As a coffee enthusiast, choosing a roaster should be part of the many important decisions you make regarding improving your knowledge of coffee. Therefore, it’s crucial that it is done right if at all you are to be a barista of your own.
The obvious essential – tasting
The natural point to start with when finding a coffee roaster is the coffee they provide. To ensure that the coffee provided is consistent and of superior quality, you have to get it right by tasting. You have to continually sharpen your tasting skills so as to get the required discerning palette to be able to recognize a truly excellent coffee from a poor quality one.
It’s a common behavior for most coffee enthusiasts to base their decisions on the price factor alone. Saving a couple of dollars for every kilo might seem appealing when viewed from the surface but don’t think that such a move will help you improve your barista skills.
Source of the roaster’s coffee
Most of the time, coffee snobs usually have preference for coffee from a certain region. But that shouldn’t always be the case with everyone else. If you stick to your usual wheel-house, there is not a chance you’ll ever get to experience various amazing tastes that other parts of the world has to offer.
Check the origin of the coffee on the packaging. If missing, you might want to get it from your roaster. If they don’t know either, chances are that the coffee is indifferently sourced. Other things to look into include farm, co-op or region indications that the beans are from.
Profile of the coffee
Apart from just tasting the coffee, considering the profile of the roaster’s coffee is also another way of finding a good roaster. The date of roasting should be of much importance – as a consensus, coffee should be used in a period of 1 month from its roasting date. Another consideration should be the packaging method. The coffee bag ought to have a tiny hole at the center which acts as an expulsion spot for carbon dioxide but keeps oxygen out. When exposed to air, roasted coffee tends to age faster. Lastly on the profile, the coffee needs to be roasted lightly, though some people may consider this a matter of personal preference. The importance of light roasting of coffee beans is that it preserves all the peculiar flavors of the beans.
How respectable is the roaster?
If buying your coffee from a reputable roaster, chances are that you are getting high quality product. The coffee may not meet your exact taste preferences, but at least it is relatively free of the obvious coffee flaws. This actually makes one of the simplest ways of ensuring that you cup of coffee is of same consistent taste and that you are getting the value of your money back.
Access to expert training and equipment
Most roasters provide some sort of expert training to aspiring coffee baristas and enthusiasts. This is a fruit of a good roaster-barista relationship, yet one of the most overlooked aspects. Consider whether the roaster offers expert training. Ignoring this offer can potentially increase your costs and hassles of trying to find a superb coffee. Additional training is essential for producing cups of coffee with consistent quality. As such, you shouldn’t ignore this offer.
Perhaps there are so many other factors to look into when it comes to choosing the best roaster that meets your preferences. Take your time and don’t make rush decisions. Sample a couple of local roasters. You need to make a barista out of you, so it’s important that your coffee is of consistent superior quality. Stack with finding a good coffee roaster? Check out Chorusbeans.com!