007 — Nicaragua Buenos Aires Maracaturra (Full City)

Bean-specific notes

• Nicaragua is a Central American hard bean → Auto P1 per the manual (Centrals / Peruvian / Colombian).
• Maracaturra has very large screen size and lower density than standard Centrals (per Sweet Maria’s library). Sweet Maria’s warns “internal roast development can be difficult to achieve with Maracaturras because of the large screen size” — the bean’s surface gets to FC before the core fully catches up. At Full City the risk is that the surface gets there while the core is still mid-Maillard; hold development long enough for the core to catch up.
• SM’s stated range is City to Full City. Full City is the deep end of their range — they say “enjoyed most at City–City+.” Targeting Medium here pushes toward burnt-sugar / caramel finish, accepting some loss of the orange-zest / marzipan top notes.
• Cupping target (Sweet Maria’s): Assam tea, orange zest, marzipan, spearmint, burnt sugar candy.

Today's playbook

Built from the Behmor 2000 AB Plus manual V30. Central American hard bean → Auto Mode P1 (manual default for Centrals). Pro sample-roasting technique to finish.

Plan rationale:

• 227 g charge on ½ lb weight setting → 12:00 program time, 75% shutoff fires at 9:00 elapsed (need to press START or C).
• Target: Full City (Medium). 227 g is well under the 336 g manual ceiling for darker control.
• Maracaturra’s large screen size means internal development lags surface color (per Sweet Maria’s) — the 1:30–2:30 development window is generous on this bean; favor the longer end.

Sequence:

1. Empty chaff tray. Weigh 227 g green into drum, close drum clasp.
2. Preheat: drum OUT, press ½ lb + any profile + START, let run 1:30, press OFF. Do not exceed 1:30 — longer locks out the roast.
3. Insert loaded drum (asymmetric — only fits one way). Insert chaff tray. Close door.
4. Press ½ lb + P1 + START. Start phone timer in parallel.
5. Listen for FC from ~7 min on. Community chopstick-in-door technique helps audio — not in the manual, use if needed.
6. 75% shutoff at 9:00 elapsed: display blinks un:30. Press START to continue, OR C (also bypasses Err 7). Stay near the machine.
7. Listen for FC. Cracks may be soft on this varietal — mark time-to-FC the instant of the first audible pop.
8. Pro sample-roasting technique (manual Part 5, page 12-13): 10–15 seconds after FC starts, press P3 (drops to 50% power) then press D (raises drum speed). Lets exothermic momentum carry development without scorching.
9. May need to add time using + or C to extend through development.
10. Drop trigger (Medium / Full City): end of FC through 1:30–2:30 of development, before any second-crack snaps. Press Cool. Favor the longer end of the window for Maracaturra’s development lag; don’t push past 2:30.
11. Cool cycle ~10 min. After beans stop snapping (~1:30 into cool), open door for faster cool airflow.
12. Weigh roasted. Target loss ~14–16%, DTR 18–22%.
13. Allow 1 HOUR before any next roast (manual Part 4 Important Reminder #4).

What to watch:

• Soft, dispersed FC pops are possible on Maracaturra (n=1 prior observation, not a documented characteristic). If unsure where FC starts, my judgment call: treat the first sustained pop as t=0 for the P3+D press — the manual doesn’t address soft-cracking varieties.
• Pale color at FC + bland smell = under-developed. Hold through the FC tail before dropping.
• Heavy bluish smoke or any 2nd-crack snap = imminent fire risk. Press Cool immediately.
• Never roast past 10 seconds into 2C.

Live notes

Color at FC

Pale

Smell at FC

Bread

Button log

+2:00