Roaster’s Brew Box

In Each Brew Box

Changes at the very end of a roast profile have the biggest impact on the flavor of the coffee. Determining the ideal finish time and temperature for a profile requires exploration and evaluation. In this Brew Box, we approach one distinct coffee and demonstrate how changes at the very end of the roast profile can produce uniquely different cup characteristics.

All profiles were created on the MCR500 Sample Roaster

Sample Roast

Our standard sample roast profile we apply to all new green coffee offerings, this is how we first encounter every new coffee in our roastery. This light and fast roast is intentionally underdeveloped to reveal any issues, defects, or negative qualities in the coffee. The sample roast shows us the potential of a new green and gets us thinking about all the ways we might like to profile it for production roasts. When we sampled this coffee, we tasted refined acidity, nice complexity, and fresh fruit sweetness. 

Profile One 12:22 / 400°

This is the first profile we gravitate towards when working with natural processed coffees. This profile is designed to emphasize natural processing by showcasing big fruit flavors and elevating sweetness in the cup. At 12:22 for the total roast time, this profile is considered to be “Low and Slow” with a gentle application of heat to draw out the time without going too dark in finish temperature. The coffee only spends 14% of the total roast time in the development phase, which helps maintain vibrancy and florality. View this profile on RoastPATH.

Profile Two 9:30 / 412°

To contrast the first profile, this coffee is roasted “Hot and Fast”. Very high initial gas settings penetrate the seed with heat, moving the profile into the mid phase before the 5:00 mark. The speed of this profile maintains the coffee’s high-quality citric acidity and balances it with a crisp, light body. Finishing the roast almost three minutes faster than Profile One, but taking the coffee about ten degrees darker, allows us to create a completely different sensory experience with the same green coffee. View this profile on RoastPATH.

Profile Three 10:42 / 409°

For the third profile, we look for a middle ground between the previous two. A way to showcase acidity, clarity, and tropical flavors while also offering a full-bodied, crowd-pleasing cup. This is the “Best of Both Worlds” profile, one that creates harmony and rounds out the sharper edges of this green. With a slightly longer development phase and a medium amount of heat application throughout the roast, we tame the wildness of this coffee so it can be enjoyed by a broader customer base. View this profile on RoastPATH.

About This Green

We chose Colombia Manos Juntas to be the subject of this profile exploration for several reasons. First and foremost, it’s a delicious coffee. Its unique anaerobic natural processing method makes it incredibly complex, and that complexity lends itself to a wide range of roast profiles, each one highlighting a different characteristic of the green. The goal of this Brew Box is to explore roast profiles and demonstrate how one coffee can appeal to different customers with completely unique preferences, and this coffee’s versatility makes it the perfect example of that concept.

The most important determining factor to the success of a roaster is a high-quality green coffee. When a roaster starts with excellent green coffee the rest is simple: maintain and highlight quality in the cup. Cafe Imports has been thoughtfully sourcing specialty coffee and building relationships at origin for over 30 years. As our partner for green coffee, we rely on their experienced sensory and sales teams to provide us with fresh-crop coffees that are interesting and appealing to our students and customers. 

Recommended Brewing Recipes

More information and customized brew recipes for each of the profiles in this set can be found on our blog.