tags: [] - coffee/roasting - coffee/roasting/production aliases: - Sample roasting procedure - Green coffee sample roasting

Sample Roasting Workflow¶

Tags: #coffee/roasting #coffee/roasting/production Aliases: Sample roasting procedure, Green coffee sample roasting Related: Roasting MOC | Fluid Bed Roasters | Production Cupping | Roast Logging | Artisan Software Status: ✅ Complete

Overview¶

Sample roasting is the process of roasting small quantities of green coffee — typically 50–200 g — for quality evaluation before committing to a full production purchase or batch. It is a standard step in green coffee sourcing, purchasing, and lot approval workflows in specialty coffee. Sample roasting allows the roaster or buyer to assess the cup quality of a lot at a controlled, standardised roast level, enabling comparison across multiple lots on a common reference. The reproducibility and neutrality of the sample roast are essential: a poorly executed sample roast obscures the actual cup quality of the green coffee and can lead to incorrect purchasing decisions.

When Sample Roasting is Used¶

Pre-purchase evaluation: Assessing green coffee samples from importers, exporters, or producers before placing a purchase order
Lot approval: Confirming that a received shipment matches the quality of the pre-shipment sample
Competitive cupping: Comparing multiple lots from the same or different origins for selection or ranking
Reference profile development: Establishing a quality baseline for a purchased lot before developing the full production profile
Ongoing crop tracking: Monitoring quality of a continuing supply relationship across harvests

Sample Roasting Equipment¶

Dedicated sample roasters are the standard in commercial operations:

Equipment type	Examples	Capacity
Small drum sample roaster	Probat Sample Roaster (BRZ2, L5), Diedrich IR-1	50–200 g
Fluid bed sample roaster	Ikawa Pro, Ikawa Home	50–80 g
Modified home drum roaster	Hottop, Gene Café	100–250 g

The Ikawa Pro is widely used in specialty coffee for its precise, fully programmable profile control and small footprint. Probat and Diedrich small-drum sample roasters are the traditional trade standard.

A small production drum roaster (5–15 kg capacity) can be used for sample roasting with very small batch sizes, but heat application and RoR behaviour at sub-minimum-load batch sizes are often unpredictable, reducing sample quality. Dedicated sample roasters are strongly preferred.

Standardised Sample Roast Profile¶

The purpose of sample roasting is evaluation, not production — the roast profile should be neutral and reproducible rather than origin-optimised. The SCA reference standard for cupping:

Target colour: Agtron 58 ± 1 on ground coffee (approximately City+ / Full City)
Total roast time: 8–12 minutes depending on equipment
DTR: ~20% as a reference starting point
RoR: Declining; no crash or flick

Using a standardised profile across all sample roasts allows direct cup comparison across different origins and lots, because the roast variable is controlled. Deviating from the standard (e.g., roasting one lot light and another dark) makes comparative evaluation unreliable.

Step-by-Step Sample Roasting Workflow¶

1. Preparation - Weigh the green coffee sample accurately (record weight) - Preheat the sample roaster to the target charge temperature - Prepare labelled sample containers for each roasted sample - Set up logging (Artisan, Ikawa app, or paper log) before charging

2. Charge and Roast - Charge the sample at the established charge temperature - Monitor RoR; make minimal adjustments to maintain the standard profile - Note turning point time and temperature - Note first crack time; begin timing the development phase - Drop at the target drop temperature / DTR combination

3. Cooling - Cool sample rapidly to below 35–40°C using the sample roaster's cooling tray or a separate cooling setup - Rapid cooling is critical to stop development and preserve volatile aromatic compounds

4. Resting - Allow 8–24 hours of degassing rest before cupping; freshly roasted samples have excess CO₂ that distorts the cup - For comparative cupping, roast all samples at the same time and cup at the same rest interval

5. Logging - Record: sample ID, origin/lot information, green weight, roasted weight (for yield), turning point, first crack time, drop time, drop temperature, DTR, any profile notes - Archive profile data alongside cupping results for reference

6. Cupping - Cup according to SCA cupping protocol (see Production Cupping) - Score and describe the cup; record results against the sample ID

Common Sample Roasting Errors¶

Inconsistent charge weight: Varying batch size changes heat dynamics; always use the same sample weight
Insufficient pre-heat: Under-heating the drum before charge leads to slow drying and delayed RoR; preheat fully
Different profile per sample: Roasting one sample at City and another at Full City makes cup comparison invalid; use the standardised profile
Insufficient rest before cupping: Roasting and cupping within an hour produces a gassy, CO₂-suppressed cup; 8 hours minimum
Not logging: Without records, cup results cannot be correlated back to profile parameters for future reference

Key Facts¶

Sample roasting evaluates green coffee quality at a standardised, neutral roast level before purchase or lot approval
SCA cupping reference: Agtron 58 ± 1 (ground), City+ / Full City range, consistent profile across all samples
Dedicated sample roasters (Ikawa Pro, Probat BRZ2, Diedrich IR-1) are strongly preferred over using a production drum at sub-minimum batch size
All samples for comparative cupping must be roasted to the same profile and rested for the same interval (8–24 hours)
Log every sample roast: green weight, roasted weight, turning point, first crack, drop time, drop temperature, DTR

References¶

Changelog¶

Date	Change
2026-04-27	Note created

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