How do I hand my roasting and cupping skills to a new head roaster?
Roast and cup together, regularly and side by side, until your new head roaster tastes what you taste and can explain why. Write down your profiles and the reasoning behind them. Hand over a batch at a time, reviewing the results, until you trust their judgement.
Cupping is the foundation, so start there. Cup the same coffees together, discuss what each of you notices, and agree on words for defects and strengths. Over time, calibration matters more than any recipe. Then move to the roaster: show how you read the beans, manage heat and airflow, and decide when to drop a batch.
Next, record what you can. Save each profile, the green coffee it suits, and your notes on what worked and failed. Write the rules of thumb that you apply without thinking. Treat the records as a starting point rather than a script, since each crop and each season behaves a little differently.
Then step back in stages. Let the new roaster run batches while you taste the results and give feedback, and agree in advance what happens when your opinions differ, and who has the final say on a blend. Introduce them to green coffee suppliers and to customers who care about particular blends. If the new head roaster will become an owner or employee on new terms, ask your lawyer and accountant to document the arrangement.
Key takeaways
- Cup together often, until you share the same words for flavours and flaws.
- Save each profile with notes on the green coffee and what you adjusted.
- Hand over batches in stages, with tasting and feedback after each.
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Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat is succession planning?
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentAdvice for succession planning - Articles and tools
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