Green Coffee	This is how we receive our coffees from the countries of origin. Moisture content varies with each different type of bean and therefore will require different roast times and temperatures. Moisture content of the beans plays a major role in roasting.
Yellow	At this stage of roasting, some of the moisture (water content) of the beans has evaporated (called pyrolysis). The coffee smells of grass, hay, and cereal.
Cinnamon Roast	Around seven minutes into roasting, the "first pop" takes place where the chaff (the protective silverskin) flies off the bean and into the collecting chamber of the roaster. Stopping the roast at this point would be the "Cinnamon" roast style. To save money, many commercial, canned coffee purveyors stop the roast here. However, the full flavor of the bean has not been brought forth at this point!
City Roast	As the "popping" gradually subsides, the bean rapidly approaches the "City" - "Full city" roast. At "City" roast, the bean is an even, medium brown color. Many beans taste great at this roast!
Full City Roast	Ahhh..."Full City" roast! At this point, it is presumed that the bean has reached it's full flavor potential. At roasts beyond this point, the actual roast begins to play a larger role in the flavor of the coffee rather than the inherent flavors of the bean. Most beans are excellent at this roast style!
Vienna Roast	Patches of oil from the bean have decidedly surfaced at this point in the roast. The roastmaster must monitor the roast carefully at points beyond the "Full City" roast as changes in the bean occur at a rapid pace. A dark brown, shiny surface characterize the look of the Vienna roast.
French Roast	Darker brown, shiny surface characterize this roast style. Many purveyors use this style for Espresso making. Personally, this style allows too much of the "roast flavor" and not enough of the "bean flavor" to shine through.
Italian Roast	Two words...Char-Bucks! Very dark and oily surface bean. Roast flavor has muted much of the bean flavor in this style of roast. Only my humble opinion though!

The Roasting Process
The way in which coffee is roasted can have a profound effect its taste. Roast too quickly at too high a temperature, and you'll scorch the exterior of the bean. Roast too slowly at too low a temperature, and you'll sap the bean of its of flavor. Over the years, numerous roasting methods have been developed to address these challenges, all with the same objective: To transfer heat to the coffee bean, initiating a series of chemical reactions that prepare it for consumption. Most roasting methods include the following six phases:

1. Drying Cycle: This is the first phase of the roasting process, when the temperature of the beans rises to 100 degrees centigrade. Also in this phase, the beans change from a bright green color to a pale yellow.

2. First Crack: When the beans reach 160 degrees centigrade, complex chemical reactions begin to occur causing a cracking sound.

3. Roast Initiation: The beans swell to 140 - 160% of their initial size. Elements within the beans begin to caramelize, giving the beans their brown color.

4. Pause: In this phase, the audible cracking ceases, but the reactions continue. The time of this silence will depend on the amount of heat applied by the roaster.

5. Second Crack: The progressive dehydration of the beans has made them brittle. As a result, more cracking can be heard. It is at this stage that elements in the bean begin to carbonize, producing the burnt characteristics of extremely dark roasts.

6. Stopping the Roast: Once the optimal amount of roasting time has elapsed, the beans must be cooled quickly. This is usually accomplished by introducing large amounts of cool air or water.