In the Grinder - Our Daily Coffee Weblog

Written by Jamin Haddox.

I just returned from an inspiring trip to Agtron headquarters in Reno, NV. Dr. Carl Staub, developer of the industry-standard Agtron spectrophotomer hosts a monthly coffee seminar where he lectures on the science and physics of coffee roasting and preparation. Dr. Staub has developed much of the SCAA’s roasting and training materials, including the Agtron scale and SCAA color tiles for roast level.

The classroom sessions were fascinating and focused on coffee chemistry and what happens inside the coffee bean as it is being roasted. Some of Carl’s scientific insights shed new light on my ideas about coffee roasting and disproved some of the lore inherent in many current roasting theories.

These sessions were a great reminder of how incredibly complex and special coffee really is, and how important it is to keep and open mind and remain teachable. Our understanding of coffee is always changing and with each new discovery, we are improving and adapting our methods to increase quality in the cup. I’m excited to incorporate these insights into the quality control program here at Café Imports.

Here's a picture of our Agtron M Basic II