Milestones for blind roasting

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Milestones for blind roasting

Postby DrZeus » Fri Oct 24, 2003 9:58 am

Over the last several months, I've been collecting information from various online sources. This list was one that, I believe, I got from the Sweet Maria's list (might have been either Dan or Kyle who came up with it).

Anyway, for your olfactive and aural pleasure, I present to you...

The Milestones For Blind Roasting:

Grassy Smell: the beans are drying, means nothing except that the heat is working.

First Crack: a loud popping noise, starts with a few isolated ones, reaches it's height with a few pops per second, then starts diminishing. At this stage the roasting has actually started, but it's too early too stop. At this point, the grassy smell will turn into a coffee smell that has a sour tinge

Coffee Smell turns sweetish, like sugar baking: This is the earliest spot to stop the roast. It will happen as the first crack is winding down. This gives you a very acid bright, cinnamon colored city roast. Good for press pots of bright beans, avoid for espresso. Roasts at this level need to rest 2 to 3 days minimum before use

Roast smell turns smoky, with oil burning hints: You've hit a light Full City roast, good for most press pots, marginal for espresso.

First few crackles of the second crack: The sound is described as that of rice crispies. Starts slowly at first. With poorly behaved beans, all these smell and sound cues can run into each other. That is, the first crack may be winding down as the second starts. This is the classic Full City roast; the point at which coffee is cupped, and of light roasted espresso.

Serious smoke and the start of a rolling second crack: the rice crispies sound becomes machine gun rapid, and you're at the Full City/Vienna boundary. This is the classic roast level for espresso and heavy bodied demi-tasse coffees like Indonesians

Height of the Rolling Second: You're at a Vienna Roast now, chocolate colored oil-shiny beans. The roast level of southern Italian espresso.

Second Crack winding down: French roast level, black shiny Starbucks beans. It's really time to stop, since ...

Acrid eyes tearing smoke: You've gone beyond Starbucks, and you've just made charcoal pellets.
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Postby Sunnyfield » Sun Oct 26, 2003 1:06 pm

I tend to cut my roast of between start of 2nd and rolling 2nd... and I still think my coffee is a little bit too dark. I find it hard to time for 'just before 2nd crack'.
La Marzocco GS/3, Elektra Nino, Feima 800N solid drum gas roaster
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