Development is the final stage of roasting. Together with the final roast color it is the most important phase of roasting. It determines the balance of acidity and bitterness and final flavor of coffee.
The development phase starts when coffee starts to crack for the first time, which usually happens around 190 Celsus degrees. It ends around the time when you drop beans to the cooling tray (beans are still hot and developing). During this phase most of coffee chemical changes happen. During two previous phases we evaporated all the moisture from the beans which allowed molecules to react freely with each other.
Assuming the same end color of beans, short development for example 1 minute long, will yield coffee with higher acidity, and lower bitterness. On the other hand, with the same final color but long development, let’s say 3 minutes, will give you coffee with low acidity and high bitterness.
Remember that stretching development for excessive time may result in baked coffee. It’s a defect that is associated with losing too much energy during the first crack or not enough energy when getting to the first crack. It will stall the rise of your temperature, and it will take very long to get to the desired color of coffee.
I hope it will help you develop great coffee on your next roast. Good luck!
Our step-by-step roasting guide has been design for you by Aleksander Smet, 2022 Polish Roasting and Cup Tasters Champion.
Roast Breakdown - Maillard
