We roast in small batches for two reasons: freshness and control. But there's another reason. I don't want every cashew to look exactly the same.

Have you ever watched someone open a container of cashews? Almost without thinking, they reach for the largest whole nuts first. The broken pieces are left behind until the end. Most people never give it another thought. I did. Years ago, I caught myself doing exactly that—digging past the broken pieces to find the biggest whole cashews. It wasn't a…