Our mission at White Horse is to keep coffee special. This is why we continually experiment and seek to improve how we source, roast and brew our coffee. If you’ve been following our articles and experimenting at home brewing your coffee in different ways, you will know that each method is pretty unique with it’s own special characteristics and nuances. These noticeable differences is why mixing it up a little and brewing coffee in different ways is so much fun. This is also why we roast our coffee differently for different brewing methods. Roasting coffee specifically for each brew method helps highlight the unique aspects of the coffee using that specific brewing technique. For example.
We roast our filter coffee differently to how we roast for espresso. For filter brewing methods, we roast the coffee lighter than we do for most of our other roasts. We have found that this helps bring out more of the high notes and fruity aspects of the coffee. This is especially important when we consider that with a filter brewing process the coffee is contact with water for a much longer period of time. When coffee is in contact with water for a longer period it tends to draw out stronger roasty flavors. We want to avoid the strong roasted flavor as this can mask the special and intricate flavours of the coffee. Our aim here is to maximise the unique flavor and sweetness of the coffee so we can taste and enjoy its full potential.
In the case of roasting our origin coffees to showcase through our espresso machines, which are usually small lots from single farms, we roast the coffee a touch darker than we do for filter. There are a few reasons why we do this. When coffee is extracted through an espresso machine it is in contact with the water for about 30 seconds, which is shorter than with a filter process. We need to ensure its solubility so we achieve full extraction of flavour in a short 30 second period. Secondly, because the espresso machine accentuates and intensifies flavor, our filter roasts can taste sharp and acidic when brewed as an espresso. This is why we need to push the coffee a touch darker into the roast for espresso to make it more balanced and enjoyable.
And finally this is how we roast our our house blend, White Knight. For our blend we roast it a touch darker than we do with our origin coffees. This is because our blend is primarily used for cappuccinos, flat whites and lattes. When espresso is mixed with milk we need to make sure that we optimise the depth of flavour, enhance the caramel notes and ensure the coffee enjoys deep body. So pushing our blend further into the roast helps us achieve a deep, fully round and pleasing flavour in the cup. So there’s some background on why we roast each of our coffee’s a little differently. All in the name of keeping it special and pursuing the best cup possible, making sure that we balance roast and clarity. Keep it special. Brian Cole (Head roaster)
Roasting for Filter
We roast our filter coffee differently to how we roast for espresso. For filter brewing methods, we roast the coffee lighter than we do for most of our other roasts. We have found that this helps bring out more of the high notes and fruity aspects of the coffee. This is especially important when we consider that with a filter brewing process the coffee is contact with water for a much longer period of time. When coffee is in contact with water for a longer period it tends to draw out stronger roasty flavors. We want to avoid the strong roasted flavor as this can mask the special and intricate flavours of the coffee. Our aim here is to maximise the unique flavor and sweetness of the coffee so we can taste and enjoy its full potential.
Roasting for Origin Espresso
In the case of roasting our origin coffees to showcase through our espresso machines, which are usually small lots from single farms, we roast the coffee a touch darker than we do for filter. There are a few reasons why we do this. When coffee is extracted through an espresso machine it is in contact with the water for about 30 seconds, which is shorter than with a filter process. We need to ensure its solubility so we achieve full extraction of flavour in a short 30 second period. Secondly, because the espresso machine accentuates and intensifies flavor, our filter roasts can taste sharp and acidic when brewed as an espresso. This is why we need to push the coffee a touch darker into the roast for espresso to make it more balanced and enjoyable.
Roasting our Blend
And finally this is how we roast our our house blend, White Knight. For our blend we roast it a touch darker than we do with our origin coffees. This is because our blend is primarily used for cappuccinos, flat whites and lattes. When espresso is mixed with milk we need to make sure that we optimise the depth of flavour, enhance the caramel notes and ensure the coffee enjoys deep body. So pushing our blend further into the roast helps us achieve a deep, fully round and pleasing flavour in the cup. So there’s some background on why we roast each of our coffee’s a little differently. All in the name of keeping it special and pursuing the best cup possible, making sure that we balance roast and clarity. Keep it special. Brian Cole (Head roaster)
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