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Making the most of the roast at Lodi's Java Stop

Richard Hazard, manager of Lodi's Java Stop, isn't just picky about his morning cups of coffee; he is obsessive. He wants to know where the beans are from and if they are yellow or green. He even went to coffee college to learn the intricate details of his java passion and coffee roasting.

Hazard's goal in coffee roasting: To not overroast the beans.

"Over roasting is a trend with the big coffee chains who mass produce a hundred pounds at a time," Java Stop owner Bob Casalegno said.

Hazard roasts 20 pounds at a time. And each batch only takes 15 minutes.

The pre-roasted beans are stored in burlap sacks in a refrigerated room. The smell is strong, earthy. Hazard pulls handfuls of coffee beans from the bags labeled Costa Rica, Guatemala, organic, shade tree organic and fair trade. He explains that the yellow-colored beans were sun-dried, while the green were grown under shade trees.

The San Franciscan coffee roaster machine warms and Hazard pours green beans into the top — the first step in making Ethiopian Harar, a light blend.

Hazard waits, monitoring the roasting's stages by smell. Using a tray-like handle, he pulls a handful of beans from the roaster's barrel. At 300 degrees, the beans smell like warm, wet grass. Minutes later, at 330 degrees the beans smell of hay.

At 380 degrees, the beans are dark brown and smell of baked bread. This is the first crack — when the oils are released.

The less the beans are cooked, the more oil will remain inside. The oils are important to the caffeine, because the more oil a bean has, the more caffeine it will have. Casalegno says many people think strong-tasting coffee have more caffeine, when in fact, all of the oils have been burned out and less caffeine remains.

When the beans are released into a cooling tray, Bob and Carol Casalegno watch over as they help Hazard pick out the few burnt or bad beans.

"One (bad) bean can ruin a whole pot," Hazard said.

When the beans cool, they are dumped into a large bin, where they will de-gas for the next 24 hours. Then, they will reach their peak. Once ground, the bean's quality decreases 400 percent faster than if they were kept whole.

In the back room, Hazard is ready for the tasting process, known as cupping.

He scoops from three bowls of different roasts and grinds them into individual glasses with hot water. When each glass is full, it is time to wait. The water and grounds settle, and after four minutes, a crust forms on the top of each glass.

Hazard breaks the crust with a spoon, leans over the table, with his nose close to the coffee. He cups his hands around the top of his glass and his nose and breaths in deeply through his nose. He sounds as if he is describing wine, saying, "It's how leather would smell if it were in a cup of coffee."

When he tastes the coffee water, his goal is to bring the entirety of the blend's flavors to his senses. He is looking for a lingering aftertaste; is the coffee oily, buttery, gritty, is there a bitter or sourness?

Hazard slurps a mouthful of the coffee water. He makes a gargling sound before spitting it into an empty cup.

It's a learned skill, he admits. And the first time he tried, it came out his nose.