NXT Roasters

03/11/2026

NXT Roasters is an independent coffee roaster in Edmonton specializing in freshly roasted whole beansfor walk-in customers. Our 3kg fluidized bed (air) roaster handles second crack roasting, ensuring full flavour development without the sourness of under roasted beans. Variable batch sizes (1.7–3.1 kg) allow slower selling varietals, such as S.W. decaf, to remain fresh. We prioritize freshness over full shelves and encourage customers to
reserve beans prior to roast days. NXT Roasters focus is roasting high-quality, fully developed beans with consistency and clarity.

Freshly roasted whole beans with full flavour! Our fluidized bed system handles second crack roasting for balanced development — no sour blond beans. Walk in or reserve your batch in Edmonton!

This morning we roasted some Liberica beans from Liberia. This is their country of origin though seeds were transported to Asia and planted there. The beans were delivered to NXT by a member of the family that owns the farm. This is to confirm that their genetics are differ from Arabica beans. The appearance is that of a peaberry. We have not established the roast level because it is taking a darker roast than expected. I expect that the colour will be more uniform with the darker roast. The labels also have to be printed before they can be placed on the shelf.

03/07/2026

NXT Roasters is not a café — our focus is roasting high-quality, fully
developed beans with consistency and clarity.

NXT Roasters is an independent coffee roaster in Edmonton specializing in freshly roasted whole beans
for walk-in customers. Our 3kg fluidized bed (air) roaster handles the smoke of second crack roasting, ensuring full
flavour development without the sourness of under roasted beans. Variable batch sizes (1.7–3.1 kg) allow slower selling varietals, such as decaf, to remain fresh.

We prioritize freshness over full shelves and encourage customers to reserve beans prior to roast days.

Send a message to learn more

02/17/2026

The plantation owner is bringing small quantities of his 900m altitude production directly to NXT Roasters. Though we have featured some of these Farmer Direct Beans previously, this crop year is special because Santa Marta has elected to enhance their crop with the Gold Process.

Some of the mucilage or pulp remains on the fruit during fermentation. Yields a nice balance of acidity, sweetness, and fruity-caramel flavours. Over several weeks, the sugars
and flavours from the fruit pulp are absorbed deep into the bean.

The Honey Process is perhaps better known on the internet. The difference is found in the amount of mucilage that remains on the seeds when fermenting and drying. The mucilage left on the bean caramelizes during drying, giving the parchment a yellow or "gold" colour. The greater amount of mucilage requires more drying which involves mixing the beans daily so that they dry evenly. This is a labour intensive drying process in which the flavour is featured in the cup.

NXT's job is to honour the grower's hard work. We want to unlock the story already sealed inside the bean.

12/23/2025

Thank you for your support.
It is 3:00 and we are disappointing the late comers. There was over 40 kgs but half of it was gone by noon.
It does give us a chance to wish you a Merry Christmas.
We are closing for a week then will roast on December 30 especially for the designated drivers.

11/08/2025

There were a few questions this week about Bean longevity.
This is an opinion rather than a test and observe field.
We often ask client opinions about Bean longevity especially
If They regularly purchase 1 kg bags which must last longer
than a regular bag. We make a pin hole just below the zip-
lock closure so that it will be the highest point in the bag.
It acts as the exhaust port for the gas which has sufficient
pressure to burst the bag if it was sealed.

The CO2 exhausted from the beans will push out the
oxygenated air and because it is roughly 50% denser
than the air we breathe it will fill the interstitial spaces as
it the CO@ rises during the 24 hrs after roasting.
Some claim that only that only 40-50% of the CO2 is
released in that initial period but our test showed that
the action had finished after 16 hours. The higher CO2
density means that the gas does not float away when
the bag is opened providing that the bag is not tilted
when open.

Transferring the beans to another container is
counter-productive because most of the CO2 will be
loss in the process. The loss of CO2 will be exacerbated
if an evacuation pump is used.in the storing container.

NXT regular bags have tin-tie closures so that all the
oxygenated air is pushed out before the CO2 rises to
that level. Again it is better to scoop out the beans that
are required rather than tilt the bag. Of course if it only
takes a few days to empty the bag it is most likely a moot
point.

10/17/2025

Here is an AI co-authored blog.
There’s something undeniably special about the aroma of freshly roasted coffee beans. It’s not just the scent—it’s the promise of flavour, energy, and ritual. Whether you're a casual sipper or a full-blown coffee aficionado, understanding what makes fresh beans so extraordinary can elevate your entire coffee experience.

What Happens During Roasting?
Roasting transforms green coffee beans into the rich, brown gems we know and love. During this process:
* Sugars caramelize, called the Maillard process, creating complex flavour notes.
* Acids break down, balancing brightness and bitterness. If beans are under roasted the coffee tends to be sour. There are some beans which have more than one roast point. A surprise was that the Sumatra tastes good when roasted Blond.
* Aroma compounds develop, giving each roast its signature scent.
The result? A bean bursting with potential—if brewed at the right roast level. (See above)

Why Freshness Matters
Coffee is at its peak flavour within 7–14 days after roasting. ***Do not believe this without verifying for yourself - people make marketing claims based on hearsay and convenience. Beyond that, oxidation begins to dull its vibrancy. The roasted beans expel CO2 in the first 24 hours after roasting which settles in the container because the density is 1.5X more than the air we breathe. This acts as an oxygen blocker providing the bag is not tilted pouring out CO2. Scoop out the beans for the day to keep the beans submerged in CO2. ***
Here’s why you should care:
* Better aroma: Fresh beans release more aromatic oils.
* Richer crema: Especially important for espresso lovers.
* Fuller flavour: Notes of chocolate, fruit, or spice are more pronounced.
**Aim to purchase hours old freshly roasted beans not week or months old beans.**

How to Brew for Maximum Flavour
Fresh beans deserve thoughtful brewing.
Try:
* Pour-over for clarity and control.
* French press for body and richness.
* Espresso for intensity and crema.

***Grind just before brewing, and store beans away from light and heat. To keep the benefits of the natural CO2 keep the beans in the original upright bag. A good burr grinder gives you brewing options.***

10/11/2025

Let’s take a break from brewing.

Several times in the last days NXT clients mentioned that they had run out of coffee beans and it was inconvenient for them to drop in to re-stock so they tried another source of beans. They claim to be very disappointed. There are a lot of variables that affect the judgement, not all determine that the substitute product was inferior. Taste is subjective, sensitive, and sometimes variable. Coffee roasters may also choose different roasting levels depending on their preferences. All this, leads to surprise and perhaps dissatisfaction.

The NXT coffee roaster was designed to yield a bean flavour that we preferred. More clearly, it evolved and was modified to give the flavour we wanted. The starting criteria was to heat with electricity rather than roast with the exhaust of a flame. The fluidized bed was selected so that the beans, float in the air stream, therefore heat more evenly. This meant that a high pressure blower not a fan was required. It therefore has to turn very fast which creates a bearing problem because bearings can turn fast and they can operate in a hot environment, but they really don’t like to do both at the same time. That was a big and expensive problem to solve.

The coffee roaster roasts with air that is 100° to 250°C cooler than gas heated drum roasters yet roasts in half the time because of the improved efficiency of a fluidized bed. The heated air is cleaned and recirculated to make the system more cost efficient.

Similarly, killing the roast or halting the exothermic roasting process, by creating a low pressure inside the roaster by adjusting the air flow valves to then suck cool room air through the bed of roasted beans. At that point the roasted beans are at about 250°C while the room air is at about 20°C which cools the beans to kill the roasting process.

Cooling the beans quickly and evenly improves the consistency and roast repeatability. The beans are still hot so they are pneumatically conveyed to an external bean cooler for the final cooling. Simmultaneously the following batch is loaded.

The latest modification replaced the Blower Inlet which increased the pressure in the roasting chamber by 50%. Most likely the Blower was previously starved. It is always a little tricky to modify a component in a closed loop system because there can be unfavourable repercussions. It appears that the suction has also improved consequently the cooling is more efficient.

Additional components are: the Cyclone to spin off the chaff which encapsulates each bean, the SmokEater to neutralize the smoke (smells like burnt toast) generated by the beans, the Cooling Hopper where the beans are cooled from 160°C to 33°C, and of course the computer which is semi-automatically controlling the process.

10/01/2025

Here is a bit more information for those that do not have a centrifuge. Essentially this is a comparison of the amount of solids in paper filtered coffee and unfiltered coffee. The Espresso tube is included for extra information.

The unfiltered coffee is decanted for 4 minutes before the sample is taken even though most of the solids have settled within the minute.

All samples were spun at 10k rpm for 5 minutes.

A follow up comparison will be the separation of regular ground coffee. By the very nature of the process it has to be filtered but it might be possible with some patience to photograph an unfiltered sample. A possible addition would be the comparison of burr ground coffee to blade style ground coffee.

The photos do give an indication of the turbidity which, in my view, is a good indicator of the amount of coffee solubles.

07/31/2025

DailyCoffeeNews.com

A recent study from a team at the University of Pennsylvania proposes a small tweak to pourover brewing that maintains optimal extraction yield and flavor while requiring less coffee.

In short, the researchers suggest a higher pour with a gooseneck kettle.

Published in April in the journal Physics of Fluids, the study centers on a phenomenon called “avalanche dynamics,” through which a stream penetrates the surface of the coffee bed, then pushes and displaces grounds in a recirculating pattern. This movement allows the water to more thoroughly interact with the grounds, increasing extraction. ...

This article may be valuable to people who wish to develop their pourover ceremony. Personally I find that a coarse grind that gives sufficient permeability to allow the flow of water through the grind wastes coffee solubles, More coffee is thrown away than is put in the cup.

I am a proponent of the fine Turkish grind with its large amount of surface area that assures maximum extraction of coffee solubles. The water cannot easily pass though such a fine grind therefore it requires a modified Brewing Ceremony.

To maximize the extraction we submerge the grind in the hot water. Essentially the contents are mixed, for a minute with the thin spatula, to keep the grind in suspension and surrounded by water. Then leave for a couple minutes even though it takes less than a minute for the grind to decant. The Plunger should then be free to be pushed to the bottom without resistance (because the grind is already on the bottom) . If the Plunger water-locks there is a problem with the capacity of the grinder to produce a fine grind. Failure probably presents an experimental opportunity or the excuse to buy a new burr grinder.

Assuming that the Plunger easily descends to the bottom let it rest or settle for 2-4 minutes while you prepare breakfast. This is quite important because the following step is to filter the coffee without creating a filter cake that will plug the filter. In a previous post the benefit of filtering the coffee to remove Cafestol was reviewed.

The extra steps may lead to extra cooling therefore we fill the drain plugged porcelain cone, cups, and French Presses with hot water prior to usage. Forgetting to empty the body will yield very diluted coffee.

01/02/2025

We wish you a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Further to the filtered coffee experiment there was an attempt to better understand the effect of grind size. The comparison was limited to coarse and Turkish like flour fine grind.
In the photo hot water was added to the coarse grind. The grind is coarser than the mesh of the french press so it is possible to push down the plunger after appx 4 to 5 minutes. The grind still contains a combination of Carbon Dioxide and air which causes it to float.
A very fine grind (from a quality burr grinder) will also have a thinner layer of bloom but it will mostly decant within a minute after stirring. Pouring the coffee immediately into a Melitta filter will leave over 10g filtrate in the filter which greatly slows the flow.
The preliminary observation was that a very fine grind will decant quickly which will permit the plunger to be lowered but further settling of the fines will greatly accelerate the overall flow.
Typically the test was 1.2 litres of coffee poured in two stages into a #4 Melitta Bamboo filter.
Personally I find that more coffee solubles a thown away with a coarse grind than is placed in the cup.