What is your name? Jesse Mohler
Where are you from? Rockbridge, Ohio (Currently in Canal Winchester)
What is the name of your business? KAMPFIRE Coffee Roasters, LLC
What do you make or sell? Roasted Coffee and Coffee accessories for your home coffee brewing needs. We offer several coffee roasts: light, medium, med-dark and dark roasts. We use several types of beans: from Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Brazil as well as Ethiopia.
Would you describe your products? Ingredients, types of fabrics, etc. – All-natural roasted coffee beans from all around the world! Several Single Origin options along with signature blends.
Do you do this full-time or as a side hustle? Side Hustle
Do you have another job? What is it if so? Full-Time Graphic Design and Digital Print Specialist.
How did you come up with your business name? KAMPFIRE stems from camping in the Hocking Hills when I grew up. I wanted to capture the warm feelings of fellowship and camaraderie around the fire with a cup of coffee & I literally started roasting coffee over a fire with a skillet and a wooden spoon to prove I could make a quality product with very minimal waste (tying it back to the “leave no trace” principles associated with camping/backpacking).
What got you started doing this? I attended Columbus Coffee Fest back in 2017 and decided I could make a run at it. I wanted to take a jab at big corporate coffee by doing things very DIY and minimalistic to combat the bright, flamboyant, and extravagant fads that I saw. That’s where I adopted the phrase “No fluff; No frills. Just Great Coffee”.
What is your creative process like? Being a graphic designer during the day, I was able to start this LLC on the side and have full creative freedom. From product development, package design, website design, etc… It’s nice to have that freedom to move the business however I see fit. All of the packaging is done to look very minimalistic and “bland”. It’s all by design – to stand by the “No fluff; No frills” concept. I try to focus on the quality of the end product and keep the packaging simple and eco-friendly.
Do you have a website? Yes. www.kampfirecoffee.com
How about instagram and facebook? http://www.facebook.com/kampfirecoffeeroatersllc http://www.instagram.com/kampfirecoffeeroastersllc
Why Home Coffee Roasters Are Better?
You’ve seen the line for Starbucks wrapped around the building. But besides the wait what are some other reasons it’s best to get your caffeine fix at home?
You can get your fix quick! Many home machines are programmable. You can set it so your cup of perfection is ready right when you wake up first thing!
You get to experiment with the varieties of coffee beans. Different roasts and different beans all have different flavors. It’s fun and adventurous to try the different variations. Maybe you like dark vs light roast better.
It’s cheaper yet still high quality. Going every day to the local coffee shop can get rather pricey. A bag of Kampfire coffee will last you a couple of weeks for the same price as a couple days worth at the coffee shop.
Visit for the Coffee & Shopping!
Janis regularly makes Kampfire Coffee at The Humble Crate for shoppers to enjoy!
What is the difference between light roast, medium roast, and dark roast?
The most common question we receive is about the difference between coffee roasts. Everyone has their preferred roast level, and we are here to help you understand the distinctions between each of these levels so you can achieve that perfect drink. Our “roast levels” are used to describe how long and thoroughly we roast the beans. The most common words used to describe different levels of coffee roasting are Light, Medium, and Dark.
Coffee roasting plays a big role in how it tastes. Roasting transforms green coffee beans into aromatic and flavorful ground coffee that wakes us up in the morning. However, roasting beans at different levels achieves more than merely darkening the bean; it also changes many of its’ physical attributes as well.
Before we go over all of the roast levels, here are a few things to keep in mind to help you differentiate between them:
- Light roasts are done when you hear a single crack, called the “first crack”
- As beans roast darker, both the caffeine content and original flavors lessen
- Darker roasts are slightly less acidic and have the least amount of caffeine
- The darker the roast, the more bold and smoky the flavor will be because of the oil that rises to the surface of the bean.
- Light and Medium roasts have very little to no oil on the surface, meaning they will be less intense in flavor.
As a bean roasts, it becomes thicker and heavier until it reaches the “second crack.” This is when the beans start to thin out and taste more like charcoal.
Light Roast | Roasted Coffee Blends
Light roast coffees are set apart by their light brown color, lack of oil on the beans, and light body. These beans are allowed to reach a temperature of 350º–410º.
When roasting beans, they will typically make a popping sound at around 350º. This is known as the “first crack” and serves as a cue that they have reached a Light Roast.
There is a common belief that Light Roasts contain less caffeine than their darker counterparts. However, this is not the case! As beans cook longer, the caffeine is slowly released.
Therefore, lightly roasted beans retain more caffeine because they cook for a shorter time at a lower temperature. Other roasters refer to a Light Roast as New England, Light City, or Cinnamon Roast.
Our most popular Light Roasts include Old Man’s Morning or the Ethiopian Roast.
Medium Roast | Fresh Roasted Coffee
Medium Roast coffees are darker in color and have a little more body than a Light Roast. Unlike Light, Medium starts to take on some of the taste from the roasting process, losing some of the bright floral notes that are typical of a Light Roast.
A Medium roast is characterized by a balanced flavor with a moderate amount of caffeine. The beans are roasted until just before the second crack, typically at 410º–440º, then cooled and stored.
Others refer to a Medium as Breakfast, American, or City Roast. Our most popular Medium Roast is the Hocking River Blend.
Dark Roast
The beans used for Dark Roast coffee are roasted for a longer period of time, causing them to turn a dark brown, almost black color. The increased roasting time also causes the beans to produce more oil, which gives the coffee a glossy surface. You’ll find dark roast coffee has a full body and robust flavor, with very few of its original flavors remaining. Instead, the coffee takes on a very bold and smoky taste.
The darkness of the roast is determined by the temperature at which the beans are roasted. The beans can be considered dark if they are roasted to a temperature higher than 440 degrees. If they are roasted to a temperature much higher than 465 degrees, the coffee will start to taste more like charcoal.
Many other big-batch roasters take shortcuts by roasting larger quantities faster at extremely high temperatures for a short amount of time, thus burning their beans and killing the flavor.
When buying a Dark Roast from another company, it can be difficult to know which one to choose because of all the different names. For example, French, Italian, New Orleans, Continental, or Espresso Roast. Kampfire’s most popular Dark Roast is the Ash Cave Espresso Roast.
