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Relevant information was moved from an article Processing of coffee which incorrectly defined coffee processing as roasting. Coffee processing is the conversion of the fruit of the coffea plant into the stable commodity green coffee. The images mention that the coffee beans in them are years old - this sounds like something the article ought to mention. Are coffee beans aged to produce flavor? Ronchy 00:20, 30 September 2005 (UTC)

Some coffee is aged, but this is part of processing, not roasting. The coffee processing page mentions aging.Dan Bollinger (talk) 21:39, 29 February 2012 (UTC)


"Different Equipment, Methods"

I am aware of at least two distinct varieties of equipment that coffee roasters use. One of them is a large barrel like machine, the other 'floats' the coffee on curculated hot air to roast the beans. Could I request some clarification here? It would be great if this article could really go into a few of the different roasting methods/machinery used and how those impact taste, etc.

I made a start introducing these two, main methods of roasting. They could be expanded upon. Dan Bollinger (talk) 12:57, 14 June 2011 (UTC)

2 questions: Roasting history and French vs Italian roast

1): Anyone who can go into coffee history and roasting history and traditions?

2): In Europe (where it all started), 'italian' roast is the term used for what you today would name 'espresso' roast -the darkest. 'French' roast is then a bit lighter, but still dark. Somehow on the way we've got different terms and explanations. Wikipedia is read in all continents, and this could be explained a little.

Europe was where espresso making started. Coffee roasting did not start in Europe. In terms of roast names, if they call the roast names something different in England, ok, en wikipedia is all ears. but if they call things differently in different european languages, then we simply have a translation problem. I think it would be fine to note it if in France and Italy, they consider their roasting levels to be different form what these Fr. roast and It. roast names imply. 74.68.152.245 (talk) 14:49, 23 November 2008 (UTC)
I added the Coffee Roast Pictorial which should take care of most of what you are saying. FYI: Espresso is a drink, not a roast. This is a common error, one that some commercial coffee companies make, too. Dan Bollinger (talk) 19:14, 20 June 2011 (UTC)
Do you have any sources besides your own work to call the darkest roast 'Italian' roast? --Steadicat (talk) 16:46, 21 April 2012 (UTC)
I created the coffee roast pictorial for the Home Roasters Assocation (I was one of the founders). The names, temperatures and description come from a variety of sources which are noted in the introductory paragraph, i.e. 3, 4, and 5.Dan Bollinger Dan Bollinger (talk) 11:24, 25 June 2012 (UTC)

caffeine quantities according to roast?

ive heard a couple times recently that the darker the roast, the lower the caffeine content... is this true? forgive me if this information is on here already, ive been at it for a bit and have yet to find any reference.

feel free to email me roninja@gmail.com 205.250.52.113 21:53, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

I am currently working on a coffee estate and can tell you that yes, the darker the roast, the lower the caffeine level (in coffee arabica at least). At this time I can not provide a source for you, I apologize.

I found and added a reference for this from the ASIC proceeding (and forgot to log in) Dan Bollinger (talk) 14:53, 24 June 2011 (UTC)

arabic coffee vs cinnamon roast

Why does the cinnamon roast example have the phrase "The lightest drinkable roast" when the one above it labeled "drying phase" says "Arabic coffee is prepared using this roast." So... Arabic coffee is undrinkable? Probably should delete the phrase "The lightest drinkable roast".DMahalko (talk) 08:20, 12 January 2012 (UTC)

Someone added that statement with no regard to the disjointedness it created. I agree it should be dealt with, but for a different reason. Technically, the statement is correct since Arabic coffee is made from beans that have not been roasted. Cinnamon IS the lightest of the ROASTS. However, it would be confusing to some non-discerning readers. I'll edit that statement. The statement "Arabic coffee is made from this roast" was in the drying phase, but the WP article says it is made from unroasted beans. Therefore, I moved this to the green bean portion of the graphic.Dan Bollinger (talk) 21:27, 29 February 2012 (UTC)
I've been doing some research and find that Arabic Coffee is another name for Turkish Coffee, both made with dark roasted beans. The beverage made from green coffee is called Al-Qahwa, sometimes called Saudi Coffee.I'll make that correction here. The Arabic Coffee page needs a lot of work.98.223.77.61 (talk) 13:59, 1 March 2012 (UTC)
I've been learning more about this, too. There is an open thread at Home Roasters Association forum. Apparently, Al-Qahwa is made from very lightly roasted beans from the Drying Phase of Cinnamon roast levels. I've made that correction to the table here a month or so ago. Comments about the Arabic Coffee page should be made on its talk page.Dan Bollinger (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 19:00, 6 June 2012 (UTC)

Degree of roasting terminology; too many names

Most roasters have specialized names for their favored roasts and there is very little industry standardization. This can cause a great deal of confusion, but in general, roasts fall into one of four color categories:

  • light
  • medium
  • medium-dark
  • dark
icetea8 (talk) 04:51, 11 March 2012 (UTC)
I don't see how reducing the number of confusing terms reduces confusion. Rather, I think detailed explanations with images, temperatures, and description is superior. This history of coffee roasting is reflected in the named roast levels and many commercial roasters use these roast level names on their labels. From a processing standpoint both are inferior to using the temperature. Having all three systems explained and crossreferenced makes for a better article.Dan Bollinger (talk) 11:22, 25 June 2012 (UTC)