How many of us really know the differences between artisanal and industrial coffee?
Today we’re talking about just this:
- The differences between the two types of coffee and therefore of roasting
- The pros and cons of both
- And how different roasting types create different flavor profiles in the cup
You can also find the summary video below!
The Nature of Coffee: A Fundamental Starting Point
Before getting into the heart of the comparison, it is essential to understand a crucial aspect:
Coffee is a natural product.
The raw coffee bean is nothing more than the seed of a fruit, which means that each individual botanical species and variety has unique characteristics.
But not only that! The same plant in the same plantation can offer different fruits, and therefore beans, every year, based on the amount of water received, the soil, the amount of sun and wind and so on.
So raw coffee can never always be the same, but we will have to adapt to what nature offers.
There are also other factors to consider.
There can be significant differences between beans within the same crop. Factors such as processing method, flavor profile, density, size, uniformity, and moisture all influence the final result.
This is a key point to understand the difference between artisanal and industrial roasting.
Artisan Roasting: The Role of the Expert
Artisan roasting is a process that requires great experience, study and sensitivity.
The roaster controls each phase of the cooking and adapts it based on the specific batch he is working on, in fractions of a few seconds.
This is because with artisan roasting the Roaster has the task of enhancing the specific beans he has in front of him.
You can’t improvise and experience alone isn’t enough. In fact, experience helps a lot and, as they say, “practice makes perfect”, but the basis of everything is study. You need to know how coffee reacts to each type of change made by the operator.
If you don’t know the cause and effect of different possible actions, how can you control the process?
A good roaster therefore knows that each bean behaves differently during roasting and, to obtain the best possible aromatic profile, must be ready to intervene in real time.
Adjust the temperature, duration and airflow to enhance the characteristics of the coffee, highlighting sweetness, acidity, body and aftertaste.
Thanks to this attention, artisanal coffee maintains its aromatic complexity, offering unique and always different taste experiences depending on the lot and origin of the coffee, as well as honoring the work of the grower in the countries of origin.
Of course, if the roaster is not highly professional and has not studied in depth, he could create major roasting defects, thus offering a product with negative and unpleasant aromas in the cup.
Industrial Roasting: Standardization and Homogeneity
On the contrary, industrial roasting is based on automated processes.
Here come into play machines programmed to follow predefined roasting curves, without any customization.
Industrial roasters work on large volumes and aim for a product that always tastes the same. To achieve this standardization, they use higher temperatures and shorter roasting times, thus ensuring efficient and standard production.
The operator therefore does not have the task of adapting the process to the characteristics of the beans in question, but of checking that the machine functions smoothly.
The result?
A coffee with a consistent flavor, but often flatter and less nuanced than a craft roast.
Furthermore, to further uniform the taste, a dark roast is adopted, which tends to cover the natural aromatic differences of the bean, making them all bitter, if not with a burnt taste in the worst cases.
The biggest plus of the industrial method is that it allows you to produce very high quantities of coffee, reducing production costs. So for a roaster who focuses on quantity, rather than quality, there is no other solution than industrial roasting.
Which One to Choose?
If you love discovering new aromas and authentic tastes, artisanal coffee is undoubtedly the best choice.
Each batch is unique and the roasting is adapted to best enhance it, offering a richer and more satisfying sensory experience.
If, on the other hand, you prefer a coffee that always tastes the same, without surprises and often at a lower price, you may find industrial coffee more suitable.
The choice depends only on you and your tastes!
Personally, we at Caffè Ernani have chosen to roast our coffee in an artisanal way.
Because we fell in love with the entire supply chain, but especially with cultivation. Having discovered the thousand incredible flavors that a raw coffee can offer, we decided that we wanted to enhance every single aromatic nuance of our beans, to live a new experience with every taste!
Marketing, E-commerce e Social Media Manager
Coffee Lover
