# First and second crack with Gene roaster



## The Systemic Kid

I am a novice roaster and would welcome some advice. I am having difficulty recognising first and second cracks above the noise of the rotating drum and motor.


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## 4085

First crack will normally be around the 12 minute mark for most beans. If you put your ear to the chaff collector and listen for a popping noise, a bit like the sound the paddles make when it is empty. As soon as you hear it once you will then always distinguish it. I have to admit I gave never heard second either but my ears ain't the best!


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## Geordie Boy

The sound of the crack can vary by bean (some will be loud and some quiet, some will last a long time and others very quick) however the key is to have your ear close to the machine (not too close of course!) though you should be able to notice it as it'll be like an electrical popping sound. For first crack you can also look at the bean as chaff flying about means it's around 1st crack.

2nd crack is harder to hear for me and I do an emergency dump into a colander at the end of my roasts so sometimes hear one or two beans going into 2nd crack, however I generally won't have heard them popping in the Gene chamber.


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## 4085

How do you do an emergency dump? I just double click the button which cools the bean down to 100 as opposed to a single click which goes to 60. Remember, we are not selling these on, and there is a load of absolute bunkum talked about all thigs coffee, once those with a scientific nature start to question things!

The end result is in the cup


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## Geordie Boy

If you hold down the Temp button it will stop the Gene without doing a cooling cycle. I then dump the beans in a colander and then get the Gene to do a normal cooling cycle (i.e. start it up again and then just do a normal cooling cycle straight away but with no beans in the chamber).

With the beans in a colander, I put one of those pan wire-mesh splash guards on top (to seal the colander) and use a hair dryer on cool setting to cool the beans down faster. It also works fantastic at blowing away all the chaff from the beans. I can do a photo if I haven't explained it well enough, the main thing is that it cools the beans down much faster than left in the Gene.


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## iroko

I can hear 1st crack, but I don't often hear 2nd crack.


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## RisingPower

I find second crack louder than first crack on gene. But with gene you can see the coffee so it's fairly obvious what stage it is at most of the time.

But again, it depends massively on the beans, the aged coffees are very loud, the coffees generally better roasted light can be very quiet indeed, some so much I find you judge by when the chaff starts flying around and bean colour.

I'd buy some beans like malabar, you'll know when it is second crack with them.


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## ronsil

RisingPower said:


> some beans like malabar, you'll know when it is second crack with them.


Dependent on age of the Beans, very often 1st crack runs straight through to second which can start without noticing. The look & smell will generally tell you where you are at.


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## RisingPower

ronsil said:


> Dependent on age of the Beans, very often 1st crack runs straight through to second which can start without noticing. The look & smell will generally tell you where you are at.


I found first very slight with mm, 2nd was very obvious in all the mms i've had, but look and smell is the definitive way to tell


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## Rallen

RisingPower said:


> I found first very slight with mm, 2nd was very obvious in all the mms i've had, but look and smell is the definitive way to tell


Yeah. I have never noted the 2nd crack on my gene, but using time, look and smell has done the job!


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