6 Guides
Roasting
From green coffee to a finished roast.
- Reading a roast curve: RoR, DTR, and AgtronA deep-dive on reading a coffee roast curve: rate of rise, development time ratio, and Agtron color, and why curve shape matters more than absolute numbers.
- Roasting coffee at homeA practical guide to roasting coffee at home: pan, air-popper, or dedicated roaster, judging the roast by ear, cooling fast, and resting before you brew.
- First crack: roasting by earFirst crack is the sound that tells you coffee has roasted into something drinkable. Learn what it sounds like as the roast evolves and why your ears beat the thermometer for it.
- What happens when coffee roastsHow coffee roasts: green beans pass through drying, browning, and first crack, where the flavors we know as coffee form. A foundation guide to the roast arc.
- Roast levels: from light to darkA guide to coffee roast levels, from light to dark. Lighter roasts keep more acidity and origin character; darker roasts add body and roast flavor and mask the bean.
- Diagnosing roast defects from the cupA field-note for home roasters: read a roast defect from the cup and trace it to one of two axes, development or roast level, plus the off-axis signs of tipping, scorching, quakers, and faded green.