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III - Introduction to the Roasting Process
The changes that the coffee bean goes through during the roasting process are amazing. Those small, hard
beans, when properly exposed to controlled heat, grow in size and change in color, becoming the source of one of
the world’s most cherished beverages. The Hottop Coffee Roaster makes it easy to get the best from the coffee.
Getting the best flavor from the coffee is a true culinary art, and just like other similar cooking skills, you
have to learn a little about the process to get the best results. Follow along and you will quickly learn to create the
taste you like best. We have made the Hottop Coffee Roaster so that it controls much of the difficult work, but it is
still important to know what to expect and when to expect it when using the Hottop Coffee Roaster.
Recognizing Roast Level
To get the taste you desire in your coffee means knowing when to stop the roast. As you learn to roast it will
become a natural thing to judge roast level, but when starting out it can be a bit intimidating. While you watch the
coffee roasting in the Hottop Coffee Roaster you will ask yourself, Is it done yet? Is it too dark? Should I eject the
beans now or wait ten more seconds? The following information will help you answer those questions.
There are three major indicators of roast level. These are the same indicators that professional roasters have
long used to recognize the level of roast. Even in this computer age, most professional roasters still use these
very same indicators to judge roast level. These three indicators are sound, color, and the aromas of the roasting
process. The best indicator for the new coffee roaster learning the process is sound.
Sound
When first beginning to roast coffee, the sounds the beans make are the easiest roast-level indicator to learn.
Yes, the beans actually make certain noises during the roasting process and these noises are an accurate indicator
of roast level. These sounds are referred to as “cracks” and there are two different cracks that take place at two
distinct time periods during the roast. These two different periods, for obvious reasons, are called “first crack”
and “second crack.” These are universal terms, and if you talk to any commercial roaster and say something like,
“I like to roast about ten seconds into second crack,” they will understand exactly what you mean.
During both these periods (explained in detail below) the sounds start slowly at first. You will initially notice
just an occasional “crack,” followed by another a few seconds later. This increases in frequency as sounds become
gradually more rapid. After a while, the progression of sounds slows down again, and eventually subsides alto-
gether.
For your first roast, it may be best to seek out a variety of coffee that has very distinct periods of cracking;
Central American or South American varieties, such as Colombian or Brazilian coffees are a good choice for your
first roasts.
First Crack - As explained above, “first crack” refers to a specific period of time during which you will hear
similar sounds. First crack sounds somewhat like breaking wooden pencils: distinct, easily heard, sharp snaps.
Because the Hottop Coffee Roaster operates very quietly, it is easy to hear these sounds, even from a number of
feet sway from the roaster. In the Hottop Coffee Roaster first crack usually begins after about 15 or 16 minutes
of roasting time. By this time, the beans in the roaster are already light brown, and the grassy smelling steam has
changed to a mellow, drier-smelling smoke. You will first hear an occasional snap, then another, then the crackling
gradually speeds up, and, after a while, slows down again, then stops.
The actual times at which these periods start and stop again depend a lot on the variety of coffee you are
roasting. The coffee you are roasting will affect the differences in sound, volume, and speed of the cracks. In some
varieties the two periods also partly overlap, making it difficult to tell when first crack ends, and second crack
begins.
Second Crack - After first crack ends there is usually a period of about one minute before second crack
begins. By that time, the beans are a delicious-looking, dark shade of brown. Second crack can be a little more dif-
ficult to hear as these sounds are lower in volume, but once you learn to distinguish the sound it is unmistakable.
It is a more muffled, subtle sound than first crack. If first can be described as breaking pencils, second sounds like
breaking toothpicks. Generally, once second crack really gets going the individual cracks occur with much greater
frequency than the sounds during first crack.
The beginning of second crack is an indicator that the coffee is nearly done and you should be ready to end
the roast very soon. When second crack begins to diminish, most coffees are near the end of their preferred-flavor
profile, and when second crack ceases the beans are on the edge of being ruined and are approaching the ignition
point.
