Artisan vs. home roasting - which actually tastes better?

I was at a cupping event in Portland last month and tried three beans roasted by a local pro, then three I roasted myself in my little air popper. The pro's had this crazy consistent flavor profile, but mine had this wild fruity note that honestly tasted better to me. But maybe I'm just biased since I roasted them myself? Has anyone else done a blind taste test between home roasted and shop bought?

2 comments

2 Comments

laura_ross15d ago

Oh, the whole "is it really that serious" question. I get that. Honestly, I've done something similar with friends, and we all thought our own stuff was better. The blind test thing is tricky though, because there's so much bias baked in before you even take a sip. I mean, you mentioned that "crazy consistent flavor profile" from the pro roaster, which is kind of the whole point of paying for a professional. They're smoothing out the rough edges, getting rid of the weird fruity notes that might taste like a mistake to some people, but those are exactly the things home roasters love. It's like, do you want a perfectly safe, predictable cup or do you want something that might have a wild, funky surprise? The pro's job is to not have surprises. Your air popper is basically a little chaos machine (in a good way). So no, I don't think you're biased. You just like what you like, and it happens to be your own chaotic creation. And that's fine. It's just coffee, not a science experiment where one has to be the winner.

the_richard15d agoTop Commenter

I totally get what you said about "the whole point of paying for a professional" because that's exactly what my buddy Mike found out. He's a big home roasting guy too and brought his beans to a local coffee meetup. The pro guy running it did a blind triangle test with Mike's roast and one of his own. Mike picked his own bean out of the three cups every single time. But he also picked it because it had this real sharp, almost sour note that the pro's didn't have. The pro guy said that note comes from uneven heat in the air popper, basically a defect. Mike was so proud of himself for finding his own coffee, but the pro guy just laughed and said "that's the mistake I spend years learning how to get rid of." It was pretty awkward honestly. So yeah, maybe that wild fruity thing you like is actually a flaw, but it's your flaw and you get to decide if you like it.