High-altitude Coffee roasting at Ohori’s
Our roasters know that high-altitude Coffee roasting produces beans with a more fully developed flavor profile, a balanced body, and subtler character.
At Ohori’s, we roast our beans at 7,000’ above sea level, in Santa Fe, NM, at the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Our elevation on the Santa Fe Plateau, along with our cool, semi-arid climate means that our air is not only thinner but also drier than at sea level.
Our elevation and our thin, dry air in Santa Fe creates the ideal conditions for hand-crafting small batches of dark roast Coffee, which requires the greatest care and attention from our roasters. We roast Coffee at high altitude to explore the full scope of tastes and aromas expressed from dark roasts.
High-altitude dark roast tastes better
Coffee roasted at high altitude tastes smoother, more balanced, and richer. It has a fuller body, and retains more sweetness. The science behind high-altitude roasting is that elevation changes how the heat moves through the Coffee beans, pulling moisture from the beans faster, and reaching earlier roast milestones without burning the beans.
Thin air produces deeper, more evenly balanced dark roasts.
At Santa Fe’s elevation of 7,000’ above sea level, the air is thinner, so our roasters at Ohori’s must be very intentional about how they heat the beans during roasting. Our process creates dark roasts that develop more evenly and deeply, but avoid the harsh, burnt edges you would find in mass-produced dark roasts.
High-altitude roasting helps the beans dry faster so they develop longer.
During high-altitude roasting, the beans lose moisture more quickly, so they begin to dry earlier than beans roasted at sea level. That’s because water boils faster at higher elevations. This longer drying process of high-altitude roasting results in a smoother, cleaner, and fuller flavor profile in the final cup.
First crack happens sooner, so our roasters can delve deep into dark roast.
At our roastery in Santa Fe, the first crack (when the roasting beans begin to expand and release steam) happens a little earlier than at sea level, offering our roasters a broader window to explore the full profile of rich tastes, ample body, and careful balance of dark roast Coffee.
Why high-altitude dark roast makes a better cup of Coffee
Our customers keep returning to our hand-crafted, small-batch dark roasts because our beans offer smoother, less bitter flavor profiles, richer aromatic depth, and more substantial character. High-altitude roasting gives our roasters greater control over the roasting process, producing Coffee that is never excessively bitter or harsh.
Beans roasted at high altitude have a smoother, less bitter taste.
At higher altitudes, beans lose their moisture more quickly during roasting, which significantly reduces the chance of developing the burnt tastes that often overshadow dark roasts. This creates a dark roast that tastes richly caramelized, with less bitterness. A faster overall roast means that more sugars are retained, which would typically burn off in a longer roast. This helps the coffee retain more sweetness.
High-altitude Coffee has a greater depth of flavor.
Even at deeper roast levels, high-altitude conditions help protect delicate aromatic compounds that normally fade away in darker roasts. The result is a full-bodied Coffee with clearer notes of chocolate, molasses, smoke, or spice that feels layered and expressive.
Ohori’s hand-crafted, small-batch coffee beans are made with care, for people who love flavor-forward Coffee.
Our hands-on process consistently creates well-balanced dark roasts that demonstrate our roasters’ expertise, attention to detail, and commitment to producing Coffee that stands out for its quality and its boldness of character. High-altitude Coffee roasting demands great care and patience, and it shows in the cup.
Our vintage Probat UG15 roaster has been crafting excellent dark roast Coffee for more than 40 years, from our roastery high up on the Santa Fe Plateau, and we’d love to share it with you today.
Browse our high-altitude Coffee, so you can taste the difference in high-altitude Coffee beans.