| The beans. Warm and seemingly glowing in the | | | | theory of putting beans in green and pulling |
| palm of your hand. Ahhh...freshly roasted you | | | | them out roasted easy. However most of the |
| say outloud. The product of an artist. You | | | | really decent quality roasters around the |
| settle down into your tall stool and ask the | | | | world still manually roast coffee- probably |
| barista to grind the freshly roasted | | | | always will.So, lets say you have ticked off |
| coffee...cupping time...the romance of it all | | | | all of the required attributes listed above- |
| sweeps over you.OK. So most of the above is | | | | what is the next step?Learning to roast is |
| the image that a newby or wanna-be roaster | | | | perhaps one of the last challenges for a new |
| has of the industry. The lure for the guy | | | | comer. Firstly resources on the internet are |
| sitting in his office and dreaming of another | | | | scarce, secondly books on the subject are |
| life- one he can do something he loves- | | | | rare. Finally- and most importantly- learning |
| coffee, or more specifically crafting green | | | | by doing, and by the guidance of a skilled |
| beans into roasted specialty coffee.The | | | | roaster, is paramount to learning the skills |
| reality checks for someone looking at | | | | of roasting. Most master roasters will tell |
| entering the coffee roasting business are | | | | you that roasting is an art that is never |
| many. From the outside it does indeed look | | | | fully mastered- you are always learning |
| glamourous. In truth- reality carries a big | | | | something new everyday. Whether it be a new |
| stick and bites.For an insight into coffee | | | | green you are roasting, or unexpected results |
| roasting one should look at historical texts | | | | with beans you have been roasting for |
| about coffee. In the late 1800's and early | | | | years.Finding someone to teach roasting will |
| 1900's the big roasters of the world were | | | | perhaps always be the greatest hurdle to |
| based in the USA. Their factories were | | | | overcome. There are some roasting schools |
| designed to pound out tonnes of coffee. It | | | | around the place, but to learn successfully |
| was hard, hot and sometimes dangerous work. | | | | you need to spend perhaps a minimum of one |
| Roasting machines were heated by coals and | | | | year under an accomplished roasters guidance. |
| fires- making the work place unbearably hot. | | | | Many postings on websites such as are from |
| There were often injuries from serious burns | | | | new entrants wanting to learn the trade- most |
| and also from smoke inhalation. All-in-all | | | | complain that no-one will teach them. This |
| the roasters, the men who pysically roasted | | | | has to be understood- a master roaster |
| the coffee, had a hard life.Fast forward to | | | | teaching the art and tricks of roasting is |
| the pioneer days of Specialty Coffee in the | | | | giving up not only his/her hard earned |
| USA. Suddenly big roasting machines were | | | | knowledge, but also potentially helping |
| replaced by small drum roasters. Gs heating | | | | develop a future competitor.If a new roaster |
| was the order of the day. The roaster was not | | | | is lucky enough to be taken under the wing of |
| ofter bulk, but quality. The subtle change | | | | an established roaster, he/she will begin at |
| was that the days of quantity over quality | | | | the bottom. This means all the hard grunt |
| were over. The typical roaster(y) of today | | | | work of lugging 60kg sacks, roaster |
| may have as little s 4 employees and even the | | | | maintainence, sorting (if it is done) and |
| bigger specialty roasters in the USA do good | | | | then watching, noting and learning |
| volume on 10-12 employees. Its this new breed | | | | tempertaure ramping etc. The first 3-6 months |
| that beckons more to join the roasting | | | | could be monotonous, but are very important |
| crusade.So how does one become a roaster? | | | | in learning the trade in the long-run.Here in |
| Presumably the first criteria to be meet is | | | | Indonesia most roasters are still traditional |
| the would-be roaster must love coffee. That | | | | or semi traditional. This means the machinery |
| being a shoe-in, what are the other very | | | | and the methodology applied to the science of |
| important traits a new roaster must have?I | | | | coffee are not those found in the USA. |
| would list, in no particular order, the | | | | Roasting is hot. It is hard. It is |
| following- be physically strong, be patient, | | | | strenuous... you do not see any fat roasters |
| be a good learner and willing to ask | | | | in this part of the world!Anyway for those |
| questions, be able to work long hours, be | | | | who dream of roasting, do a reality check |
| prepared to work in a hot and loud work | | | | first. If it all adds up then try and follow |
| environment, be analytical and precise in | | | | your dreams. Coffee is a fantastic field to |
| work practices, be able to work long hours | | | | be in.Alun Evans is a New Zealander who has |
| (x2)! and be prepared for many, many hours of | | | | been living and working in Indonesia since |
| study and repetition.Some of the above can be | | | | 1998. His passions are Indonesian Coffee nd |
| bypassed- but by doing this it is to the | | | | helping to develop the small hold growers- |
| detriment of the roasters development and | | | | from the kampung of Java to the villages of |
| also the end product. Many new drum roasters | | | | Flores and Sumatra. |
| have computer control systems which make the | | | | |