Coffee lovers say that freshly roasted coffees are the best.

Their taste is more expressive, the aroma is more pleasant, and the coffee itself is of much better quality than its market counterparts. Why is it like that? What does the production of freshly roasted coffee look like and how does it differ from its commercial counterparts?

Coffee from the market

Commercial coffees are made in large companies. They need a large amount of raw material for production. That's why they have their own plantations, and harvests take place very often. They use various solutions, e.g. special fertilizers, thanks to which the bushes bear fruit even faster. These plantations are located in low areas and harvests are made mechanically. Thanks to this, both ripe and unripe and damaged grains are collected.

Roasting the beans is done at the lowest cost. It is a process of just a few minutes. All collected grains (without selection) go to a high-temperature oven. The beans are roasted to a very dark color. This makes it impossible to see whether all the beans were of good quality. Cooling the coffee is also a quick process. The beans are cooled with water, which further damages the beans. This makes its taste bitter or sour.

Freshly roasted coffee

In this case, the grains are obtained from small plantations, e.g. from Costa Rica. These plantations are located in higher areas, up to 1,800 m above sea level, so that the coffee bushes can ripen peacefully. They have suitable conditions there, but growing them is much more difficult. The best coffee is grown in high and semi-shaded areas.

The beans are harvested by hand. Thanks to this, we can be sure that only the ripest beans will later be roasted in special ovens. Coffee is dried on the so-called African tables. The grains are spread on them for 21 days and during this time all the water evaporates from them.

Then the beans are transported to Poland, where they are roasted in special ovens. The beans slowly start to turn brown. When you hear the characteristic sound (similar to popcorn popping), the grains begin to develop and grow. During this time, they release aromas and the sugars they contain caramelize. The final stage of roasting takes place until another characteristic sound, during which the beans release essential oils. When the structure of the grains becomes smooth, they are taken out of the oven. They are then cooled in a drum using air. This process, unlike commercial coffees, takes up to 45 minutes.

Freshly roasted coffee is not sour. However, you can feel various aromas in it, e.g. honey-citrus (Tarrazu Red Honey), slightly sour, strongly citrus (Tarrazu Yellow Honey), honey-chocolate (Coto Brus White Honey). Such flavors cannot be recreated by drinking commercial coffee.

Freshly roasted coffees also differ in the degree of roasting of the beans. The medium degree of roasting gives the coffee a pleasant taste experience. Their diversity and multidimensionality depend on the conditions in which the coffee is grown and how its beans are harvested. The roasting process is also of great importance.