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Designing Yirgacheffe Coffee Bean Roasting Curve Yirgacheffe Coffee Roasting Tutorial

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, How is the roasting curve for Yirgacheffe coffee beans designed? How do you determine the optimal timing for roasting coffee beans? This question is essentially asking how to design a coffee bean roasting curve. In fact, the optimal timing is not used as the final basis for judgment. It doesn't mean that just because you dropped the beans at a specific minute and second, it proves that your

How is the Roasting Curve for FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Coffee Beans Designed?

How to determine the optimal time for roasting coffee beans?

This question essentially asks how to design a coffee bean roasting curve.

Actually, the optimal time point shouldn't be the sole basis for final judgment. It's not about proving that your roast degree or quality is uniform just because you dropped the beans at a specific minute and second. This also involves the inherent characteristics of the green coffee beans, the temperature rise rate throughout the roasting process, and other factors. Therefore, if I simplify this as much as possible, without considering other factors, and focus only on how to judge the roasting factor of drop time, you can proceed as follows (this is a simplified version, assuming you already understand the green bean characteristics, normal return temperature, and other factors like heat are predetermined):

Step 1: Make Assumptions

Based on your usual roasting experience, make a general roasting prediction. For example, typically:

When does it enter first crack?

How long will first crack last?

How much time is there between first and second crack?

Step 2: Sample

At 30s, 50s, 60s after first crack begins, at 25%/50%/75% during the interval between first and second crack, before second crack begins, when second crack begins, and entering second crack.

Take 11g samples from each point.

Step 3: Cupping

Cup the sampled samples to determine which range best meets your expectations.

Then you can make your judgment!

Note: In actual operation, you may need to try many times, pay attention to many details, and have rigorous recording habits and an exploratory spirit to be truly effective.

Yirgacheffe varieties are local indigenous, small-grained varieties, with relatively round appearance, very small beans, mostly between 14-15 mesh.

Yirgacheffe Cherry Red Grade 1 green beans have a yellow-green color, typical of natural processed coffee, with uniform and plump particles and few defective beans.

04 | Roasting Analysis

Beans with such brilliant flavors are certainly not suitable for medium-dark roasting. Therefore, this coffee adopts a light slow roasting method to best express its rounded and sweet characteristics, with rich floral and fruit aromas.

This coffee's beans are relatively small, with moisture content, and they absorb more heat during the roasting process, and the Maillard reaction proceeds relatively quickly.

In the first roast, I used a higher dropping temperature. Before the coffee beans dehydrated and turned yellow, I used 160 heat to ensure sufficient heat could continue to first crack, directly developing to second crack, determining the curve development.

In the second, third, and fourth roasts, with the same 200 entry temperature and same heat, I gradually reduced the heat according to needs during the roasting process.

This roast is a quick stir light roast:

Cupping:

Roast one: strawberry, raspberry, vanilla, honeydew, juicy

Roast curve 2: strawberry, raspberry, vanilla, honey, juice

Roast two: mango, black brin, citrus juice

Roast curve 3: mango, black plum, blueberry, citrus juice

Roast three: citrus juice, cream

Roast curve 3: citrus juice, cream

Roasting machine: Yangjia 600g semi-direct flame

Using quick stir mode, heat the drum to 200°C, air vent set to 3.5. After 1 minute, adjust heat to 160°, air vent unchanged. At 148°, adjust heat once more, reducing to 130°. Roast to 5'03", temperature 151°, bean surface turns yellow, grassy smell completely disappears, dehydration complete. Adjust heat to 105°, air vent open to 4.

At 8 minutes, ugly wrinkles and black spots appear on the bean surface, toast smell clearly turns to coffee aroma, which can be defined as the prelude to first crack. At this time, listen carefully for the sound of first crack. At 9'07", first crack begins, reduce heat to 70°, air vent fully open (be very careful when adjusting heat, don't reduce it so much that there's no cracking sound). Drop at 194°.

FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe dry aroma emits strong fruit fragrance, with heavy dried fruit notes, strawberry, mango, and apricot jam aromas.

The wet aroma is like sweet syrup, like thick apricot pulp juice, wrapped in rustic honey or chocolate. The entry is not intense, medium body, acidity not obvious but lively and bright, like fruit tea.

04 | Brewing Analysis

FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe Flavor

Brewing Methods

As for brewing methods, pour-over and siphon brewing are optimal. When grinding, you can smell the natural fruit aroma, with obvious sweetness.

Gentle and elegant, sweet and charming. FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe emits extremely complex aromas, displaying exceptionally refined mouthfeel that's difficult to describe.

First Brewing:

V60 dripper, 15g coffee, water temperature 90°C, grind level 4, water-to-coffee ratio close to 1:15.

31g water for bloom, bloom time 29s.

Segments: pour water to 99ml, pause, then slowly pour water to 230ml.

That is: 31-99-100.

Flavor: Obvious strawberry fruit acidity, with astringency in the finish, some off-flavors.

Adjustment:

Adjust grind level 4 to 3.5 (finer), lower water temperature.

Second Brewing (Correction):

V60 dripper, 15g coffee, water temperature 86°C, grind level 3.5, water-to-coffee ratio close to 1:15.

27g water for bloom, bloom time 28s.

Segments: 27-105-88, time 1:50 (timing starts from bloom).

Flavor: Smooth, much richer flavor, layered, enhanced fermented berry sweetness.

The wet aroma of the finished brew with fermented berry fruit wine notes makes it hard to believe this is FrontStreet Coffee's Yirgacheffe, though personally I don't particularly like this wet aroma. However, from the extremely smooth entry, to the delicate body, the emergence of ripe fruit's sweet and sour notes is truly astonishing. The sweetness exceeds any Yirgacheffe I've tasted before. The aftertaste is also excellent, worthy of its "fruit bomb" reputation. Basically guarantees you'll still feel sweetness in your mouth half an hour after drinking.

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