The window is closed on Mondays. People assume it's my day off. It's the busiest day of the week.
5am: warm up
The roaster takes about forty minutes to heat through, so it goes on first, before the coffee I make for myself. I check the green coffee while it warms: moisture, smell, any beans that look wrong.
6am: the first batch
Every batch is 5kg of green coffee and runs about fourteen minutes. First Light goes first because it's the lightest roast and I want the drum clean. Then Long Black. Sweet As goes last because it's the darkest, and by then the machine is at its most stable.
I taste every roast before it goes anywhere. If a batch isn't right, it doesn't get bagged. It becomes the coffee I drink all week.
Midday: rest and pack
Fresh beans need a day to rest and let off gas, which is why I roast Monday and ship Tuesday. In the afternoon I weigh, bag and seal, and every bag gets the roast date stamped on by hand.
Tuesday: out the door
Regular deliveries go first, then one-off orders. The boxes leave by 3pm and most land on Thursday. Then Wednesday I'm back at the window at 7.
Liam