![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/www.blindcoffeeroasters.com\/bcr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/11\/Brewphoria-green-and-roasted.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nWhat happens when coffee is roasted?<\/span><\/h3>\nCoffee arrives at our roastery green, or unroasted.\u00a0 When we put it in the roaster, a predictable process happens.\u00a0 As we apply heat, the bean changes color from a gray\/green to yellow to brown.\u00a0 If you were in the roastery while we do this, you would notice the smell change from grassy to wheaty to well, roasty.\u00a0 This change to a brown color is the Maillard Reaction, and it happens when you cook (or brown) anything.\u00a0 Simple sugars and amino acids break down and reform, giving the food that cooked and barely sweet flavor.\u00a0\u00a0The same thing happens to coffee beans.<\/p>\n
First Crack<\/span><\/h3>\nAs the beans continue to cook and their color gets darker, they also start to expand a little.\u00a0 Soon they reach what is called ‘first crack’.\u00a0 During first crack, the beans rapidly release any remaining water as steam and this makes the cracking sound.\u00a0 At this time, the beans will also start to release chaff.\u00a0 First crack sounds a lot\u00a0like popcorn popping.<\/p>\n
Sometimes a roast may be done around first crack (we’ll get to that soon), but often, the beans continue roasting.\u00a0 This is the development stage, and it’s when certain flavors in the bean become more or less prominent depending on how long they roast.\u00a0 The beans will also continue to darken.<\/p>\n
Second Crack<\/span><\/h3>\nThe beans will then move into ‘second crack’ which sounds a little smaller or higher pitched than first crack.\u00a0 During second crack, the cellulose and structure of the bean get more and more brittle.\u00a0 Pressure from carbon dioxide inside the bean builds and then cracks the structure to release.\u00a0 During second crack, oils and gasses can move to the surface of the bean, creating the oily look of dark roasts.\u00a0 After second crack, the roaster decides just how dark they want their dark roast before dropping the roast in the cooling tray to stop the cooking and development.<\/p>\n
Up next, we’ll be looking at the flavor differences between different roast levels<\/a>.<\/p>\n
As the beans continue to cook and their color gets darker, they also start to expand a little.\u00a0 Soon they reach what is called ‘first crack’.\u00a0 During first crack, the beans rapidly release any remaining water as steam and this makes the cracking sound.\u00a0 At this time, the beans will also start to release chaff.\u00a0 First crack sounds a lot\u00a0like popcorn popping.<\/p>\n
Sometimes a roast may be done around first crack (we’ll get to that soon), but often, the beans continue roasting.\u00a0 This is the development stage, and it’s when certain flavors in the bean become more or less prominent depending on how long they roast.\u00a0 The beans will also continue to darken.<\/p>\n