Hey folks- it's time to put the roaster to work for holiday gift giving and I could use some suggestions for roast profiles. I'd like to go way out of my comfort zone and do a couple roasts very very dark. Problem is, since I've never taken a roast past 20 seconds into second crack I have no idea how dark to take it before it's garbage. The people I'm roasting for drink Peet's out of a French Press, absurdly over-dosed, and they love it. Not my style, probably not anyone's style in the home roasting world, but that's what I need help with. Roasting with a Huky, one pound batches. I've got lots of greens on hand- was thinking Sumatra, Brazil and Ethiopia.
Thanks and happy holidays!

I've found it hard to get a reasonable answer to this kind of question. Typically, people say things like, "yuck!, Don't do it! Go buy some 8 o'clock!, etc., etc." But, many of my family and friends like the dark roast and so I give it to them. And, I even grind it for many of them and they tell me it's the best coffee ever.
My best luck has been with Sweet Maria's French Roast Blend taken 1 minute into 2nd crack. That's 470 degrees bean temperature in my RK drum where 1st crack comes at 410. Before I got into this coffee hobby, I used to love a dark roast Sumatra. I still enjoy it from time to time anj just the other day I roasted up a batch of Lintong-Opung from Sweet Maria's to 460 bean temp. That was 3 minutes and 45 seconds past 1st crack and, while just into 2nd crack, I would call it dark and I think it would please most of the dark roast aficionados.
Happy roasting.

To the edge of 2nd crack in about 12min is crowd pleasing.

Thanks a lot for the info. I'm about to try it with a Sumatra right now. If you don't hear back from me it's because I'm busy with the fire extinguisher.

Yeah, I think you can count on plenty of smoke.

bean2friends wrote: My best luck has been with Sweet Maria's French Roast Blend taken 1 minute into 2nd crack...
Happy roasting.

Although no longer roasting at home, this topic piques my curiosity. I notice that the SM French Roast blend is priced similar to other blends, but since roasting into second crack loses much of the origin character would less expensive green options produce results just as good to please the dark roast crowd?

As I was scrounging thru the cupboard I found a bag of SM's Puro Scuro blend. Notes say it holds up to very dark roasting so that was my first try. Chickened out towards the end and only took it about 30 seconds into second crack. I might just hold back a couple ounces to see if it makes a decent espresso.