Unfortunately, because coffee emits CO 2 for days after it is roasted, one must allow the coffee to get slightly stale before it can be vacuum sealed. This form of roasting requires much skill to do well, and fell out of favor when vacuum sealing of pre-roasted coffee became possible. In the 19th century coffee was usually bought in the form of green beans and roasted in a frying pan. Major national coffee suppliers tailor their product to tastes in particular regions of the country for instance, a can of ground coffee purchased in the Northeast or Northwest of the United States will contain a darker roast than an identically appearing can purchased in the central United States. Contrary to popular belief, the darker roasts and more stronger flavored coffees do not deliver any more caffeine than lighter roasts. The dividing line between extremely dark roast and 'burnt' is a matter of some debate. These roasts are sold by the degree of roast, ranging from 'Light Cinnamon Roast' through 'Vienna Roast' to 'French Roast' and beyond.

At darker roasts, the 'roast flavor' is so dominant that it can be difficult to distinguish the origin of the beans used in the roast. A roasting method native to the Ipoh town in Malaysia involves the inclusion of butter during the roasting process, producing a variety of roast known as the Ipoh 'white' coffee.Īs the beans darken to a deep brown, the origin flavors of the bean are eclipsed by the flavors created by the roasting process itself.

Coffee beans from famous regions like Java and Kenya are usually roasted lightly so their signature characteristics dominate the flavor. The roast will continue to darken until it is removed from the heat source.Īt lighter roasts, the bean will exhibit more of its 'origin flavor' - the flavors created in the bean by the soil and weather conditions in the location where it was grown. During roasting oils appear on the surface of the bean. As the bean absorbs heat, the color shifts to yellow and then to a light 'cinnamon' brown. When roasted, the green coffee bean expands to nearly double its original size, changing in color and density. The roasting process is integral to producing a savory cup of coffee. Several coffee producers sell coffee beans that have been aged to 3 years, and there are several specialty stores (such as Toko Aroma in Bandung, Indonesia) which age their green beans to 8 years.

The beans are collected from the droppings of the Common Palm Civet, whose digestive processes give it a distinctive flavour.Īlthough not well-known, certain types of coffee improve with age they obtain a less acidic, more well-balanced flavor. One unusual and very expensive variety of robusta is the Indonesian Kopi Luwak. The largest coffee exporting nation for a while was Brazil, but in recent years as the demand for coffee beans has risen, the coffee bean market has been flooded by large quantities of rougher tasting robusta beans from countries such as Vietnam ( ), which are preferred by large industrial clients (instant coffee producers, etc.) because of their lower cost. Coffee aficionados may even distinguish auctioned coffees by lot number. The modern coffee trade is much more specific about origin, labeling coffees by country, region, and sometimes even the producing estate. Arabica coffees were traditionally named by the port they were exported from, the two oldest being Mocha, from Yemen, and Java, from Indonesia. In Italy most espresso is based on dark roasted Robusta.Ĭoffee is the world's second most widely traded product ( ). Good quality robustas are used as ingredients in some espresso blends to provide more bite and to lower cost. Compared to Arabica, Robusta tends to be more bitter and acidic in flavour. Coffea canephora (robusta) is higher in caffeine and can be cultivated in environments where arabica will not thrive, leading to its use as an inexpensive substitute for arabica in many commercial coffee products. There are two main species of the coffee plant Coffea arabica is the traditional coffee, and considered superior in flavor.

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