The Basics: The Three Phases of Roasting

Roasting becomes much easier to understand if you think of it in three phases.

Coffee roasting can be broadly divided into three phases based on the changes that occur inside the beans.
Once you understand the role of each, you will be able to see the aim of the roasting (acidity, sweetness, richness).

1st: Drying phase

(Green beans → Dry beans)

This is the time to remove the moisture from the beans . The appearance changes from green to yellow. The aroma is reminiscent of hay and grain. This is still the pre-flavor stage, and the foundation for roasting is prepared.

Dry Phase

Here are the key points to remember!

What are you doing?

👉Time to remove moisture from beans

  • Appearance: Green → Yellowish
  • Aroma: Hay and grain-like
  • It still doesn't taste like coffee

🔑This is the preparation

  • I'm lighting the fire
  • The flavoring hasn't started yet

💡 For example, 👉 while heating a frying pan


2nd: Maillard Phase (MAILLARD)

This is the time when the sugars and amino acids begin to react and develop a rich aroma and sweetness . The aroma of bread, biscuits, and nuts begins to emerge, and the coffee begins to have a distinctly "coffee-like" flavor.
This phase creates the balance of flavor (sweetness and richness).

Maillard Phase

This is the key point!

What's going on?

👉Sugars and amino acids react to create aroma and sweetness

  • Appearance: Yellow → Light brown
  • Aroma: bread, biscuits, nuts
  • You start to feel, "Oh, it tastes like coffee."

🔑Time to create the flavor base

  • sweetness
  • Richness
  • balance

💡 For example, 👉 the stage when bread is baking and the delicious aroma comes out.

3rd: Development Phase

After the first crack, it is time to decide how far to develop the aroma and flavor . The roast character (light to dark) is decided here, and the roaster's intentions are most clearly reflected.

Development Phase

This is the key point!

What's happening here?

👉How far should the finished flavor be developed?

  • 1 Goby occurs
  • Final adjustment of acidity, sweetness, and bitterness
  • The roasting character is decided

🔑The time when the roaster's intentions are most apparent

💡 For example, 👉 the time it takes to decide how "done" a steak is.


*Important* What is 1 Goby (First Crack)?

The first crack is when you hear a "crackle, crackle " sound during roasting. This occurs when the internal pressure of the beans increases and they crack, signaling that the flavor development has begun .

  • 1. Before the Goby : Preparation (Dry to Maillard)
  • After the first crack : Finishing (development) = final adjustment of flavor

In the beans?

  • The water is almost gone
  • Internal pressure increases
  • The beans crack open

👉The moment when roasting "starts to move towards completion"