A great cup of coffee starts with a quality bean, said Coffee by Design co-owner Alan Spear, who has visited more than 50 coffee farms since 2003 to observe the growers, farms and their practices.
But there is a science — perhaps even a religion — to roasting, brewing and serving coffee.
“For me it’s a ritual,” Spear said.
Prior to a recent interview, Spear put this ritual to work. He measured out 80 grams of whole-bean Indonesia Sumatra coffee, which came from the Lintong region of northwest Sumatra. He freshly ground the beans, placed the ground coffee in an oxygenated white filter and flipped the switch of the drip coffee machine in his office.
Spear explains that, like any other agricultural product, a great cup of coffee starts with the environment in which it is grown. That’s why he visits as many of his coffee producers as possible.
He pays extra to have coffee sealed in a plastic bag before it is placed in the traditional cloth coffee bag.
When it comes to roasting the beans, Spear opts for a slow, drum-roasting process. The roasting temperature is determined by the amount of moisture in the bean, which is measured by a machine. Each step is logged onto a computer and hand-written in journals.
“It’s like cooking a steak,” Spear explained. “If you cook it too fast, you’re not going to bring out the flavor.”
The peak roast usually takes 13-15 minutes, he said, while darker roasts range from 17-18 minutes. Throughout the process, small samples are pulled from the drum so the beans’ color and odor can be monitored.
Some of the coffee blends contain three roasting levels.
Spear has a test roaster in his office so he can sample new beans. He observes, feels and smells the whole roasted bean and the ground bean, before wetting it for yet more observation.
He tastes the coffee initially while it is hot and throughout the cooling stages. If a coffee turns sour or loses flavor as it cools, he said he won’t buy the coffee.
“A good cup of coffee can change someone’s day,” he said.
Randy Billings can be contacted at 791-6346 or at:
rbillings@mainetoday.com
Twitter: @randybillings
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.