Drying
The green beans lose moisture and turn from green to yellow. Little flavor develops yet; this stage gets the beans ready to brown.
How we roast
We don't over-roast to hide anything.
How we roast coffee: light to medium, in small batches, on a separate profile for each coffee.
How we roast coffee: the short answer
Here is how we roast coffee. DABOV is a small batch coffee roaster: every coffee gets its own roast profile, every batch is cupped before it ships, and the roast date is printed on every bag.
Dark roasting evens everything out, which is why it's used when a bag mixes beans of different quality. Ours have nothing to hide, so we roast light to medium, on a separate profile for each coffee.
Taste the first sip black.
Why we don't roast dark
Roast level is a major lever a roaster has on flavor. The longer coffee roasts, the more its own character gives way to the flavor of the roast itself: caramel first, then toast, then char. A dark roast often tastes bold, bitter and smoky, and coffees from very different places tend to taste alike. Dark roasting also tends to mute the bright acidity and sweetness that make a good lot taste of fruit or flowers.
That is why dark roasting suits a blend of mixed quality. It covers flaws and gives a steady, smoky cup. It is also why we don't use it. Specialty coffee roasting is about keeping what the farm and the origin put into the bean, so we stop earlier and let the coffee speak.
Light roasts show acidity, sweetness and origin character. Medium roasts trade a little of that brightness for more body and a rounder, caramel sweetness. Both let the origin come through, which is why we stay within that range.
From green coffee to your cup
-
Cup the green coffee
Before anything is roasted, we taste the green coffee, to learn what a lot has to offer and where it needs care.
-
Write a profile for that coffee
Each coffee gets its own roast profile, written after cupping the green coffee. A single origin coffee differs from lot to lot in density, size and moisture, so no two coffees share a recipe.
-
Roast in a small batch
We roast in small batches on a Loring closed-cycle hot-air roaster, stopping in the light to medium range.
-
Cup the batch again
After roasting, every batch is cupped again before it ships, so we taste what we roasted before you do.
-
Print the roast date on the bag
Every bag carries its roast date, so you always know when the coffee in your hand was roasted.
The basics
What happens inside the roaster
Every roaster takes coffee through the same broad stages.
Browning
Heat sets off browning reactions and the beans turn tan, then brown. Much of the aroma and sweetness forms here.
First crack
The beans crack audibly as steam escapes. Light roasts finish in or soon after this stage, well before the second crack where dark roasts live.
Development
The time after first crack decides how much body and sweetness the roast gains against acidity. A roast profile sets it on purpose.
The roaster
Why we roast on a Loring roaster
We roast on a Loring closed-cycle hot-air roaster, in small batches. Each coffee gets its own roast profile.
In a closed-cycle roaster the hot air is recirculated and heated by a single burner. The beans still tumble in a drum, but they are heated mostly by that moving hot air (convection) rather than by conduction from a heated drum wall.
Cupping
Coffee cupping: how we taste every batch
We write each profile after cupping the green coffee. After roasting, every batch is cupped again before it ships.
Coffee cupping is the roaster's standard way to taste. The coffee is ground coarse, steeped in hot water in a plain cup and tasted with a spoon, so no brewer or recipe stands between you and the coffee. Tasters weigh aroma, acidity, sweetness, body and finish.
Choosing a roast
Light roast vs medium roast: how to choose
Neither is better. Pick by how you brew and what you like in the cup.
Light roast
Bright acidity, a lighter body and clear origin character, often fruity or floral. A natural fit for pour-over, filter drip and other clean brew methods.
Shop light roast coffeeMedium-light roast
A step toward sweetness and body while the origin still shows. A good all-rounder if you sit between the two.
Find your coffeeMedium roast
Balanced, with more body, a rounder caramel sweetness and a softer acidity. Works for espresso, French press, moka pot and milk drinks.
Shop medium roast coffeeReading the roast date on your bag
Every DABOV bag carries its roast date. It shows when the coffee was roasted, so you can compare one bag with another.
Coffee releases carbon dioxide after roasting, and the date tells you when that started.
Keep the bag sealed, cool and out of the light, and grind just before you brew.
From roaster to cup
FAQ
Coffee roasting questions
Do you roast light or dark?
DABOV roasts light to medium. Dark roasting evens everything out, which is why it is used when a bag mixes beans of different quality. Our coffees have nothing to hide, so we stay in the light to medium range, on a separate profile for each coffee.
How do you choose a roast profile for each coffee?
Each DABOV coffee gets its own roast profile, written after we cup the green coffee. Cupping shows what a lot has to offer and where it needs care, and coffees differ in density, size and moisture, so no two coffees share a recipe.
Why do you cup every batch?
Cupping is how we taste coffee. After roasting, DABOV cups every batch before it ships, so we taste what we roasted before you do. We also cup the green coffee before roasting, which is where each roast profile starts.
What is a roast profile?
A roast profile is the plan for how a coffee is roasted: how much heat goes in, how the bean temperature climbs, and how long the coffee spends in each stage before it is cooled. Because every coffee differs in density, size and moisture, we write a separate profile for each one after cupping the green coffee.
What is a Loring roaster?
Loring is a maker of coffee roasters. Ours is a closed-cycle hot-air roaster: the hot air is recirculated and heated by a single burner, and the beans are heated mostly by that moving hot air rather than by conduction from a heated drum wall.
Which roast works for espresso?
There is no single answer, but medium and medium-light roasts are a common choice. A medium roast gives body and sweetness that stand up to milk, while a lighter roast gives a brighter, fruitier shot.
Why is the roast date on the bag?
Every DABOV bag shows its roast date, so you can see when that coffee was roasted and compare one bag with another. Coffee releases carbon dioxide after roasting, and the date tells you when that started.
Where the coffee comes from
Cup of Excellence
Read what the Cup of Excellence is and how its lots are judged.
About Cup of ExcellenceOur farmers
Meet the producers behind the coffees we roast.
Meet our farmersTaste it for yourself
Start with a light roast, or browse all of our specialty coffee.