Lost Power in the middle of a roast

[MSBailey]

Hey..... I lost power during a 1 lb home roast....2x. Is this batch a goner? It never made it to the first crack?

[N3Roaster]

Yes, it's probably not going to taste great but there are some proponents of a roasting style that involves partially roasting the coffee and then finishing up later. No harm in tossing it back in, giving it a taste, and using it as a learning opportunity. I'm assuming that this happened after chemical changes started happening, in which case you'll probably end up with a baked flavor.

[ChrisSchooley]

Yes, just as Neal says, if the roast died during 1st Crack, then it also died while caramelization was already engaged and the result will most likely be baked flavors which can be harsh and malty and have some blown out popcorn notes to it. I still agree with Neal that you should go ahead and try to re-roast it. The thing to remember with this is that the cellular structure of the bean has now been broken down a bit, so it will react differently to the heat if you go right in with the beans at room temperature. You may want to put them in the oven for a bit at 400 degrees and bring them up to temperature before adding them back to the roaster. It's all an experiment, but it's also always a learning experience.

[MSBailey]

Well, thanks to both of you. My biggest problem here is that I cannot roast when the Christmas lights are on
I lost power twice before I figured that out. But, I continued with the roast as soon as the roaster would start back up again. The second time, however, I only timed it for a 1/2 lb....why, I don't know. So... my beans never even made it first crack (I did, however). I have them... haven't tried them. But, I have them. There is virtually no aroma and they will probably taste rather grassy. Ah.....me and my roaster haven't quite figured each other out yet. Though, I do feel like I would learn a lot more and get better results on a small batch roaster, as opposed to this home roaster.