Good quality coffee is hard to come by, especially a blend that you can actually enjoy black. Join us in this podcast episode as we dig deeper into what makes quality coffee, why sourcing is important, and how to know it’s mold and mycotoxin free.
In this podcast episode, I’m joined by Greysen and Nicholas from Lore Coffee Roasters.
We sat down at their coffee roastery in Bonners Ferry, ID, to discuss how to find a “clean” coffee, how where the coffee is grown affects the taste, and the roasting process.
After going through our toxin journey, Carolyn and I have made some changes to the coffee we drink.
About Graysen and Nicholas
After migrating their families from opposite ends of the continent, Nicholas and Graysen found themselves meeting at Church in a small town in North Idaho.
This is where their friendship developed and upon which they have placed their business. Through their shared faith in Jesus, the two started Lore Coffee Roasters to provide for their families and glorify God in all things.
Nicholas and Graysen came up with the idea of combining their talents and ambitions to bring uniquely tasting coffees to the panhandle of Idaho and all of North America.
Sourcing Coffee
I asked Graysen and Nicholas what goes into finding a clean, specialty-grade coffee and how they ensure it’s safe and ethically grown.
They said it all starts with a great middleman who has a long-standing relationship with the growers.
Before buying the coffee, it goes through tasting and testing to make sure that it both tastes good and will pass the lab testing for mold and toxins.
There are many steps in the process from growing and harvesting the cherry to drying, storing and shipping the beans.
Just like the best-tasting tomato comes from someone growing it in their own garden, so the best-tasting coffee comes from small family farms, growing and selling their coffee to people like Graysen and Nicholas.
Roasting Coffee
While I have roasted coffee at home for years, it became difficult to keep up with the amount our growing family was drinking (as the older kids became coffee drinkers, too).
The process of roasting coffee beans is complex while also simple. The beans go through a few stages:
- Drying – This is the first part of the roasting process where the beans dry out. This takes the coffee beans from about 9% moisture content to 0%.
- Yellowing Phase – Once the moisture is gone, the coffee bean goes through a chemical change called the Maillard reaction. This is where you first start to see the coffee bean turn yellow or light brown.
- Crack (or First Crack) – This is when the coffee bean cracks and releases the trapped CO2. At Lore, they don’t roast their beans long enough for a second crack, but some roasters do. The time from first crack to removing the beans will determine the roast and much of the flavor of the final cup of coffee.
Coffee Profiles (Light, Medium, Dark)
To obtain a light, medium and dark flavor profile requires different roasting times. At Lore, they are Nordic coffee roasters and want to showcase the quality of their coffee, so they will typically roast their coffee for a shorter time.
Nicholas said, “There’s light, medium and dark from the grocery store, and then there’s light, medium and dark at Lore.” Anything you try from Lore will likely be lighter than what you’ve purchased from the grocery store.
- Light Roast – A light roast will have more floral flavors and exotic fruit flavors.
- Medium Roast – This will have some berry or cherry flavor with nuttier flavors like pecan, caramel, molasses or chocolate.
- Dark Roast – Takes the caramelization process a little further, so it’ll have a deeper, more upfront chocolate flavor.
They tend to avoid roasting coffee too long so that it gets that smoky flavor. Some people say this is when coffee tastes “burnt.”
Grinding Coffee
The grind of coffee varies based on the method you’re using to brew it. A general rule of thumb is the smaller the cup of coffee you’re brewing, the smaller the grind should be.
So with drip coffee, if you’re brewing one 6-oz cup, the grind should be finer than if you’re brewing a full 10-cup pot.
As far as a coffee grinder, Nicholas recommends a flat burr grinder. Graysen uses a hand-held manual coffee grinder and loves it. Here’s an electric burr coffee grinder.
How to Brew Coffee
There are so many ways to process or “brew” coffee, whether with an espresso maker, a drip coffee pot, a French press, etc. The brewing process is just as important as the growing and roasting process. If you get one step in the process wrong, it can result in a bad cup of coffee.
Nicholas says the best way to brew a cup of coffee is with a simple coffee scale and a ratio. Depending on the method you’re using, the basic instructions are below:
Drip, Pour Over or French Press
For all of these methods, Nicholas recommends a 1:16 ratio of coffee to water in weight.
Weigh the coffee bean before you grind it (you can add an extra half gram that you might lose during grinding). For a 10-12 ounce cup of coffee, start with 20-25 grams of coffee per cup with 320 grams of water and brew as normal.
Espresso
Brewing a good cup of espresso gets a bit more complicated because you have less control over the water coming through the machine.
For a double shot of espresso, Nicolas recommends at least a 1:2 ratio of coffee beans to finished product. Since you can’t weigh the water before brewing espresso (with most machines), Nicholas recommends weighing how much espresso you’re left with and making adjustments for your particular machine from there.
A good place to start for a standard double shot of espresso is about 18-20 grams of coffee, to about 36-40 grams of espresso.
Timing is also important for a good tasting espresso. If the espresso takes less than 10 seconds to brew, you’re going to be left with a sour flavor; if it takes more than a minute, it’s going to taste really bitter.
The goal is to have your espresso shot take 25-35 seconds. To adjust how long your espresso takes to brew, you can focus on the grind (a bigger grind will make the espresso brew faster, a smaller grind will make it brew slower).
Lore Coffee Roasters
The name “Lore” comes from the history and storytelling that Graysen and Nicholas love to weave into each of their blends.
If you’d like to learn more or purchase our co-branded half-caff mold and toxin-free coffee, visit the Lore Coffee Roasters Website and use the coupon code “Homestead15” for 15% off your first order.
Also, be sure to give them a follow on social media over on Instagram @lorecoffeeroasters or on Facebook.
