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The first step in roasting is opening the heavy, 150 lb bags of green beans and loading a batch into the hopper. The roaster is then brought to upwards of 400 degrees as the room temperature beans fall into the roasting chamber. There, they slowly turn from a dusty jade to a straw yellow to a light brown, entering the stage known as the "First Pop". At this point, the beans have physically expanded in the intense heat of the roaster, and audibly "pop" - much like the sound of pop corn. This first pop signals the begining of the cinnamon roast. Most commercial roasters stop roasting here to save money. Roasting further reduces the final weight of the beans by up to 20% of the initial green weight. Quiting early is all well and good for roasters of canned, freeze-dried coffee, but not for roasters of specialty coffee. Quality coffee begins 4-5 minutes later as the beans enter the "Second Pop". From the begining to the end of this stage, you will find all of the coffees that we roast. From the Full City at the beginning of the pop thru the Vienna roasts, when the oils first begin to bead on the surface of the bean, into the darker roasts- when the sugars carmalise and the beans begin to shine a deep mahogony brown, our coffees offer a range of possibilities that should please the most fickle of coffee lovers. Finally, the beans are released hot, smoking, and crackling into the cooling tray, where they quickly reach room temperature, halting the roasting process at the desired level. They are then immediately bagged in air tight foil bags to prevent oxidation that will rapidly stale even the best of beans. Thus packaged, they are shipped to wholesale and retail customers across the country.
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