Compare authentic first- and second-crack audio
LISTEN, THEN COMPARE
Three authentic recordings.
Thompson Owen / Sweet Maria’s recorded these examples in air roasters. Their sound is a reference, not a timer or endpoint for your machine.
Choose a recording to load it from Sweet Maria’s. Nothing loads until you choose. Playback starts only when you press Play.
Written listening guide & observation prompts
First crack often presents as separate, fuller pops. Second crack is usually finer, sharper snapping. The wet- and dry-process first-crack samples show that the same event can be louder, softer or differently spaced. Roaster noise, processing and coffee condition affect what you hear; “not heard” does not establish “did not happen.”
- Listen away from an operating roaster. Describe each sound before judging its name.
- Replay and distinguish isolated sounds from a continuing sequence.
- Compare both first-crack samples. Record one similarity, one difference and your confidence.
- Use appearance and the exact sensor description alongside sound. If unsure, use the maker’s permitted cooling procedure instead of waiting for a particular noise.
This is written teaching guidance, not a verbatim transcript of the narration.
Original recordings, photographs and author’s explanation · Actual roast-stage photographs
Open Thompson Owen’s first- and second-crack recordings at Sweet Maria’s and find “How can I hear the difference.” The page contains a narrated air-roaster example and separate wet- and dry-process first-crack recordings. First crack usually has more distinct pops; second crack has finer, sharper snaps. Noise and coffee differences can obscure either, and a few early pops differ from a sustained sequence. These are actual recordings made by the named source, rather than simulated audio from Coffee Jacob.
- Listen to the narrated example away from an operating roaster. Write your own two-word description of each sound before replaying it.
- Play the wet-process and dry-process first-crack clips. Notice how differently one event can present; do not expect your coffee to sound identical.
- Replay the narrated sequence. Mark where you think isolated pops become a regular sequence, and where the character changes toward second crack.
- If the distinction remains unclear, use the accompanying demonstration and seek experienced instruction before relying on sound to make roasting decisions.
Evidence: Sweet Maria’s: First Crack FAQ, real audio and demonstration, 18 November 2022
Observe size, crease, surface and ground color
Use the actual photographs and video in Sweet Maria’s visual roast-stage reference. Compare several beans at each stage, rather than choosing a single brown swatch. Observe expansion, the center crease and surface texture alongside color. The source’s photographs were made on a particular commercial roaster; its displayed times and temperatures cannot be copied into your machine’s program.
For an observation exercise, choose two neighboring photographic stages. Write what changed and what remained similar. Then inspect the whole-bean versus ground samples in the crack FAQ. A surface impression alone can conceal important differences. The original examples are teaching references, not a color standard that your phone screen or room lighting reproduces accurately.
Evidence: Sweet Maria’s: Using Sight to Determine Degree of Roast, 1 August 2022 · Sweet Maria’s: First Crack FAQ, real audio and demonstration, 18 November 2022
Record the cues together
Make this compact sheet before starting. It helps describe uncertainty without turning it into an invented timestamp. Use your first-roast workflow for operation; this sheet contains no heat prescription.
| What to record | Useful observation | Too strong a conclusion |
|---|---|---|
| Sound | First isolated pop; later regular sequence; uncertain onset | No sound heard means no event occurred |
| Appearance | Expansion and crease change visible through the permitted viewing point | One bean or screen color proves the whole batch’s development |
| Aroma | A change noticed from the normal operating position | Move close to hot exhaust to obtain a better smell |
| Display | Exact control/sensor label, unit and reading | Any displayed number is internal bean temperature |
| Action | Which control you used and when cooling began | The roast stopped changing immediately when heating ended |
| Confidence | Clear, probable or not observed | An uncertain event should be assigned a precise time |
Check what your temperature display actually measures
For Behmor, the maker’s A/B temperature FAQ identifies A as an exhaust reading and B as a chamber-sidewall reading. Neither is bean temperature. Batch mass, supply voltage, incoming air and cycling elements affect readings; a B drop when the exhaust fan starts is not by itself proof that the roast has stalled. Name the sensor in your log and compare its behavior within the same setup instead of chasing another owner’s number.
For another machine, locate its sensor description before interpreting a graph. If documentation does not identify the measurement point, write “display temperature; sensor location unconfirmed.” A rate calculated from that display remains the rate of that displayed measurement. It does not acquire a different meaning because the graph looks precise.
Evidence: Behmor: A/B Temperature Reading FAQs, updated 18 October 2023
Practice the cases that defeat simple rules
Watch Sweet Maria’s side-by-side decaf demonstration. It shows why a decaf’s surface appearance need not match a non-decaf at a comparable stage. The author uses a stationary toaster-oven arrangement to show changes and notes that it produces uneven roasting: observe the comparison without adopting it as your operating method.
Return to the crack audio when a coffee is unusually quiet. Keep “not heard” distinct from “did not occur.” If you cannot reliably identify the stage, follow the machine’s permitted cooling/shutdown controls rather than extending the roast until a noise appears. Move to the troubleshooting guide after the equipment and coffee have cooled.
Evidence: Sweet Maria’s: Closeup on Roasting Decaf Coffee, 4 July 2021
Sources & limitations
This guide combines source-based explanations and practical starting points. Coffee Jacob has not performed hands-on product testing or controlled tasting trials for this guide. Recordings checked 18 October; other cited guidance checked 13 October 2026.