Chapter 1
The great global coffee migration
Chapter 2
The secret botany of the coffee cherry
Chapter 3
The fiery chemistry of roasting
Chapter 4
The physics and art of extraction
YOUR GOAL
Master of From wild forests to the perfect pour
Ch 3 · The fiery chemistry of roasting
sonia Coffee Roasting Chemistry
Heat starts to rise, pressure is building, hear the first crack!
Fun Fact
Bean expansion: During the first crack stage of roasting, water vapor pressure causes a coffee bean to double in physical size.
Glossary
maillard reaction (noun)
A chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavor. First described in 1912, this reaction drives the aromatic transformation of green coffee beans during thermal roasting.
A chemical reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars that gives browned food its distinctive flavor. First described in 1912, this reaction drives the aromatic transformation of green coffee beans during thermal roasting.
Quiz
What color are raw, unroasted coffee beans when they are first shipped from farms to roasteries?
Quiz
What visual indicator on a roasted coffee bean suggests it has undergone 'second crack' and is a very dark roast?
Quiz
What is the chemical process of thermal decomposition that occurs at high roasting temperatures without oxygen?
Quiz
What happens to the physical size of a coffee bean during the 'first crack' stage of roasting?
Quiz
At approximately what temperature does the moisture inside a roasting coffee bean vaporize, causing the 'first crack'?
Quiz
What aroma is typically released by coffee beans during the initial yellowing or drying phase of roasting?
Quiz
What is the primary chemical reaction responsible for browning coffee beans and creating complex savory flavors?