Frequently Asked Questions

The First Crack platform is free — analytics dashboards, bean inventory management, cupping workflow, recipe management, community sharing, roast comparison, and the web app are all included at no cost. No subscription, no credit card required. The native macOS live roasting app has not yet been publicly priced. You can start using First Crack today by creating roasts directly in the browser or importing from Artisan — no hardware required.

No. The First Crack web app includes Guided Roast — a live logging mode that lets you drive a timer, tap event buttons (CHARGE, first crack, drop), and type in your probe readings as the roast happens. The result is a full roast profile with phase analysis, rate of rise, and DTR — the same analytics hardware-captured roasts get. You can also import existing profiles from Artisan (.alog files) or JSON, and access bean inventory, cupping, recipes, and community features without any hardware.

Guided Roast is First Crack's web-based live roast logger. Start it from the Add Roast menu on your dashboard or roasts list; you'll pick a bean, enter your green weight, and tap Start. When the bean drops into your drum you tap CHARGE, and from there the timer runs while you tap turning point, dry end, first crack, drop, and optional markers as they happen — entering your probe reading for each. It's designed for roasters on manual drum roasters or sample roasters who want the full analytics stack without a hardware-integrated setup.

Create a free account at firstcrack.app. Once signed in, add your beans to inventory, then start roasting with Guided Roast directly in the browser — no hardware required. You can also import existing profiles from Artisan on day one.

First Crack is a natural next step for roasters who have outgrown Artisan's workflow. Artisan is an excellent free roast logger with broad hardware support, but it has no cloud sync, no bean inventory management, no analytics dashboards, no cupping workflow, no comparison sharing, and no community features. First Crack covers all of those — and the platform is free. It imports Artisan .alog files directly, so your existing profile library migrates on day one.

Yes. First Crack imports Artisan .alog files and JSON roast format directly. Your full profile library — years of roast history including curves, temperatures, and event markers — transfers on import. The import feature is available in both the web app and the native macOS app.

Cropster is a commercial platform built for production roasteries, priced at $91–$308+ per month depending on the plan. First Crack is built for specialty roasters who want a capable personal platform — analytics, inventory, cupping, community, and sharing — without fleet management complexity. The First Crack web platform is free; the native macOS live roasting app pricing has not been announced.

The First Crack native macOS app requires macOS 13 (Ventura) or later. The web platform works on any modern browser on any operating system — macOS, Windows, Linux, iOS, and Android.

The native real-time roasting app is macOS only (requires macOS 13+). The First Crack web platform works on any operating system via a modern browser — Windows, Linux, iOS, Android, and macOS are all supported.

There is no dedicated iOS or Android app. The First Crack web platform is mobile-responsive and works in Safari and Chrome on iPhone and Android. The native real-time roasting app is macOS only.

Yes. First Crack uses real-time sync. Roast profiles captured on the macOS app appear in the web app immediately — curves, analytics, and all metadata. Edits to names, notes, and bean links from the web are reflected in the macOS app. Your data is always up to date across devices.

The First Crack macOS app connects to roaster hardware via serial/USB. Full hardware compatibility details will be published when the macOS app launches. You can use all web platform features — import, analytics, inventory, cupping, community — without any hardware today.

First Crack analytics include rate of rise (RoR) curves, drop temperature, development time ratio (DTR), drying/Maillard/development phase durations, weight loss percentage, and roast-to-roast trend comparisons. Dashboards show your roast history, bean performance, cupping scores over time, and inventory levels. All analytics are visible in the web app without hardware.

Agtron is a standardized scale for measuring roast color. First Crack includes an Agtron scoring tool that lets you record a numeric color value for each roast. Roast color correlates with flavor profile and roast level — darker roasts have lower Agtron numbers. This feature is available in the web app for any roast, with or without hardware.

Yes. First Crack includes bean inventory management with freshness tracking, cost analytics, yield tracking per roast, low-stock alerts, and weight loss tracking. You can monitor stock levels by origin and lot, and see how each bean performs across multiple roasts.

First Crack includes a full SCA-style cupping workflow. You can run a cupping session on any roast profile — scoring fragrance, aroma, flavor, aftertaste, acidity, body, balance, and overall impression — and store the results. Cupping scores appear alongside roast analytics and in trend dashboards over time.

In addition to the per-roast cupping workflow, First Crack lets you record an SCA quality score (0–100) directly on each bean in your inventory. This score represents the green coffee quality — typically assigned by the supplier or assessed from a sample cupping. An SCA score of 80 or above indicates specialty-grade coffee. This is separate from per-roast cupping session scores.

First Crack recipes let you define a set of triggered actions for the macOS live roasting app — for example, setting a damper position or fan speed at a target temperature or elapsed time. Recipes can be attached to roast profiles and synced across devices. The web app lets you browse, edit, and manage your recipe library.

Yes. Any roast profile can be shared with a public link or published to the First Crack community page. Public profiles include the full roast curve, phase markers, and analytics. You can control whether your name and notes are included in the share.

First Crack lets you generate a shareable link that shows two roast curves side by side. A comparison link displays both temperature trajectories, rate of rise curves, phase durations, and key metrics in a single view — useful for showing how this batch compares to last week's roast, or for sharing a technique with the community.

Yes. When creating a share link in First Crack, you can choose whether to show your name and profile, your notes, and your tags. You can also make a roast publicly listed on the community page or keep the link private — accessible only via the direct URL.

Yes. All roast data in First Crack is yours. You can export your full library as JSON from the Settings page at any time. First Crack does not sell or share your personal data with third parties.

First Crack supports JSON export of your full roast library, including all profile data, curves, and metadata. Export is available from the Settings page.

Email contact@firstcrack.app for any questions, issues, or feedback. Email goes directly to the team — there is no ticket queue.