At Pergamino, we are artisanal roasters. is means several things. First, that we roast in small batches under the careful oversight of a master roaster. We analyze each batch of green coffee in depth in order to determine the ideal roasting curve for its density, profile and final destination.
Big companies use automated roasters, controlled by a computer at every step of the process. Not so at Pergamino. Our master roaster is always attentive, not only to factors such as time and temperature, but also to fragrance and visual appearance. At crucial points in the process, a few seconds can change the entire profile of a coffee — meaning that the ability to react quickly to subtle changes is critical in high-quality roasting. To this day, no one has been able to develop a technology more capable of this important job than a passionate and highly qualified master roaster.
The most important aromatic components in a coffee are its oils, stored within the cell walls of the bean. Roasters must take great care that these structures do not break down, and that the oils are kept safely sealed in the bean until it is ground and brewed in water. When you see coffee beans that appear greasy, they were likely roasted at too high of a temperature, forcing the oils out of the bean, such that they begin to oxidize and quickly become rancid.
Most big roasters prioritize standardization, and differentiate their coffees only by the level of roast (low, medium, and high), and not by origin. They tend to use high, more aggressive roasting processes to ensure the homogeneity of their products, since over-roasting a coffee eliminates the distinct notes of its origin, replacing them with a burnt flavor.
We think very differently. At Pergamino, the central goal of our roasting process is to develop the natural potential of each and every coffee, highlighting its original and unique profile. We roast each origin to emphasize its defining attributes — not to erase them — and differentiate our coffees by their profiles and provenance, not by the degree of their roast. All of our roasts are medium or low, so you’ll always be able to taste the delicate notes and aromas that differentiate an origin.
Last but not least, being a small, hands-on roaster allows us to offer supremely fresh coffee. Most aromatic components in roasted coffee are highly volatile and oxidize rapidly once exposed to air. For this reason, every coffee we sell has been recently roasted — so that you can enjoy its full aromatic potential. We roast every day, so every coffee sold in our stores is guaranteed to have been roasted within just a few days. We always keep our coffee in whole bean, and grind it only at the customer’s request at the moment of purchase.