The Royal Blog

By Evan Gilman With contributions from Surip Mawardi, Tovan Marhennatta, Chris Kornman  Indonesian Coffee Cultivars and Varieties Coffee’s cultivated history on the world’s largest archipelagic state, and fourth-most-populous country, dates as early as 1699, introduced by Dutch colonizer-merchants. The botanical origins of the Typica variety of Arabica were taken from the Indonesian island of Java […]

Article Summary: Coffee acidity describes flavor brightness. Most brews sit near 5.5 pH. Acidity comes from organic acids in green coffee and changes through roasting: lighter roasts retain fruity malic and citric acids, while darker roasts break them down into bitter quinic and caffeic acids. Robusta tastes more bitter due to higher caffeine, not higher […]

Article Summary: Green coffee has traveled a long and complex global path from its origins in Africa to modern supply chains linking farmers to roasters worldwide. History: Arabica originated in Ethiopia and South Sudan before spreading to Yemen, where commercial cultivation began in the 15th century. From there, Dutch and French colonizers carried coffee across […]

Article Summary: Fermentation is the key process shaping coffee flavor. Traditional natural and washed methods rely on microbial activity. Naturals ferment in the whole cherry, creating fruit-forward flavors, while washed coffees ferment after depulping for cleaner, brighter profiles. Poorly managed fermentation can lead to the sensory defect known as “ferment,” marked by sour or rotten […]

Article Summary: Royal Coffee’s study examines how green coffee storage conditions and moisture levels affect green coffee’s quality and flavor over time. Two coffees, a high-moisture Sumatra (15%) and a low-moisture Bolivia (8.7%), were stored in jute and Ziploc packaging under stable conditions. Results showed that coffees respond rapidly to environmental humidity: Sumatran coffee dried […]

This is a simplified version of an eBook and booklet published by Royal Coffee. Prefer to download a pdf or read the full eBook online as a flip book? Go for it! Portions of this booklet are adapted from Green Coffee: A Guide for Roasters and Buyers, available at roastmagazine.com/greencoffee. Excerpts throughout used with permission. […]

By Evan Gilman, Creative Director, Indonesia Green Buying Team, CQI Arabica Quality Evaluation Instructor Article Summary: Royal Coffee’s Evan Gilman reflects on the abrupt handover of the Coffee Quality Institute’s (CQI) Quality Evaluation program to the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), a decision made without stakeholder consultation that left many instructors and Q Graders blindsided and […]

Espresso Takes Over – A Brief History Espresso has long been the cornerstone of the coffee industry. But how did it begin?   In the late 1800’s the world saw a swarm of innovations around brewing coffee. With the creation of steam power, the first espresso machine was introduced at the 1906 World’s Fair called the […]

Revisiting the Caffeine and Roast Level Debate  This time, with Science!  A few years ago I weighed in on the Royal blog on caffeine in coffee, and its relationship to roast degree. I’m pleased to say that some very smart folks at Berry College and Drexel University have published a paper in Scientific Reports recently […]