I know this has been talked about and talked about and talked about, but....I still have a hard time getting my mind around it.

When I roast I just roast and then I try the beans in the Technivorm and in the Livia 90.
My limited experience is that there are some that do better one way and some another, but I enjoy both, so I haven't made a practice of "roasting for....or for...."

If I were to take one bean and want to roast it for two different audiences, do you think there would be changes in the profile from the beginning, or just in the last phase (from 1C on). And would the last phase be longer timewise for espresso or just rise somewhat more steeply and to a higher temp in the same time?

Mostly, I use the same coffee for the first few days post roast for brewing, then move to espresso. If I roast purely for espresso, I let the roast develop until I smell caramels; if not, I drop it earlier, after the irritating smells end.

I think it ultimately boils down to preference. This particular profile was roasted for pour over, but we had a get together today with a crew of specialty coffee enthusiasts and it was delicious as espresso. Not everyone enjoys light roasted SOE though....I love it.

I roast primarily for espresso. The development style for me is based on the bean origin, and what I expect from that origin , and that's really what we explore in this forum. For espresso, I feel I need to control the acidity a bit more...the amount of acidity that makes a brewed cup "pop", can be overwhelming in espresso. That said, lack of some acidity in any preparation style is out of balance for most people who are pursuing great coffee.

So, for most origins, and especially for Kenyans, or any other very bright origin, I tend to take it a bit deeper in the roast for espresso. Of course, how you get there is a part of our perennial debate... FSSF, SSFF, Rao style (decreasing rate of rise), set formula (4 mins drying, 4 mins ramp, 3 mins (brew)-4 mins (espresso) development), or specific artisan profile not otherwise included. I've been pursuing a Rao style roast lately, with 20-25% development, and the decreasing rate of rise with the timing to end the roast by 25% development time has been my benchmark for drop more so than set temp. The espresso has been very good.

For a low acidity origin, like many Brazil's, Sumatrans, Indian, and often Mexican beans, I'll stop the roast a bit earlier to preserve some of that fleeting acidity...

All modified by results in the (little) cup, of course...

Maybe I am odd but I will try all of my roasts in every brew method I have available to me. Espresso, press, pour over, moka pot, vacuum, and auto drip.

What ever wins, flavor wise, gets the nod for that roast as far as brew method.

Sure it would be nice to decide in advance that I was going to roast a killer espresso blend but in "my" real world, this does not happen as often as I am willing to admin.

I always get what I am after, just not in the brew method I was thinking I was shooting for.

Hey..... it works for me as I always end up with the best tasting coffee that I can roast/brew.

All of your responses are really helpful.

I am particularly relieved to find that there is no disgrace in adapting the brew method to the roast rather than feeling obliged to do it the other way ))) Works for me !!!

Susan

Like others, I often use the same roast for both purposes. Even very light roasts can make tasty espressos if you make appropriate adjustments to raise the extraction level. But if I am planning to use a coffee primarily or only to make shots, I'll generally take it about 5F darker than I would for a roast that was brewing-focused. These days, I typically counterbalance the darker finish with a slightly faster overall roast time, and a development time that is either the same or slightly shorter than what I'd do otherwise. I feel like this preserves more of the acidity and sweetness that I like when brewing the coffee, while still developing enough extra distillate notes to make the shots taste balanced at moderate extraction parameters.

A good example of this style of roast can be found here: Roast and Learn Together - September 2015

Susan,

There's certainly no disgrace! People have been debating this for years. It's quite like wine, if you happen to be a wine aficionado...very complex. My 2-cents worth is that some beans lend themselves more to espresso than others. Some of the green bean sellers make note if this. I've had good luck following their recommendations, yet, like some of the other responders, I use my espresso roasts for other brews.

I've discovered that the degree of roast, to a point, has little to do with it. I say 'to a point' because we don't care for espresso made with anything less than about FC. When we were in Europe we got used to a lighter roast than we were used to in Canada...don't know what they were but guessing around FC or FC+ But, I believe that there has been a trend to lighter roasts here too. Lately, I've returned to a slightly darker roast for espresso, just a tad short of a Vienna. For non-espresso, we've got friends who swear our espresso roasts are fantastic for pour-over, yet we prefer something lighter for these...maybe a City or City+.

As for the profile, my ideal espresso timing (which is usually all I roast for), from experimentation, is measured in the usual thirds: the 'drying time' (the point from charge to where the beans turn from yellow to beige)...yes, I know, some people time from turn-around point; 'ramp time' from dry to 1C; and 'finishing time' from 1C to dump. My best roasts are usually about a ratio of 25:50:25 and an overall time of around 10 to 12-minutes. Sometimes I stretch the finishing out a bit farther if I find a bean is rather more bright or acidic than I prefer. But, hey, that's just for my taste.

Artisan has been a real boon to my roasting. I saved all my roast profiles and averaged out the ones I liked the best. Then using the profile tool, created a nice smooth line. When I roast on my Quest I just put my target profile on the background and manipulate the heat and fan to keep the roast following the line.