For a lot of within the business, competitions signify the top of specialty espresso. They showcase completely different varieties and processing strategies, push the boundaries of espresso flavour, and spotlight the work of gifted professionals. In flip, they’ve an enormous affect on developments within the wider business.

Roasting competitions aren’t any exception, and a motive why they’ve grow to be extra widespread in recent times. To face out towards their friends, roasting champions should finetune profile growth to precise the most effective traits of the espresso. 

This requires superior expertise and information, however leveraging roasting know-how to exactly management completely different variables is equally essential. As roasters have utilised new machine options in aggressive environments, others within the business have adopted go well with.

Ben Put, co-founder of Monogram Espresso and Canadian Barista Champion, and Matt Winton, co-founder of Rose Espresso Roasters and the 2021 World Brewers Cup Champion, present their perception on how roasting competitions are redefining profile growth in specialty espresso.

You may additionally like our article on the way to get the outcomes utilizing sponsor machines on the World Espresso Roasting Championship.

How competitions have influenced roasting methods

Espresso championships are arguably probably the most modern occasions that happen within the business. The aggressive nature pushes baristas and roasters to be as inventive as doable, kickstarting wider developments in specialty espresso. That is most noticeable with the unique varieties which might be typically offered on stage, corresponding to Gesha, Pink Bourbon, and Sidra.

To get the most effective outcomes with these coffees, opponents should be modern with their brewing strategies. At occasions just like the World Barista and Brewers Cup Championships, it’s not unusual to see opponents utilizing distinctive substances, superior equipment, or new methods to face out.

“Baristas in specialty espresso are at all times pushing the bounds of extraction,” says Ben Put, multi-World Barista Championship finalist and co-founder of Monogram Espresso in Calgary, Canada. “One of many largest developments I’ve seen at current competitions is the ‘revival’ of exploring the total spectrum of extraction – from espresso turbo pictures to chilly blooms for filter espresso.

“To accommodate these brewing methods, that you must experiment with completely different roast profiles,” he provides. “Beforehand, when baristas used extra ‘inflexible’ recipes, they’d solely work with sure roasting types. However now that we’ve got a bigger set of instruments to get probably the most out of espresso, it’s opened up new prospects.”

The transfer in the direction of lighter roasts

Highlighting terroir and fascinating traits – together with sweetness, stability, and particular flavour notes – is vital to receiving a excessive rating from judges. Lighter roast profiles are likely to finest showcase these qualities, which is why they’ve grow to be so outstanding in specialty espresso during the last decade or so.

“Opponents had a bent to develop their roast profiles for longer to account for variations in water high quality and hardness, or push their milk beverage roast growth a bit of darker to stability out flavour profiles,” says Matt Winton, 2021 World Brewers Cup Champion and co-founder of Rose Espresso Roasters in Zurich, Switzerland. “In recent times, nevertheless, we’ve got moved away from this, and lighter roast profiles have positively come to the forefront.”

The distinctive varieties and experimental processing strategies used at competitions lend themselves properly to lighter roasting types. Baristas and roasters can emphasise the extra delicate, complicated flavour notes that enhance their possibilities of incomes the next rating.

Furthermore, utilizing completely different tools and dealing in an unfamiliar surroundings pushes opponents to be extra versatile and open-minded when roasting espresso.

“Competitions are the right testing floor for taking new approaches to roast profile growth,” Ben tells me. “It may be a giant wake-up name for roasters once they style their espresso utilizing a special grinder, espresso machine, or water supply – it forces them to take extra dangers.”

How competitors machines have an effect on roast profile growth

Within the context of roasting competitions particularly, opponents are given coffees fairly than selecting them. For the World Espresso Roasting Championship, opponents obtain 5 completely different coffees: one to pattern roast, one single origin, and three different coffees to create a mix. All coffees are arabica sourced from varied origins, and are processed in numerous other ways.

Throughout the first spherical, roasters have allotted time to practise and consider their inexperienced espresso earlier than pattern roasting, participating in an open cupping session, and creating a roast plan. Along with leveraging their intensive information of the way to roast completely different coffees, roasters additionally have to be conversant in sponsor tools, together with the machines. Navigating settings, adjusting parameters, and troubleshooting points is way simpler if opponents have prior expertise utilizing them.

On 16 January 2024, the SCA introduced Stronghold Expertise because the Official Manufacturing Roaster Sponsor for the 2024-27 World Espresso Roasting Championship. The S9X machine was supplied for the 2024 competitors, which happened from 27 to 29 June at World of Espresso Copenhagen.

Matt factors out how this machine’s options have helped him to realize constant outcomes each out and in of competitions.

“The S9X’s infrared bean floor probe supplies real-time outcomes for any adjustments you make,” he explains. “Its halogen power system additionally ensures extra warmth is transferred into the centre of every bean so roast profile growth begins as rapidly as doable.”

Even warmth distribution, together with firstly of the roasting course of, reduces the danger of baking, scorching, or tipping espresso – all of which impede flavour and high quality.

“These options are all tied collectively by the machine’s auto-replication system, which makes it simpler to precisely repeat roast curves,” he provides.

Extra superior options means extra management

To showcase the total complexity of their chosen coffees, opponents should rigorously modify completely different parameters to customize profile growth. Not solely does this require experience and ability, nevertheless it additionally means roasters should know the way to use machine options to their benefit.

These coffees are sometimes delicate and refined with nuanced flavour profiles, so even the slightest roast defect is accentuated and turns into noticeable. On such outstanding platforms just like the World Barista and Brewers Cup Championships, something lower than excellent means shedding precious factors on scoresheets.

Avoiding these pitfalls is then all of the extra essential, which suggests utilizing a dependable machine that provides extra management is essential to success.

Ben says he has lengthy used the Stronghold S7Pro for his competitors routines, in addition to for teaching different roasters. 

“The machine contains convection know-how, but in addition options halogen warmth sources, and an extra drum heater within the S7X mannequin,” he notes. “The quite a few warmth sources open up other ways to roast espresso, and the easy structure of the roasting software program makes it straightforward to copy profiles.”

Incorporating a number of warmth sources corresponding to convection, conduction, and radiation into one machine permits the person to exert extra management over the roasting course of, thereby attaining extra constant outcomes.

“Stronghold’s infrared floor probe know-how additionally makes the machines an amazing choice for competitors roasting, the place a couple of seconds or a couple of levels in temperature may be the distinction between first and second place,” Ben provides.

Creating roast profiles: Recommendation from the champs

Specialty espresso roasters will at all times draw inspiration from competitions. As espresso champions proceed to develop their roasting methods, new innovation may also impression developments within the wider business. 

With this in thoughts, each Matt and Ben share their tricks to experiment with roast profile growth, whereas nonetheless attaining nice outcomes. 

“Espresso is extra concentrated, so all of its attributes are amplified, and any peaks in acidity or dryness might be uncovered,” Matt explains. “So I are likely to delay the overall roast time for espresso profiles. This smooths out brighter flavour notes and acidity whereas rising solubility and sweetness.

“For that reason, I don’t often roast the identical for espresso and filter, however an exception in my expertise is for infused and co-fermented coffees,” he provides. “I had extra success with darker profiles for filter and lighter for espresso, so an omni roast helped to stability it out.”

Matt continues to level out that processing strategies can have a major impression on the way to method roast profile growth.

“Heavier processed coffees require completely different methods. Should you roast them just like a excessive altitude washed espresso, you gained’t get the most effective outcomes,” he explains. “You might want to be versatile to realize the most effective end result and spotlight the fascinating traits of many alternative coffees.”

Utilizing roasting know-how to your benefit

Ben emphasises {that a} less-is-more method to roast profile growth is typically simpler.

“There are a lot of methods to roast espresso, however you don’t have to make use of all of them,” he says. “When new know-how comes out, individuals really feel obligated to make use of all of the options directly to maximise the brand new tech. However this will make issues very complicated and sometimes doesn’t result in higher outcomes.”

Matt, in the meantime, tells me that he goals to stability temperature and timing to optimise roast profiles.

“At first, I typically enhance the halogen and scorching air settings on my Stronghold machine as a lot as doable,” he says. “Then because the roast progresses, I slowly enhance the bean agitation whereas reducing the halogen and scorching air sources to offer a clear end.”

Espresso championships typically drive innovation within the specialty business. Roasting competitions aren’t any exception, with champions pioneering new methods which might be redefining profile growth.

Extra superior know-how and machine options will spur these developments even additional – increasing the probabilities of espresso flavour.

Loved this? Then learn our article on whether or not co-roasting areas will grow to be extra widespread in specialty espresso.

Photograph credit: Stronghold, Matt Winton

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