coffee beans
Food - Drink
Why The 'First Crack' Is An Important Moment In The Coffee Roasting Process
By Meggan Robinson
coffee beans spilling out of a white mug
When roasting your own coffee beans, the first crack, which is actually audible, marks the point at which the roast can — depending on your flavor preferences — be complete.
coffee beans spilling out of a scooper
During roasting, the first crack sounds like a kernel of popcorn popping and signifies that the beans have absorbed enough heat to convert the moisture in the bean to steam.
pouring coffee beans into a mug
The first crack happens around 380 degrees F, and indicates the beans have lost their grassy, green flavors. At this point, you can stop roasting if you prefer a lighter roast.
Coffee roaster Ellan Kline dumps fresh coffee beans in to a bin before roasting them at the Ritual Coffee roasting plant in San Francisco, Calif., on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2017. Ritual will be partnering with cannabis company Somatik on the release of an 8-oz bottle of cold brewed coffee with 15 mg of THC in it which will hit the market next week. (Photo by Gabrielle Lurie/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images)
For a darker roast, continue roasting until you hear the second crack, which isn’t as loud as the first one. If you roast too far past the second crack, the flavors might be burnt.
mug of black coffee and a croissant
As you roast, you’ll discover a sweet spot between the cracks where you get just the right amount of pleasant, roasted flavor to make the perfect cup of coffee.