Three Ways to Make Your Production Roasts Consistent

The ultimate goal of the specialty coffee roaster is to produce quality coffee consistently. Roasting quality coffee can be hard enough on its own; consistently doing so is that much harder. Here are three ways to improve consistency in your production roast:

Use Stable Green Storage

Correctly roasted coffee is developed evenly both inside and out. If the storage temperature of your green coffee varies daily, you will not be able to know if you’re consistently developing the inside of your coffee, even if your roast curves are the same. Storing coffee at a stable and desirable temperature of 68F°-72F° year round will allow you to let go of that one variable, which may be affecting your roast consistency. If your storage facility is not already stable, consider moving the bags you will be roasting to a stable environment for a few days before you roast.

Implement a Longer Warm Up Protocol

Nailing your intended roast time on your first roast and even second roast is not an easy task. This is why longer warm up protocols for drum roasters are so important for roast consistency. For example, your charge temperature is 400F°. When you turn on your roaster, heat the roaster to 420F°, lower it back to 400F°, and then let it idle there for 40 minutes. The idling time can vary, and if it’s cold in the roastery, you should let it idle for even longer. Ideally, you should have the same control on your first roast as you do on your last.

Utilize a Between-Batch Protocol

Now that you have a hot roaster, your challenge is to maintain the temperature. To sustain the stable temperature between your first roast and your last, you will need to develop a between-batch protocol. Your goal is to contain the heat, as well as allow clean air to circulate through your roaster between batches. Doing this is simple: after you drop your roast, keep the door open for about 10 seconds to circulate clean air, and then let the roaster sit for 1-2 minutes. From there, turn the gas back on and let it climb to your desired charge temperature for your next roast. The most important piece is to have a set protocol, so that you can control your ROR and maintain consistent roasts throughout your day.

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