What is end temperature in coffee roasting?

End temperature - sometimes called drop temperature - is the bean temperature recorded at the exact moment the roast is ended and the beans are discharged into the cooling tray. It's one of the most important reference points for roast profile reproducibility.

Darker roasts typically have higher end temperatures than lighter roasts from the same coffee. However, end temperature alone doesn't tell the full story: a fast roast can reach a high end temperature while still producing a relatively light bean colour, because the beans haven't had enough time at temperature for full colour and flavour development. Conversely, a slow roast might end at a lower temperature but with more developed flavour due to the extended time spent in the Maillard and development phases.

For home roasters building reproducible profiles, logging end temperature alongside drop time and development time ratio gives you a clearer picture of what produced a particular result than any single variable alone. If a roast that tasted great is ending at 213°C with a DTR of 22%, those numbers become your target for the next batch - and end temperature is one of the most precise ways to confirm you've hit it.