Sample roast: Guide for coffee growers
Before definitively buying our coffee, we must complete a first step. It is about the sample roast, which will help us say whether or not we want green coffee beans. With this we can evaluate its value and what type of roast should be used. That is why many experts recommend having a toaster machine where you will use the right amount. In order to play on a small scale, with certain parameters and get the maximum potential out of the coffee.
If it weren't for a toasting machine, we would be taking unsafe steps when it comes to offering our clientele a good cup. This equipment is extremely necessary in every factory, because we are going to use it at various times for quality control.
You're probably wondering right now: How am I going to find the best grain profile? What to do to avoid further losses? Or How to convince potential clients? Fortunately Incapto Coffee, knows exactly what you need, so we will help you obtain the necessary data and finally make a good purchase.
How to do the sample roast?
Before getting into the matter, it is important that you know that the roasting sample It is a simple procedure. Which begins by selecting a small amount of green beans. That said, below we will reveal all the steps to follow and be successful as a coffee manufacturer.
Do quality control
This would be the first stage that we must complete. Here we will be in charge of choosing the green coffee beans. It should be noted that, like wine, coffee has several types and as we have already seen, they can have many very different nuances of aroma and flavor. But how can we decide between one and the other? In the case of wine it is simpler, since they give you a bottle, you open it, taste it and then give your verdict.
However, with coffee the matter works differently. Because you always have to buy green beans, let's say you still have to roast or cook them. When they finally offer it to you, the only real way to check its quality is to try it.
Essentially, to select the best coffee we have to require a green sample between 300g and 500g. With this we could easily analyze whether or not it has any visible defects before roasting. Subsequently, we must toast it, organize a tasting and finally rigorously assess its organoleptic properties. That is, we are based on the protocol used by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) where we detect: aroma, flavor, balance, acidity, sweetness, to name a few.
Select roasting profile
For him sample roast, at least we must use 120 g. of green beans, to result in 100 g. of roasted coffee. Why do it this way? There are two reasons. The first is that when roasting coffee, the beans lose weight due to the moisture, which evaporates. Normally, it is between 15% and 20%, something that will depend on whether the degree of roasting is medium or darker.
The second is that when applying the SCA protocol, we need to identify if in 100 g. of roasted coffee there is or is not a type of defect known as “quaker” or immature. Their most notable characteristic is that they have a much lighter color than the rest when they are toasted.
In case in these 100 g. strain an immature bean, it would no longer be considered a specialty coffee. The Q grade is a little more forgiving, accepting up to three Quaker beans in the 100-gram roast sample. From four immature beans, it is classified as commercial coffee.
It should be noted that it is extremely important to maintain the same roasting profile. Why is it so necessary? Well, they must be as similar as possible in terms of gas power, initial temperature, air flow and time. The purpose of this type of roasting is that when evaluating, it is sought that all the coffees are in the same conditions and at the same time, find their maximum potential.
It's time to taste!
The moment of truth has arrived. If you are organizing a tasting, whether for potential wholesale clients, consumers or to educate, our objective takes a turn once again. Each sample roast must highlight your best features. For example, roast the beans to highlight their characteristic acidity, or simply highlight their sweetness to the maximum.
The objectives will probably vary a little, but what is certain is that everything will focus on one thing: roasting a small amount of green beans, to be subjected to evaluation and without generating losses.
What is the sample roasting process like?
Before starting to toast. We must verify that the machine has reached the appropriate temperature to later place the beans and begin the process. In the first minutes, the coffee is at high gas power so that the moisture in the grain evaporates. Once the color change occurs, the mailard reaction, a complex set of chemical reactions that brings about the production of melanoidins, which gives those shades between yellow and dark. This will go along with the caramelization of the coffee sugars.
Next, we must begin to reduce the gas power gradually, until it is at the appropriate point. All this before you do the first crack (crack), which is when the grain opens and expands. From this moment, until we take out the coffee, will be the development time.
roasting time
If we want excellent results, we must be careful with the roasting time. It should last between 8 and 12 minutes. Now, the Agtron scale, which represents all the shades that coffee can have, will help us determine the degree of roasting.
Simply put, the higher the number, the lighter the coffee will come out, but if it is lower, it will come out dark. For example, Agtron of 95 results in a light roast, but if it is 25 it will be dark.
For the samples, on the one hand, the tone of the whole bean is analyzed, which should be approximately Agtron 58. The color of the ground coffee is also observed, which should be close to 63. A little lighter on the inside than on the outside. If it turns out that it is not within these values, at the time of tasting you could notice some defects in the roasting.
Once our toasted and cold sample is ready, we must proceed to store it in an airtight jar until the moment of tasting. This cannot be earlier than 8 hours or more than 24 hours.
Why should we use a small toaster?
The reasons are because in them we can find the greatest potential in each type of coffee. All this during the second stage of quality control. That is why the team of experts at Incapto Coffee, has decided to use the huky. An incredible machine that you can adjust the same parameters that you apply in a larger one. They turn out to be very practical and easy to use.
If you decide on this machine, you will have the privilege of checking how the coffee behaves with a high inlet temperature. Even to find out what flavors a type of coffee develops, lengthening the roasting, since this equipment does this function in a very practical way.
Thanks to this toaster, we can do brief tests before doing it in the large machine. Don't forget that roasting profiles with large or small machines are completely different. However, you can get an idea of what the final result would be like by using the machine for sample roasting.
In Incapto Coffee, we are in charge of carrying out this type of procedure to offer our consumers and possible potential clients, a delicious and quality coffee. To learn more about the coffees we offer, do not hesitate to visit the product catalog on our website.
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