Houston... coffee fraud?

[Joel Mchale]

I stumbled across this article based in Houston and i notice the whole article is nothing but misinformation..

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/eating/2009/11/roast_bean_profiling_c...


Thoughts, Comments?

Discuss

[Jared Rutledge]

there are some levels of dumb i can't even summon the energy to be sarcastic towards. what do you say to someone who is just talking out of their ass?

[Alun Evans]

Hmm...an opinion piece?? As a roaster I would say that the pictures shown (which are from Tom at sweetmarias.com) do not actually at ALL relate to profiling, or lack of profiling. It can not be assumed that the dark roasted beans sown - pictures 14+ have not been roasted using a roast profile.... all roaster develop profiles for their coffees- whether they are looking to pull the coffee just after the first crack, or way past the 2nd crack. The Profile is in basic terms a plan of temperature, airflow adjustments at 30 sec or 1minute time marks along the roasting time line. Sort of like Waypoints on a projected trip. So even for a dark, and oily roast- the roaster for sure would have developed a profile along the way.

Each photo, as I remember it from Tom's description, is to be used as a pictorial guide showing the change in the bean at a certain time and temperature.

As I work solely with Indonesian Arabicas, it would be difficult and unfair of me to comment on roasting styles for other origins- and I think roasting is a very personal issue based in a great part on what the roaster him/herself wants to see in the cup.

[Joel Mchale]

I hear you Alun ... It just seems like the author doesn't even know what the meaning of profiling is.

He seems to be trying to force light roasts on people.

I don't think all dark roast is bad and oil in a bean does not always mean a rancid or stale bean. The bean should speak for itself and the roaster should roast accordingly for what he or she is going for.

Its just a poor article and It doesn't speak for us roasters.

[Jared Rutledge]

it reminds me of the BBC mockumentaries "Look Around You" where they just give out misinformation to be funny. Look Around You - Germs

[Alun Evans]

Hey Joel you are right. As mentioned a Dark and oily bean post roast- should have been achieved...by the foresaid roaster using a roast profile. Having read the article again, believe the author (who I know is a member of BX) is a barista. Agree, a profile can mean a number of things- in this case the word has been used incorrectly. I am sure any specialty roaster NOT using a roast profile while roasting, is probably not in business any longer.

Joel Mchale said:

I hear you Alun ... It just seems like the author doesn't even know what the meaning of profiling is.

He seems to be trying to force light roasts on people.

I don't think all dark roast is bad and oil in a bean does not always mean a rancid or stale bean. The bean should speak for itself and the roaster should roast accordingly for what he or she is going for.

Its just a poor article and It doesn't speak for us roasters.

[Ricky Sutton]

To some degree i believe what they are saying. They could have said it with a little more finesse though.
The idea is that you can roast to taste the bean, or roast to taste the roast. The route that every great roaster is taking is to just roast the individual coffee to the point at which it tastes the best. Sometimes that's a little lighter, and sometimes a little darker depending on the bean.

Where did i recently read that starbucks was spreading the rumor that other coffee companies roast their coffee "lightly" to save money?

[Logan Demmy]

Wow... Maybe a bit of a misunderstanding in terms of lingo? Seems a bit bullyish.

Alun Evans said:

Having read the article again, believe the author (who I know is a member of BX) is a barista.

[Jeremy Conley]

It's likely that the topic was broached that way to make it more accessible to un-or-ill-informed consumers. But, still—

[Kevin Ayers]

Look around you, the music of the future, is absolutely hilarious.

This article doesn't really seem to have any focus. What are they trying to say?

Jared Rutledge said:

it reminds me of the BBC mockumentaries "Look Around You" where they just give out misinformation to be funny. Look Around You - Germs

[Ken Palmer]

I am a roaster from houston. I know this guy and he is a self proclaimed expert. Has no roasting experience and is a marginal barista. But he can talk a big story

[Ken Palmer]

Alfred Peet was my instructor and he always told me to roast each coffee 4-5 different roasts and pick the one that brings the best flavor. But he always told me to go a little further as he was a dark roast person.

Ricky Sutton said:

To some degree i believe what they are saying. They could have said it with a little more finesse though.
The idea is that you can roast to taste the bean, or roast to taste the roast. The route that every great roaster is taking is to just roast the individual coffee to the point at which it tastes the best. Sometimes that's a little lighter, and sometimes a little darker depending on the bean.

Where did i recently read that starbucks was spreading the rumor that other coffee companies roast their coffee "lightly" to save money?

[Ricky Sutton]

Hah! It's amusing to me that Alfred would essentially say "roast it until it tastes the best... then roast it a little darker". That's Peet's for you though. In all serous-ness, Peet's is probably the best giant chain shop. At least they're using real espresso machines and somewhat fresh coffee. I usually recommend Peet's to anyone who is travelling and there are no good independent options.