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Devil Dog Brew

Jul
12
Just what is 'Air Roast'?
By Manolito Bastasa

At least once at every show, street fair, farmers market, or holiday show, someone wants to know, 'what is air roasting'? Rather than rewrite the story here is a very direct explanation from the Kaladi Coffee company web page. I thank Mark and Andy for allowing me to reprint it.

What is Air Roasted Coffee?
Have you had coffee leave you with a sour stomach and an unpleasant, jittery feeling throughout your body? Or one that tastes burnt and bitter? We usually attribute these characteristics to a particular style of coffee roast or brand of coffee. Maybe it’s neither. In many cases it’s the roasting equipment causing the undesirable flavors. You might stumble onto this realization by having a cup of extraordinary coffee, as we did, ask what made it so, and discover – Air Roasted Coffee!
With Air Roasted Coffee you taste the coffee not the roaster. It’s the air that roasts the coffee not the surface of the roaster. So the coffee has a very clean taste that is intensely aromatic, minus the acids and bitter tars that are produced by conventional roasters. This roasting method was championed by Michael Sivetz, Chemical Engineer and Coffee Industry Consultant. He wrote the first scientific treatise on coffee, Coffee Technology. Disappointed with the state of roasting manufacturing, he developed and manufactured the first practical commercial air roaster: the Sivetz Fluid-Bed Roaster.
Most drum roasters today introduce hot air into their roast chamber, then the beans tumble and touch the hot surfaces to roast, like clothing in a clothes dryer. The Sivetz system levitates the beans on a fluidized bed of hot air, keeping the beans moving and not scorching on hot surfaces. The sole use of hot air greatly increases the rate of heat transference to the beans, creating a cleaner, more aromatic roast free of bitter tasting tars. Sivetz sold hundreds of these roasters all around the world, and many have been inspired to create their own air roaster based on his design. We created this website for fans of Air Roasted Coffee and to help you find an Air Roaster near you!

Now you know so just sit back, brew a pot, pour a cup and ENJOY!! Or as Andy would say, 'Chow'!