Coffee roasting is an example of a classic optimisation process.
The roaster is looking to achieve the best result for a given objective function (subjective flavour, texture, brightness... choose your own adventure) given a set of constraints (cost, complexity, availability of green beans). The process itself makes me think of a multi-dimensional game of Battleship, a two dimensional search game. The additional factors which make the roasting game so interesting (and also impossible to perfect) are the various inputs which change the roast result: pre- or post-roast blending, blend components, charge and drop temperature, temperature ramp profile, atmospheric conditions, roaster configuration (mainly proportion of conductive versus convective heating)... you can see that there are many inputs and that the permutations for any particular roast are infinite.
Thanks for letting me get that out of my system.
Having written all of the above, you should try out one particular coffee which has been the SPECTACULAR result of this process... Exotic Espresso - Colombia Hacienda La Esperanza. This is my current favourite espresso, beautifully balanced and an incredible spectrum of ridiculous flavours arising from the green bean and the range of processing techniques that have been used.
Enjoy your day!
To read about the roaster trier click here
To learn about roaster thermocouples click here