Roasted Coffee Beans - Transform Your Senses

What Happens When You Roast Coffee?

When you roast coffee it transforms the chemical and physical properties of the green coffee beans to roasted coffee products. This roasting process is and important part to the production of a tasty cup of coffee. Once roasted, the green coffee bean will expand to almost twice its original size. This also changes its color, taste, smell and weight. When unroasted the beans have all of coffee’s acids, protein, and caffeine — but none of its taste. So it is the heat of the roasting process that sparks the chemical reactions that turn carbohydrates and fats into aromatic oils. This also burns off moisture and carbon dioxide, and will in turn break down and build up acids, unlocking the characteristic coffee flavor. Too technical for me....just give me my java.

As green coffee is more stable than roasted, the roasting process tends to take place close to where it will be consumed. This reduces the time that roasted coffee spends in distribution, helping to maximise its shelf life. The vast majority of coffee is roasted commercially on a large scale, but some coffee drinkers roast coffee themselves in order to have more control over the freshness and roast level of the beans.