Gas-fired roasters make the best coffee.
Both of our coffee roasters are gas-fired.
We have two excellent manually controlled roasters, one with 42 kg capacity and one with 23 kg capacity. Both of these machines have been specifically modified to Pat Grant’s own designs over the years. They are quite unique and we look after them assidiously. Pat Grant, Greenbean’s Master Roaster describes them both as “happy roasters”. Every roaster has an element of personality about it, and behaves slightly differently even to other roasters of the same make and model. We are lucky to have two “happy” roasters that are so in synch with the environment and the atmosphere of our roasthouse in Dundalk. Sceptics may scoff at this but it makes a big difference.
In any case, the vast majority of speciality coffee roasters choose gas-fired roasting equipment because it gives a skilled roaster more precise control over heat settings and timings, which is essential for coaxing out the full potential of top-quality beans. Coffee roasting is a delicate balance of time, temperature, and airflow, and gas burners provide a level of responsiveness that electric roasters just can’t match. Experienced roasters can quickly adjust flame height, temperature or air flow in real time to accommodate small changes in the roasting environment, the batch size, or the characteristics of the beans themselves.
The physical heat transfer method is an important factor that is often overlooked. A skilled roaster can adjust the different heating parameters and use a balanced mix of mix of conductive, convective, and radiant heat, to ensure an even development of every single bean. This versatility helps bring out the high notes of speciality coffee, whether the aim is a bright, fruity profile or a deeper, caramel sweetness.
The gas jets under the rotating drum of our 42kg roaster.
Our biggest (42 kg) manual roaster.
Electric roasters, on the other hand, can produce more uneven heat distribution unless they are very carefully designed and maintained, and rigorously supervised. Ths often isn’t the case because the biggest advantage of electric roasters to coffee companies is that they lend themselves very well to automation and automatic roasting. Automatic roasting might be good enough for supermarket coffee or for the mass market but there’s no substitute for the ear, the nose and the eye of a consumately skilled hand roaster with a good gas machine.
Our roasting team all appreciate the hands-on, tactile experience of controlling a gas flame. It offers a level of artistry and direct engagement that is essential in a business built on passion and expertise. For greater control and a richer roasting experience, gas-fired roasters are the only choice for Dreambeans, Geenbean and nearly all of the world’s best roasters.
By Pat McArdle