Hi, just got my Bullet a few days ago after preparing for close to a year, roasted two batches of a natural Mexico from Burman Coffee. I am generally satisfied with the flavor of this coffee, the acidity may be slightly muted, but it tastes fine really, it’s got nice sweetness and really nice smooth milk chocolatey taste without too much nuttiness. My real question is, based on what you can tell, what takes a fine roast to something exceptional? When do you know you have reached the potential of a bean? What makes an objectively good roast?
I believe the best way to determine when you’ve reached the bean’s potential is to roast the coffee in various ways until you get a flavor you enjoy. Then roast it several more times with a profile resembling the one you liked best, changing one variable at a time. Continue this process until you no longer get a flavor you like more than previous roasts. Taste is subjective so it ultimately depends on what you enjoy the most.