Why We Roast in Small Batches | Issue No. 002
The Blackthorne Journal
There are a lot of ways to roast cashews. Most large-scale roasting is designed to produce as much as possible, as consistently as possible. I understand why. When you are producing large quantities, consistency matters.
But that isn't exactly what I want for Blackthorne.
We roast in small batches for two reasons. The first is freshness. I don't want to roast a large quantity of cashews and have them sit on a shelf for weeks or months waiting to be sold. I'd rather roast smaller amounts more often and have the roasting happen closer to when the cashews are going to be enjoyed.
The second reason is a little more personal.
I don't want every cashew to look exactly the same.
We've developed our own roasting process that uses two different roasting techniques. The result is some variation in color and roast. Some are lighter. Some are darker. I prefer it that way.
This isn't about being inconsistent. I'm very particular about consistency in quality. It's about allowing a little variation in the finished product when I think that variation makes the experience better.
It would be easier to roast more at once and keep a larger inventory on hand. But Blackthorne wasn't created to be the easiest way to sell cashews.
It was created because I thought there was room to do things differently.