Coffee Knowledge
Inside the coffee roastery
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A mug of coffee is full of fun, flavour, and culture and consumed by millions around the world, but what happens inside a coffee roastery and why? Learn more.
What is a Coffee Roastery?
A coffee roastery is at the heart of our delicate, smooth and simply irresistible coffee blends. Our specially hand-picked and carefully sourced beans are sent around the world to the roastery where coffee beans are roasted before being crushed down to make coffee.
Coffee roasters have to source the coffee through warehouse and catalogue sales or through direct trade, which is the most popular way to find the best coffee. Coffee roasting is an art that requires a high degree of knowledge and experience to produce level roast profiles. Coffee must be closely monitored during the roasting process and scientific principles of heat transfer, thermodynamics and coffee chemistry must be applied to ensure the highest standard of quality and flavour come through in the final product — the roasted bean.
The History of the Coffee Roastery
Coffee, as we all know has a long, rich history, and the preparation of roasting coffee beans to make a drink, is much the same today as it was hundreds of years ago. The first known roasting tools were tin, perforated pans that were used over an open flame. The roaster would then use spoons to circulate the beans around to ensure even roasting. Only a small amount could be roasted at one time, and the stirring meant that the roaster had to pay great attention throughout the whole process. This prompted coffee lovers to start experimenting with new methods, as the old ways proved to be messy and inconsistent.
The Cylindrical Coffee Roaster
The Cylindrical coffee roaster is said to originate in Grand Cairo in the 17th century. These devices enclosed the coffee beans, allowing the heat to develop inside its inner chamber. The chamber featured a hand crank to move the beans around consistently whilst the beans were held over an open fire. The design spread through Europe and the Americas as the coffee industry grew with colonialism.
The Industrial Coffee Roaster
Coffee roasting was not left behind in the industrial revolution. Many early industrial roasters used large cylinders placed over a heat source. Until the introduction of gas supplies throughout urban centres, wood or coal would be used. This resulted in coffee having a smoky flavour, so when natural gas became available, it’s no surprise that it quickly became the roaster’s preferred heat source.
Fluid-Bed Roasters
Drum roasters based on 19th century ideas are still the roaster design choice today. However, in the 1970’s, fluid-bed or hot-air roasters entered the coffee bean roasting scene. The fluid-bed roaster forces air through a screen under the coffee beans with enough strength to lift the beans. Heat is then transferred to the beans as they tumble around. Roasters have largely dismissed fluid-bed roasters, as they do not provide the same quality of roast.
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