(The Roaster's Secret to Consistency)

A Message from Dave, Lone Bear Coffee Roaster

The backbone of our consistent quality is the Coffee Roasting Quality Control Checklist. You’ve seen my setup (the SF-25) and you know I geek out on balancing science and art in the drum. But what happens after the batch is cooled? How do I ensure that the Grizzly you order today tastes exactly like the one you enjoyed on the trail last month?

It all comes down to a strict Coffee Roasting Quality Control Checklist. For me, consistency is the key to trustworthiness, and that trust is built on three essential steps:

Step 1: Meticulous Machine Maintenance

You can't achieve precision roasting on a neglected machine. We treat our SF-25 like mission-critical equipment:

• Preventative Maintenance: We have a strict weekly, monthly, and annual preventative maintenance schedule that we follow closely. This isn’t optional; it ensures the machine’s temperature probes, drum rotation, and airflow controls are all calibrated perfectly.
• Written Protocols: Every step of the setup and shutdown process is detailed in written operating procedures. This minimizes human error and guarantees a high degree of consistency between batches—a simple but necessary safeguard.

Step 2: Cupping is Our Final Compass

The numbers on the roasting software are important, but my palate is the ultimate judge. Cupping is the industry-standard practice of professional coffee tasting, and it is the single most important part of our Coffee Roasting Quality Control Checklist.

• Regular Cupping: I cup regularly to make sure our coffees are consistently hitting our flavor standards before they ever reach your customers. This means we taste for things like body, acidity, sweetness, and overall balance.
• Flaw Detection: If a coffee tastes flat, smoky (when it shouldn't), or shows any signs of a flaw, it never gets bagged. It's a non-negotiable step that protects the Lone Bear quality mark.

Step 3: Protecting the Origin Flavor

Ultimately, QC is about making sure the coffee’s natural characteristics—its origin flavors—come through clearly in the cup. Every decision, from storing the green beans correctly (as I discussed in an earlier post) to following precise temperature curves, is aimed at preserving and highlighting that quality. A strict adherence to this Coffee Roasting Quality Control Checklist is non-negotiable.

We believe that by focusing intensely on these three areas—the Equipment, the Tasting, and the Preservation—we can deliver the reliable, trail-ready quality that you expect from Lone Bear Coffee, batch after batch. We live by this Coffee Roasting Quality Control Checklist.

See the consistency for yourself! Shop our Roasts and taste the difference QC makes!

Have a question about our roastery? Tory and I are now running an ongoing Q&A campaign on social media. Drop your question in the comments below or use #davetheroaster.