004 — Ethiopia Kayon Mountain Taaroo

Bean-specific notes

• Last of four — most delicate. Drum is hot and seasoned at this point; FC will come earlier than batches 1–3.
• Kayon Mountain Taaroo is known for jasmine and stone-fruit. Flavor goal beyond the level-default: protect the florals and bright acidity — don’t chase development.

Today's playbook

Ambient ~91°F, drum at peak heat from three prior roasts. No preheat. This is the delicate one — protect the florals. The whole game is “drop early.”

1. Let drum cool 10–12 min, door wide open. Empty chaff tray thoroughly — most accumulated chaff of the session.
2. Weigh 227 g green into drum.
3. Insert drum. Select P5 / ½ lb, press START. Start phone timer. Chopstick in door immediately.
4. 75% shutoff — critical: press START when the display counts down 0:30 or it auto-cools. Especially important here — auto-cool before drop would ruin this roast.
5. Listen for FC — could be as early as 8–10 min today. Mark time-to-FC the instant you hear the first pop.
6. Drop trigger: 15–45s after FC starts. Before any oil sheen, before FC even fully rolls. Hit C — err early.
7. Cool cycle ~10 min.
8. Weigh roasted. Expect ~13–15% loss; above 16% you pushed past light-medium.
9. Rest 24h minimum — Ethiopians especially benefit from full rest before tasting.