Mtn. Air Roasting is a micro-roaster of single origin specialty coffees based in Asheville, North Carolina. We roast by the theory that the process should not veil origin flavors of the bean, but rather highlight them. Our air roasting process offers precision temperature monitoring and dynamic controls to fully develop sweet and fruited flavors while preventing the baked and bitter notes from extended or harsh roast conditions. Roast byproducts leave the roast chamber immediately to allow smooth flavor development. Within the creative latitude available, we strive to achieve the sweet/sour balance of perfectly ripe fruit.
Freshness is guaranteed not only by our “roast to order” practice, but by virtue of a gentle roast process. Still, we suggest enjoying your coffee within two weeks. It is at this time that the most flavor is present in the beans. At what point coffee is stale is a matter of personal taste, but can be postponed by storage at room temperature in a glass jar with a tight fitting lid, out of direct light. A clear indication of stale or bad coffee is an oily presence on the bean surface.
Brewing: There are many ways to prepare a great cup of coffee, however the two most common, “French Press” and “Drip” follow roughly the same recipe:
1 part Coffee to 6 parts Water at 200°F for 4 minutes
or (even better):
1 gram Coffee to 17 grams Water at 200°F for 4 minutes
Do Stir!
Fair Trade / Organic / Shade Grown / Etc.: In short, with specialty coffee it’s neither possible nor appropriate to apply such black and white judgments. Addressing one at a time, and as briefly as possible as there is a wealth of information available regarding these topics. Fair Trade is a coop commodity certification by TransFair USA. Small farms and single owner estates aren’t coop’s, and are therefore not FairTrade certifiable. For their superior product, specialty coffee producers are typically paid more than double what is guaranteed by TransFair, certification or not. Organic is good, and more prevalent than labeled because agribusiness chemicals are expensive, as is the certification process. Specialty coffee almost never comes from a modern agribusiness situation, but sometimes what is most sustainable for a small holder farmer is to hand apply some nitrogen directly to the roots of their high altitude coffee trees. While not organic, this is definitely better than much of the organic coffee from Peru that is grown on recently clearcut rain-forest and immediately certifiable. Shade Grown coffee is said to be favorable for migratory birds, and possibly even produces better results in the cup, although much coffee comes from regions that are naturally barren of large vegetation making the suggestion of shade grown somewhat out of place.
Contact: Please add us as a friend. We’ll answer the phone between 9am and 10pm weekdays, and respond to email and Facebook messages ASAP.
