Coffee Roast Log Template (Free) — Plus a Better Way to Track Roasts
A roast log is how you turn one good roast into a repeatable one. Here's a free template with the fields that matter, a filled-in example, and an easier option for Kaffelogic owners.
BrewedLate Coffee
Coffee Expert
A roast log is the difference between "that one great batch I can't recreate" and a profile you can dial in on demand. This guide gives you a free template with the fields that actually matter, a worked example from a real home roasting setup, and — if you're roasting on a Kaffelogic Nano — a way to skip the manual logging entirely.
What worked for other roasters
Most-used community Kaffelogic profiles, ranked by real downloads and rated roast outcomes.
- 1Adap. Raost NCC10% success · 18 roasts85947 likes
- 2JRoast v7Washed
FC 203.7°C is very close to expected 205°C, weight loss 13.2% is ideal, and ~101s post-FC development is well-executed for a light roast.
75524 likes - 3JLightEtiopiaNatural53223 likes
- 4April Fools!6675 likes
- 5JLightColumbiaWashed9% success · 13 roasts47318 likes
Why Bother Logging Roasts?
Home roasting has one brutal property: every variable interacts. Change the profile and the first crack time moves. Change the green weight and the development time ratio shifts. Without a log, you're re-deriving cause and effect from memory every time — and memory is optimistic.
A log turns each roast into a data point you can compare against the next one. Three roasts on the same bean at slightly different levels, logged properly, will teach you more than thirty roasts from memory.
The Free Coffee Roast Log Template
Copy this table into Google Sheets, Notion, or a notebook. The first nine columns are recorded during (or immediately after) the roast; the last four you fill in after resting and cupping.
| Field | Example | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Date | 2026-07-12 | Tracks rest time and bean age |
| Coffee | Ethiopia Guji, natural | Origin + process drive profile choice |
| Green weight (g) | 120 | Batch size changes roast dynamics |
| Profile | F-NAT-1500-2200 | Your heat/fan recipe |
| Roast level | 2.0 | Where on the curve you ended |
| Total time | 7:08 | Baseline for comparisons |
| First crack | 6:35 | Start of development phase |
| DTR (%) | 7.7% | (Total − FC) ÷ total — your development ratio |
| Post-roast weight (g) | 105.6 | Yield; pairs with green weight |
| Roast loss (%) | 12.0% | Moisture loss; a proxy for development |
| Rest days | 7 | When you actually evaluated it |
| Cup notes | Fruity, slight earthiness | The whole point of the exercise |
| Next adjustment | Try level 2.5 | Closes the loop into the next roast |
That last column is the one most templates omit, and it's the most valuable: every roast should end with a hypothesis for the next one.
A Worked Example: Bracketing a New Bean
Say you land a natural Ethiopia Guji and you're roasting on a Kaffelogic Nano 7 at 120 g batches. A sensible first pass is bracketing — three roasts at three levels so you can taste the spread:
| # | Profile | Level | Total | FC | DTR | Loss | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | F-NAT-1500-2200 | 1.0 | 6:47 | 5:31 | 18.6% | 11.1% | Fruity but earthy — likely too light |
| 2 | F-NAT-1500-2200 | 2.0 | 7:08 | 6:35 | 7.7% | 12.0% | Less earth, still a hint |
| 3 | F-NAT-1500-2200 | 3.0 | 7:19 | 6:21 | 13.2% | 12.2% | (cup after 7 days) |
With the log filled in, the pattern is visible at a glance: roast 1's earthiness tracks with its short total time, and roast 2 confirms the direction. Your next session starts with a decision instead of a guess.
Where Spreadsheets Break Down
A template like this earns its keep for your first dozen roasts. Past that, the cracks show:
- Manual entry drifts. Miss one first-crack time and your DTR column lies to you forever.
- No curves. A total time can't show you where the roast stalled — the curve can.
- No search. "Which roasts of washed Kenyans above 1,700 m landed under 14% loss?" is three clicks in software and a lost afternoon in Sheets.
- Nothing compounds. The spreadsheet never turns your history into a recommendation for next time.
The Better Way for Kaffelogic Owners: Upload the Log File
If you roast on a Kaffelogic Nano, the machine already writes a complete .klog log of every roast — bean temperature, fan, and power curves with exact timestamps. Instead of transcribing, you can upload the file to BrewedLate Roasting and let it fill in the roast automatically:
- Times, curves, and profile parsed straight from the
.klog— no manual entry - Green coffee inventory and cellar tracking alongside each batch
- AI suggestions for your next roast, based on your history and tasting comments
- A plan-before-you-roast checklist, so the "next adjustment" column becomes tomorrow's to-do list
You only add what the machine can't know: how it tasted and what you'd change. Demo mode works without signup if you want to see it with sample data first.
Either way, keep logging. The template above is free and works today — the app just removes the parts nobody enjoys.
Related Reading
- Home Coffee Roasting: Beginner's Guide — equipment, green beans, and first roasts
- Roast Profile Management: Complete Guide — building and iterating on profiles
- Coffee Roasting Software: A Complete Guide — the full software landscape compared
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I record in a coffee roast log?
What is development time ratio (DTR) in coffee roasting?
Is a spreadsheet good enough for logging coffee roasts?
Do Kaffelogic Nano owners need a manual roast log at all?
How long should I wait before cupping a roast?
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