Roasting specialty coffee: a craft of fire, air and patience

Lately I've been hooked on learning about specialty coffee roasting, and I happened to come across an article about a Vietnamese roaster that I just had to take notes on. Phạm Thanh Tùng, head roaster at the roastery 9 Minutes to Miracle, has been in the trade for almost 5 years and spends his whole day in a roasting workshop of barely 40 m².

What struck me most was the way he talks about the craft: roasting coffee means skillfully controlling fire and air to turn humble green beans into a cup of specialty coffee. To be labeled specialty, beans must meet the standards of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) - few defects and a cupping score of 80 to 100.

I also learned more about storage: imported beans are wrapped in four layers of bags to protect them from knocks, moisture and mold, the last layer being a proper Grain Pro bag designed to keep green coffee. Every day Tùng roasts about 17 batches, and the size of each batch varies depending on orders.

In Vietnam, specialty coffee has only caught young people's attention over the past 7-8 years or so, but I can see it growing really fast. If you're curious too, try finding a roastery near you, buy a few freshly roasted beans and brew them really slowly - it tastes completely different from regular coffee.

Source: VnExpress