Record a roast you can learn from
A useful coffee roast log answers two questions: what did I do, and what did I taste? Keep those observations beside the recipe so the next batch starts with evidence rather than a memory of a good cup.
You do not need a temperature probe to begin. Exact bean lots, weighed quantities, a few roast events and an honest tasting note can make a small trial repeatable. Recording more numbers only helps when they answer a question you care about.
Reviewed 26 October 2026
Before roasting: identify the trial
Record the supplier's lot or product reference, the origin and processing information actually supplied, and the grams of each component. For a blend, keep both the proportions and whether you combined green beans before roasting or separately roasted coffees afterwards. Record claims from the seller as seller information, not your own measurements.
Name one thing you are testing. An example is whether replacing a 25% middle component gives a cleaner finish at the same overall ratio. Keep your machine, batch size and intended approach steady enough that the comparison can teach you something. A recipe's intended flavours are a hypothesis at this stage.
During roasting: capture the useful events
Record your machine model, green weight, the settings you actually used and the time roasting began. Mark first crack if you can identify it, then record when you stopped and cooled the batch. A missing or uncertain observation is better labelled as such than filled with a plausible number.
Weigh the cooled roasted coffee if practical. Keep elapsed times and displayed temperatures in the context of that machine and batch; they are not universal roast-level measurements. Do not let note-taking distract from ventilation, the machine instructions or watching hot beans and chaff.
After resting: describe the actual cup
Record the tasting date and days since roasting. Add the brew method, dose, water or espresso yield, and grind setting when known. Keep these steady when comparing two trials so a brewing change is less likely to be mistaken for a recipe improvement.
Describe what you perceived before reading the intended flavour notes again. Record a simple rating, whether you would roast it again, and what you want more or less of. Taste the batch on another rest day if useful, keeping the earlier note. Your observation applies to this lot, roast and brew; it does not verify every future substitution.
Compare and share only what you observed
Compare the actual result with the question you wrote before roasting. Choose one meaningful adjustment for the next batch. You might keep the ratio and replace a lot, or keep the lots and change the ratio. Changing both makes it harder to attribute the result.
Percolate connects these records to your green stock and saved blend. When publishing a Shelf recipe, you can share selected author-recorded roast and tasting evidence. This is an account of your trial, not independent verification. An AI starter with no recorded trial should remain labelled as untasted. Never invent measurements to make a recipe look complete.
Common questions
What belongs in a coffee roast log?
Keep exact coffee lots, component weights, the machine and settings, observed roast events, roasted weight if known, and later tasting notes with rest days and brewing context. Omit unknown measurements rather than guessing them.
Do I need a connected temperature probe?
No. Manual event times, weighed coffee and tasting notes can support useful comparisons on your own setup. Percolate records the events you enter; it does not read a probe or control your roasting machine.
When should I taste a roasting trial?
Use a consistent rest interval for comparisons and record it. You can taste the same roast again as it changes over the following days. There is no single rest day that proves a recipe works for every coffee or brew method.
Sources and further reading
These references support the technical claims above. Practical recommendations are identified as starting points because coffees and equipment differ.
Put this batch to work.
Percolate connects green stock, roast observations, blends, and tastings. Use it when you want the last cup beside you while you plan the next roast.
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