Roaster School - Season 2 - Episode 3: From Yellow to First Crack

[@kagetsu95]

these videos are so under-rated and under-viewed. With such quality contents and generous experience sharing, as a new roaster I really appreciate the knowledge I am getting from Mill City Roasters. God bless you guys.

[@MillCityRoastersMN]

Lower density coffees can be more sensitive to heat defect. The most commonly encountered low density coffee is any decaf. Consider them more fragile. They should be heated slower. That means lower preheat and lower applied heat. Depending on your roaster, that might mean a smaller batch size and possibly even a lower drum speed. All of this has to be verified by sample roasting and cupping to understand how much, if any, of this even applies to your specific coffee.

[@almachavez6814]

I'm 4 years late but these videos are AMAZING. Thank you so much! I am learning so much and I'm eager to start roasting.

[@rodrigodepazos3771]

So much knowledge and experience shared, it is truly a pleasure to have this material. thank you both very much!

[@markpalmos]

great dynamics the two of you have... excellent, thank you both!

[@ScottKeit]

Great video. Enjoyed the training with both of you onsite and think this video series if a fantastic addition. Thank you!

[@roasterjoe]

Thanks, Scott! Glad you like it!

[@safaull]

Great video! It would be cool to see a couple of different graphs for a given coffee that shows a roast that's going too fast and one that's too slow. For each graph talk about the temp and RoR curves along with the first crack time.

[@reebah]

Love derek, he is so caffeinated!

[@newrevivalist]

I missed saying that Dereck was amazing in episode 2. Can’t wait to hear this one. Of course, we all know Joe Marocco is awesome.

[@turnandburnrubber5782]

Not trying to tell u what to do love the videos, the knowledge is amazing here

[@MillCityRoastersMN]

Glad it's working for you.

[@stevelarsen7166]

Any pointers on roasting decaf coffee? I have recently started (trying) to roast decaf and am somewhat new to roasting in general. As an older guy, I really need to nail down decaf so I can drink some coffee in the evenings. Here is the info: Hot Top electric 2K+ model. Decaf Samples from Sweet Marias. Bulk density as best measured around 0.71 g/cc. Small bean. Altitude ? high given the small bean. Charge weights 226g. First Charge temp was 350F of stabilized bean temp probe (stable temp x approx. 8 minutes). T.P. was 141F at 1:12 minutes. This was a slower roast ~13 min (don't have data in front of me) limited First Crack - possibly none at all past 360F. Scorching. I had to drop the beans as they were looking charred (I know decaf beans will be darker to start). I thought the Pre-first development was too slow which caused no/limited F.C. - not enough RoR. #2 Roast lower Charge temp of 325F. Same Charge weight and same T.P. temp of 141F but was 10 sec. earlier. Better rise but limited F.C (and more appreciable) around 9 min. I believe the heat was turned on to 80% at T.P and the Fan at 20%, Getting very dark and quickly - dropped beans around 9.5 min. Same, but possibly a little less charring. I presume I have too high a Charge temp. How does one start with a low Charge Temp to prevent charring but elevate the rise enough to not "bake" the bean and get to F.C?

[@roasterjoe]

Hey Steve! I don't have a decaf video on the docket yet, but perhaps I should add one! These questions are very specific for a specific machine and coffee, both of which I am unfamiliar with. What I am familiar with is that if you need the machine to roast more quickly, increase your fuel, or more slowly, decrease your fuel. Managing your fuel levels will manipulate your profile to where you need it to be. If you feel that a portion of the profile was too slow, lowering your charge temp will not speed that up, but slow it down. I would also encourage higher fan speeds later in the roast. 20% is very very low. We have a multitude of other videos that you can spend time with here on KZbin. I think that consuming some more of these materials will be helpful. We wish you the best of luck!

[@KzLollapalooza]

Thank you for your teachings

[@markkut]

This is awesome! Definitely a relief to hear you guys confirm some things that I was speculating.

[@kjmac36]

Great job on these videos. They are incredibly helpful. I realize every roaster is different but it would be very helpful to gain a better understanding of how heat / airflow /drum speed can affect the profile of each coffee during key moments during the roasting process. Especially approaching and following first crack.

[@musicart19]

Thanks for the video!

[@natnaelworkineh8761]

thank u very much guys ,really helpfull u guys!!!

[@has997]

Thanks alot. Nice video

[@coddan2000]

Great video! I feel inspired to roast some coffee! I think its going to be some trial and error but I hope to make a great batch ^_^ Now I just need to get a machine and some green beans

[@chrisbalocca]

Would you guys be able to do a video on Rate of Rise in the future? Seeing as how much fundamental importance there has been placed on RoR among contemporary roasters, I think your input would be of incredible value among the coffee roaster community.

[@roasterjoe]

Stay tuned. We have lots of good content in store.

[@newrevivalist]

See episode 2. There is some great stuff on ROR towards the beginning.

[@Coffee_Djuna_04]

Good luck for the channel....👍

[@vineshbissoon1310]

Hey gents .great presentation as usual .Also new to roasting .What could i be doin wrong if my beans develop some oil like spots after a few days of roast .Is there some guidelines to blend 3 different roasts

[@roasterjoe]

Oil comes out when the coffee is more roasted. It may take more time on coffee that has not yet hit second crack or barely hit second. Just try a lighter end roast! Or, if it tastes the way you want it to, ignor the oil. There are no blending rules. You are free to create your own expression of a blend. This is a way that companies and individuals differentiate themselves. If we all were to blend the same way, it would kind of defeat the purpose! Enjoy yourself and make a blend that you love and wish to share!

[@vineshbissoon1310]

@@roasterjoe Thank you .I also see ROR questions come up very often .I dont have artisan software .Records are done manualy and then graphed out .I record the temps every 30 secs and have noticed that i can manage my machine with about a 7/ 8 degrees celcius rise in temps and then slowing it down to about 3/ 4 degrees after first crack .Gas goes off after first crack. Is the coffee just baking this way .I have about 4 mins on average from CC to first crack .My batch sizes and charges are the sàme for the beans im currently using .Coffee is alot sweeter .Maybe not so balanced .What are your views

[@A-Mana]

Great video

[@patkelly74801]

Thanks for the video. But what sort of development is there post 1st crack in terms of flavour? I know pre 1st crack you said this is a cup defining stage just wanted to know what happens on the other side of 1st crack..

[@roasterjoe]

Patrick, stay tuned for our next video. We are focusing on one segment at a time.

[@has997]

Hope to discuss some tricks to maintain ROR during and after First crack . I belive in pop pop pop strategy its really deserved to be considered but with 5 pops maybe 😊

[@MD-wk3gj]

This is way above my level of new home roaster but it’s still interesting. As a new home roaster I don’t feel as though I have much control over the nuanced levels. I strive to not get to burnt. 🤣 Derik is a gifted storyteller.

[@guilatte]

Hey guys, it was a great vídeo. Thank you for sharing . when you guys say that, if i roast a coffee, or go trough the browning stage too quickly, it will increase the bitterness, what is too quickly ? Whats the RoR i should use in this phase ?

[@roasterjoe]

Hey Guilherme! Unfortunately, there is no prescription for this. Some machines can push a coffee quickly without a bitter flavor showing up while others cannot. It is both coffee and machine dependent. RoR is the same. Every probe type, placement, and bean depth will add up to a different output, and therefore a different look to the RoR curve. Remember our number one rule, taste the coffee. If the taste is getting better, you are on the right track. If it is getting worse, you are moving in the wrong direction.

[@Wheresthesoul]

Nice video. I have a question about coffee flavour. Do you know how if you smell the inside of a coffee roaster that's empty it has kind of a malty smell... I have a 0-66 roaster and I'm getting pretty good roasts but weather I roast medium or light I get this underlying maltyness in my roast.... This is probably a flavour you know and it's more prevalent as the cup cools . I'm experimenting with airflow for the last 4 months. Do you have any possible remedies for this? Thanks and cheers

[@roasterjoe]

Hey Luke! Thanks for the question. I would wager that the malty flavor is from the interior of your coffee not being fully developed. I think that the correlation between the drum aroma and the coffee flavor is not causation. Try slowing your roast down a bit from green to yellow to see if you get rid of that maltiness.

[@Wheresthesoul]

@@roasterjoe sweet, thanks for the good advice, usually my dry is about 5:20ish but I'll try going a little longer. Cheers

[@newrevivalist]

Question: since I roast only decafs, is a weak FC normal? Does specific gravity mean something? I’ve measured Sumatran SWP at 712; Oaxaca MWP at 728; Sumatran MWP at 732. Are these low compared to non-decaf? Oaxaca has the best crack. I’m struggling to hear most of them, but it may be the SR540 noise. Any hint is welcome. I’m learning all I can on this cheap roaster and managing pretty decent coffees. I’m going to add a bean TC and Artisan. Your videos are a huge help, but without being able to pull a sample and smell and see it it’s like flying a plane on instruments.

[@MillCityRoastersMN]

Decafination weakens the seed. This means first crack happens at lower pressure and muted sound No big deal.

[@AmitManocha]

Looks like Push|Pull took your message seriously.. seeing a branded baseball cap lol. Thanks again for sharing all this information!

[@BankTantipratyaporn]

Great series of videos and thanks for sharing I have some question as the beginner roaster I am using Aillio Bullet R1 v1 (1kg) 1. Should i roast 1kg batch? Or 0.8kg in stead to make sure the roaster have enough energy make a good roast(i know you are not manufacturer of this perhaps you can give me some idea) 2.wanna ask Derek from the answer of 1. What is your preheat temperature you think you will use for this batch(or if the roaster was your 1kg type not the bullet r1) 3.How the drum speed affect the roast? Smaller batch should i max the drum speed? How can i know what’s good drum speed to match my roast Hope to hear from you guys

[@MillCityRoastersMN]

We can't help you with a charge temp or batch size, but larger batches usually require a faster drum speed and smaller batches a slower drum speed.

[@BankTantipratyaporn]

@@MillCityRoastersMN thx for reply ❤️

[@scottc4christ]

How do you plan a roast given what you know about the bean?

[@MillCityRoastersMN]

Roast, cup, adjust. Repeat.

[@busterbeagle2167]

an actual chef or a km

[@MillCityRoastersMN]

An actual French Master Chef apprenticed culinary school graduate. Derek is the real deal.

[@Stiiched]

This video is absolute GOLD. 🔥🫡👌