Roasting the coffee

Roasting is the briefest yet most important and painstaking stage in coffee production. This process requires great responsibility. Both time and money can be lost in a brief moment of carelessness, rendering the labour of hundreds of people on the fields and in the production process pointless.

The heat applied to the green coffee beans during roasting changes their colour from the original light green to brown. As the heat rises, the beans lose water. Before roasting, the green coffee beans have no aroma or fragrance; the roasting process uncovers over 900 aromas hidden in the beans.

Not every variety of coffee is roasted in the same manner. This is what makes roasting an art form. It requires experience, knowledge and expertise accumulated over many years. An experienced roaster knows the limits and potential of a given type of coffee. It is only through this skill and experience that the roaster is able to maximise the quality of the coffee.
While machines are used to roast, monitor and chart the coffee beans, experienced roasters still rely on their ears during the roasting process. The coffee roaster knows that the roasting process is almost complete when the beans begin to pop and "sing". Afterwards, the beans are transferred to a cooling tank.

Kurukahveci Mehmet Efendi stresses the importance of the roasting process. Roasting requires perfectionism; there is no margin for error. The coffee roaster carefully conducts and orchestrates the specially designed roasting machines that maximize the quality and performance of the roasted coffee.