Cappucino? Flat white? Americano? Latte? Every coffee lover has their tried & true favourite. But sometimes it's fun to mix things up a little bit, and try something new...
Up until now, BROWSEast has focused on the perspective of individual people who dwell - whether permanently or temporarily - in the East London area. We thought we'd try a different approach by looking at various crafts within the area. After all, there is a rich history of craftsmanship here. For example, nearby Weaver's Fields is so named because of Victorian silk weavers who lived in the area.
In AllPress, a local coffee shop, the craft of roasting coffee can be observed by customers as there is no wall (only a counter) dividing the roasting area & cafe area. We wanted to get a little closer to the magic, so Richard donned a pair of Video Specs to give us all an idea of the roasting process from the other side! It's fascinating understanding how coffee is roasted.
BROWSE_feat. Richard from Creat1ve City on Vimeo
How are coffee beans roasted?
Roasting:
The coffee beans are not but are green in colour before roasting. They go into the drum roaster, which has been warmed up by small burner to 210ºC . Exact measurements are integral to the art of roasting, so a temperature probe is used to measure the temperature.
Every coffee is roasted differently, depending on the inherent characteristics of the beans.
Cooling:
The coffee beans are now dark brown. They fall into the cooling tray - the metal container with holes that whisk the beans to cool them quickly enough to stop the roasting process.
Resting:
The beans must rest a minimum of 24 hours for the flavour to develop. It takes a minimum of 4 days to make an espresso. You'll be glad to know that roasted beans remain fresh for at least 2 weeks. Drink up!
Grinding:
The coarseness of the grind needs to be adapted to the coffee drinking method, depending on the length of contact with hot water, i.e.:
- fine for espresso.
- medium for filter.
- coarse for cafetiere.
& there's your caffeine fix!
Thank you to
Allpress Espresso coffee roasters for giving BROWSE to have a peek at the process. Now we know why good coffee tastes so good - it is all about measuring roasting temperature and exact timing not to burn the beans.
