Coffee roasters roast green coffee beans, with small roasteries found in coffee shops or restaurants, and large facilities capable of producing tons of coffee. Roasters use machines to roast beans until they reach the desired color, with slow roasting producing more flavor. The demand for fresher coffee has led to localized roasting, with coffee shops offering on-site roasting and serving fresh brewed coffee and pastries. Coffee consumption has exploded since the 1980s, with coffee shops being the fastest growing trend in the restaurant industry.
A coffee roaster refers to a business or enterprise where green coffee beans are roasted. In many cases, roasteries are very small in size, located within a restaurant, coffee shop or even the home. Large coffee producers have very large roasting facilities, capable of generating tons of coffee in a very short time. Regardless of size, the methodology for roasting coffee beans is similar.
Probably the most important tool within a roastery is the roaster itself. These machines are designed to take the green coffee beans through the various stages of roasting until they are ready to be packaged or ground. Both home and commercial roasters operate on a system that allows the coffee beans to be in constant motion as they are heated. This perpetual motion is typically accomplished by forced air or falls.
The first step in the roasting process is probably the slowest. Green coffee beans can dry inside the roaster until they turn light yellow. Most experts agree that the slower it is done, the more flavor the roasted bean will have in the end. After the beans have reached the yellow stage, the heat within the roaster can be increased and the beans can be roasted to the desired depth of color.
There was a time when the term “coffee roaster” applied almost exclusively to large commercial coffee producers, and restaurants or groceries offering on-site roasting were quite rare. Almost all coffee consumed was shipped pre-ground from Colombia or Peru. Eventually, consumers began demanding a fresher taste, and grocery stores began offering roasted beans and grinds on the spot. This was an improvement, but because the beans were roasted days or even weeks before grinding, they still lacked the flavor of a fresh roasted bean. This ever-increasing demand for flavor has opened the door to localized coffee roasting.
A local coffee roaster typically operates much like a small cafe. In addition to offering roasted coffee on premises, these operations often serve pastries and sandwiches. Fresh brewed coffee is served in a variety of roasts and flavors. Customers can also purchase coffee beans by the pound, both ground and whole.
Coffee consumption around the world started exploding in the 1980s. It was reported that during 2010, coffee shops were the fastest growing trend in the restaurant industry, and the most successful of these shops offered on-site roasting of coffee beans. Nowhere is the popularity of roasting coffee more evident than in the United States, where statistics indicate that the population consumes over 399 million servings of coffee each day.
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