Roasts: How to Create and Update Roasts

In RoasterTools, every coffee product will need to have a roast that tells RoasterTools details about the roast.  We use this information when we run the calculation to plan your production based on the demand for that day.

Create a new Roast:

1. Go to Inventory > Roasts
2. Click "Create New Roast"
3. Roast Name:
   1. name the roast as you call it in your roastery.  This may be the name of the green coffee or it could be Espresso Blender - Dark.  
   2. The name will appear in the Operations Roast Task list that your roaster will be viewing
4. Select the ingredient for the roast:
   1. pre-blend or green coffee
5. Enter the expected weight loss for this batch
6. Enter Batch Size (see below for more detail)
7. Press Create

Batch Size

You have two options when defining the batch size.  

1. Range: Inputting a minimum and maximum value,  this means when Auto Plan is run, the size of the roast batch task created will be anywhere between the two values

   (Example: Range 12 - 29lbs —> Demand on orders is 16.7lbs, A roast task wolud be created as 16.7 lbs since that is quantity needed to fulfill demand and it falls within your range that you roast.)

2. Constant: Only one value will be used when creating Roast Tasks.  

   Example: 29 lb constant batch size,  Demand is 16 lbs for the orders, Task created would be 29lbs to roast.

Updating the Roast Recipe

You can always update the recipe for a roast if the ingredient changes (example you switch from using a Brazil to a Columbian in your Dark Espresso Blender Roast)

We recommend to make updates to ingredient data at the beginning or end of a production day!

1. From the Inventory > Roast page, select three dots, edit on the Roast you'd like to update.
2. Update the new ingredient
3. Select Update Roast

Changing a Roast's Ingredients When Tasks Exist

If you try to update a roast's ingredient (green coffee or pre-blend) and there are incomplete roast tasks associated with that roast, you'll be prompted to complete the task first with a direct link to the tasks.

If you attempt to change the ingredients, you'll see an error message:

"cannot be changed while [X] incomplete tasks exist. Delete or complete the tasks first."

This safeguard exists because when a task is planned it is associated with the recipe components. It is key to compete the tasks before changing the recipe to ensure consistency in your production records and inventory tracking.

To resolve this, you have two options:

1. Complete the tasks first. Click the "View incomplete tasks" link in the error message. This will take you to the Operations > Tasks page, pre-filtered to show only the incomplete tasks for that specific roast. From there, you can complete or mark the tasks as done before returning to edit the roast.
2. Delete the incomplete tasks. If the tasks are no longer needed, you can delete them from the Tasks page to unblock the ingredient change.

Once all incomplete tasks for that roast have been completed or deleted, you can return to the Edit Roast Details page and successfully update the ingredient.

Roast Display Page

Your Roast Display page defaults to show only Active Roasts.  You can filter this page to see Inactive Roasts.  

Filter by Recipe

You can also filter by recipe data (Green or PreBlend) to see all roasts with a certain ingredients.  This can be helpful if you are out of a coffee and will be updating all roasts that use that ingredient.

Tips and FAQs:

Q: I have two roasting machines with different batch sizes, how should I set batch size?

We don't currently have a way to list multiple constant batch sizes or assign roasts to certain machine.  Our recommendation is to set the batch size that you typically do for that roast.  When you're planning the day and creating the roast task, you can always override the default setting with a different value if needed.  See how in this article.

Q: I'd like my Roasts Listed in a certain order, how can I do that?

Roasts default to display in Alphabetical Order.  They will be listed on the Roast Task page in the same order you see on the Roast Display page.

If you'd like them displayed in another order, you can add a number in front of the roast and it will display on your Roast Edit page and Roast Task page in the new order.

Q: Can I drag and Drop the order of how they're displayed?

No currently you can't do that.