Roast 2022 Issue

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EDITOR-IN-CHIEFJAKELEONTI

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THE VIEW Roasting Revolution }

KERRI GOODMAN & JAKE LEONTI

{T his year, CoffeeTalk is excited to be hosting Conversation Corner at Coffee Fest Los Angeles on August 30th.

A huge thanks goes to Linda Smithers and Andy Newbom for sharing their experience and passion for this amazing industry and the people in it.

OUR THEME, DISCOVERING COFFEE, FEATURES THREE TALKS:

• 5 Keys to Success & Profitability is Retail Coffee

• How to Support Healthy Women at Origin

• Radical Early for Coffee Producers—Reinventing the Supply Chain

Please join us at Coffee Fest Seattle, we look forward to seeing you!

CoffeeTalk -41.2710849,173.2836756Magazine

W{ith change, there is always resistance at first. Many of us have spent the better years of our lives learning one way of doing something and mastering it if we're lucky. Roasting is a skill that develops over time. There is a rate-of-rise that varies slightly for each craftsperson. Some of us built our skills on a solid drum gas-lit roaster, while others started using a fluid-bed electric roaster. We will always hold our first experiences with cooking coffee in a very dear place; however,

it is a mistake to let nostalgia and sentimentality get in the way of progress and learning.

I started on a vintage, solid drum, gas roaster from Bologna, and it was all very romantic. I had always wanted to be part of a lineage. Coffee roasting was the perfect torch for me to carry. Keepers of the flame is a phrase we roasters throw around a lot. No matter how I may feel about it personally, it is time to extinguish that flame and make it symbolic. It is time to trade our gas for electricity.

Climate change will not slow unless everyone does what they can to slow it down. Electric cars can travel farther and faster than ever before. Electric roasters can develop coffee more precisely than ever before. Leaning into electric means tradi tional roasting equipment companies will adapt and produce a solid drum electric roaster to meet the market's needs. Now is the time to consider a change and be revolutionary.

The ability to automate a roast is nothing new. For decades, industrial roasters like Scolari and Brambati have been utilizing bean probes and curve automation. However, the business of bringing automation to smaller batches and even home roasting is a bit new and has been growing every year. Cropster was one of the early bids to upgrade any roaster into an automated operation. With this innovative software system, you could retrofit a vintage smallbatch roaster into an ongoing production roaster that hits its marks, starts and stops auto matically and logs every roast.

Roasting coffee has been a skill and tradition that dates back centuries. It was always valued and coveted knowl edge. It was a position that involved an apprenticeship and a transfer of knowledge from master to student. This, along with the equipment cost, created significant barriers to entry. As in many other industries, the benefits of modern technology bring those bar riers to entry crumbling to the ground. YouTube has democratized filmmaking, Legal Zoom has put legal documents in laypeople's hands, and Instagram has made us photographers. Companies

like Ikawa and Bellwether angle to do the same for coffee roasting. They have taken the learning and transference of knowledge out of the equation with a plug-and-play roasting machine that comes with roasting curves and a controlled cooling cycle.

These machines are cleaner and more environmentally friendly as they are electric and do not require gas or a vent. Bellwether looks like a mix between a refrigerator and a laundry mat, while the Ikawa seems to be the spawn of a toaster and blender. They can both be operated by an iPad app and require minimal supervision. With these machines and their software, anyone that can use a microwave would be able to manage a roast program for a café or small wholesale business. This changes the dynamics of the industry in a new way. No longer is the small chain or individual café beholden to the available wholesalers in their area. Suddenly small businesses have the opportunity to form their brand, signature blends, seasonal blends and personalized menu. The minimums are at their discretion, and the freedom of choice is endless.

The Bellwether only roasts six pounds per batch, while the Ikawa roasts fifty grams with a new option that cooks one hundred grams per batch. The Ikawa is meant as a sample roaster or a fresh roasting solution for a home roaster. There have been home roasting machines in the past, the first being a pan. However, a home roasting machine has never been as sophis ticated and easy to use as the Ikawa. For the home roaster, it is a revelation of ease, convenience, and a game to play. Using the app, you can roast your morning cup with a curve provided by

ROASTING REVOLUTION A Change in Not the

JAKE LEONTI | CEO OF F+B THERAPY AND EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, COFFEETALK MAGAZINE

Tim Wendelboe, which will replicate it exactly. Ikawa is a handy tool for anyone who wants to explore the flavors of coffee and expand their pallet with limited roasting knowledge. The only downside for someone learning is that you do feel disconnected from the process of controlling the roast. Even though you can plot out your roast curve and have control over it, having an iPad or smartphone interface removes you a step from the actual process. Of course, you could make this claim about any automated system.

There are many different approaches and philosophies to roasting. Some of us gravitate to the mechanical aspects of it and like to nerd out on their machines' maintenance and constant repairs. Others want to indulge in the repetitive nature of roasting and strive for perfection over and over again. Finally, some of us still are guided solely by our pallets and view roasting

as a means to an end, a necessary step to achieve our vision of flavor development. For the latter, the Ikawa and the Bellwether can serve that means. Through pallet development, experimenting with different curves, and cupping the results, a roaster could refine their coffees and target a flavor profile of their preference. In addition, a home roaster could take a real journey of sensory discovery if they were feel ing both adventurous and meticulous.

The romantics are not going to connect with either of these machines. Like many makers, roasters do not like to stand idle, and these machines remove the necessity to do anything once the drum is loaded. Like any automated machine in any industry, this will marginalize the coffee roaster's role and value. We see similar effects with super-automatic espresso machines and the diminishing role of the barista.

This change is sad and hard to watch for some; our traditions and rituals are seemingly drifting from our industry.

I learned to roast on a vintage Vittoria roaster from Bologna (with no bean probes and no visual of the roast curve; just sight and smell as my guide) and then moved on to an Ambex with two bean probes and a roast log. Next, I learned a Diedrich three-bagger (full automation) and an IR-12 (no digital curve). From there, it was a Scolari

We got this one in the bag.

ROASTING REVOLUTION

Continued from page 9

three-bagger, a US Roasting Corp sample roaster, a Loring, a Brambati, a Quest sampler, an Ikawa and a Probat P-12. They all had their pros and cons. Each roaster did its job if you knew how to work it. The difference between them is that the Ikawa knew how to do its job without knowing how to "work it".

Amazon Prime had been poking me repeatedly to rewatch Downton Abby, a series that takes place in a transitional period at the beginning of the twenti eth century as the industrial revolution had begun slowly replacing prominent hallmarks of their world. One day they would ride a horse, and the next, a Model T. A valet would be hand stitch ing a jacket, while the next day, they would use a sewing machine. Of course, I couldn't resist, and I rewatched the series but this time through a different lens. The mechanization of many laborious tasks put thousands of people out of a job while simultaneously freeing thousands of time-sapping impediments. These industrial leaps allowed for an antiquated caste system to be lifted and created the opportunity for social mobility.

We are at a similar transitional stage, except our revolution is a digital one. Even in the last few years, AI, robotics, and automation have made enormous strides. Coffee roasting was undoubt edly not the first to be subjected to this evolution; however, indeed, it will not be spared. It is an exciting time for futurists and those that value consistency over creativity. There will always be those who value something handmade over something machinemade, so there will always be those who roast in the old ways. Those that keep the flame of technique, discovery, and craft alive. Those that live in a fashion to continue the thread of our ancestors and stand as a living story of our history.

We are no longer in a caste system in the traditional sense; however, there has been a caste within the coffee

industry where coffee workers often get pegged into one position, and upward mobility can be difficult. The knowl edge of roasting, cupping, and sensory development have been hoarded and protected for many years. There are often trenches between green and roasted and brewed professions.

We are entering a new era with new tools that open the world of coffee and show the way to people that didn't know there was one. These tools shorten the learning curve, reduce the financial burden, and set the stage for the next generation of coffee professionals. Coffee has always been a home to peo ple of diverse backgrounds, and these tools shall widen the gate even further. Baristas will roast, roasters will become café owners, and green importers will be our industry's sommeliers, so the significant reshuffle continues.

DOUBLE THE VOLUME

{Coffee roasters and processors have long sought a means to convey valuable product with less breakage, spillage, and contamination risk. Although tubular drag conveyors have offered these desired attributes compared to alternative systems, many in the industry have selected more traditional options to move higher volumes.

Now, however, 8” diameter tubular drag conveyors have become widely available that essentially double the volumes of smaller 6” units. Today, 8” tubular drag cable conveyors can move up to 2,000 Ft³ and 80,000 pounds per hour depending on the bulk density of materials. This provides comparable volumes and pricing to conventional industrial systems.

PRODUCT QUALITY

Since coffee beans and ground coffee are delicate and present a higher value in undamaged form, preserv ing product integrity is important. However, the rough mechanical action of scooping/dumping product from buckets can cause incidental damage, lowering value. So can the high-ve locity conveyance of pneumatic systems through vertical/horizontal

tubing, turns, and sweeps, which can damage product during the process.

In contrast, tubular cable conveyors offer a gentler alternative. When the systems move product through a sealed tube using a coated, flexible stainless-steel drag cable pulled through on a loop, the solid circular discs attached to the cable push the product at low speed through the tube without the use of air, preserving product integrity and minimizing waste. These conveyors excel in transporting delicate coffee beans and precise blends in versa tile layouts and configurations.

PRODUCT PRESERVATION

Enclosed conveyors prevent the product loss intrinsic to open systems. Once the coffee is in the enclosed tube, it cannot fall out, and no product is lost in the form of escaped dust.

Preventing product loss can offer considerable benefits to the coffee processor’s profitability, with sur prisingly quick ROI in some cases.

SAFETY

Open systems like bucket elevators and belt conveyors are common but pose contamination risk. With either

of these systems, any product that is uncovered can potentially expose it to contaminants and moisture in the surrounding environment. Open systems also allow product spillage onto the plant floor, which can present a slip and fall hazard if not promptly addressed.

Unlike open systems, closed systems like tubular drag cable conveyors effectively seal off product from the outside environment and any potential contamination from that source. The enclosed nature of the systems ensures no dust escapes that could lead to a potentially hazardous dust coating on the floor or process equipment. The result is a safer, cleaner, dust-free work environment and reduced risk of dust explosions if the product is in ground or powdered form.

The enclosed systems also elim inate the risk of slip and fall incidents due to product discharge onto the processing floor.

Coffee roasters will do well to consider 8” systems that can dou ble the coffee volume processed compared to 6” units, while safely, gently conveying product.

{ Tubular Drag Conveyors }

KARL SEIDEL | MARKETING DIRECTOR, CABLEVEY CONVEYORS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

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CREM INTRODUCES EX3 ESPRESSO MACHINE

The EX3 is the newest arrival in Crem’s global leading family of traditional espresso machines. The EX3 is a pluri-awarded commercial espresso machine featuring a smart design concept, it can be easily customized through a wide range of different options, both external (number of groups, colors and finishings, lighting, etc.) and technical. The compact Mini 1 group version to the high capacity 2 group is aimed to suit any kind of business with an espresso demand, from small cafés to big coffee shop chains. Try our EX3 product configurator to preview available options.

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CoffeeTalk -41.2710849,173.2836756Magazine

COFFEE FEST CONVERSATION CORNER

CoffeeTalk is excited to be hosting Conversation Corner at Coffee Fest Los Angeles on August 30th. A huge thanks goes to Linda Smithers and Andy Newbom for sharing their experience and passion for this amazing industry and the people in it. Our theme, Discovering Coffee, features three talks:

• 5 Keys to Success & Profitability is Retail Coffee

• How to support Healthy Women at Origin

• Radical Early for Coffee Producers-Reinventing the Supply Chain.

{ coffeefest.com }

GET ON THE PEACE TRADE

Mighty Peace Coffee is a women and minority owned company dedicated to building communities in Congo with financial stability through the green coffee trade The bridge from Congo to the USA is built on coffee. Current green offerings include FTO coffees scoring 86+ with over 500 bags from Umoja, Mapendo and Twende holding on both the East and West coasts of America. Contact jim@ mightypeacecoffee.com or kris@mightypeacecoffee.com to book your coffees today and join in on the Peace Trade.

{ mightypeacecoffee.com }

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