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IV - 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 about the process to get the best results. Follow along and you will quickly learn to create
the taste you like best. The Hottop Coffee Roaster is designed to allow you to get the best from the coffee,
but to do so you need to know what to expect and when to expect it.
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?” This section of the manual will help you
answer those questions.
There are a number of indicators you can use to judge roast level. Even in this computer age, these
indicators are the same ones that professional roasters have long used to recognize the level of roast. These
indicators include sound, color, temperature and the aromas of the roasting process. If you are new to cof-
fee roasting, the easiest indicator to understand is sound.
Sound
When first beginning to roast coffee, the sounds the beans make are the easiest roast-level indica-
tor 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 obvi-
ous 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 altogether.
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
- This 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. At 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 situations the two periods may 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 or two minutes before
second crack begins. By that time, the beans are a delicious-looking, dark shade of brown. Second crack
can be a little more difficult 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. Second crack sounds like
