A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A ROASTING CONSULTANT

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A ROASTING CONSULTANT

Ethos Agriculture’s Journey from Vision to Impact in Coffee Sustainability: Part Two

In the second half of this article, we discover how the Coffee Barometer attempts to bridge the gap between discourse and action, envisioning a sustainable future for the coffee sector. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo courtesy of Rodrigo Flores via Unsplash As we embark on the second part of our conversation with Ethos […]


Congrats to the Top-Ranking Qualifiers at U.S. CoffeeChamps Denver

Dozens of coffee professionals competed at qualifiers this weekend in Colorado for coveted spots at the U.S. Coffee Championships next month. BY J. MARIE CARLANBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Cover photo by J. Marie Carlan For competitive coffee professionals in the USA, the U.S. Coffee Championships are the place to be. Over the weekend, the second USCC […]


Ukraine’s Soloway Coffee Opens First US Shop in Chicago

A specialty coffee roasting company based in western Ukraine called Soloway Coffee (Instagram link) this week opened its first location in the United States. Beans roasted in Ternopil, Ukraine, using…


From Malawi to Edinburgh: The MF Coffee Project

We take a trip from North Carolina to Northern Malawi to Edinburgh, exploring the roots, roasts, and impact of the MF Coffee Project. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of the MF Coffee Project In the quaint village of Manchewe, Northern Malawi, a story unfolded when Cameron Mcallister made the life-altering decision to relocate […]

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A ROASTING CONSULTANT

Brewing at Home and On the Road with Darrin Daniel

We check in with the Cup of Excellence executive director to learn his current coffee-brewing habits. BY TANYA NANETTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Featured photo by Emre via Unsplash Brewing coffee is, for many coffee professionals, more than just a job.   They usually brew coffee every day, both for themselves and their customers. Perhaps they do it […]


10 Minutes With Keith Hawkins of the Color of Coffee Collective

We dive into everything you need to know about the Color of Coffee Collective’s mission, initiatives, and the upcoming second edition of the Symposium Experience.  BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Keith Hawkins  Today at Barista Magazine Online, we sit down for a chat with Keith Hawkins, a passionate entrepreneur and advocate for […]


Joven and Atucún Join Forces to Empower Young Farmers

The two brands have collaborated to create a unique coffee bar and support young farmers in the coffee and cacao industries. BY VASILEIA FANARIOTISENIOR ONLINE CORRESPONDENT Photos courtesy of Joven Coffee  For their first-of-its-kind bar, Joven Coffee and Atucún Chocolateria combined coffee beans, extracted cocoa butter, and organic cane sugar. Committed to supporting young farmers […]


PRF El Salvador announces speakers and panellists

Following a call for applications in October 2022, Producer & Roaster Forum (PRF) has announced its first speakers and panellists for PRF El Salvador. The two-day forum will be held on 16 and 17 March 2023 at the Salamanca Exhibition Centre in San Salvador. The event is set to return to El Salvador after it […]

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A ROASTING CONSULTANT

Congrats to the Top-Ranking Qualifiers at U.S. CoffeeChamps Denver

Dozens of coffee professionals competed at qualifiers this weekend in Colorado for coveted spots at the U.S. Coffee Championships next month. BY J. MARIE CARLANBARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE Cover photo by J. Marie Carlan For competitive coffee professionals in the USA, the U.S. Coffee Championships are the place to be. Over the weekend, the second USCC […]


Serving Coffee in the Epicenter

The Turkish specialty-coffee community is coming together to support earthquake relief. BY MICHAEL BUTTERWORTHSPECIAL TO BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE When Niji Coffee went live on Instagram,…


Is the World Barista Championship too exclusive & expensive for competitors?

There are a number of competitions in specialty coffee designed to test the skills and knowledge of industry professionals. However, many consider the World Barista Championship (WBC) to be one of the most esteemed and highly regarded events, acting as a platform to showcase excellence in the barista profession. There are many reasons to celebrate […]


The Origin Story of Turtle Island Coffee in Vancouver, B.C.

A new Indigenous-owned coffee company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, called Turtle Island Coffee has launched with the goal of exposing more people to high quality specialty coffee and Indigenous…

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A ROASTING CONSULTANT

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A ROASTING CONSULTANT

minimum dose size?

Jan 31, 2024 |

I use the Hario switch to brew my coffee and am trying to reduce my caffeine consumption. Hence I would like to brew smaller cups of coffee. I am currently using 10g of coffee with 160g of water. (1:16 Ratio) I am wondering if there is a minimum amount of coffee...

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A ROASTING CONSULTANT

After a few weeks of hearing several online misconceptions about my work, I thought I’d take the opportunity to share what I do for clients on a weekly basis. 

Being a roasting consultant is not about telling clients how their coffee should taste, telling them to end at a certain DTR, trying to influence them to roast lighter, etc. 

Being an effective roast consultant is about giving clients the tools to consistently make their coffee taste they way they want it to. 

When beginning work with new clients, I have them share information about their machine, installation, software, and current approach. There are almost always problems to fix related to machine tuning, warmup procedure, and between-batch protocol. It is necessary to solve those problems before attempting to optimize roast quality and consistency. 

For example, in just the past week, I helped clients around the world with the following:

  • I helped client with a new Probat tune his burner, fan, and drum RPM, establish appropriate warmup and BBP, and troubleshoot some installation problems.

  • I helped a client learn how to find the optimal airflow level, between-batch protocol for his machine and batch size, how to log his warmups and BBPs in Cropster, and how to prevent massive flicks in his roasts.

  • I helped a client understand which noise in his temperature data is misleading, and which is relevant, as he was undermining his roasts by reacting to the misleading data.

  • I helped a client avoid spending money on a green loader he did not need.

  • I helped a client source a badly-needed digital manometer, manage a problem in his RORs, overhaul his BBP, and figure out how to manage problems caused by a merged chimney.

  • I helped a client improve his manual roasts so they are tastier and more consistent than his automated Loring roasts.

  • I helped a client tune his airflow and drum RPM to decrease conductive heat transfer and reduce roastiness in the cup.

  • I helped a client identify some problems in this green-buying system that were holding back his otherwise-excellent roasting.

All of that was in addition to working with dozens of clients on managing their roasts to be more consistent, and answering dozens of questions about roasting in my online roast-coaching forum.

Roasting isn’t just about cupping, or managing curves, or any other one thing. Anyone can roast a tasty batch here and there. Successful roasting is first about proper machine installation and tuning, second about having a system to ensure consistency, and finally about the day-to-day work of cupping and curve analysis and adjustment.

Learn more about my consulting services here

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A ROASTING CONSULTANT

Perfect Little Beans

Chinmey Hill Coffee uses specialty-grade beans with zero primary defects (such as black beans or sour beans) and less than five secondary defects (such as broken beans). This is important because primary defects will greatly affect the taste of the coffee. Having zero defects allows the coffee to be the most optimal flavor.

Window for Optimal Flavor

Chimney Hill Coffee ships our coffee the same day it was roasted, so you will receive it before it enters the window of optimal flavor.  This means you’ll never miss the opportunity to enjoy the coffee’s peak flavor.

Coffee Ratings

Coffee undergoes many scoring processes by professionals who achieved their Q Grader certification. Coffee is first graded when it’s green. If there are defects the coffee is determined to be “not-specialty grade”. For those coffees that pass green grading, they are sample roasted and cupped. (Cupping is the official term for critically tasting and scoring coffees. The official cupping form is standard worldwide, and where the 100-point scoring system comes from.) A coffee’s dry fragrance, wet aroma, flavor, aftertaste, body, acidity, balance, and overall impression are taken into consideration while uniformity issues and defects, will lower the overall score.

Specialty Coffee

Specialty coffee, coined by Erna Knutsen in 1974, refers to a coffee that receives a quality grading score of 80 percent or higher. While “premium” or “gourmet” seem like they’re synonymous with “specialty,” they simply are marketing terms with no defined standards. Specialty coffees are grown in specific and ideal micro-climates, and have distinctive and unique flavor profiles, with little to no defects.

Third-Wave Coffee

We’re currently in the third wave of coffee. The first wave of American coffee put pre-ground, vacuum-sealed cans in kitchens across America. The second wave started with the late ‘60s introduction of Peet’s coffee (by Alfred Peet) through the proliferation of Starbucks. The third wave of coffee focuses on origin transparency, nuanced flavors, and artisan roasting. The term “third wave” is synonymous with specialty coffee.

A WEEK IN THE LIFE OF A ROASTING CONSULTANT

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