The Curve

Welcome to The Curve

CEPros is the storytelling, news, and education hub of Coffee Equipment Pros.

Roasting is a precise interplay of heat and airflow, each stage captured as data points that form a curve—and ultimately guide us toward a consistent, ideal flavor profile.

Our coverage reflects that same curve. We explore the full landscape of roasting life: equipment features, technique, business strategy, marketing, bean origins, café and roastery culture, industry trends, and CEPros updates.

Enjoy our current lineup of articles.
The Art and Business of Coffee Blending: Pushing Boundaries For Coffee Worth Remembering
  • Mar 7, 2025
  • Kristi Anderson-Runge
The Art and Business of Coffee Blending: Pushing Boundaries For Coffee Worth Remembering

Interested in exploring new horizons in your coffee offerings? Join us as we delve into the art of specialty coffee blends. While single-origin roasts have traditionally taken the spotlight, blending different origins can unlock a world of rich and complex flavors. This article discusses the value of high-quality blends and how they can enhance your coffee experience. Discover tips for crafting signature blends that resonate with your customers and challenge the notion that blends are lesser than their single-origin counterparts. 

CEPros Project: Skyrocket Coffee
  • Nov 11, 2024
  • Kristi Anderson-Runge
CEPros Project: Skyrocket Coffee

CEPros partnered with Chris and Crystal Green of Skyrocket Coffee to provide a wide range of services, including roastery equipment consulting, expert recommendations, in-person demos, intricate logistics support, and on-site installation and training. CEPros also collaborated with a trusted manufacturer to create a custom destoner solution. Beginning to end, this project as a case study in how CEPros offers everything from analytical guidance to hands-on support.

Technicians Are Your Best Insurance Policy in Modern Roasting
  • Oct 10, 2024
  • Howard Bryman
Technicians Are Your Best Insurance Policy in Modern Roasting

In modern coffee roasting, skilled technicians are crucial as technology evolves. With complex machinery and automation, having an expert on hand ensures proper maintenance and minimizes downtime. Building a strong relationship with technicians not only enhances operational efficiency but also acts as an essential insurance policy against unexpected challenges. In this article, learn to invest in expertise to safeguard your business!

Coffee Consultants Can Help You Bring Your Roastery Start-Up To Life
  • Jul 11, 2024
  • Howard Bryman
Coffee Consultants Can Help You Bring Your Roastery Start-Up To Life

Your dream, your baby, the house that you built… No one knows your coffee company better than you do. And yet, the to-do list stretching between you and your goals is probably long and complex. When do you call in a consultant? In our latest article, writer Howard Bryman checks in with Coffee Equipment Pros Founder and CEO Rick Davis and a couple of well-established coffee industry consultants for details on the What, When, and Why of bringing a consultant into the fold.  

Loring Smart Roasters: These Roasting Raptors Help Your Roastery Soar
  • May 17, 2024
  • Kristi Runge
Loring Smart Roasters: These Roasting Raptors Help Your Roastery Soar

Have you considered how the specialty coffee movement has impacted roaster manufacturers? It brought an explosion of innovation in technologies and features, resulting in wider roasting equipment options and higher quality standards. When we consider the roaster manufacturers blazing this trail, we think of Loring Smart Roasters. We take pride in being the premier destination for selling pre-owned Lorings, so if you’re looking to add a seriously substantial, sustainable, and overall smart roaster to your roastery or shop—read on!

The Roastery Startup Equipment Guide You Need
  • May 17, 2024
  • Jamie Cattanach
The Roastery Startup Equipment Guide You Need

It takes more than a dream to make decent coffee. You’ll need vision (check!), artistry, a scientific mind, and the right tools for the job. Luckily, on that last front, we’ve got you covered. In this guide, we dive into the 7 major equipment must-haves you’ll need to set your roastery up right, right from the start.

Where Coffee Is Grown: A Quick Tour of the Top 10 Coffee-Producing Countries
  • Mar 21, 2024
  • Jennifer Mattern
Where Coffee Is Grown: A Quick Tour of the Top 10 Coffee-Producing Countries

Roasters often know in detail where coffee is grown, but customers may not. Educating them about primary coffee-producing regions fosters transparency and can expand coffee offerings. Insights into origins empower customers, and can create opportunities for diverse coffees and support growers worldwide. In this article, we take you on a virtual tour of the top 10 coffee-producing regions.

Preparing Your Space For New Roasting Equipment
  • Mar 12, 2024
  • Howard Bryman
Preparing Your Space For New Roasting Equipment

You’re planning on adding roasting equipment, and a huge new (or new-to-you) roaster is finally on its way. You couldn't be readier… But how's your facility? We checked in with some roastery design and installation specialists for insight into preparing your space for new roasting equipment or roasting gear upgrades, and the most common refrains we hear are: Don't make assumptions, and keep asking questions! 

Great Coffee Shop Design: 7 Essential Elements
  • Mar 12, 2024
  • Jennifer Mattern
Great Coffee Shop Design: 7 Essential Elements

Customer loyalty goes beyond good coffee. Customers crave immersive experiences, and like it or not, your café's design influences repeat business and profits. Whether starting new or renovating, we offer seven design elements to help your shop become the community's preferred coffee spot.

CEPros Project: Common Grounds Coffee House & Deli
  • Feb 29, 2024
  • Rick Davis
CEPros Project: Common Grounds Coffee House & Deli

When Common Grounds’ owner Marco Sandoval reached out, we swiftly matched him with a 10kg Toper Roaster from our inventory and promptly delivered it. We assisted in commissioning the machine and conducted a training session, leading to its first roast. Now, three months later, Common Grounds customers savor house-roasted coffee, and Marco is inspired to explore new avenues for business expansion.

Espresso Beans vs Coffee Beans: What's the Difference?
  • Feb 19, 2024
  • Jamie Cattanach
Espresso Beans vs Coffee Beans: What's the Difference?

As a coffee professional, beans are your business. So chances are you already know the difference between espresso beans vs coffee beans all comes down to roast. But to customers, it might not be so clear. So we put together this myth-busting article to help you and your customers distinguish between espresso beans and coffee beans. And, most importantly, prepare and enjoy the perfect drink, every single time.

Latte vs Cappuccino: What’s the Difference Between These Two Coffee Classics?
  • Feb 18, 2024
  • Sam Morris
Latte vs Cappuccino: What’s the Difference Between These Two Coffee Classics?

Latte vs cappuccino: What’s the difference? Both are among the most ordered at coffee shops worldwide, and it’s no wonder why. When choosing between the velvety smoothness of a latte or a robust and frothy cappuccino, there’s plenty to love about these two iconic espresso-based drinks.

CEPros Project: Greater Goods Coffee Co. + Exploradora Coffee
  • Feb 1, 2024
  • Rick Davis
CEPros Project: Greater Goods Coffee Co. + Exploradora Coffee

Here’s a fun story about one of our used Loring S15 Falcon sales. It illustrates the unexpected twists that arise when helping a roaster find a new home, in this case, a new "nest". It also highlights how our close-knit coffee community helps bring the right people together to make the sale.

What is Blonde Roast Coffee? Let's Explore the Lighter Side of Roasting
  • Jan 31, 2024
  • Jamie Cattanach
What is Blonde Roast Coffee? Let's Explore the Lighter Side of Roasting

Roast level, as you know, is a spectrum, and what each coffee roaster means by “blonde” can differ. Blonde coffee refers to beans pulled from the roaster just before or after first crack. (And, as you also know, blonde coffee is not the same as white coffee. When roasting coffee only halfway through, the roaster pulls it to create a white coffee.)

Coffee Bag Sealers and Weigh-Fill Machines: Enhance Efficiency and Quality in Your Coffee Roastery
  • Dec 12, 2023
  • Kristi Runge
Coffee Bag Sealers and Weigh-Fill Machines: Enhance Efficiency and Quality in Your Coffee Roastery

Coffee bag sealers and weigh-fill machines aren’t just equipment; they’re the guardians of quality, the custodians of consistency, and the reason your customers’ experience with your coffee is nothing short of exceptional. This article explores why coffee bag sealers and weigh fill machines are more than just cogs in the roastery wheel. They’re the dynamic duo working hard to ensure your roastery’s coffee packaging success. 

Embrace the Cold Brew Revolution in Your Roastery or Café with a Commercial Cold Brew System
  • Nov 15, 2023
  • Kristi Runge
Embrace the Cold Brew Revolution in Your Roastery or Café with a Commercial Cold Brew System

There’s no denying it: Cold brew has never been hotter. While the classics will always have their place, one caffeinated contender has increasingly been creating ripples in the coffee industry — and that’s cold brew. In this article, we look at the rise of cold brew and its money-making and money-saving benefits, consider what to look for in a commercial cold brew system, and provide our recommendations.