At What Temperature Is Coffee Roasted?
At the end of a drum roast, bean temperature is usually between 205 and 240 °C. First Crack happens at around 196 °C — that's where the development phase begins.
Why that is
In coffee roasting, two temperatures matter: the drum temperature (the heat of the environment) and the bean temperature (the actual temperature inside the bean). For the flavour outcome, bean temperature is what counts — it determines which chemical reactions occur.
During the drying phase (bean temperature 100–160 °C), the water bound in the bean evaporates. The bean changes colour from green to yellow and smells of bread or grass. In the Maillard phase (160–196 °C), amino acids and sugars begin to react — the bean browns and the first coffee aromas develop.
At First Crack (around 196–205 °C), the bean audibly pops: steam and CO₂ escape suddenly, and the bean nearly doubles in volume. From this point, the roaster decides how far to go. Light roasts are finished shortly after First Crack (around 205 °C), medium roasts at 210–220 °C, dark roasts reach Second Crack at 224–228 °C or beyond.
Industrial hot-air roasters work with air temperatures of 400–600 °C — the beans pass through the hot air stream so quickly that they don't burn, but the heat reaches the bean's interior unevenly. Professional drum roasters often start at 180–200 °C drum temperature and adjust heat continuously throughout the roast — a process that requires experience and constant attention.
In practice at Green Wall Coffee
At our café on Sophienstraße 27 in Berlin-Lichtenberg, guests rarely ask about roasting temperature — yet a lot depends on it. One degree more or less at the endpoint can mean the difference between a fruity, lively espresso and a bitter, flat one. Specialty roasteries usually log their batches closely — temperature curves that are like a fingerprint for each coffee.
Feel free to drop by for a coffee — Green Wall Coffee, Sophienstraße 27 in Berlin-Lichtenberg, Mon–Fri 8am–5pm and Sat 10am–5pm.
Further reading
Related questions:
- What Is First Crack and Second Crack?
- What Is the Difference Between Light, Medium, and Dark Roast?
- Which roast level suits which brewing method?
Also relevant:
- How Long Does Green Coffee Last? — Harvesting & Processing
- What happens to the silverskin of the coffee bean during roasting? — Harvesting & Processing
All questions in this topic: Roasting & Roast Levels