News & Trends
The Relationship Between Roast Level and Origin Character
The roast level you choose directly impacts how much of a coffee’s origin character—its terroir, processing notes, and regional traits—comes through in the final cup. This guide explains the relationship between roasting and origin flavors.
Using Tasting Notes Effectively on Retail Bags
Tasting notes on retail coffee bags help customers choose the right coffee. When done well, they connect flavor expectations to purchasing decisions and build brand trust.
Training Staff to Talk About Coffee Origins
Coffee origin training helps roastery teams build expertise in growing regions, processing methods, and flavor profiles, leading to stronger customer relationships and increased sales.
First Crack to Drop: Understanding Development Time Ratios
Development time ratio (DTR) measures the percentage of total roast time that occurs after first crack. This guide covers how to calculate DTR, typical ranges for light to dark roasts, and factors that influence development for better flavor consistency.
Planning Your Purchasing Calendar Around Harvest Seasons
A guide to timing green coffee purchases around global harvest cycles to maximize freshness, secure allocations, and build a strategic annual sourcing calendar for your roastery.
World Coffee Research F1 Hybrids Cupping
The future of coffee is happening right now, and we had the privilege of tasting it firsthand. At ICT Coffee, our Quality Control and...
Understanding Coffee Certifications
Coffee certifications can be confusing. Logos stack up on bags, acronyms get tossed around, and it is not always clear what each one means...
Roasting for Cupping vs. Production: Two Different Approaches
One of the most important distinctions every roaster must understand is the difference between roasting for cupping and roasting for...
Regenerative Agriculture in Coffee: What Every Coffee Professional Should Know
Coffee producers worldwide are adopting a farming approach called "regenerative agriculture" that's changing how we think about...
Maximizing Your Coffee Descriptions
Coffee bag descriptions should match your target customer and business goals. Three main approaches—minimalist (focusing on taste and roast level for busy customers), educational (moderate detail for enthusiasts), and storytelling (detailed narratives for premium positioning)—each serve different markets. Success requires aligning your chosen strategy with staff training, sourcing consistency, packaging design, and supplier partnerships to create descriptions that inform, sell, and build customer relationships.