What is Agtron?

Instagramming an Agtron was strangely satisfying

You may have noticed descriptions of roasted coffee including a set of numbers labeled "Agtron."  What is Agtron?  Simply put, the Agtron is a tool used to give the degree of which coffee is roasted a standard measurement.  Coffee goes into the box and it displays a number.  It's a spectrophotometer; it bounces light off of the coffee samples, reads what gets reflected back, and returns a number.

The numbers given are from a scale of 0 to 100.  0 being the absolute dark and 100 is the absolute lightest.  These numbers are commonly used in the specialty coffee industry to label coffee's roast degrees.  It's more accurate than saying "Vienna Roast" or "Fully City +" and provides roasters a common method of observation and evaluation.  If two numbers are listed, the first is generally a reading of the whole bean sample and the second will be the ground sample reading.  Typically if one number is provided, it refers to the ground reading.  Roasters can use the two numbers to gauge how the roast affected the bean.  For example, if the whole bean number is significantly darker than the ground number, then the internal segment of the bean may not have absorbed as much roast heat as a sample that has numbers closer together.  However, it is important to note that the numbers will not indicate "good" or "bad" coffee.  They simply reflect the roast process on the green coffee.  If we are labeling a coffee as "Vienna roast" it will have an Agtron range of  30 to 40, depending on the bean.  "French" will typically be 25 to 30.  Our "Full City" will usually read 50 to 60.

We provide our coffee descriptions with their Agtron readings for the same reason we list the altitude it was grown:  to give you all of the available information.  Right now, Agtron numbers, the gourmet scale, and SCAA color tiles are more relevant to the industry's interests than they are to the consumer.  We think taste is the most important thing for all involved.  We try to get the best possible taste from each bean and use the Agtron to stay consistant.

Kenya PB Karie SOLD OUT!

Kenya PB Karie

Kenya, Mathira West District, Kirimukuyu division, Karie location
Karie wet mill, Rutuma FCS cooperative Society

Varietal: SL 28, SL34 and 10% of Ruiru 11
Altitude: 1600 -1700 masl
ProcMethod: Fully washed and sundried


additional notes:

No. of Producers: 836 Members
Average Farm Size: 1.0 acres - 300 trees per farm

that's 836 different farmers/farms in the co-op with an average of 300 trees per farm; the end result in one bag is a pretty sweet sample of what coffee tastes like from that specific part of Mount Kenya

processing method:

"Timely and selective hand picking is carried out in Karie wet mill. Cherry is delivered to the wet mill the same day it is picked.  Cherry sorting is carried out at the wet mill prior to the pulping. Red ripe cheries are separated from underipes, overipes and foreign matter. Processing utilizes clean river water (wet processing) that is recirculated before disposal into seepage pits. Sun drying is done before delivery of the coffee to the dry mill for secondary processing."   -Cafe Imports

historical background:

"Rutuma FCS has 7 wet mills: Ruthagati, Ngandu, Kianjogu, Karie, Marua, Githima and Ndurutu. The coop is located at Mathira division-Mathira West District. Geographically it lies on the slopes of Mt.Kenya.The society was registered under the cooperative societies act on the 10th January 1951.Formerly, these 7 wet mills belonged to the former Giant Mathira FCS but after the split they formed Rutuma FCS."  -Cafe Imports

over 60 years of growing and producing coffee is represented in this coffee. 

tasting notes: 

sweet, key lime, grapefruit, raisin

Agtron:

53-65
 
roaster notes:

we thought it might be best to lay off the heat and stretch this one out a bit;  hoping to preserve all of the sweetness and fruit flavors previously profiled.  key lime pie is not something we have ever tasted in coffee before and we hope to bring that experience to you.

 
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