Coffee Roasting
Coffee roasting transforms green coffee beans (moisture 10-12%, no flavor, starchy) into roasted coffee (moisture 1-3%, hundreds of volatile aroma compounds, soluble for extraction) through controlled application of heat (150-230+ degrees C). Key chemical transformations: Maillard reaction (browning, flavor development), caramelization (sugars), pyrolysis (cell structure degradation), CO2 off-gassing (freshness indicator). Roasters use time-temperature profiling, rate of rise (RoR) control, and Agtron color measurement.
Background & Context
Torréfaction (roasting in English) is the thermal transformation of green coffee beans into roasted coffee through controlled application of heat over time. In French specialty coffee vocabulary, torréfaction is the comprehensive term covering the entire roasting process — from charge (loading green coffee into the drum) to drop (ejecting roasted coffee at the target colour and development). The process is divided into distinct phases: séchage (drying, 100–150°C), réaction de Maillard (Maillard reaction, 150–196°C), premier crack (first crack, 196–204°C), développement (development phase), and optionally deuxième crack (second crack, 225–230°C) for darker profiles. French-language roasters and baristas commonly use a colour-based vocabulary: torréfaction légère (light), torréfaction moyenne (medium), torréfaction foncée (dark), with légère being the dominant specialty profile in modern Belgian and French third-wave cafés.
Practical Use
For French-speaking consumers and café professionals, understanding the torréfaction spectrum is the primary quality literacy skill. A bag labelled "torréfaction légère" signals that the roaster has prioritised origin character preservation — fruit, florality, acidity — over roasting-derived flavours. A bag labelled "torréfaction artisanale" or "torréfaction soignée" without a specific level descriptor is often a marketing claim without technical specificity. The clearest quality signals in torréfaction communication are: a roast date (date de torréfaction) on the bag, a stated degree (légère/moyenne/foncée), and ideally a drop temperature or Agtron/colour score. Belgian artisan roasters (Caffènation, Mok, Hoppy People) now publish full roast profiles for transparency — a practice aligned with European specialty consumer expectations.
Related Terms
Related terms: Torréfaction légère, Roasting, Maillard reaction, Développement phase, Premier crack.