Three Minute Roasts?
Seems impossible, doesn’t it? In this article by Michael Sivetz from 1988, he discusses the pros and cons of a very fast roast in the industrial-sized fluid bed roasters, such as the ones from Neuhaus-Neotec (which were based on the Sivetz U.S. Patent.)
Of course, time is money, and just imagine how many kgs you can roast in an hour on a two bagger with 3 minute roast times? One can see how the big players have always been drawn to this method of roasting.
The shorter roast times also preserve the acidity of the bean, and this has a twofold advantage:
Allowing roasters to blend in Robusta beans which have tend to have an objectionable, rubbery taste in a conventionally timed roast.
The increased acidity in the Arabica beans results in better-tasting coffee in the parts of the world where alkaline waters are used to brew coffee.
Mike found that a roast time of 6 to 12 minutes (depending on the size of the machine) was optimal.
Roasting to a bean temperature between 440º to 460º in this timeframe leads to fully developed beans with the maximum amount of aroma and flavor.