SCAA Exposition & World Barista Competition

The end of April brought us two of the biggest events in the world of coffee all rolled into one: The Specialty Coffee Association of America Exposition and the World Barista Championship. We were lucky enough to host these two events at the World Congress Center here in Atlanta. This year also marked the World Barista Championship's 10th anniversary, at which Gwilym Davies of the UK was the winner.

The SCAA Expo was a huge 3-day event that brought in vendors ranging from coffee producers and roasters, to companies providing complementary products to coffee such as specialty food & beverage products, to companies providing equipment relating to commercial production of coffee, all under the same roof. The volume and diversity of vendors at the booths was truly mind-blowing, and the number of attendees demonstrated how vital and rich the world of specialty and gourmet coffee has become in the United States.

The Rare Peaberry

You might have heard of a specialty coffee estate producing a type of coffee called "peaberry." Historically, peaberry coffee accounts for approximately 5% of a harvest; it is actually an aberration in bean formation. Instead of two large, distinct halves the coffee bean, inside the fruit of the plant, develops into a smaller bean that has the appearance of a pea, thus its name. It is much smaller, denser, and symmetrically round than your ordinary coffee bean, and because of this must be roasted differently than a normal bean.

The reason this coffee nerd appreciates it is because the peaberry tends to have a more concentrated flavor than other beans. We find that peaberry coffees usually produce a lovely, flavorful cup boasting a mild smoothness. Every peaberry coffee we have tried lacks bitterness regardless of brew strength.

The Sweet Smell of Coffee Roasting...

One of the most important steps in the journey from bush to brew is roasting. An over-roasted bean is a tragedy that happens frequently in the coffee industry. You can often spot it by the charcoal flavor in your cup or an excessive oiliness on the outside of the bean before grinding. Some fine beans can hold up to a darker roast; others lose their flavors and nuances completely. Any dark roasted bean should be rushed to brew, as any oils that form on the outside of the bean can go rancid quickly once exposed to oxygen.

Back to the roasting process...a large-scale roaster (or even a small portable home roaster) may be used to roast the green beans so that they may be brewed. Before roasting green beans are typically greenish-brown and have a somewhat grassy smell. Roasting causes many complex chemical reactions to occur, much like baking.

At Ashley & Cooper Coffee Roasters, we use a Diedrich IR-12, which has a 12 kg or 30 lb maximum capacity. During roasting, there is a distinctive aroma released that pervades our facility...that of roasted chocolate, with a slightly sweet perfume. If you spend any time in our facility while roasting is occurring you will leave smelling of roasted coffee...it is that pervasive!

Each bean must be test-roasted and cupped to find the perfect level of roasting. This is because every bean has a different size, moisture content, density, and weight, depending on origin, screen-size, and whether it is a special bean such as the Peaberry, which is a round mutation with a denser bean. When a fine specialty coffee is roasted in just the right way, the difference in the cup is indescribable.

Keeping your Awesome Coffee FRESH!

Our best tips for the freshest coffee? Purchase the freshest beans available in whole bean form (this minimizes surface area exposed to oxygen) in a bag with a one-way valve. This will require the use of a home grinder just before brewing.

The ideal way to store the coffee beans once the bag has been opened is in a sealed glass jar, preferably one that does not allow sunlight to permeate. A less expensive option, and an even more efficient one, is to use a Ziploc! Simply press air out before sealing and storing away from direct sunlight.

Another important tip: never freeze your beans! Freezing and then thawing disrupts the moisture balance in the bean and will not prolong the life of your coffee.

Fresh is Best!

Freshness is crucial to the experience of high quality coffee. "Fresh is Best!" is truly a mantra to be lived by in the world of coffee. Despite this fact, more than 90% of all coffee sold in the U.S. is already stale. (!!!) Until you have tasted truly freshly-roasted coffee, you would not know the difference! Many people who drink their coffee with lots of cream and sugar are trying to "dress up" a poor quality cup.

Why does so much coffee on the market not taste very good? Exposure to oxygen over time causes deterioration of aroma, flavor, body, and complexity - all the qualities one drinks coffee to enjoy! If stored in bins or other containers with air, the roasted beans begin to stale after as little as two weeks. Aroma and acidity are quickly lost, while flavor still remains. Between four & six weeks after roasting, even a noble bean roasted with the most delicate precision has become a mere shadow of its former self.

After roasting, beans produce more than three times their volume in carbon dioxide, thus making packaging in cans or other solid containers impractical...unless you let it fully de-gas for several days or weeks before packaging...in which case it cannot be truly fresh! This problem was solved more than 30 years ago, when the one-way valve was invented. This valve can be laminated into an oxygen-impermeable material, so that carbon dioxide could be released without allowing oxygen to reach the coffee and destroy its virtues. This extends the life of roasted coffee beans and allows for immediate shipping. The best cup of coffee results from grinding and brewing beans as soon as possible after the 24-48 hours of degassing which occurs after roasting.

We bag our coffee by hand in this type of packaging immediately after roasting to minimize contact with oxygen. Ask your favorite coffee shop or mail-order supplier about how they preserve the freshness of their product! You may be surprised by the answers...

First Blog Post for Ashley & Cooper's The Coffee Blog

O! exciting day! 'Tis the launch of The Coffee Blog, where the truth about specialty coffee may radiate throughout the land. We welcome your comments and questions!