Two books, one craft. The honest answer to which one belongs on your shelf depends less on what you want to know — and more on where you are in your roasting journey today.
When I sat down to write about coffee roasting, I quickly realised there were really two books inside me. One was the book I wished someone had handed me when I was just starting out — the kind that explains what a coffee bean actually is before it tries to explain what to do with one. The other was the book I needed when I was studying for my Q Instructor certification — a real reference that connected what I felt at the roaster to the chemistry, physics, and thermodynamics happening inside the drum.
Trying to write both into a single volume would have produced a book that wasn't quite right for anyone. So I split them. Book 1: A Beginner's Guide to Coffee Roasting and Book 2: The Science of Coffee Roasting are companions, not competitors. They share the same author, the same roastery, and the same philosophy — but they are written for two very different moments in a roaster's life.
This guide is the conversation I'd have with you if you walked into Tasse today and asked, "Which one should I buy first?"
Starting Out
Book 1: A Beginner's Guide
165 pages · 12 chapters across 5 parts
- • You've never roasted coffee before
- • You own equipment but haven't started
- • You want to understand origins before profiles
- • You prefer plain-language explanations
Going Deep
Book 2: The Science of Roasting
~340 pages, 2nd ed. · 32 chapters + 6 practitioner supplements
- • You've roasted for 12+ months already
- • You want to know why, not just how
- • You're preparing for SCA / Q certifications
- • You're running a commercial roastery
Both books are also available in paperback on Amazon KDP. Search "The Roasting Bible Wing Yuen".
Book 1 in Two Sentences
The Book That Removes the Intimidation
Book 1 is for the curious beginner. It assumes nothing — no chemistry background, no roasting experience, no fancy equipment. It starts not with profiles or temperature curves, but with the coffee itself: what the plant is, where it grows, how the cherry becomes a green bean, and why those decisions made by farmers on the other side of the world shape the roast you're about to attempt.
Once that foundation is solid, the book walks you through what actually happens inside the bean during roasting — heat, energy, the three phases, first crack — in plain language. Then it gets practical: equipment options for every budget, your first roast walked through step by step, roast levels and how to taste them, and how to build a simple log so you can repeat what works.
Key idea
"Beginners don't need advanced theory first. What you need is context." — that line opens the preface, and the whole book is built around it.
What you'll learn in Book 1
- What coffee is, where it grows, and why origin matters
- How processing (washed, natural, honey) changes the green bean
- What heat does inside the bean — the three phases of roasting
- First crack and how to read it
- Choosing equipment without overspending
- Your first roast — start to finish
- Tasting your own coffee like a roaster
- Building a roast log and finding consistency
Book 2 in Two Sentences
The Book That Closes the Gap Between Feel and Why
Book 2 is for the intermediate or advanced roaster who has stood in front of a drum long enough to develop intuition — and now wants to understand the science underneath that intuition. It assumes you've roasted for at least 12–18 months, that you know the language (charge temperature, RoR, DTR, first crack, TDS), and that you are ready for a real reference text.
This second edition runs roughly 340 pages and is built like a working manual. Seven parts move from green coffee science and thermodynamics, through the Maillard reaction and caramelisation, into physical transformations and profile design, then into sensory science, professional operations, and where the industry is heading. Six new practitioner supplements sit at the back — field-tested tools for green evaluation, profile design, scaling, seasonal transitions, espresso roasting, and troubleshooting.
Key idea
"Intuition plus science — that's where the power is." Book 2 is built on the premise that craft and chemistry are partners, not opponents.
What you'll learn in Book 2
- Green coffee chemistry — what you're actually transforming
- Conduction, convection, radiation: how heat enters a bean
- The Maillard cascade, Strecker degradation, caramelisation
- Glass transition, pressure, porosity, extractability
- RoR, DTR, and profile design as engineering problems
- SCA cupping methodology and flavour chemistry
- Production roasting, blending, sample roasting, software
- Six practitioner supplements you can use on Monday morning
Which One Should You Start With?
Here is the simplest way I know to answer that question — without trying to sell you both at once.
Start with Book 1 if…
- You've never completed a roast from charge to drop
- You've roasted a handful of times but still feel unsure why things happen
- The terms RoR, DTR, or Maillard make you want to close the tab
- You're buying for a friend, partner, or team member who is just getting curious
Start with Book 2 if…
- You've been roasting for a year or more and feel like you've plateaued
- You're preparing for SCA Intermediate / Professional, or Q Grader exams
- You run a roastery and want to make your process reproducible
- You can already taste the difference between two roasts but can't always explain it
And honestly — many readers end up with both, in that order. Book 1 gives you the vocabulary and the confidence to actually use Book 2. Book 2 turns the instincts you built in Book 1 into a real, repeatable craft. They were always meant to sit on the same shelf.
A Note on Format
Both books are available as digital editions through this site — instant download, searchable, easy to keep open on a tablet next to the roaster. Both are also available in paperback on Amazon KDP for readers who prefer a physical book to mark up and live with. The content is identical in both formats; choose what fits how you actually study.
Browse Both Books
The Roasting Bible Collection
Two books, written for two moments in a roaster's life. See both digital editions side by side.
VIEW THE COLLECTIONBook 1 — Beginner's Guide · Book 2 — The Science
Also available in paperback on Amazon KDP — search "The Roasting Bible Wing Yuen".
Written by Wing Yuen — SCA Authorised Trainer, CQI-certified Q Instructor, and founder of Tasse Coffee Roastery in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The Roasting Bible series distils what I teach in our SCA Roasting courses into two books for self-study. Questions? Come visit the roastery, or reply to any of our newsletters.
