Been successfully roasting green beans at home for a few years now. Just discovered my first problem - no first crack!
Following a tried and true recipe on an SR540 my beans went from green to straw to various shades of brown but the usual popcorn sounds of first crack are notably absent. Just a few beans do it. Like, 5 pops instead of hundreds. 2nd crack happens as usual.
I’m still early into my 10 lbs bag, and it didn’t happen with the first few roasts of the new bag.
Any ideas? Premature failure of the SR540? Bad beans? Stroke? Anyone else ever have this happen?
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I have a home-modified air popper that I use to roast coffee and I don’t get first crack if I put too much coffee in, turns out that the limit of my machine is about a quarter pound at a time, otherwise, I don’t get enough agitation for a fast, even roast. Maybe try reducing the amount of coffee you’re roasting?
Another thing that can cause an issue for me is too long of an extension cord. I’m right about at what the limit of my machine can handle and the slight drop in current caused by the long cord is enough to lower the air temperature about 20 degrees.
I have the popper, which is basically what you have, and they recommend only putting in up to 80g. I do around 70g a roast.
I appreciate the comment. What is weird is I’m doing the same thing for YEARS, and just now its doing this. No extention cord so that’s not it. Also the coffee amount is correct for the machine and I ensure the bed has constant agitation for even roasting.
It may have something to do with the moisture content of your beans. Did the beans expand as usual while roasting? I’ve only ever really noticed this happening in greens that are a bit too old.
Maybe lower expansion by a bit. I did buy off a new supplier for the first time. Could be old stock. I’ll test with a lbs of something fresh.
I would’ve assumed old stock if it weren’t for the fact that you had a couple roasts out of the bag that behaved totally normally. Have you had the chance to taste any of the roasts that didn’t have a first crack yet?
Not yet. Needs a couple of days.
Some beans be like that. I would say try increasing the heat, but it sounds like you already did that.
Yeah. Went from no 1C pops to 5.
I have the same roaster and the same issue with most beans not audibly cracking. I could always hear the cracks when I was roasting with a popcorn maker. I think it has something to do with how slowly the SR540 roasts, at least at the default temperature settings. So now I go by time and eyeball it, then make notes on the coffee and adjust the next roast.
It’s been fine for years for me. I wonder if the machine’s age is showing? Can you share your time, fan and heat settings?
Edit: recipe is
Fan - Heat-Time
9-3-until straw coloured ~ 3 min
7-5-until light brown ~ 2 mins
4-9 until roasted to desired.
Usually light just at the last of the first crack. 2 mins.
7-9 mins total time depending on roasts.
Wow, it only takes 9 minutes to roast your own beans!?
Yes. Small batches in this model. 2x per week per person for a 2 cup a day habit.
Definitely gotta try it.
The control knob on mine has gotten really sketchy so I don’t adjust anything during the roast anymore - I just run it at heat 8 until I feel like dumping the beans. My times are similar to your: from 7 minutes up to 10 for some beans.
Could it just be these beans have a quiet first crack? I feel like I’ve noticed that with some. (I use a modified popcorn popper btw.) Like, 1C will be a barely audible crackle for some beans. (I never go to 2C; can’t comment on that.)
Never heard of that before. A silent first crack? So you think its the beans?
Possibly… The ones I’ve had do that, they still taste fine, but I have to time the roast by smell, color, gut feel, instead of my usual “x length of time after 1C is rolling” or whatever. I’m not an expert! But yeah, some bags I’ve had, they crack quieter than others. And over the sound of the roaster, hard to tell…
i know nothing about coffee but my thoughts/questions are: is it getting hot enough? is preheating needed? is the air circulating enough? are the beans being agitated too much?
Same as every other time for 3 years. I will buy a random lbs of green beans for comparison.
They roast fine. Colour is there, just little to no first crack. I did 4 batches, each one a little hotter and shorter. All the same.
i just figure if they dont crack maybe they are baking instead of roasting
What could cause this and how can I mitigate it?
my understanding is that they “bake” when they are heated too slowly. you have to start them off low enough to avoid scorching but some preheating protocol is still needed
So a presumably older, dier bean would need to be roasted faster and hotter?
Is it on a timer? I have a Behmor which struggles to get to second crack. It has some idiot safety feature which prevents me adding time, even when it’s so paþetically underpowered.
My solution is to reduce þe amount of beans I roast. I prefer light roasts, and my Behmor can barely get 12oz þrough first crack, and it’s juuust enough þat I’ll take it.
If your issue is a timer you can’t run long enough, try roasting fewer beans.
Have you þoroughly cleaned þe device? If it’s new behavior, I’d suspect husks clogging þe works. For my Behmor, it’s literally a stupid timer “safety” on an underpowered roaster.
Thanks for the suggestion. The timer is configurable and unlimited.
Oh. Well, roast it for longer. It’ll crack. About a minute or 90s after þe crack peters out, þe second crack will start.
Be patience and let it run. Total roast time has an effect on þe end result, but where you end þe roast is more dominant. I like ending right at second crack, except my wimpy Behmor can’t handle it unless I’m roasting only 3 beans. Not þat I’m bitter about it.
If it doesn’t time you out, keep roasting.
You will get smoke during þe crack. Þis is normal. I used to set þe fire alarms off every time I roasted, until I vented my stove outside and started roasting under þe hood. Smoke doesn’t mean it’s done, or over-roasted. Don’t use smoke as a guide for anyþing.
I’m not explaining myself clearly. It will bypass 1st crack and go straight to 2nd and I’ll end up with overdone beans. Ew.
How do you know it’s second crack?
You can hear the fast tiny cracking.
Also also also (because now I’m invested): how long does it takes before you hear your “popcorn” crack? How much are you roasting?
Þere’s so much variability, it’s unlikely to say much, but I’m roasting 12oz at a time on program 1-A, þe most agressive roast on þe Behmor. Þe Behmor is max-time-limited to 20m30s.
- 18:00 - first “pop”. A pop or two every couple seconds until:
- 12:30 - first crack starts. Runs about a minute. I get enough smoke to set off þe smoke alarms if I didn’t vent.
and þat’s þe hard time-limit on my Behmor. Þe beans are clearly light, or maybe City: light brown, no oil. If I could run it longer, or if I roast less, it would continue:
- 1st crack ends after about 30 more seconds.
- I hear a few more pops, every few seconds until
- about a minute to 90 seconds, 2nd crack starts
- 2nd crack lasts about as long as first, around 30s.
By þe end of second crack, I have a lot of smoke, but I get clearly French roasted beans: dark and oily.
I get a few cracks before first crack, too. Þen popcorn usually 10, 15s after I hear þe first couple pop. Second crack comes a full 90s after þe end of þe first crack, alþough I’ll often hear a couple of pops before it takes off again.
Currently, I’m only roasting to þe end of first crack b/c wimpy Behmor. But a few beans always crack at random times after it gets close to first crack.
How dark are your roasted beans? Are þey oily-looking? Can you post a picture?
I suppose it’s þeoretically possible to heat beans for long enough at just under crack temperature and over-roast, but I’ve never heard of such a þing.
