In the world of small batch, commercial coffee roasting there are mainly two types of roasters--and we use both. Batch Roasting is the more traditional method of roasting, it’s done in a closed chamber that is heated while the beans tumble over each other throughout the roasting process. A fluid bed roaster, on the other hand, is similar to a hot air popcorn popper. The beans are heated and blown around the open-ended roasting chamber by the use of heated air forced from below. In both roasting processes the bean reaches what is referred to the First Crack stage. Here the coffee bean goes through a rapid expansion (thus creating the audible “crack” sound) and the delicate silver skin on the outer surface of the bean is shed. In the batch roaster the silver skin is baked onto the bean as it continues to the end of the roasting process. The silver skin in the fluid bed roaster is consequently blown off and out of the top of the roasting chamber; leaving these beans with a cleaner, less masked flavor. The subtle profile differences between coffee regions comes through. Our darker roasts use the batch roasting method, while our lighter roasts flavors are developed in the fluid bed roaster.