Ethiopia Guji Decaf Natural

I'm still a bit of a newbie roaster, so I cheated a bit, and asked ChatGPT what would be a good roasting profile using an SR540. Below is a cut-and-paste from ChatGPT on how to roast these beans using an SR540. My comments in (brackets)
——From ChatGPT--------
Ethiopian decaf, natural and sun-dried—that’s a unique combo, a decaf that still holds some fruitiness and complexity, these beans can be delicate but rewarding, especially on the SR540.

Since they’re decaf and natural-processed, you’ll want to roast gently and preserve fruit notes, while managing the brittleness and lower moisture content from the decaf process.
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Roast Profile for Ethiopian Decaf (Natural, Sun-Dried)

Roaster: Fresh Roast SR540
Batch Size: ~70g
Target Roast: Light-Medium (City+)
Flavor Goal: Berry brightness, cocoa base, smooth finish
Total Time: ~9:00 minutes
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Starting Settings
• Fan (F): 9
• Power (P): 5
• Time: Set to 10:00 (manual stop)
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Phase Breakdown
1. Drying / Yellowing (0:00–3:00)
• Fan: 9
• Power: 5
• Beans go from green to tan
• Slow start helps avoid scorching the soft, brittle beans

2. Maillard / Browning (3:00–6:00)
• Fan: 8
• Power: 6
• Aromas shift to sweet and fruity—think jammy strawberry or raisin
• Color turns golden brown; this phase builds body and caramel base

3. First Crack (6:00–7:00)
• Fan: 8–9
• Power: 4–5
• First crack is soft, almost whispery—watch closely
• Starts ~385–390°F
• You can end here for more fruit-forward notes, or stretch for chocolate depth

4. Development (Post-Crack) (7:00–8:30)
• Duration: ~1:00–1:30 minutes
• Goal: round out the fruit with cocoa or mild spice notes
• End at ~405°F—don’t go too far or you’ll lose the fruit
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Cool Down
• Hit “COOL” immediately
• Fan: 9
• Stir if needed—cooling is crucial to lock in the fruit notes
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Rest Time
• Rest 2–3 days max
• Natural-processed beans peak quickly and then fade
• Sweet spot: 48 hours after roast
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Flavor Notes to Expect
• Fruit: Blueberry, strawberry jam, raisin
• Body: Medium, syrupy if development is right
• Finish: Cocoa, light spice, smooth
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If you want to nudge the profile fruitier, drop the development time a bit and pull the roast closer to the start of first crack. For a more chocolate-heavy profile, stretch development closer to 90 seconds.
(I decided to stretch the development to 60 seconds. The result was the fruity notes were still present, with a slightly pronounced chocolate profile).
This was so so surprising. It was well received.
For other newbie roasters, ChatGPT has turned into a valuable source for roasting profiles for whatever beans you are using.

I roast this a bit slower than other Ethiopians with a lower charge temperature and longer development time (2:30) and it works well for a delicious pour over, but especially love it as a cappuccino or latte.

Made this as a light roast and it was amazing.

The store redirected to shop, which changed my shipping details with auto fill as I was finishing up and support was very quick to help when I realized seconds after ordering. It was my fault but showed how great they are when it was no problem to sort out(I noticed and emailed well before it shipped). Will be buying more from this store some time in the future

I've only roasted Columbian decaf in the past (have roasted plenty of full octane beans). Still learning how to roast decaf properly, and I accidentally roasted the Ethiopian to Vienna roast. Amazingly it turned out to be quite flavourful and a similar flavor profile to Yergacheffe (I'm a huge fan of caffeinated Yergacheffe beans roasted to full city.)
Will absolutely buy this again.

Roaster: popcorn popper. Used one of those hot-plate kinds with the lid and automatic stirrers - not the air popper, which I usually use. Roasted for 55 minutes. The unfortunate part of this machine is its really hard to hear the cracks because it roasts at a lower temperature, as opposed to the air popper.
Brew method: Coffee maker
(K yeah, I know, but the flavor was still 10x better than any store bought decaf roast). I enjoy the aeropress and French press for individual cups.

This coffee is great roasting the first batch of the day .
Very well balanced with a smooth finish. It’s a decaf to discover if you need a coffee break late afternoon or even at night !
Thanks . Pierre