Roasting Strategies with BT/IT Profiles: What You Need to Know
In this post, we’ll share some tips on optimizing your profile, explain why BT/IT profiles are so powerful — and set you up with some sample profiles to start your journey. To kickstart your journey with creating your own BT/IT profiles, we asked some of our early adopters to share what they’ve learned over the last few months of roasting with the new profile type.
Earlier this year, we announced a new way to control your ROEST: the Bean/Inlet Temperature (BT/IT) profile. If you’ve been wondering how to get the most out of this new feature, then help is at hand!
We are releasing three brand-new resources today to help you get started with the new profile type. Over on our YouTube channel you’ll find an in-depth video all about BT/IT profiles from coffee-roasting expert Christopher Feran. On our support portal, we’ve published a step-by-step guide to designing and troubleshooting your profile. And finally, in this post, we’ll share some tips on optimising your profile, explain why BT/IT profiles are so powerful — and set you up with some sample profiles to start your journey.
BT/IT profiles are only available on machines equipped with an inlet temperature sensor — but if you haven’t upgraded your machine yet, you can use BT/Power profiles in a very similar way.
Expert insights on BT/IT profiles
To kickstart your journey with creating your own BT/IT profiles, we asked some of our early adopters to share what they’ve learned over the last few months of roasting with the new profile type.
Christopher Feran is a roasting consultant and green coffee buyer, based in Cleveland, Ohio, where he is busy establishing a new roastery called Aviary. He was one of the first to embrace the new profile type, and the BT/IT profiles that he has created have rapidly spread throughout the ROEST community.
In his video, Christopher explains why he prefers roasting with BT/IT profiles, and shares his tips to help new users get the most out of these profiles.
The BT/IT profile enables your ROEST to automatically adjust the heat input based not on the roast time, but instead based on how far the beans have progressed in their roast.
This is similar to how an expert roaster traditionally controls the profile — by watching the bean temperature closely, and turning down the heat as the beans get closer and closer to the target temperature.
“This is how I actually approach roasting in a production environment,” Christopher says. “As a production roaster, we approach our adjustments to the roast based on what the bean is actually experiencing — in other words, we’re not trying to achieve a certain bean temperature, we’re making decisions based on the bean temperature.”
For this reason, the BT/IT profile is hands-down the most consistent way to roast your coffee. Even if the beans behave differently, your roast curve can adapt to them to give you the perfect result every time. “This is the type of profile that I use all the time,” Christopher adds.
Tips for designing your profile
Controlling your profile by temperature, instead of time, calls for a new approach when designing your profile. It can be hard to know where to start — we are so used to seeing profiles controlled by time, that designing a profile based on BT might feel like trying to think in four dimensions! But with the right strategy, creating a BT/IT profile doesn’t have to be difficult.
The easiest way to get started with BT/IT profiles, Christopher suggests, is to base your profile on an existing roast curve. Either choose a previous roast that you were happy with, or roast a batch in manual mode. Once you have established the basic shape of the roast curve you want to follow, you can use that data to build your profile. You can find a step-by-step guide on how to follow this approach in our guide to using BT/IT profiles on our support pages.
Christopher Feran’s ROEST in action. The BT/IT profile allows the ROEST to adapt automatically to the beans it roasts.
“Find a result that was successful for you,” Christopher says. “Observe the values for power or inlet at a given bean temperature, plot those against each other and build a profile that way.”
Meanwhile up in Montreal, Thibaut Paggen, the Managing Director of Apex Coffee Imports, has been using a similar strategy. “We roasted samples using a power profile and switching to manual mode. We started translating some of the best roast logs into a series of BT/IT profiles, and have been improving those since,” he says.
Apex Coffee’s BT/IT profile gradually reduces the heat input as the coffee approaches first crack — no matter how fast the coffee gets there.
Once you have a baseline profile in place, it becomes much easier to understand how the profile controls the roast. “The most challenging part was to change our traditional roaster’s mindset about how to approach a roasting curve,” Thibaut explains. “Building profiles with temperature on both axes requires a little bit of brain gymnastics. But once you understand the relationship between both axes, it becomes almost self-evident and easy to manipulate.”
Using BT/IT for consistent roasting
As a green coffee importer, Thibaut’s team has to roast dozens of different coffee samples every day. BT/IT profiles are adaptable, which makes them the best way to approach a new coffee, he finds — but even so, one size does not fit all. “We have a series of 4–5 core BT/IT profiles crafted around density, moisture, water activity, and screen size measurements,” he says.
Christopher follows a similar approach, using different profiles depending on the processing method and moisture content of the bean. “Different coffees need different applications of heat, particularly before yellowing, at the start of the roast, when you’re working to drive that inner development,” he says. “Higher water activity coffees, and naturally processed coffees, will require higher energy at the start of the roast.”
If you don’t want to set up multiple profiles, another option is to use the same profile for all coffees, but to adjust the charge temperature depending on the coffee, Christopher suggests. This is an easy way to apply a little extra heat at the beginning of the roast for coffees that need it, such as those with a high moisture content.
Roasting with a BT/IT profile, of course, relies on having an accurate bean temperature reading. The bean temperature probe works best when it is fully covered with beans — which happens at batch sizes of 125 grams or more. With batches smaller than this, the bean temperature reading starts to be influenced by the surrounding air, Christopher points out. “It can be done at 100g, but you should know that you’re getting a lot more air in that thermocouple reading.”
Try BT/IT profiles for yourself
If you’re looking for a detailed guide on using BT/IT profiles, then head over to the user’s guide on our support pages. There, you’ll find guidance on when to use BT/IT profiles, and when another type of profile is a better option. We also give you some troubleshooting tips for developing your own profile.
Christopher designed his profile with specific settings in mind. In particular, he adjusts the fan settings to control the drum pressure in his Roest.
If you just want to jump in and get started, however, then Christopher Feran has kindly agreed to share his standard BT/IT profile (named CF base profile) to get you started —you can find it on our Profile Library. If you use this profile, be aware that it is designed for Christopher’s specific machine, which has a few very specific settings, so you will need to make some adjustments to make it suit your own needs. “It’ll take some experimentation for you to figure out what works best for you,” he says.
Christopher’s roasting log of the shared profile to help you understand how the profile behaves on his ROEST.
“I do recommend you play with these profiles, you’ll find they’re extremely consistent,” Christopher adds. “It really is setting you up for much more success in evaluating your samples.”
Micro-Roasting Mastery: Customer Success Story ft. Baristatus Co.
Baristatus Co are coffee explorers dedicated to unlocking excellence with the ROEST sample roaster. With their non-profit model and three special categories, they curate the best coffees for enthusiasts worldwide. The ROEST empowers them to achieve precision, experiment, and fuel their growth. Join the revolution and elevate your coffee experience.
Baristatus Co, led by founder Hasim Solmaz, is not your ordinary coffee company. They see themselves as explorers, embarking on a relentless pursuit of the best award-winning coffee beans, top-notch roasters, and experimental micro-lots. Their endless journey brings forth the most precious and authentic coffee experiences tailored to coffee enthusiasts everywhere.
A Unique Business Concept and Vision
Baristatus stands out from the crowd with its non-profit business model, focused on making the best coffees available to their fellow coffee lovers. They curate their offerings in three special categories: Exotic, Experimental, and Excellence. As the first and only Alliance of Coffee Excellence (ACE) and Cup of Excellence member, Baristatus is dedicated to supplying exceptional coffee collections globally.
Baristatus has a unique coffee selection for true coffee enthusiasts. They recently won the bid and purchased the Costa Rica Cup of Excellence 2022 No#1A, Honey Gesha.
Exceptional coffee experience tailored to each customer
Every ROEST roaster has its own unique name based on a place in Norway.
Baristatus Co's commitment to quality and personalized service led them to choose the ROEST sample roaster as an essential tool in their coffee roasting operations. With the ROEST, they achieve the precision and control required to maintain their high-potential coffee beans' utmost quality and consistency. This aligns perfectly with their vision of delivering an exceptional coffee experience tailored to their customer's preferences.
Fueling Growth and Success
The ROEST sample roaster has been instrumental in driving the growth and success of Baristatus. Previously, they relied on bigger commercial-sized roasters, limiting their ability to offer the freshest coffee within optimal timeframes. “Since we are dealing with nano-lots, commercial-size roasters -even 1kg capacity ones- are too big for us to roast our special coffees,“ explains Hasim.
Thanks to the ROEST, they can now make small test batches, iterate on their recipes, and maintain complete control over the roasting process. This has empowered them to expand their offerings and delight coffee enthusiasts with exceptional coffees.
“High-potential beans require higher control, repeatability, and consistency. ROEST is giving it all to us! We can repeat our recipes every time without any hesitation; several back-to-back roasts and the same consistency.”
Elevating Expertise and Collaboration
The ROEST sample roaster creates a new sense of collaboration within the coffee community. Through the ROEST forum and library, Baristatus exchanges recipes, develops innovative techniques, and shares feedback with other Alliance for Coffee Excellence members.
The continuous updates and features of the ROEST have further enriched their roasting experience and deepened their knowledge: “Being IOT based high-tech device, every morning ROEST can surprise you with a new value-added feature! When I first purchased it, it was up to 120 grams, and now I can roast with the same roaster up to 200 grams! Or Between Batch Protocol is a completely new and quite useful tool that we got for free from any of these usual updates.“
Empowering Micro-Roasting Businesses
The ROEST sample roaster is a game-changer for those starting a micro-roasting business. Its compact size and exceptional precision make it an ideal choice for handling small batch sizes, varietals, and experimental processes. With the ROEST, micro-roasters can confidently roast the best beans and deliver extraordinary coffee experiences like Baristatus.
“Our Baristatus nano-roastery allows us to process the best beans; this would never happen with commercial-size roasting machines. With full confidence, we are now able to handle different varietals, processes, and batch sizes up to 200 grams!”
If you're passionate about coffee and seeking to elevate your roasting game, the ROEST sample roaster is the perfect ally. Talk to our team to find out more about this sample roaster.
To learn more about Baristatus Co and their coffee offerings, visit their website and join them in celebrating the artistry and excellence of coffee.
Photo credit for this blog: Baristatus Co
Mastering the Art of Coffee Roasting: Rate of Rise
Behind every exceptional cup of coffee lies a meticulous process of roasting. Paying attention to details during the roasting process is paramount. One crucial parameter to control and achieve optimal results is the Rate of Rise (RoR). In this article, we will explore the concept of RoR, its significance in coffee roasting, how to calculate it, and its relevance at different stages of the process.
Behind every exceptional cup of coffee lies a meticulous process of roasting. Paying attention to details during the roasting process is paramount. One crucial parameter to control and achieve optimal results is the Rate of Rise (RoR). In this article, we will explore the concept of RoR, its significance in coffee roasting, how to calculate it, and its relevance at different stages of the process. Understanding and harnessing the power of RoR can elevate your coffee roasting skills and help you consistently create exquisite flavors.
ROEST sample roaster and the web portal, where you can monitor the live roast and RoR.
Understanding the Rate of Rise
Rate of Rise (RoR) measures the speed at which the temperature of the coffee bean rises during the roasting process. It is a crucial metric that indicates the rate at which the beans absorb heat from the roasting machine. It is essential to distinguish RoR from the actual temperature of the bean. While the temperature measures the current state of the bean, RoR measures how quickly that temperature changes.
Roasters gain valuable insights into the roasting process by analyzing the RoR data plotted on a roast graph. Roast curves visually represent the temperature changes over time. RoR provides a dynamic view of the bean's temperature increase, enabling roasters to make timely adjustments and achieve consistent roast profiles. It empowers them to maintain control, anticipate changes, and avoid potential mistakes that could impact the flavor and quality of the final cup of coffee.
Calculating the Rate of Rise
Modern roasting technology, accompanied by specialized software, simplifies collecting RoR data. These software tools enable roasters to capture temperature data at different intervals, such as 1, 5, 10, 15, 20, 30, or 60 seconds. The choice of the time interval depends on various factors, including the specific roasting machine and the desired level of precision.
Different graphs from the ROEST sample roaster showing how the RoR looks in various time settings.
When selecting the appropriate time interval, it is crucial to consider the trade-off between precision and noise. A shorter interval provides greater accuracy but can introduce more noise into the data due to system interference and sensor fluctuation. This noise may lead to a graph with numerous spikes, making it challenging to analyze. On the other hand, a longer time interval produces a smoother curve with fewer spikes but at the expense of finer details.
For people using roasters with high idle noise or system interference, it is advisable to opt for a higher time interval, such as 60 seconds, when calculating RoR. This choice results in a smoother roast curve that is easier to interpret. However, shorter time intervals can be chosen for more precise analysis for those using advanced roasting technology with minimal noise.
If you are starting in coffee roasting and cannot access specialized software, you can still calculate RoR manually. The process involves measuring the temperature at regular intervals, such as every 30 seconds or every minute, and calculating the temperature difference between consecutive readings. This simple approach lets you gain insights into the RoR during roasting.
Ideal Rate of Rise Guidelines
While no ideal RoR suits all scenarios, there are specific guidelines to consider when controlling RoR to achieve consistent and balanced roast profiles. These guidelines consider various factors, including the coffee bean type, roasting profile, stage, and altitude.
A pronounced drop in RoR, also known as a "crash," especially around the beginning of the First Crack, can lead to undesirable outcomes. When the RoR drops significantly, the coffee may transition from roasting to baking, resulting in a flat, bland flavor profile with minimal sweetness and a cardboard-like taste. This phenomenon is commonly referred to as "baked coffee." To prevent this, it's important to have a steadily decreasing Rate of Rise (RoR) during the roasting process and ensure that the temperature increases gradually.
Graph showing the “crash” in the RoR on the ROEST sample roaster.
Conversely, a low and steady RoR maintained over an extended period can benefit denser coffee beans. It allows them to break down and develop their flavors to their fullest potential. This controlled approach ensures that the heat penetrates the beans evenly, producing a balanced and vibrant cup of coffee.
“A good roast is achieved when there is a continually decreasing RoR.”
On the other hand, a rapid RoR, especially in the final phase of roasting, can have detrimental effects. When the RoR moves too fast, the coffee beans take on the heat too quickly, losing complexity and an unpleasant burnt taste. This outcome is commonly known as "scorched coffee." To prevent this, monitoring the RoR closely and adjusting to maintain a steady and controlled rise in temperature is crucial.
Significant Stages of RoR
Throughout the roasting process, there are three critical moments where the Rate of Rise requires particular attention:
Maximum RoR: This occurs after the "turning point," which marks the transition from negative RoR to positive RoR. The turning point is the moment when the bean temperature stops dropping. After this point, the RoR experiences its highest rate of temperature increase. Monitoring the Maximum RoR allows roasters to gauge the intensity of the roast and make necessary adjustments.
First Crack RoR: The First Crack is a significant stage in coffee roasting when the beans release moisture and emit cracking sounds. The RoR may drop during this phase due to the water vapor released from the beans. Monitoring the RoR during the First Crack helps understand the moisture release and its impact on the roast.
End RoR: Towards the end of the roasting process, the beans become drier and more fragile. The RoR at this stage requires careful observation to prevent over-roasting or unevenness. The End RoR signifies the delicate point where the beans are susceptible to breakage, and fine adjustments can make a substantial difference in the final cup quality.
Understanding and harnessing the power of the Rate of Rise (RoR) is a crucial aspect of mastering the art of coffee roasting. By accurately controlling and interpreting RoR data, roasters can consistently achieve exceptional roast profiles, avoid undesirable outcomes, and continually refine their skills to create the perfect cup of coffee.
Enjoyed reading this? Check out our article on why you need a sample roaster for your coffee business.