insideKENT Magazine Issue 35 - February 2015 | Page 89

Whichever method is used, once the beans are completely dried, they must
be hulled—i.e. the remaining husk must be removed. After this, they are
ready to be exported across the world.
Once the coffee reaches its destination, the coffee makers can have their
way with it. And there are some interesting things that can be done, such
as cooling it down for a refreshing ice drink, adding syrups to enhance (or
obscure) then flavour, and even using it for baking – coffee and walnut cake
is a particularly popular choice.
The coffee is also roasted at this point (if not before). It’s likely you have
heard the terms ‘dark roast’ and ‘light roast’ when it comes to coffee, and
this is where it happens. A dark roast is often thought to be stronger, with
a higher caffeine content than its lighter counterpart, but that’s not actually
the case. A dark roast will smell more potent, and taste bolder, but it’s the
lighter roast that has all the power. The longer a bean is roasted, the darker
it gets, but it also expands in the heat, reducing the amount of caffeine
found within it. Therefore, the shorter the roast (resulting in a lighter coloured
bean), the more caffeine is left behind.
If you really want to get into the coffee lifestyle, it is possible to roast your
own beans at home. Buy the green (unroasted) ones, and give it a go. You
can either use a specific coffee roasting machine, or, if your oven can reach
at least 450°F (230°C) you can use that instead. Oven roasting does
produce a fairly uneven roast, but the taste can be excellent, possibly
because of this very reason. You will need a flat baking dish with small
holes drilled into it, spaced about 1/2” apart. Cover the entire baking sheet
with green coffee beans so that they are in one layer, and place on the
middle shelf of the oven. Roasting should take no more than 20 minutes,
but it is your choice how dark you want to take the beans.

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