What is scorched coffee?

Scorched coffee is burnt on the outside and underdeveloped on the inside - the result of too much heat applied too early. The beans make extended contact with an overheated drum surface and char before the interior has had time to develop properly. The two ends of the spectrum - charred exterior, raw interior - end up in the same cup.

In the cup you get a combination of harsh, smoky, bitter notes alongside something that still tastes raw and green underneath. Not a pleasant combination, and one that's hard to roast your way out of once it's happened. Scorched beans are often visible before roasting even begins - dark or blackened patches on the outer surface of the green bean are a tell.

Scorching is distinct from a dark roast, where development is even throughout. The problem here is uneven heat transfer, not intentional darkness. The fix usually sits in calibration: charge temperature, batch-to-drum ratio, or drum speed. If you're seeing it consistently, look at what your drum temperature is doing in the first two minutes of the roast - that's almost always where it starts.