Updated October 2026 · for coffee roasters
This page is information for coffee roasters. Drop temperature is the bean temperature at which the roast ends and the beans are dropped into the cooling tray. Each of the 121 recipes in the Coffee Recipe Series gives the drop temperature that matches its density, from 250 °C for the darkest roasts to 187 °C for the lightest.
A higher drop temperature means a darker roast and lower density. 250 °C at 0.330 g/ml (Italian Roast), 219 °C at 0.390 g/ml (Breakfast) and 187 °C at 0.450 g/ml (Light City).
Across the series
The hotter the drop, the darker the roast and the lower the density. Across the series the drop temperature falls steadily from 250 °C to 187 °C as density rises from 0.330 to 0.450 g/ml.
Dark / Italian Roast · 0.330 g/ml (Recipe 1)
Medium / Breakfast · 0.390 g/ml (Recipe 61)
Light / Light City · 0.450 g/ml (Recipe 121)
Roast names
Each recipe also carries a roast name. Here is how the names line up with the recipes and drop temperatures.
Recipes 1–11 · 250–245 °C
Recipes 12–21 · 244–240 °C
Recipes 22–40 · 239–230 °C
Recipes 41–47 · 229–226 °C
Recipes 48–51 · 225–224 °C
Recipes 52–55 · 223–222 °C
Recipes 56–62 · 221–218 °C
Recipes 63–70 · 217–214 °C
Recipes 71–78 · 213–210 °C
Recipes 79–81 · 209–208 °C
Recipes 82–87 · 207–205 °C
Recipes 88–94 · 204–201 °C
Recipes 95–121 · 201–187 °C
For roasters
Density gives roasters and brewers a shared reference. If you print the density, or the drop temperature, on the bag, your customers can go straight to the right recipe. Here's how to measure density.
Measured drop temperatures depend on the roaster and where the probe sits, and roast names aren't used consistently between roasters. Treat these figures as a guide, and use density to check where a finished roast actually landed.
Further reading: Roasting coffee basics – CoffeeNavigated.net
Keep reading
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