The Derby Times

More than just coffee.

Roasting

Know Your Roasts: From Light to Dark and Every Shade in Between

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The Different Types of Coffee Roasts: A Guide

Everyone has a favorite coffee roast. Perhaps you prefer the tangy and floral flavors of light roast, or maybe you’re more into the bold and toasty flavors of dark roast. Or maybe you like to keep it basic and fill up on the classic, balanced medium roast (no judgement, it’s popular for a reason).  Whatever your preference, there’s a perfect cup of joe out there for you and everyone else. All you have to do is try out a few to find your favorite and that’s definitely the best part – because who doesn’t love having yet another excuse to drink some coffee?

The amount of roasting that a coffee bean undergoes prior to grinding affects every aspect of a its flavor, texture, and appearance. Prior to roasting, coffee beans are soft, light green morsels extracted from the red cherries of the coffee plant (yes, coffee beans are actually seeds). Once they have been washed, dried, and removed from their parchment-like hull, the green beans are roasted and become, well, coffee.

The Color of Success

Coffee beans are typically described in terms of their color. Lighter beans have a lighter brown color, and darker beans, well, you probably get the picture. To get a batch of coffee beans to a specific level of roast relies on two factors: temperature and time. Coffee roasters are experts at knowing when to “drop” their roast, which stops the process completely once the coffee has been roasted to the desired level.

Identifying roast by color alone is almost impossible for all but the most experienced coffee aficionado.This is the kind of information that an expert coffee roaster might be less inclined to share because it really makes all of the difference in the end. Once a roaster discovers the perfect temperature and time for a particular bean, they are going to hold onto that combination like a bar of gold. Because for them, it’s just as valuable!

Light Roasts

Light roast coffees are the lightest in color compared to other roasts, as you probably could have guessed. They have little to no oil on the surface of the bean, leaving them more dull-looking than their darker counterparts.

Light roasts tend to have a brighter taste than other coffees, with a higher level of acidity. Many people aren’t aware of this, but light roasts have the highest caffeine content due to the shorter roasting process. If you want to roast your own coffee to a perfect light flavor, aim for an internal temperature of 356°F – 401°F. The “first crack” happens when the beans split and expand, which should happen right around 401°F ( a roast dropped at the first crack is also known as a New England Roast).

Some other common light roast coffees include Light City, Half City, and Cinnamon Roast, all of which occur before the first crack.

Medium Roasts

Medium roasted coffee is roasted to an internal temperature of 410°F and 428°F. Medium roasts also have no oil on the surface, but provide a more balanced flavor and richer aroma than light roast coffee. The longer roasting time allows more flavor to develop in the beans, bringing out more tasting notes specific to the regions in which the beans are grown. The caffeine content in medium roasts is slightly decreased, but retains more than dark roast coffee.

Examples of medium roasts include After Dinner Roast, Vienna Roast, and Full-City Roast.

Dark Roast

Dark roast coffees are definitely more hyped up compared to medium and light roasts. The beans themselves appear dark and oily, and they retain less of the original flavors of that particular coffee bean. Due to a high roasting temperature (,464°F to 480°F) dark roast coffee can taste especially bitter, smoky, and sometimes even burnt. Contrary to popular belief, dark roasts have the least amount of caffeine.

The most popular types of dark roast you can find on the store shelves include Espresso Roast, Continental Roast, Spanish Roast, Italian Roast, and French Roast.

What’s your favorite coffee roast? Let us know next time you stop by Derby Joe and don’t forget to leave a review if you love our coffee!

How To Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home

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With the summer in full swing, it’s time to break out the iced drinks are get our refreshment on. There’s no better way to perk up and get your daily caffeine kick than with a chilled cup of cold brew coffee. The first time I had cold brew, I was hooked right away. It’s not watery or bitter like regular iced coffee can be because the coffee is never heated. It is literally brewed cold, hence the name! It’s a simple technique that coffee shops across the world are now using to serve up this tasty beverage to their coffee-loving customers.

Did you know that you can also make cold brew at home? If you don’t have time to stop by Derby Joe for a cup of our fantastic cold brew, making your own is the next best option. It’s a basic formula and just a few easy steps. It all starts with cold, filtered water, coarse coffee grounds, and 18-24 hours of brewing time.

There are several “home cold brew coffee makers” out there. They are all variations on the same theme. The coarsely-ground coffee is left to brew in cold water for a long period of time. Each invention provides a way to strain out the ground coffee at the end, and each promises to be more convenient than the last. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about all that. All you really need are some coffee filters, a bowl, a large mason jar or glass container with a lid, ground coffee, and cold, filtered water.

  1. Grind your coffee on the coarsest setting, whether using a home grinder or at the store. You don’t want anything too fine or you’ll end up with swirls of grimy coffee clouds in your delicious iced beverage.
  2. Grab a large mason jar or glass receptacle (make sure it has a lid!). Add your coffee grinds into the bottom, using an 1:8 ratio of coffee-to-water. Cover with your cold water and fill to the top.
  3. Stir the mixture gently until the grounds are well-combined with the water. Leave it on the counter or stick it in the fridge for approximately 18-24 hours.
  4. Once your coffee is brewed, use coffee strainers to sift out the larger grounds. You can use the leftovers for mulch, compost, or dozens of other things. Strain back into the jar, now free of all those coarse coffee grinds.
  5. Repeat the straining process a few times to remove any solids from your home-brewed coffee. Don’t worry if a small amount of coffee is left at the bottom – simply grind it more coarsely next time.
  6. Add some ice and milk/sugar if you like and your homemade cold brew is ready for you and your family to enjoy!

What’s your favorite icy beverage to quench your thirst in the summer heat? Share with us and stop by Derby Joe to try out all of our delicious iced coffee and cold brew drinks!

How to Roast Your Own Coffee

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Brewed coffee has only one limitation – the quality of the beans you start with. If you want the freshest, tastiest beans, the only option is to roast your own coffee at home. It sounds like a difficult task, but it’s actually way easier than you could imagine. Just to follow these simple steps and you’ll be on your way to drinking the freshest coffee you’ve ever had!

Buy Green, Unroasted Coffee Beans

The first step is buying some small, hard unroasted coffee beans. They don’t resemble the final roast very much, but it doesn’t matter at this stage. Many local places roast their own beans, so you could start there – or take a look at the wide variety available for online purchase. The beans increase in size and decrease in weight when roasted, so buy about two pounds of raw beans for every pound of roasted coffee you want.

Do some research before buying the beans to ensure that their particular flavor profile fits what you are looking for. Then it’s on to the equipment!

The Equipment

Commercial coffee roasters use large, complicated roasters to process an astounding number of beans per day. We’re just looking for a way to do this without breaking the bank. If you have some cash laying around, a countertop roaster runs about $200. You could also just grab a popcorn popper or a cast iron skillet for a low-cost roasting option.

Grab your roaster of choice, some metal bowls, a pair of gloves, and a wooden spoon and let’s get roasting!

The Roasting

Roasting your own coffee means you have control over everything. You can ensure that the beans are exactly to your preferred boldness and caffeine level by adjusting the time and roasting temperature. Once the beans have been placed into your heating element of choice, increase the temperature. The beans will start to crack as you stir and change color from green to light brown.

At this point, you should start hearing some popping sounds. This is referred to as the “first crack,” and soon you’ll see the “husk” of the bean rising to the top. Simply blow it off or remove it and continue to stir.

Remove From Heat

Once your beans are dark enough, remove them from the heat. Keep in mind that the darker the roast, the less caffeine your coffee will have. You can roast beans until they are black, but they can easily be over roasted so be careful not to go from French Roast to straight up charcoal.

Let Them Cool

Let your beans cool for a few hours after your remove them from the heat. They will be incredibly hot, so choose your technique wisely. I prefer to lay them out on a large cookie sheet personally. This will take a bit of time, so don’t rush it or you can get burned.

Start the Brew

Once your beans are room-temperature, it’s time to let them air out a bit. They let off carbon dioxide for about 2 days, so leave them out for about that long. Once the CO2 is gone, they will be safe to roast, brew, and drink!

Try out this easy technique today and let us know what you think!

7 Coffee Beans From Around the World That You Need To Try

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  1. Kona Coffee (Hawaii, USA)

Grown in the volcanic soils of the Kona district on Big Island, Hawaii, Kona is a medium-bodied arabica with a bright acidity and milk-chocolatey profile. Kona coffee is available under several different brand names such as Volcanica Coffee and Koa Coffee, but keep in mind that a pound real Kona coffee may set you back anywhere between $20-$55. (Something about it being very expensive, and advising not to settle for “kona blends” as they’ll only contain a small fraction of actual kona coffee)

2. Tanzania Peaberry Coffee (Africa)

The Tanzania Peabody coffee beans are beloved by coffee lovers across the globe for their medium and fruity body. These delicious beans are grown exclusively on Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. the site espressocoffeeguide.com describes the flavors as, “exhibiting hints of pineapple, citrus, or coconut,” and contains, “winey notes and a velvety feeling on the palate.”

3. Sulawesi Toraja Coffee

Sulawesi is an island in Indonesia that has become world-renowned for their Toraja coffee beans. Aficionados rave about how multidimensional and complex the flavor of this rare coffee. They are well-balanced, with hints of deep, dark chocolate and bright, citrus fruits. It is more earthy than some other Arabica coffees, which gives it a sweet, almost pungent flavor with hints of spice. These rich, varied flavors lend themselves best to a dark roast.

4. Nicaraguan Coffee

Nicaragua is a relative newcomer to the high-quality coffee game. They are already making a name for themselves with a variety of interesting and unique beans. Nicaraguan coffee has an almost cocoa-like quality to it with lots of notes of chocolate and light hints of fruits like dark berries or grapes.

5. Mocha Java Coffee

Mocha Java has become a household name in recent years thanks to an explosive growth in popularity. Arabica Mocha coffee from Yemen and Indonesian Java Arabica coffee are both included under this umbrella term. The two distinct beans have complementary flavors, with the bright, fresh java coffee contrasting with the dark, chocolatey flavor of the Yemen Mocha variety. According to the World’s Best History of Coffee, sailing ships arrived from Java Island to Yemen, specifically the port of Mocha. Coffee beans got mixed up in the hull, someone ground and brewed them, and the rest was history!

6. Sumatra Manheling Coffee

Every coffee drinker has heard of or tried Sumatra coffee. Sumatra is another island in Indonesia, just west of Java. They are famous for their Manheling coffee beans, which are perfect for those of you craving a smooth, sweet coffee. Unlike most of the coffees on this list, Sumatran Manheling beans have very low acidity so they won’t turn your stomach. The only place in the world these beans are grown is near Lake Toba in north central Sumatra.

7. Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee

Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee would be higher on this list if it wasn’t so expensive. The full-flavored, well-balanced coffee features significant notes of fruit and acidity. Described on VolcanicCoffee.com as the “Rolls-Royce of coffees regarded by many as the best coffee in the world.” If you want to try this delightful coffee, go for a medium roast. It is roasted to order and sent straight to your door, so you won’t get it fresher unless you brew it yourself. The coffee beans are grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, above 2,000 feet sea level. The location has the perfect soil and rainfall conditions to make it possibly the best place to grow coffee in the entire world.

What’s your favorite type of coffee? Come by Derby Joe and let us know what you think of our signature cold-brew!