The Basics of Roasting...

Coffee roasting is a combination of science and art. No matter what method or machine is used for roasting coffee, there is always a certain amount of human intervention required to achieve the proper roast. Roasting is an easy process, depending on your equipment and methods you can roast a batch in 5 - 20 minutes. Even so, home coffee roasting takes a little more effort than the average consumer will put forth to make their daily cup of coffee. But, for those of us looking for a GREAT cup of coffee there’s no other way to go.

Every different coffee reaches the various roast levels at different times due to a number of variables, including bean age, size, moisture level, the roasting method/machine and more. So, to track the stages of the roast you’ll need to use your senses of sight, smell and hearing.

There are two “cracks” that can be heard during the roasting process, referred to as the “first crack” and the “second crack”. The first crack is a loud snapping sound, sometimes compared to a pencil being snapped in half. The second crack is lower in volume and is often compared to a toothpick being snapped in half. Coffee that has stopped roasting before the first crack will tend to taste grassy and sour. Coffee that is roasted much beyond the second crack will start to take on a charcoal burnt flavor and the taste of the coffee will start to be destroyed.

The level of roast can also be detected by the color of the bean and the amount of oil on the surface of the bean. The beans remain dry up until about the start of the second crack and then the bean begins to become shiny.

The amount of smoke that the roast is producing can also indicate the level of roast. You should start to see and smell smoke at about the start of the second crack. As the second crack speeds up the smoke becomes dense and has a pungent smell.

Most likely you’ll use a combination of your senses to achieve your desired roast.  On some roasters you can hear the first and second crack without any problem, on others the roaster is too loud and you need to rely more on the appearance of the beans and the amount of smoke being produced. Some roasters even have a closed case so that you can’t see the roast at all and you need to rely on audible clues and the amount of smoke alone.  We don’t carry these roasters for the very reason that we feel you need to be able to see your roast during the roasting process to achieve the best results.

A brief overview of the stages of a roast…

• Before the first crack – Coffee has just finished drying, will taste grassy and acidic and has a very light brown color with the bean having a dry appearance.
• Start of the first crack – Often referred to as Cinnamon, coffee will be acidic and have a crisp flavor and appearance will be light brown and dry.
• First crack – Often referred to as Light, coffee maintains the acidic crisp flavor and appearance is a light to medium brown dry bean.
• End of first crack (and before the second crack starts) – Often referred to as City, the taste features of most coffees are most prominent at this stage. This is the roast level used by coffee professionals for “cupping” or tasting coffee. The appearance of the bean is dry and the color is a medium brown.
• Start of the second crack – Often referred to as Full City, the acidity begins to die down and the body is heavier and the taste is well balanced between bitter and acidic and the natural “coffee” flavors remain. Appearance is dry to shiny and the color is a medium dark brown.
• Slow second crack – Often referred to as Viennese, coffee starts to taste bittersweet and appearance is dark brown with spots of oil.
• Fast second crack – Often referred to as French, coffee begins to take on a bitter charcoal taste and the roast produces a pungent thick smoke. Appearance of the bean is a very dark brown and is very shiny and oily.
• Fast second crack – Often referred to as Spanish, coffee has a definite burned taste and all characteristic flavors of the coffee have been destroyed. Appearance is extremely dark brown and the bean is wet and oily.