Abstract: Roast coffee bean freshness is maintained by storing just roasted beans in a sealed container having much less than 1.0% oxygen therein. Storage of roasted coffee at very low temperatures (less than −40 degrees F. (−40 degrees C.)) also preserves the freshness of the coffee. The combination of low oxygen and low temperature storage provides the freshly roasted coffee taste and a long shelf life for that preserved taste.

Abstract: A coffee bean roasting system is disclosed wherein coffee beans in a box-like chamber are levitated as a dense, uniformly recirculating mass by an upwardly directed airstream. The air is heated to a temperature not in excess of 530.degree.F., and the heat is transferred to the beans primarily by convection and secondarily by conduction from bean to bean. Heat transfer continues until after a thermally induced pyrolitic reaction has occurred within the bean mass and the desired roast has resulted whereupon the roasted beans are cooled. The system may employ batch type or continuous roast apparatus.