Mistakes That First Time Coffee Roasters Do and How to Steer Clear from Them

No matter what you do, it’s always possible to make some mistakes. Similar is the case with coffee roasters. It’s very important for them to acquire knowledge and experience so that they can do the job the right way. However, it is first and foremost necessary to have some knowledge in order to be able to solve problems if they occur, or may to avoid them completely.

To help you, we’ve decided to create the following list of common mistakes and tips on how to avoid them while operating as a coffee roaster. In the meantime, if you are looking for different types of coffee, quality equipment, and similar coffee roasting products, we suggest you click here. But now, without further delay, if you’re ready, let’s get started.

Mistake No.1. Lack of Experience

So, we mentioned earlier that experience is a necessary part of every job, and therefore working as a coffee roaster. Simple, one of the common situations is that when opening a new cafe, the owners employ roasters with very little or no experience. The result of this move is that the coffee won’t be roasted well enough, and this will directly affect business losses.

Of course, it doesn’t have to mean that hiring an inexperienced coffee roaster will always be a complete failure, but it’s definitely the best thing to find a trusted person with experience or even pair it with unexperienced one so new coffee roaster can learn tricks. First of all, the experience means careful handling of the coffee roasting equipment, the better quality of the final product, as well as numerous satisfied customers who will return again and thus make you a profit.

Mistake No.2. Rushed Warm-up

Like any machine, the coffee roaster requires some time to reach operating temperature. This is especially important when the coffee roaster uses the equipment for the first time in the day. If this part of the preparation isn’t properly done, the quality of the roasted coffee may not be of high quality. Also, according to some research, a lot of coffee roasters have problems with the first batch due to improper warming-up.

The appropriate duration of warm-up depends on the machine, and it’s necessary to have a good knowledge of the equipment you use in order for the results to be top-notch. Also, the recommendation of successful roasters is that it’s best to heat the machine over the operating temperature and allow it to gradually cool to the desired temperature. This will later be very important when it comes to the quality of roasted coffee beans. In any case, if you want first-class results, you have to do everything gradually and without the rush.

Mistake No.3. Lack of BBP (Between Batch Protocol)

As we mentioned in the previous mistake, coffee roaster not only roasts one batch of coffee, but it’s done in a series of several batches. Also, we mentioned that temperature is essential to keep quality at a high level. Well, when roasting more batches, it’s very important to keep the temperature constant. For example, if the temperature drops too low, it’ll take longer to reach the desired temperature again, leading to a delay but above all non-constancy.

In order for these segments to be proper and to achieve good quality roasted coffee, you need to respect BBP (Between Batch Protocol). This means that when adding new green beans, you must take care that the drum temperature isn’t too low relative to the required operating temperature. On the other hand, if the temperature is too high, the first crack may come too early and this may cause scorching.

Mistake No.4. Never Do Overloading and Underloading

Of course, it’s completely logical that overloading and underloading be on the avoid list. You probably have used any type of machine at least once and you know that overloading is bad because it can cause breakdowns and unwanted costs. Therefore, it is the same when using coffee roasting equipment. Overcharging batches can cause poor coffee quality and, of course, take longer to finish one batch.

As for underloading, it is also very bad. First of all, an insufficient amount of coffee beans can be problematic to control and the temperature intended for the batch can lead to damage to the beans and consequently affect the poor quality of the coffee. With this in mind, the best solution is to always add the predicted amount of green coffee beans that are suggested by the equipment manufacturer.

Mistake No.5. Irregular Maintenance of Coffee Roasting Equipment

Another problem that newcomers often face is failures caused by irregular maintenance of coffee roasting equipment and poor hygiene. Not only does this affect losses because you have to spend money on repairs, but it also affects the health of the customers who buy your coffee. For example, the coffee roasting process has some of its products such as oil.

If the machine isn’t properly maintained, it can lead to operating problems, reduced ventilation performance, which can even cause a fire, as well as poor flavors of the final product. We believe that you don’t want any of this to happen to you, so we recommend that you follow the manufacturer’s instructions for maintenance.

How to Steer Clear from These Mistakes?

It is easy to avoid all these common mistakes we have listed above. Just do everything by the rules and nothing will go wrong. So, if you hire an experienced person, it also means that you will have a worker who knows how the equipment is maintained and who understands that it’s quite expensive. Also, experience means that the coffee roaster knows to set the temperature properly for the best results and will respect BBP.

So, it all starts with experience, but even if you work as a coffee roaster and don’t have too much of it, training and acquiring some specific knowledge can help you a lot. For example, getting to know these common mistakes is a good start to becoming a professional coffee roaster.