Home roast case studies: real dialed-in recipes

The journey

• Tasted good
• Had a fault
• Not tasted yet

What the roasts show

1. Roast 1: F-WSH 1500-2200 at level 2.4, 60 g. 1 good.
2. Then level 2.4 → 2.2: roast 2. 1 with a fault (sour).
3. Then level 2.2 → 2.0: roast 3. 1 with a fault (sour).
4. Then level 2.0 → 1.8: roast 4. 1 with a fault (sour).
5. Then level 1.8 → 1.6: roast 5. 1 good.
6. Then level 1.6 → 2.0, profile F-WSH 1500-2200 → F-WSH Rocket Gatugi: roast 6. 1 with a fault (roasty).
7. Then profile F-WSH Rocket Gatugi → 9minFilter, load 60 g → 100 g: roast 7. 1 good.
8. Then level 2.0 → 1.8: roast 8. 1 with a fault (sour).
9. Then level 1.8 → 2.0, profile 9minFilter → F-WSH 1500-2200, load 100 g → 120 g: roast 9. 1 good.
10. Then level 2.0 → 2.1: roast 10. 1 with a fault (sour).
11. Then level 2.1 → 2.2: roast 11. 1 good.
12. Then level 2.2 → 2.3: roast 12. 1 with a fault (sour).
13. Then level 2.3 → 2.2, profile F-WSH 1500-2200 → Bright Filter, load 120 g → 100 g: roast 13. 1 good.
14. Then level 2.2 → 2.5, profile Bright Filter → Rich Filter: roast 14. 1 with a fault (roasty).
15. Then level 2.5 → 2.0, profile Rich Filter → F-WSH 1500-2200, load 100 g → 120 g: roasts 15–16. 2 good.
16. Then load 120 g → 100 g: roast 17. 1 good.
17. Then load 100 g → 120 g: roasts 18–19. 1 good, 1 not tasted.
18. Then level 2.0 → 1.9: roast 20. 1 good.
19. Then load 120 g → 60 g: roast 21. 1 good.

• Weight lost: good roasts 8.3%–14.2%, roasts with a fault 11.9%–14.5%.
• Time in the hot zone: good roasts 1:35–2:39, roasts with a fault 1:40–3:39.
• End temperature: good roasts 212 °C–223 °C, roasts with a fault 212 °C–220 °C.
• Good cups were tasted after 6–84 days of rest (12 tastings).
• The first good cup on F-WSH 1500-2200 at level 2.0, 120 g was roast 9 of 21.

This shows what differed in the roast. It does not say why the cup tasted different.

Recipes tried

• F-WSH 1500-2200

  Settled · 16 roasts · Hot zone 1:35–2:00

  • 1.6 · 60 g · 1 roast, Tasted good
  • 1.8 · 60 g · 1 roast, Had a fault
  • 1.9 · 60 g · 1 roast, Tasted good
  • 1.9 · 120 g · 1 roast, Tasted good
  • 2.0 · 60 g · 1 roast, Had a fault
  • 2.0 · 100 g · 1 roast, Tasted good
  • 2.0 · 120 g · 5 roasts, Tasted good
  • 2.1 · 120 g · 1 roast, Had a fault
  • 2.2 · 60 g · 1 roast, Had a fault
  • 2.2 · 120 g · 1 roast, Tasted good
  • 2.3 · 120 g · 1 roast, Had a fault
  • 2.4 · 60 g · 1 roast, Tasted good

• Rich Filter

  Moved on · 1 roast · Hot zone 3:05

  • 2.5 · 100 g · 1 roast, Had a fault

• Bright Filter

  Moved on · 1 roast · Hot zone 2:39

  • 2.2 · 100 g · 1 roast, Tasted good

• 9minFilter

  Moved on · 2 roasts · Hot zone 2:11–2:26

  • 1.8 · 100 g · 1 roast, Had a fault
  • 2.0 · 100 g · 1 roast, Tasted good

• F-WSH Rocket Gatugi

  Moved on · 1 roast · Hot zone 3:39

  • 2.0 · 60 g · 1 roast, Had a fault

The recipe that stuck

Profile

F-WSH 1500-2200

Level

2.0

Batch

120g

Roast loss

11.67%

Hot zone

1:49

End temperature

213°C

Winning batch

R-087 · 2026-06-30

closest i've ever been to the original rocket coffee. this taste really good. sweet and fruity nice balance.

Compare two recipes

• Hot zone about the same (1:45 vs 1:47)
• 3.7 points less weight lost (8.3% vs 12.0%)
• End temperature about the same (212 °C vs 213 °C)

This shows what differed in the roast. It does not say why the cup tasted different.

Numbers are averages over each recipe's roasts.

What the roasts taught

• Batch size was the hidden variable — 60g loads underperformed 100–120g on the same profiles.
• F-WSH 1500-2200 at level 2.0 / 120g became the repeatable winner (sweet + fruity, closest to Rocket Coffee Gatugi).
• Name-matched Rocket Gatugi at 60g ran to ~30% DTR and muted fruit — profile name ≠ automatic win.
• Once dialed in, later batches are confirmations — no need to re-score every cup.

Roast goal

Roast light (just after first crack) to preserve the bright grapefruit acidity and black tea complexity. Development should be quick post-crack to caramelize sugars without muting the origin character. Aim for a cup that sparkles with citrus, finishes with clean tea notes, and carries honeydew sweetness through the mid-palate.