beans one particular way every time.  It is just a matter of taste!  Nothing affects the taste of the coffee bean more than the roast.

Coffee roasters will start with green coffee beans. The more they are roasted the darker they will become.  The lightest roast will reveal the origin of the coffee bean.  The darker you roast a coffee bean the more it loses its origin flavor and takes on the roasting quality.   I think you should find a balance between the two. 

The very lightest coffee roast (cinnamon) is what most commercial coffee people offer in the cans you see in the grocery store.  It is the most bang for the buck (cheap) and not my choice.  The light roast does not allow the full flavor of the bean to be realized and will often taste sour.  It has low body and the beans appear dry.

The medium light roast is a slightly darker brown color and still appears dry.  It has just a little more body.  Still not my cuppa joe......

A medium roast increases in darkness and acidity and the flavor becomes noticeable.  The beans still appear dry and the acidity is much more intense with a more potent body.

Medium dark has a rich brown color and a small amount of oil is apparent.  The acidity starts to decrease and the body becomes full.  It is sometimes called City Roast. I think these are one of the best tasting roasts.  You can still taste the flavor of the origin.

Dark roast is a brownish/black bean.  It may be completely oily.  The flavor decreases and the body dominates.  There usually is less caffeine, less bitterness and less strength.  It is generally slightly sweet.  Because the darker bean has less moisture it will require a coarser grind and possibly more ground coffee per cup.

Very dark roasts are typically drenched in oil and the beans look almost black.  The flavor is diminished.  Interestingly,  the aroma is lacking and the body is thin.  This bean is often used in an American espresso.  (There are some people who call this roast burnt) Some dark roasts are called Full City Roast, Italian Roast or Viennese Roast (and sometimes even French Roast). The origin of the beans will not matter because the roasting will mostly leave a strong smokey burnt flavor in its place.

Campfire - Firecreek Coffee Company - Cave Creek, Arizona

Preparation:  Cuisinart Drip

Scores:  Scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being excellent

Aroma:   7
Balance:  7
Flavor:   7
Smoothness:  8

Likes:
    Tangerine
    Lemon
    Delicate

Dislikes:
    Acidy
 

Summary:   Okay, folks!  I polished off my bag of Big Breakfast from Firecreek Coffee Company and felt a little sad.  Since I haven't had a chance to make the day trip to Cave Creek yet, I went back to my nearby AJ's grocery store.  I was really excited about it.  Only there wasn't much on the shelf and the roasting dates were all 2010!  Nope, not going to do that.  Then I saw one Campfire bag of beans hiding in the back.  The roasting date was February 17, 2011.  That will do!

This is mostly a light roast coffee.  The tones of lemon and tangerine are prevalent.  There is a slight nippy zing to it and it is short on the palate.  This coffee is not bland.  The beans are fresh and fragrant, but nothing like Big Breakfast!  This time the acid is a little much for me first cup of the day.   I am teetering on my score.

In my most humble opinion, I would name this coffee something other than Campfire. When I look at the label I think of cowboys sitting around an open fire.  It seems to me they would drink a coffee that was powerful, strong, rugged and a little smokey.  What do you think? 



Overall score:  7

Big Breakfast - Firecreek Coffee Company - Cave Creek, Arizona

Preparation:   Cuisinart Drip

Scores:  Scale of 1 - 10 with 10 being excellent

Aroma:  9
Balance:   8
Flavor:   9
Smoothness:   8

Likes:
    -Fragrance
     Full
     Sweet
     Carmel
     Toffee
     Citrus Finish

Dislikes:
     Acidy
 

Summary:  First cup of the day and I am not disappointed!  Because of the name I decided to break from tradition of tasting coffee in the afternoon and go for it in the a.m.!  From the moment I opened the vacuum sealed bag until my first sip, I was in coffee paradise!  It is magnificent!  This coffee is not like my usual dark roast favorites and that is a nice change for me.  It tastes like a medium roast.  Maybe my palate is becoming more sophisticated?  The aroma of the beans is intense, sweet and tantalizing.  Super fresh roasted beans just have the most wonderful smell.  The first sip brought to mind tones of toffee and carmel.  Today, I don't even mind the bit of acid that is present.  This remarkable coffee is worth talking more about.  Please see my next post for more on Firecreek Coffee Company!  Now, pass those crispy hash browns and ketchup please...... and bring on the bacon!


Overall score:  9