In search of the perfect cup
Desert Sun Coffee Roasters kicks off local business

Glenn Lathrop, owner and head roaster for Desert Sun Coffee Roasters, gathers a handful of raw coffee beans from a burlap sack last Friday afternoon in the Desert Sun facility in Bodo Park./Photo by Todd Newcomer.

by Erinn Morgan

The cavernous room has an enveloping warmth. In the back, a gleaming copper and red machine hums rhythmically. The setting is soothing, yet the goods produced here provide a hearty buzz to those who like to imbibe. Coffee, that is.

The production facility of the recently opened Desert Sun Coffee Roasters is simple and clean - the centerpiece being the 1,500-pound behemoth Probat roaster, which boasts German engineering, 21 natural gas jets, and 96,000 BTU of energy. It is presently cranking out heat.

"Well, we might as well roast," says Glen Lathrop, owner/roaster, as he rubs his hands together quickly in front of the warmth. He is about to demonstrate the coffee roasting process, which transforms raw, green beans into various states of richness. As he demonstrates, it becomes increasingly apparent that this is no easy task.

"You take the raw bean and put it though the heating process for 12 to 18 minutes, depending on batch size and drop temperature," he says. "It goes through a metamorphosis where it's losing its moisture but it will double in size. The beans are actually going through hundreds of chemical processes."

The critical part is determining the temperature adjustments during the roasting - and the precise length of the process - to allow the bean to consistently develop. Since the system is manually adjusted, this takes finesse. To this aim, Lathrop is hanging onto a clipboard with a chart that seems to hold some importance. He is also starting to use multi-syllabic scientific words like "endothermic" and "exothermic" that are beyond the laymen's scope. So it seems that coffee roasting is part science and part art.

At this point, the roaster climbs up a short ladder and throws open a release valve that drops 15 pounds of beans into the whirling steel drum of the Probat. The green, earthy smell is immediate. One can see the action inside through a tiny porthole window on the front of the machine. The thousands of inhabitants look like exuberant jumping beans.

So the process begins. Lathrop moves quickly between the window, the temperature gauge and his chart, which is balanced on a nearby barstool. He pulls out the "tryer," a small, handled tray that draws a few beans out to test their color and smell. "There is a strong relationship between smell and taste," says Lathrop. "You are looking for good, even color development and smelling for imperfections."

The timer reads 3:35. He pulls out the second "try," which smells nuttier. The temperature gauge is tipping up to nearly 490F. This measure is for the drum interior. There is another gauge for the "bean poke" temperature. "We are running full speed ahead on the temperature to the adjusting point," he notes.

When the timer strikes 4:20, the beans' green color starts brightening because they are losing moisture. The cadence of the Probat is mesmerizing, like a train rolling down the tracks to an intriguing destination. At 5:48, the temperature has rolled back 440F and the fourth try reveals an even richer color. 7:14 - the beans come out a light golden/yellow hue. Lathrop slows the rate of temperature increase.

Glenn Lathrop drops a batch of Peru Penachi beans from the roaster so it can begin to cool./Photo by Todd Newcomer.

When the timer strikes 4:20, the beans' green color starts brightening because they are losing moisture. The cadence of the Probat is mesmerizing, like a train rolling down the tracks to an intriguing destination. At 5:48, the temperature has rolled back 440F and the fourth try reveals an even richer color. 7:14 - the beans come out a light golden/yellow hue. Lathrop slows the rate of temperature increase.

When the timer reads 8:32, the room begins to smell like baking cookies or bread. The beans have a golden brown tone. At 10:02, the room smells like a giant cup of fresh coffee and the beans are starting to go a little deeper brown. There is a loud cracking sound at 11:49. "That's the first of two cracks that happen during the process," says Lathrop. The drum sounds like it's churning microwave popcorn.

When he pulls out the tryer at 12:37, the beans have a pungent smell. The cracking begins to sound like a downpour of raindrops. The expansion in the size of the beans is also becoming quite visible. At 14:38, a puff of smoke exits the machine when Lathrop pulls out the tryer. The second, greatly awaited crack makes itself known at 15:21. The beans have a pungency that makes the nose membranes sting. Lathrop's process is at critical mass - he is rushing about from chart, temperature gauge, and tryer, his moves punctuated with urgency.

Finally, at 15:45, he releases the beans into a cooling bin below the drum, which spins and sifts the rich chocolate brown jewels. "When I entered the roast, I had a final target and degree I was after," says Lathrop. "I try to pull it at that." He appears relieved. The roasting process is an adrenaline sport.

"We let it cool now for five to seven minutes until it is cool to the touch," he says. The beans are now much dryer; they crack open easily.

This particular roast is a single-variety: Peru Penachi organic, fair-trade coffee. "There are different degrees of roasts for different things," he explains. "For espresso, you have a darker degree of roast than for drip. Our roast was brought to a 'city' level - it is a medium-brown color."Desert Sun Coffee Roasters cooks up all varieties of roasts, from light/cinnamon and full city to espresso, Italian and dark French (the darkest of them all). A darker roast level brings out the body of the coffee while a medium or light roast accentuates the brightness/acidity.

The new company's offerings include blends like the traditional Mocha Java, the sweet yet full-bodied Sunrise Espresso, and the smooth Durango Blend. There are also many exotic varieties, from the Indonesian Sumatra and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe to the Brazil Natural Oberon and organic fair trade Sumatra Takengon. Desert Sun's coffee is available through the company's Bodo Park location and at Sunnyside Market, Mill Street Brews in Bayfield, Durango Joe's and the soon-to-open Pure Soul Coffee.

It was Lathrop's quest for the perfect cup that brought him to this point. "I knew this was something I could really sink my teeth into," he admits. "Being in pursuit of a great cup of coffee."He is off to a good start with a background in business - Lathrop was most recently the clothing buyer for Gardenswartz and has also managed a few ski shops in Summit County. But perhaps it is his upbringing on an upstate New York dairy farm that helped him truly envision his product goals. "It's great to take it back to the farm standpoint. I am interested in the process from the farm to the consumer," he says.

The art of roasting up good brews is obviously a passion for this Durango resident. "I am truly learning a new business, there is the excitement, scariness and challenges that come with it," he says. "But it's something I'm creating, for all the good and the bad and risks and reward, it's my mark." ☯