Interview with head roaster Oriol Coll
At Cafés El Magnífico, we place great value on coffee and on the professionals who work with us. That’s why we’d like to introduce you to Oriol Coll, our head roaster, who has a passion for speciality coffee.
In this interview, he explains how he got started in the industry and how his vocation came about. He also tells us about the roasting process at Cafés El Magnífico and what type of roaster they use. We review the day-to-day operations at the roastery and their working methods.
Finally, Oriol Coll reflects on everything that roasters should value when working with beans. It is a very interesting conversation that clearly shows Oriol Coll’s passion for his work and for speciality coffee.
Enjoy it.
I. Beginnings and vocation
How did you get into the world of coffee? What attracted you to the job of roaster?
I discovered specialty coffee in 2015 when, without any expectations, I walked into a small, newly opened specialty coffee shop in my town. That’s when my eyes were opened and I rediscovered coffee, and I became eager to improve the coffee we served at the restaurant where I worked as a waiter.
From then on, I began visiting that café more and more, not only to drink coffee, but also to ask the barista how I could improve the coffee we served at the restaurant. My interest in coffee grew so much that, eventually, I was offered the opportunity to work as a barista at that same speciality café.
I worked there for four years, during which time I learned the barista trade, trained to develop my sensory skills, and was fortunate enough to work with excellent quality coffees. Since then, I have never strayed far from the world of coffee.
Over time, new concerns arose: I wanted to understand coffee more deeply. During my years as a barista, I had many doubts and questions about roasting and how it influenced the coffees I worked with. That was the trigger that led me to take a step further and learn about a phase prior to the one I already knew: coffee roasting.
What training or education do you consider essential to practise this profession?
In my opinion, within the European landscape, there is a fairly common cycle in the world of coffee; if you want to become a roaster, it is usual to have first gone through the barista stage. For me, starting with that phase is essential to understanding the behaviour of coffee during extraction.
To be a roaster, you need to have knowledge covering practically every aspect of coffee. Training in botany and the different coffee processing methods is required; in addition, it is essential to develop sensory skills through constant training.
Of course, training in coffee roasting is also necessary: understanding concepts such as heat transfer and its applications to the bean, flavour modulation through roasting profiles, and, above all, a thorough knowledge of prevention and safety protocols.
And finally, as I mentioned earlier, having experience as a barista greatly helps in understanding both the product and the customer.
II. The art of roasting
How would you define the role of the roaster in the specialty coffee process?
For me, roasters are responsible for understanding and interpreting the work done by producers at source, and transforming it into a product that respects and faithfully expresses the characteristics of its origin. At the same time, we must have a deep understanding of the palate of the consumer for whom that coffee is intended.
Once we fully understand both sides, we roasters take on the responsibility of creating a sensory link between the producer and the end consumer. Our work is not only technical, but also cultural.
What technical variables do you manage during roasting? How much room is there for intuition?
To roast any coffee correctly, the main variables that must be controlled are time and temperature. However, these two factors are related to many other equally important variables, such as loading temperature, air flow, rate of rise, drying point, Maillard phase, development time and temperature, and bean weight loss.
Furthermore, all these variables must be measured, understood and adjusted according to the specific coffee being worked with. We call this the roasting profile. There is no single formula: each origin, process and density requires a different approach.
Now, although roasting is highly technical, there is also room for intuition. With experience, you develop a sensitivity that allows you to anticipate how a coffee will react under certain conditions. That intuition, always backed up by data, curves and tastings, is what helps you make decisions in real time and adapt when something does not follow the expected pattern.
What type of toaster do you use and what do you like about it?
Currently, at Cafés El Magnífico, I am working with the Loring Smart Roast air recirculation roaster. Air recirculation roasters are characterised by roasting coffee using a flow of air. This air is heated by a powerful burner located in a combustion chamber behind the roaster, away from the coffee beans. This means that the beans never come into direct contact with the burner flame or with a surface that could cause any kind of roasting defect. Furthermore, roasting by air flow means that the beans are roasted by convection, resulting in a very uniform roast, both inside and out.
What I like most about roasting with Loring is having cutting-edge technology that is constantly being reinvented to improve the roaster’s manoeuvrability and functionality in order to achieve maximum efficiency, ergonomics, consistency and coffee roasting quality.
How do the origin, process, or variety of the bean influence the roast profile?
These three variables, among many others, profoundly influence how coffee beans behave during roasting. If I had to highlight one for its impact, it would be the post-harvest process. For example, a natural coffee, which is dried with the entire cherry, tends to be sweeter, fruitier and also more delicate to work with. It requires a gentler, more controlled approach so as not to dull those notes and allow its sensory attributes to shine through.
In contrast, washed coffees tend to be cleaner, with more pronounced acidity, and often offer greater freedom to experiment with different developments.
The origin also makes a difference. Not only because of the altitude or climate, but also because of the chemical composition of the bean. High-altitude African coffees, such as Ethiopian coffees, tend to have a more vivid acidity and floral complexity that requires a certain amount of heat management: applying enough energy to develop them well, but without prolonging the time after the first crack too much.
And variety, although sometimes not given much importance, also has an influence. Some varieties produce smaller or larger beans, or beans with greater or lesser density, and this requires adjustments to how we apply heat during roasting.
In short, every coffee is unique. Part of the art of roasting lies in knowing how to read it, interpret it and adapt to bring out the best in it.
III. Day by day in the roastery
What is a typical day at work like for you?
At Cafés El Magnífico, our coffee production days begin at 7:00 in the morning. We start by drinking a cup of filter coffee and turning on the roasters, which take between 30 and 45 minutes to reach the right temperature and achieve the necessary thermal stability.
While the machines warm up, we prepare all the tools we need and review the day’s schedule, which details the batches of coffee to be roasted.
Once the roasters are ready, we begin the roasting process, which usually lasts between 5 and 6 continuous hours. During this time, we roast approximately 15 batches, organised strategically: we start with the smallest batches and leave the largest ones for the end of the day, thus optimising the pace of work and the use of residual heat from the machines.
For each batch, we monitor weight loss by placing a scale next to the roaster, which we use to compare the weight of the green coffee with the final roasted coffee. In addition, we collect a sample from each batch for our records and further analysis, ensuring constant quality control.
Finally, we cool the toasters thoroughly and carry out a complete clean, including the entire workspace, leaving the area ready for the next day.
Do you work alone or as part of a team? How do you collaborate with other roles, such as baristas, etc.?
The daily routine of a roaster is generally quite solitary. During a day of roasting, concentration is paramount; being fully focused on the operation and workflow is key to ensuring the quality of the coffees and minimising any margin for error. There is a highly technical and methodical component that requires constant attention in every decision made at the roaster.
That said, not all the work is done alone. Collaboration plays a very important role. For example, we are in constant communication with our baristas, especially when it comes to understanding how the coffee behaves once it has been served. In addition, during quality control sessions, we meet with the rest of the Cafés El Magnífico team to taste, evaluate and make decisions together.
IV. Philosophy and senses
Is roasting more science or more art?
In my opinion, coffee roasting is mainly science, although it undoubtedly has an artistic side that cannot be ignored. Personally, I prefer to approach it from a technical perspective, because each batch requires clear measurements, data and metrics in order to evaluate it objectively and make well-informed decisions. Today, one of the tools we use most to create or adjust roasting profiles is the calculator, which helps us project times and temperatures and anticipate the development of the profile.
However, I also recognise that there is a dimension that goes beyond the numbers. At certain times, intuition, sensory experience and even a special sensitivity come into play to interpret how the beans are responding. Sometimes, coffee “says things” that do not appear on the curve, and knowing how to listen to them is also part of the job.
So, although my approach is firmly grounded in science, I believe that good roasting comes from a balance between technique and perception.
What makes a roasted coffee ‘excellent’ for you?
A roasted coffee is excellent when it clearly expresses all the potential it already had from its origin. In other words, when the roast does not overshadow, but rather reveals. A well-done roast is one that respects the raw material and allows its most distinctive characteristics to come to light: its acidity, sweetness, aromatic complexity, texture… all in balance, and in line with the purpose for which that coffee was purchased.
I also greatly value cleanliness in the cup, flavour definition and consistency between batches. And, of course, a well-roasted coffee should have a solid structure: good body, a clean finish and an interesting sensory evolution as it cools. When a coffee retains its identity from start to finish, and continues to express its traceability in every sip, that’s where I find excellence.
Photos: Flavia Ribeiro