9
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 i n 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 a number of indicators you can use to judge roast level. Even in this computer age, they are
the same ones t hat professional roasters have long used to re cognize the level of roast. These indicators
include sound, color, temperature and the aromas of t he roasting process. If you are new to coffee roasting,
the easiest indicator to understand with the Hottop Coffee Roaster is sound.

Sound

When first beginning to roast coffee, the sounds t he beans make a re the easiest roast-level indica-
tor to learn. Yes, the beans actually ma ke certain noises during the roasting process a nd these noises are
an accurate indicator of roast level. These sound s are referred to as “cracks” and there a re two different
cracks that take place at two distinct time periods dur ing 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. T his increases in frequency
as sounds become gradually more rapid. Af ter 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 p eriods of
cracking; Central American or South Amer ican varieties, such as Colombian or Brazilian coffees are a
good choice for your first roasts.
First Crack - A s 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, eas-
ily 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 w ill 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, a nd speed of the
cracks. In some varieties the two per iods also partly overlap, making it difficult to tell when first crack
ends, and second crack begins.