Channeling Julia

Visiting Simple Pleasures Coffee Roasting Co. in San Francisco, we learn the some of fine points of coffee roasting and a few tips about blended coffees.

The longer the beans are roasted, the more intense the flavor. As we see from the photo above, the beans coming out of the roaster are dark and smoking. That means the beans are somewhere near an Espresso Roast - possibly even a French Roast. If we were to look closely at the beans, the surface would be shiny or oily. So the depth of color and indication of oils are indicators of the darker roasts. The carbonization (burnt taste) and roasting aromas overwhelm the inherent flavors of the coffee beans.

A light roast has far less of that burnt taste and is more suitable for signature beans like those from Java, Hawaii (Kona), Jamaica (Blue Mountain) and Kenya where we wish to savor the distinctive flavors.

There are four distinct stages of coffee roasting.

The lightest roast is "First Crack", where the beans heat enough for the water content to turn to steam and expand the size of the bean. This expansion makes a popping sound. The bean is still acidic. Mass market coffees are typically roasted to this stage. This is why grocery store brands extol the virtues of the arabica bean vs the robusta, "Columbian" coffee and blends with "Blue Mountain" or "Kona" - because what flavor there might be in the bean is the only flavor that is present. Coffee roasted to this stage has a longer shelf life.

After first crack, the beans begin to darken and develop a sweeter flavor as the acids are broken down by heat. This is the stage to which specialty roasters roast - because the body has a better balance of flavor, complexity and aroma. Shelf life is shorter than first crack coffees.

As the beans continue to heat, the volatile oils began to reach their boiling point and pop again. This is "Second Crack" The surfaces of the beans start to shine as the oils rise to the surface. Roasting aromas and flavors begin to predominate. The body becomes heavier. Roasts such as Viennese, Italian Espresso, High and Continental come from this stage. Shelf life is even shorter because the oils can turn rancid with time.

The final stage is called "Double Roast". The beans begin to smoke as the sugars carbonize. The outside of the bean becomes very oily. This is the French Roast. Flavor is intense, smokey, sweet with none of the inherent varietal flavors remaining. Shortest shelf life - so much oil on surface that interaction with oxygen will breakdown flavor very quickly.

As we look at the transformation of flavor through the levels of roasting, it becomes very apparent that the selection of beans by the operator must match the level of roast. Lighter roasts require flavorful beans, darker roasts require beans capable of developing flavor as they heat. Beans used in the darker roasts tend to be primarily robustas because whatever flavor is present in arabica beans will be burnt out.

Special thanks to Ahmed Riad and Simple Pleasures Coffee Roasting Co.

One of the essentials for roasting fine coffee is - the roaster! This week we are visiting Simple Pleasures Coffee Roasting Co. in San Francisco, who own a roaster with a 25lb capacity.

Today's coffee roasters were designed in the 19th century. The only changes made in recent designs are additions of an afterburner to reduce pollution and a safety control system to prevent overheating.

The design is simple - hot gases from the oven burners travel through a rotating drum and heat the beans. The operator controls the degree of roasting by varying the amount of time the beans stay in the roaster. There is a small window that shows the beans tumbling as the drum rotates. Next to it is a sampling device that collects about 1/2 cup of the beans so they can be removed, smelled and viewed by the operator. This sample is returned to the roaster after observation.

When the beans have reached the desired stage, a door in the front is opened and the beans spill out into the cooling pan. Air is blown through the beans to quickly cool them as a rotating paddle stirs the pan. Once cool, the beans are collected from the cooling pan and stored for later use.

The temperature inside the roaster is maintained at about 450°F. In cold weather it can take longer to preheat the oven, so the time required to produce a batch can vary - the operator must compensate for the weather as well as the condition of the beans (primarily moisture content) when they are loaded into the oven.

A small roaster is preferred when the operator wishes to roast frequently and rotate stock quickly. Large commercial coffee roasting facilities commonly use roasters with a capacity of 500lb or more that rely more on automation controls so the operator doesn't need to be as skilled.

Special thanks to Ahmed Riad and Simple Pleasures Coffee Roasting Co.

This week we visit Simple Pleasures Coffee Roasting Co. in San Francisco.

Let's begin by looking at green (unroasted) coffee beans. The beans are seeds in the fruit - they look like cherries on the tree. Several species of coffee trees are used to produce beans.

So why do coffees differ? Factors like location of the farm, altitude, climate, soil and even the people who care for the plants all make a difference. Variables such as the weather, harvesting, washing, drying, bagging, temperature, humidity, damp, storage and handling all play a part in the coffee you drink.

Coffee is classified by varietals - the source of a particular bean. Jamaica Blue Mountain is one of the most highly regarded, but production is VERY limited and prices are sky high. Commonly available varietals are: Kona, Java, Sumatra and Columbian.

Most coffee is sold as a blend. Only a few of the varietals are of a quality that allows them to stand alone. Jamaica Blue Mountain is so expensive that almost all coffee sold as "Blue Mountain Blend" contains less than 5% of the Jamaican bean. It is very common to choose elements in a blend for a particular local taste, economic realities or brewing process. Other blends include a House Blend (never the same in two different establishments) and an Expresso Blend designed to withstand the expresso brewing process.

Special thanks to Ahmed Riad and Simple Pleasures Coffee Roasting Co.

Many recipes for potato leek soup attempt to make a dish that is white - only the very white part of the leek and potato skin has been peeled. But ours is a rustic version with burnt onions as well as the slightly green part of the leek. The potato skins are washed instead of peeled.

For complete recipe goto http://www.evilauntie.net/potatoleek.shtml Our recipe is served hot. The hot soup was first mentioned in a French cookbook published in 1869.

Vichyssoise adds cream to the basic potato leek recipe and is typically served cold. This seems to have originated at the New York City Ritz-Carlton in 1917 and was the creation of Louis Diat (a chef from France).

So is it a French soup? an American invention? or both?

The Roman Army is said to have marched on minestrone which at the time was thought to be a thick soup made from anything (vegetables, beans, meat) that had been leftover. Historians argue this point with one school of thought saying the dish had always been prepared with fresh vegetables (not leftovers) even in pre-Roman times.

In Italy today there is still no set recipe for minestrone which is a thick soup usually made with beans, onions, celery, carrots, stock and tomatoes. Pasta or rice are common additional ingredients and the soup sometimes contains meat. The preparation and the ingredients themselves vary from region to region with dried vegetables and lentils being used in some locations and only seasonal fresh vegetables being used in others.

The introduction of tomatoes and potatoes to Europe from the Americas in the 16th century changed the recipe significantly from the original. These two vegetables are staples in most variations of minestrone and it can be said that the true recipe emerged during the 16th and 17th century.