7 facts about coffee roasting

There is so much to tell about roasting coffee. Therefore, we share these seven facts about roasting you need to know.

1. The moisture vaporized while roasting

When you start roasting, the coffee bean contains 10 percent moisture. After roasting, it’s decreased to only 1 or 2 percent. This means that 8 or 9 percent of the water vaporized while roasting.

2. During a roast, the beans smell like hay and popcorn

At the beginning of a roast, the beans smell like hay. During the first crack, this turns into the smell of homemade popcorn. So you can say there is enough to smell when you’re roasting!

3. The first crack appears at 196 °C

The famous stage while roasting called ‘the first crack’, appears when the roaster is heated to 196 °C. After that, the second crack occurs. This happens when the roaster is 224 °C. If you want to find out more about the first- and the second crack, read this blog.

4. The Maillard reaction starts at 160 °C

The Maillard reaction starts at 160 °C. What does the Maillard reaction mean? It’s a series of chemical reactions that have an important role in developing the characteristic flavors of the coffee. 

5. The average roast takes 12 minutes

An average roast takes 12 minutes of time. After that, you have the perfect bean for some nice, fresh coffee. The most important thing about the roasting time isn’t the time itself, but the cohesion between all the stages.

6. The unroasted bean weighs more than the roasted ones

Did you know that the unroasted bean weighs more than the roasted ones? This is mostly because of vaporizing.

7. When you’re using the heat shock technique you use a much higher charge temperature.

When you’re using the heat shock technique you use a much higher charge temperature. In a heat soak profile, you’re allowing the coffee beans to absorb the radiant heat from the drum. Read more about the heat shock here.

Do you also want to know more about coffee? We’ve got you five interesting facts! You can read them here. 

Sources: perfectdailygrind, Giesen blog heat shock