FROM THE EDITOR

POP QUIZ: What’s a roast initiation?
     Contrary to popular opinion, it’s not a hazing ritual that involves smearing new roasters with coffee grinds and forcing them to compete in a jute-sack race while gripping bean-filled triers between their teeth. Although this event would sell quite a few tickets, I’m sure.
     No, the definition of “roast initiation” is decidedly more practical. It’s the third stage of roasting, when beans swell to around 150 percent of their normal size. At this stage, elements inside the beans begin to caramelize, giving the beans their brown color.
Congratulations to those of you who got the definition right and didn’t let your imagination run wild. For the rest of you, Roast is here to help.
     We’ve posted a roaster’s dictionary available for free download on our website (www.roastmagazine.com/education). Here, readers can review what differentiates aged from mature coffee, as well as why it’s important to know the purpose of methylene chloride and the definition of “European preparation.” Now those of you who like to quiz yourselves on your coffee vocabulary have a resource to consult.
     The staff at Roast decided to post a roaster’s dictionary because the magazine is, at its essence, focused on education. In every issue, we aim to share information that will help our readers increase their knowledge of coffee, roasting techniques and business savvy. In this edition, for example, Willem Boot suggests key questions to ask before investing in a new roaster. At the top of the list: Will the roaster fit through my cafe door? As silly as it may seem, some roasters have neglected to ask themselves this basic question and have suffered the embarrassing consequences.
     Also in these pages, Marie Franklin breaks down the wholesale sales business and shows you how to make it profitable (while handling the tricky equipment issue), Mark Crawford interviews several roasters who specialize in single-pound production roasts, and David Pohl investigates the coffee scene in Ecuador.
     In addition, Roast introduces readers to interesting people who work in the coffee industry around the globe. This time around, we focus on Finca El Porvenir, the winner of the first Coffee Conservation Award. (Sponsored by Café Imports, the award is a cooperative effort between Cooper Ecological Monitoring, the American Birding Association/Birder’s Exchange and Roast.) El Porvenir’s owner, Mauricio Homberger, pays close attention to wildlife conservation on his land in El Salvador, but he doesn’t stop there; he’s also inspiring the next generation to learn about the importance of conservation. This fall, he’s inviting nearby public-school students to participate in an art contest with the theme, “Knowing and protecting our environment through education.” Homberger will present soccer balls and bicycles to winners in different categories.
     As we move into the fall season, our readers can continue to look to Roast for education and inspiration. And if you decide to have a jute-sack race to fire up your newest roasters, let us know—because we like a little fun along the way, too.

      Cheers,

      Kelly