What is your role and what is your daily routine like at Cafés El Magnífico?
At the heart of every cup of coffee is a story that begins long before the first sip. Behind the aroma and flavor lies the silent art of a craft: the work of the coffee roaster. At places like Cafés El Magnífico, the roaster is more than a technician: they’re an interpreter of the bean.
Coffee trades: the professional roaster
Among the many coffee trades , that of professional roaster .
Its function is to convert the green bean into roasted coffee, that essential ingredient for preparing the beverage that many consider their daily ritual.
coffee roasting process is based on interpreting the sensory characteristics offered by the bean’s origin, climate, soil, variety, and processing process, and translating them into a coherent sensorial expression that is as faithful to its provenance as possible. The roaster must understand and control all possible variables to minimize roasting defects and achieve the desired sensory objectives.
Within these variables we find two general groups:
- The variables of green coffee: humidity, grain size, density, variety, among many others.
- Technical production variables: use of roasting machinery, heat application, thermal stability protocols, roasting profiles, environmental conditions, etc.
What is the function of a coffee roaster?
We could summarize his work in a brief formula: physically and chemically transform a raw, hard bean into a soluble, fragile bean so that it can later be extracted and offer the sensory complexity obtained during the journey of that bean, from the origin to the cup.
But inside this phrase there is a world.
The coffee roaster works with tools ranging from the traditional industrial coffee roaster to specialized software that allows him to accurately monitor roasting curves.
Its functions include:
- Select and create roasting profiles based on the coffee’s origin.
- Adjust temperatures and times to achieve the optimal development point.
- Conduct tastings to evaluate the quality of roasted coffee.
- Keep records of each batch to ensure product consistency.
- Coordinate with baristas, importers, and customers to tailor the profile to the end use.
The goal is to reveal the unique character of each grain.
The daily life of the roaster at Cafés El Magnífico
At Cafés El Magnífico, the roaster’s job is a demanding and delicate ritual. Each day begins early in the roastery in Cornellà del Llobregat.
The first step is to read the beans : observe their color, size, moisture content, and density. No roasting is complete without diagnosis. Then, the day begins with planning: which coffees will be roasted, in what quantities, for which customer or preparation ( espresso , filter, etc.).
The coffee roastery, the heart of Cafés el Magnifico
We have two Loring Smart Roasts that are carefully calibrated before they begin to rotate.
The roaster adjusts the parameters according to the desired profile, but it also listens. The “ first crack”—that first crack that announces the bean has opened—is a vital music. Then comes the most sensitive moment: deciding when to stop. A few seconds too long can dull a brilliant origin; a few seconds too short can leave it raw.
After roasting, comes the resting period. The coffee needs to release gases and stabilize. Then, the cupping: each batch is tasted, evaluated, and compared to previous standards. The roaster’s sensory memory is trained day after day, cup after cup.
It’s not mechanical work. It’s a work of mindfulness. The roaster doesn’t follow fixed recipes, but rather a technical intuition that is refined over time.
Coffee roaster: a profession between science and art
The work of a coffee roaster is a hybrid: it blends laboratory methods with the sensibility of a workshop. It requires in-depth knowledge of chemistry, thermodynamics, and botany, but also a trained palate, patience, and aesthetic sensitivity.
Gesha is not the same as a natural Salvadoran bourbon. Each origin, each altitude, each harvest requires a different treatment. The roaster must understand this vegetal language and transform it into a sensorial language.
The production process from within
At Cafés El Magnífico , the production process is transparent. We focus on single-origin, traceable, and sustainable coffees. The roaster works closely with importers and farms, and works with small batches to maintain control and respect for the product.
Traceability isn’t a fad: it’s an ethic. Roasting well also honors the work of those who grow, harvest, and process coffee at its place of origin.
The work of a coffee roaster is invisible to most, but essential to all. Every cup we enjoy—full-bodied, sweet, floral, or chocolatey—is the result of their silent expertise. At Cafés El Magnífico, this craft is lived as a daily art: with respect, precision, and love for coffee.
