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Roasting decaffeinated coffee is more difficult than roasting “regular” coffee. The decaffeination
process makes the color of the beans more difficult to discern and the cracks occur in much reduced num
-
bers. For this reason, we highly recommend learning to roast with “regular” coffee before attempting to
roast decaf.
Bean Cleaning
When the roast is over, and the beans are sitting in the cooling tray, you may notice that some stray
chaff is left on the beans. This is normal. Some grinders don’t control static electricity well and the leftover
chaff can add to the mess. Also, some people just don’t like the looks of the chaff in their beans. A good
tool to remove most of the stray chaff is a pasta strainer or colander. Manually agitating the beans in one
of these allows the chaff and small bits of beans to fall away leaving clean coffee. While doing this it is
also a good idea to watch for small rocks and other foreign matter that is sometimes found in green coffee.
Remove and discard these.
When Is It Ready to Drink?
Depending on the beans, the roast level, the brewing method you use, and your personal tastes, some
beans are best after they are allowed to “rest” for a day or two before use. Their taste develops and changes
in this first day or two after roasting. For espresso this can be very important. For other methods of brew-
ing it is not. How do you know? Experiment! Only you know what tastes best to you! Roast a batch of
Colombian to about thirty seconds after first crack ends and use it right away, and for the next few days.
Your palate will soon begin to learn what it likes.
How to Taste-Test Coffee
An excellent method for tasting coffee is the way you normally drink it, but coffee experts “cup” the
coffee. This is an art in itself, but you can get a good idea about the coffee by doing it at home. You will
need a source of quality water, a kettle in which to boil it, an eight ounce, heat-resistant cup with a wide
opening and straight sides, and a deep tablespoon. Take the coffee right from the roaster after it has cooled,
grind some in your grinder, and put a coffee-measure full into the cup. After the water just reaches boil,
take the water off the heat source and count about ten seconds, then pour about 6 ounces of water into the
cup. Allow the coffee to soak for a bit, then break the “crust” with the spoon and inhale the aroma through
your nose, long and deep. The aroma of brewing coffee tells a lot about how it will taste.
Now, fill your spoon with coffee (avoiding the grounds as much as is possible). Now, the trick is to
“slurp” the coffee into your mouth so that it sprays the spoonful into all parts of your mouth all at once.
You may wish to practice with some plain, cool water first, and please be careful not to burn yourself with
the hot coffee! It is sort of like a powerful kiss, but take care to avoid drawing coffee into your throat.
When tasting coffee this way pay attention to how it tastes at the very first, after it coats your mouth,
and how it tastes after it is swallowed. Repeat this a few times until you get an idea of how it tastes. Ad-
ditionally, rub the coffee between the tongue and the roof of your mouth to get a “feel” for it. This is the
“Body” of the coffee how it feels without considering the taste. If you are tasting more then one type of
coffee (an excellent experiment, by the way) be sure to rinse the spoon in one cup of clean water and take
a sip of water from a different cup before switching coffees.
Don’t get discouraged. Tasting coffee is a difficult skill learned over time, but as you become more
proficient at it you will gain an important skill that can give you immediate feedback as to the quality of
your roast.
My Coffee Doesn’t Taste Right To Me
Adjusting the taste of the coffee is something with which a lot of people struggle. If we accept that
the coffee itself is good, then examine the brewing method. Many home drip machines brew at too cold
of a temperature to make good coffee. Consider a manual pour-over cone or a press pot (“French Press”)