Welcome back to Roast Radar—your go-to roundup of what’s brewing in the world of coffee roasting. I’m Ankur from Ashburn, Virginia, and I’m excited to walk you through some of the most interesting developments in roasting science, industry partnerships, and community initiatives this week.
📢 Industry News & Updates
☕ UC Davis Unveils Universal Roast Color Curve
A new study out of UC Davis reveals that roasted coffee beans follow a predictable color path across all origins when measured in CIELAB space. This “universal curve” could become a new standard for objectively defining light, medium, and dark roasts—regardless of the bean’s origin or roast style.
This could bring consistency to roast level descriptions and help roasters everywhere communicate with customers more accurately.
🔥 Cropster Adds Flick Prediction with AI
CROPSTER just released a game-changing update to its Roasting Intelligence platform: real-time flick prediction. Using roast data and AI models, it can now alert you before a temperature spike hits, allowing you to correct airflow or burner settings before it’s too late.
As someone who has lost batches to unexpected flicks, this is a major win. Tools like this give me more confidence and consistency in the roast process.
✈️ Peet’s Coffee Heads to the Skies with Southwest Airlines
Starting August 13, Southwest Airlines will begin serving Peet’s Coffee across all its domestic flights. The exclusive onboard roast, called “Off the Grid”, is a medium roast developed to taste good even at 30,000 feet.
Peet’s taking over airline coffee service is a sign that consumers expect better quality—even while flying.
🌍 Coffee Flavor Wheel Translated into Hindi
Indian barista trainer Binny Varghese has translated the Specialty Coffee Association’s flavor wheel into Hindi, with more Indian languages like Bengali, Punjabi, and Tamil coming soon.
As someone born in India, this feels very close to home. I love seeing specialty coffee become more accessible across cultures and languages.
☕ Notes From the Cupping Table
Here are a few standout samples from Mill City Roasters’ July picks (source):
- Myanmar (Tachileik, Natural): Matcha, raspberry, vanilla — vibrant, soft acidity
- Honduras COMSA (Washed): Ginger snap, clover honey, lilac — clean and floral
- Papua New Guinea (Natural): Mango, Riesling, sangria — juicy and bold
- Ethiopia Ayla Bombe (Natural): Roasted strawberry, pink lemonade — a berry-forward stunner
🔁 Wrap-Up & What You Can Do Next
That’s a wrap for this week’s Roast Radar. Whether you’re experimenting with new profiles, trying a fresh microlot, or diving into the science behind your roast, there’s never been a better time to be a coffee roaster.
Here’s how you can stay in the loop and get more involved:
✅ Share this post with fellow roasters, baristas, and coffee friends
✅ Tag @RoastCoffeeAI on Instagram and show us what you’re roasting this week
✅ Drop a comment below if you’ve got thoughts, questions, or news we should feature!
Thanks again for joining me on this journey. Until next week — keep learning, stay curious, and roast with purpose. ☕🔥
