# Roasting without Cracking!



## truecksuk (Sep 22, 2011)

Hi Guys,

Asides from a shoddy roaster, what is the "problem?" with not hearing any cracks when roasting coffee?

I have bought a convection oven type device http://www.amazon.co.uk/Chef-Tony-My-Rotisserie-Elite/dp/B0014J9GT2 I am looking to mod it to get it up to temperature.

However, having done an, ALMOST 30 MINUTE ROAST (in which I didn't notice any crack, and eventually gave up) I have noticed that the coffee tastes pretty acceptable.

What do the cracks indicate, is there something that isn't 'released' if this doesn't occur?

Cheers,danke!

Quas


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## froggystyle (Oct 30, 2013)

Steve can tell you all you need about cracks and what happens at the various stages of roasting.

http://www.hasbean.co.uk/blogs/brew-guides/8247211-roasting-guide

If you want to roast simply, try a wok!


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## Going banana's (Apr 8, 2014)

if your roasting setup is enclosed or noisy you may not be able to hear the fc , but im guessing that oven isnt too loud and you should be able to hear it.

fc occurs when the bean temp (measured using a temp probe in the bean mass) is at about/very close to 205c, its most likely that you haven't reached that temp and thats why you dont have any cracks, particularly if you're heating the beans for half an hour. i also have my suspicion that creeping up to 205 too slowly stops fc for various reasons, although ive never tested that.

The times when i havent had any cracks have been when roasting in cold conditions and the beans suffered faster heatloss, although some batches of beans crack alot less than others too, but this is the exception rather than the rule.

i too have noticed how unaffected non-cracking beans have turned out, but ive never gone over 15 min.

the fc is an assurance that the internal bean temp has reached that temp and caramelisation is starting to occur rather than just baking the outside of the bean over a longer time. you'll also notice a cracked bean is bigger and has undergone expansion, a bit like popcorn.

ive not read about many roaster, amateur or commercial, taking a roast longer than about 15 min, somewhere between 8-12 seems to be the accepted norm, if the temp is stalled too long then some people claim it tastes baked.


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## The Systemic Kid (Nov 23, 2012)

30 mins is baking rather than roasting beans. First and second crack are associated with two key stages. The 'cracking' sound is caused by gasses with the bean causing it to swell.


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## "coffee 4/1" (Sep 1, 2014)

try homeroasters.org they must be useful for you, information on most type of roasters.


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