Recently our friend Valerian from CoffeeIs.Me shared an interesting article exploring how different roast profiles changed the perception of the same coffee.Everything.” It explores a gap we have spent years working to bridge: the sensory distance between producers and roasters.
You can read the original article from Valerian here. The experiment itself was simple.
Using an IKAWA Pro 100x, three roast profiles were created for the same coffee:
1. Fast
2. Classic
3. Slow
All three aimed for a similar end colour. Roast time was the main variable.
What surprised Valerian was not just that the cups tasted different, but that the “classic” profile he had trusted for years consistently performed worst in blind tastings.
Across multiple coffees and tasting groups, the profiles designed as deliberate extremes often produced more interesting results than the long-established baseline.
For us, the most interesting takeaway is not whether fast or slow roasting is “better.”
It is how easy it is to assume a profile is neutral or objective simply because it has become familiar.
That is something many roasters experience over time. A reference profile becomes standard practice and eventually stops being questioned.
Experiments like this are valuable because they force us to return to the cup rather than relying entirely on theory.
One reason this experiment works is because the variables are controlled closely.
Using repeatable sample roasting allows the roast profile itself to become the variable under investigation rather than inconsistencies between batches.
That creates clearer sensory comparisons and makes it easier to challenge assumptions with confidence.
In our view, this is one of the most useful applications of sample roasting technology, not just quality control, but curiosity.
Another interesting point from the article is that the results changed depending on the coffee.
A fast roast profile performed best on one coffee. A slower profile opened up complexity in others.
There was no universal winner.
And perhaps that is the real takeaway.
Roast profiles are tools, not rules. The only reliable way to understand what works for a coffee is still to taste it.
