Roasters typically roast in batches for efficiency, which makes sense. A problem is that large batches lock coffees into set roast levels that are optimized for a limited number of brewing methods, whereas customers often use other brewing methods. For example, in the first month of Rumbling Rock we told our customers that we were roasting optimized for pour-over or drip. Still, our first customers brewed using a variety of methods—French Press, a capsule brewer, espresso, and a percolator. Surprisingly, only one customer used a method that matched our roast! This can lead to unhappy customers; for example a light pour over roast in a French Press tastes flat.
We realized that a solution is already at our fingertips. We currently use a roaster that does less than a pound at a time. With tiny roasters we can optimize each roast to a specific brewing method and to each customer! Scaling up this flexibility will be a challenge—but we have ideas (stay tuned!).
For now, we’ve added a roast slider on our web store, letting you choose a roast level for us to target when roasting your bag of coffee beans. As you move the slider, you can see brewing methods that we suggest at each roast level. Over the next few months we will add other brewing methods and refine where each brewing method goes on the roast spectrum. Your feedback will help us refine the brew roast correlations!
Even with the same brewing method, people’s roast preferences vary. For the same pour over method, Peter prefers roast level "13" and Ximena prefers "24". We can dial into personal preferences far better than most companies. At first, a new customer is unlikely to know where on our roast spectrum is their favorite. Over time, you can dial in your perfect roast. Try the roast slider today and let us know what you think! Your feedback helps us fine-tune the roasts for you and your brewing method.