What does drop mean in coffee roasting?

Drop is the moment a roaster ends the roast by removing the beans from the heat source - discharging them from the drum into the cooling tray. It's the culmination of every decision made during the roast and the point at which the roast profile is finalised.

The drop temperature and timing determine the final roast level. Drop too early and the coffee is underdeveloped; too late and it pushes past the intended profile into darker territory. For most specialty roasting, the drop point sits between first crack and second crack - the specific timing within that window shaped by the target profile, the coffee's character, and what the roaster is trying to achieve.

For home roasters, dialling in the drop point is one of the most impactful variables available. A consistent drop temperature - logged batch to batch - is a key component of profile reproducibility. Without logging it, it's difficult to replicate a roast that turned out well or diagnose one that didn't. Many home roasters use visual cues (bean colour), auditory cues (the pace of first crack) and temperature data together to decide when to drop. Getting that decision right - and recording it so you can do it again - is at the heart of producing consistent results from your green coffee.