“But first, coffee” are typically the first words out of my mouth on a daily basis. Some people wake up and do yoga, some take their dogs for a walk, and most usually shower…But I wake up and hike my butt straight to my coffee bar where I start the fresh pot of freshly ground coffee beans. When I am Making Coffee – some well known secrets I have for the process are always applied when I’m having my first cup of the day. I even scored a shirt that has my motto written right across it and yes, I occasionally sport it. I’m always on sites like fluxmagazine.com looking for tips and tricks to make my coffee even more delicious. I suppose I’m what some would call a coffee snob and I love it. Being that it is #NationalCoffeeMonth, our local Yelp community is celebrating by doing Coffee Cult(ure) and educating the peeps of Reno on all the local coffee houses and roasters. Today, I was invited to attend an event hosted by Wood-Fire Roasted Coffee Co.! Let me tell you all about it!

Wood Fire Roasted Coffee Co.
30 Ohm Place
Reno, NV. 89502
(775) 856-2033
http://woodfireroasted.com

Tim Curry, owner and Master Roaster at Wood-Fire Roasted Coffee Co. is also known to folks here in the Reno area as “The Coffee Whisperer”. Excited yet?!? This name refers to his ongoing practice of roasting only the finest Arabica beans from all over the world in his own Artisan style, over a wood fire in a custom made small batch wood roaster from Italy. Tim states that by roasting the coffee beans by this method, it perfectly merges the traditions of “Old World” and the “American West” and brings out flavor complexities found in no other coffee. That statement can be found right on the back of every bag that they sell. Tim is the ONLY, wood fire roaster in the state of Nevada, and only 1 of 9 in the United States that roasts coffee with wood.

Once the coffee has been packaged for his customers and vendors, which include Whole Foods, Scolari’s Grocers, and multiple local restaurants and coffee houses they are promptly delivered and held to very strict freshness standards. Tim explained, that after 2-3 weeks, the flavor profile components of coffee beans fall apart with oxygen interaction. Even though the bags are vacuum packed, you can never get 100% of the oxygen out. After the freshness wears off, you may not notice a change right away. However, once brewed, and after a few minutes have past after that first drink, you will begin to develop a bitter aftertaste due to the acidity that has fallen out of balance. Coffee should hold it’s flavor through the cooking process all the way through the last sip inside your coffee mug, according to Tim.

Did you also know that freezing coffee beans will also change the flavor profile completely as well? It is highly recommended to buy your coffee beans fresh every couple of weeks, to maximize freshness and flavor. Grind your beans fresh before every brew. I do it every morning and I am the laziest morning person you will ever meet. It only takes 10 seconds people in exchange for a cup of kick ass coffee! I mean, you put fresh underwear on every day, why wouldn’t you grind your coffee fresh? It’s the same in my book. If it came down to fresh underwear or fresh coffee beans…I’m going with the coffee beans. Just keepin’ it real here!

Tim took us through the actual roasting process and taught us how to roast coffee beans by sound. “Pop” “Click” “Clack” “Pop” … was like listening to the wind rustling the autumn leaves across a prairie. AKA the best sound in the world in my book. He has very specific timing in regards to how long it takes for the beans to expand and rise in temperature. Once you hear the beans crack not once, but twice…it’s time to get your roast on! The beans are released from the chamber they are being held in and then go round and round, like happy little children on a merry go round with pony’s and unicorns preparing to be packaged for your enjoyment.

Tim has personally roasted every single coffee bean that has been sold from Wood-Fire Roasted Coffee Co. He is self taught, and learned by reading numerous books on roasting coffee beans with a wood fire roaster. His product has won high honors from Coffee Review and has had mentions in Saveur Magazine as well.

I have to give major props to Michael Tragash, Reno’s Yelp Community Manager for coordinating this special event. He works tirelessly to connect people to awesome local businesses face to face the same way yelp.com and the yelp mobile app do online. Michael cultivates a community of Yelper’s who are passionate about supporting local businesses by telling their story to others and sharing their passion. The Reno Yelp scene is full of pride and compassion towards one another and I can honestly say that is all due to having a positive leader like Michael, who genuinely cares about his community and thrives on seeing local businesses succeed!

Here in the Biggest Little City, we are proud to say that we posses 1 of only 9 wood fire roasters in the entire United States. Tim’s fine craftsmanship is definitely worth experiencing for yourself and you can do so by either stopping by his roastery, or by purchasing online at www.woodfireroasted.com. I strongly urge you to snag a bag, I promise you will never go back to commercial grade coffee again after experiencing this unique craftsmanship.

A huge Thank You to Tim Curry for sharing his time, knowledge and passion with us, and an equally big Thank You to Michael Tragash and Yelp for inviting me to experience an outstanding demonstration on wood fire roasting.