Profile
A profile in coffee refers to a structured set of parameters that define how a coffee is roasted or brewed to achieve an outcome or to highlight specific attributes in the cup (eg - flavors, acidity, etc.).
“Profiling” a coffee simply means you are figuring out how to roast that specific coffee to highlight its best attributes, or to figure out how to roast that coffee to fit a specific need. As an example: say you have a sparkling Ethiopian single origin. You might want to roast that coffee to show off its bright acidity and its more delicate notes. This typically means roasting on the lighter side. In contrast, you’d probably approach a Brazil that is meant for a blend differently. You might want to target more development in order to pull out those rich chocolaty notes. All of these details are the thought processes when profiling coffee. You must ask yourself, what am I trying to do with this coffee, and what is the coffee trying to tell me? Initial profile roasts of coffees often give a roaster data about the coffee to be used to refine future roasts. It is very rare to get a perfect roast on the first attempt. Sometimes it happens, but the data gathered from an initial profile roast will tell you all that you need to know about a coffee. Read more