paahtaa

Paahtaa is a Finnish verb meaning to roast or toast by applying dry heat. It is most commonly used of roasting coffee beans (kahvipavut) but can also refer to roasting other edible seeds or nuts or browning surfaces in cooking. The related noun paahto refers to the roast, and paahtimo denotes a roastery where roasting is carried out.

In coffee production and specialty coffee culture, paahtaminen describes the process of transforming green coffee beans into roasted beans. The roast level affects aroma, flavor, and acidity. Roasting is performed in a roastery (paahtimo) or, increasingly, at home with small roasters. The beans are heated until they reach the desired color and development, after which they are cooled to stop further roasting.

Common terms include vaalea paahto (light roast) and tumma paahto (dark roast). Different roasts bring out different flavor profiles, from fruity and acidic to chocolaty and bitter. The verb paahtaa can also apply to toasting seeds, nuts, or grains in non-coffee contexts, although in everyday language it most often refers to coffee.

Historically and in contemporary practice, roasting is a central step in coffee production and a focus of home roasting culture. The act of paahtaa encompasses both technical control of heat and the sensory evaluation of aroma, flavor, and body in the final product.