Nucleus Link (NCT) Profiles: Packs & Levels Guide
The Nucleus Link won two World Brewers Cups, and its NCT profiles run on a Kaffelogic Nano 7e. Here's what each pack does, how to pick one for your bean, and the mistakes to avoid.
Nucleus Link (NCT) Profiles Explained: Packs, Levels & How to Choose
Two of the last four World Brewers Cups were won with coffee roasted on a Nucleus Link — Martin Wölfl in 2024 and Matt Winton in 2021. The Link is Kaffelogic's competition-grade sample roaster, and its NCT profile packs are some of the most thought-out roast recipes available for a fluid-bed roaster.
Here's the part most people miss: because the Nucleus Link and the Kaffelogic Nano 7e share the same roasting core, NCT profiles import and run on the Nano — the machine sitting on your kitchen bench. This guide explains what each pack is for, how levels work, and which choices actually worked on real beans.
Roasting NCT packs on a Nano? Keep every batch in the free BrewedLate roast tracker: import the .klog, record how the cup tasted after rest, and see which pack and level worked for each bean. To compare packs before you roast, browse them in the roast profiles library.
Browse 106 Kaffelogic roast profiles
Search, filter and compare real community profiles, ranked by downloads — no signup needed.
Like a profile? Plan the roast, log the curve and get AI next-step suggestions.
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The NCT Profile Packs
NCT profiles are organized into packs by roast goal. All of them share the same character: short, decisive roasts at a 100 g reference batch, with higher preheat (~970–1040 W) and higher first-crack targets (~215–219 °C) than Kaffelogic's standard F-Series.
| Pack | Designed for | Typical total time | Typical DTR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Filter A | Sweetness, body, caramel/chocolate notes | ~6:00–7:00 | 10–14% |
| Filter B | Brightness, acidity, fruity/floral cups | ~6:00–7:00 | 10–14% |
| Filter C | All-rounder: anaerobic/classic naturals, high-density washed, honey | ~6:00–7:00 | 10–14% |
| Filter D | Medium-to-dark roasts, complexity, richness | ~6:30–7:30 | 10–18% |
| Filter E | Light-to-medium, gentle — preserves delicate flavors | ~6:00–7:00 | 10–14% |
| Espresso A–F | Espresso and milk-based service | Varies | Higher development |
| Omni A–F | All-purpose: espresso + filter from one roast | Varies | Mid development |
| Cupping / WBrC | Cupping protocol and competition roasting | Varies | Protocol-specific |
For context on how decisive these roasts are: Wölfl's winning competition roast ran about 6 minutes at roughly 12% DTR.
NCT vs F-Series vs Forum Profiles
| NCT packs | F-Series (altitude) | Forum (NordicLight, Raost) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reference batch | 100 g | 120 g | 80–100 g |
| Preheat | ~970–1040 W | ~790–870 W | High (up to 1000 W) |
| First crack target | ~215–219 °C | ~203–213 °C | ~205–213 °C |
| Style | Short, decisive | Gentler, forgiving | Fast, steep |
| Best at | Competition-grade clarity | Balanced medium-light cups | Extreme light/Scandinavian |
The practical takeaway: don't carry level assumptions between families. A level that tastes balanced on an F-Series profile is not the same level on an NCT pack — the energy budget is completely different.
We measured these differences across all 32 profile curves and 58 logged roasts in NCT vs F-Series compared by the numbers.
Choosing a Pack for Your Bean
| Bean / goal | First choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Washed Ethiopian, origin clarity, floral/tea/citrus | Filter B or E | Short roasts preserve delicacy |
| Washed Kenyan, black-currant/grapefruit | Filter B | Acidity-forward |
| Washed Colombia / Central America, balanced | Filter C or E | Mid-density, balanced development |
| Natural Brazil, chocolate/nutty | Filter A or D | Body and sweetness development |
| Natural Ethiopia, fruity/winey | Filter B or C | Fruit expression, controlled ferment |
| Decaf / softer beans | Filter A | Gentler, rounder cups |
| Espresso / milk drinks | Espresso packs | More development and caramelization |
Levels and Batches: The Rules That Matter
- Start at the pack's recommended level, not a level carried over from F-Series habits.
- Adjust in 0.1–0.2 steps — nothing bigger.
- Reference batch is 100 g. If the roast stretches past ~7:00–7:30 with DTR under 10%, the level is probably too low.
- Never run a standard profile below 80 g; use the dedicated 60 g profile for tiny batches. On the Nano 7e, 100–120 g is where heat transfer is most stable.
What Actually Worked: Four Real Beans
These come from logged roasts on a Nano 7e using the framework above — including the misses, which are more instructive:
Ethiopia Sidamo (washed, 1,400–2,200 m) → goal: origin clarity. Filter E at 2.5 / 100 g came out "nice and fruity, no green." Filter D was the wrong pack entirely, and F-WSH 1500-2200 at 2.0–2.3 cupped grassy — too light for that altitude profile.
Colombia ASOSPAC (washed, 1,550–2,030 m) → goal: fruity-bright. F-WSH 1500-2200 at 2.5 / 120 g worked after 15 days' rest. F-WSH 1000-1700 failed purely on altitude-band mismatch — same bean, wrong profile family.
Honduras La Flor (washed, 1,100–1,400 m) → goal: balanced/medium. Needed far more development than expected: F-WSH 1000-1700 at 3.0 was closest. Level 2.0 — fine for a light-filter goal — was hopelessly underdeveloped for medium.
Kenya Gatugi Peaberry (washed, ~1,900 m) → goal: fruity-bright. The hidden variable was batch size: 60 g batches scorched outside and stayed green inside. At 120 g on F-WSH 1500-2200 (levels 2.0–2.3), the same bean worked.
The patterns repeat: pack first, level second, batch size third — and cup bright washed coffees only after 7–10 days of rest, or you'll misdiagnose them. To see how one of your own roasts ran against these targets, open its .klog in the Kaffelogic log viewer, which shows the curve, first crack, total time and development without an account.
Choosing Profiles Without the Guesswork
If you'd rather not keep these matrices in your head: browse the full roast profiles library (including filter-focused NCT packs) or open BrewedLate Roasting — community profiles, F-Series, and NCT packs with filters for bean process, origin, and roast goal. Plan your next batch as a checklist, upload the .klog afterwards, and the app compares your metrics against the targets above and suggests the next adjustment. Demo mode works without signup.
Stop guessing which NCT pack to use
Filter NCT and F-Series profiles by bean process, origin, and roast goal — then plan your batch and log the result in BrewedLate.
Related Reading
- Coffee Roast Log Template (Free) — track the metrics this guide refers to
- Roast Profile Management: Complete Guide — iterating profiles systematically
- Home Coffee Roasting: Beginner's Guide — start here if you're new to the Nano
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Nucleus Link coffee roaster?
Can I run Nucleus Link (NCT) profiles on a Kaffelogic Nano 7?
Which NCT Filter pack should I use for a washed Ethiopian?
What is the difference between NCT profiles and Kaffelogic F-Series profiles?
How big should a batch be for NCT profiles?
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