Kokoda Coffee

Coffee Roasting is the art of cooking coffee beans to perfection, to bring out the best qualities. Coffee roasting is not just about putting green bean in a coffee roaster, waiting for some time and then taking it out.There are a myriad of variables to take into account when roasting coffee. Right from the moisture content of the green bean before roasting, to the air temperature and humidity of the environment, to the smell of the coffee as it roasts, to how the coffee looks just before it needs to be taken out; the roaster needs to be aware of all these factors. Not only do these variables need to be controlled, they need to be mastered. As with any food, how you cook it greatly determines the end taste.

The art of coffee roasting is the ability to create the same roast every time. Improper roasting has a huge effect on the end flavour of a coffee. The flavour of a properly produced green bean can be destroyed by improper roasting techniques, just as easily as perfect roasting can bring out the flavour of even the worst green bean.

Our beautiful antique coffee roasting machine

At Kokoda Coffee we roast each batch by hand in our beautiful antique manual coffee roaster. Hand roasting in a manual roaster adds character and depth to each batch of coffee, more so than an automatic roaster. When you put coffee into a manual roaster, the temperature drops quickly. As the coffee roasts, the temperature gradually increases, ensuring each bean has the chance to roast completely, from the inside out.

The hand roasting techniques combined with the wealth of experience in the coffee industry come together to make the brilliant product that is Kokoda Coffee. Each batch is treated as an individual roast. While our coffees always taste the same, it is very rare that each batch is in the roaster for the same amount of time.

Once an automatic roaster senses the temperature drop due to room temperature green bean being added, it artificially increases the temperature. It does this by increasing the amount of gas going to the burner which increases the flame, which increases the temperature. As an automatic machine normally uses preset roasting profiles, factors such as moisture content and size of the bean can't be taken into account. The trade off is faster roasting but the consistency and quality of the end product is reduced.

Freshly roasted Kokoda Coffee cooling in the roaster's cooling tray

The next step is to taste the coffee. Of the approximate 35 flavours and tastes of coffee, did you know there is no taste for bitterness. Coffee tasting is a lot like wine tasting. To the un-initiated, a coffee taster will sound very rude, when you are tasting coffee one must use a soup spoon and slurp the coffee over the tongue to the back of the palate and then swish it around the mouth. The coffee is then spat out.

Only once there is no coffee in your mouth, can you properly analyse the taste and flavours on your palate of that particular cup. Coffee tasting is an art form, it cannot be taught by a book, it is passed from master to apprentice. The apprentice must taste the coffee and then the master will tell them the flavours that are in that cup.

Only after much practice and repetition can one claim to be a master of the art of tasting coffee. Only once a Kokoda Coffee has passed this final quality test, will be made available for sale to customers.

To continue your Kokoda Coffee Experience, use the menu to your left or click here to go to the Espressing page.