How We Evaluate Sri Lankan Coffee

Roasting cannot fix everything.

When green coffee arrives at the roastery, we assess the lot before deciding how to work with it.

Depending on the coffee, that includes its origin, variety and processing method alongside physical characteristics such as moisture, water activity, screen size and visible defects.

These measurements don't tell us whether a coffee tastes good.

They tell us more about the material we're about to roast.

Green coffee can contain material we don't want entering the production roast.

Coffee is cleaned, graded and hand-sorted where required before roasting.

The purpose isn't to make every bean look identical.

It is to reduce avoidable inconsistency before heat is applied.

We don't force every coffee through the same roast.

The coffee itself, its processing and the way we intend it to be brewed all influence the decisions we make at the roaster.

We develop and adjust profiles around the result we want in the cup.

Roast data helps us understand what happened inside the machine.

But a good-looking roast curve isn't the final test.

Production batches are tasted before release.

We evaluate whether the coffee delivered what we intended from the roast and whether the batch is consistent with the standard we expect from that coffee.

A roast being completed does not automatically mean a batch is approved.

Sensory evaluation becomes more useful when the people tasting coffee can describe what they are experiencing consistently.

Our quality work is supported by Q Grader and SCA Brewing Professional qualifications within the roastery, alongside SCA Sensory Skills training across the team.