Roasting something that is pretty light seems to always give people trouble. The thought (except it is wrong) is that light tasting beans should be roasted lightly. In short, I couldn't disagree more. It is light because that is all it has to give, not because it needs light treatment. If you roast a bean like this too lightly or gently, you are apt to simply not develop the flavor that is there. And the same goes for floral notes. Don't be concerned about the floral notes going away in the roast. Floral notes don't act that way. So what should you do? Well, you should roast it as aggressively as you can, with this one caveat. Don't damage the bean. Roast it with a sure, strong hand, but keep an nose out for sharp aromas (initial acidity of vinegar aside) and only dial back the power if you note those sharp aromas. So, yes, you should treat this a little more gentle but that is not the same as roasting it gently. Get the difference? That all said, it does tend to like a moderately low end of roast temperature, in the upper 240s or lower 250s. The main thing to keep in mind is the lower you go, the longer you need to go to rid the bean of raw astringency.
Drum Roasting
The roast profile for my evaluation was 13:50/16:20/20:15 @ 250 F. The EOR was just a little lower than some taking into account its moderate fruit and lower chocolate levels. Also, I kept the EOR and ramps a little lower so that it did not go bitter. If you want to really lean into the bright and vibrant flavors try X/3.0/6.0 @ 242 F.
Behmor 2000AB
If you are using a Behmor, P1 to start with 2 lb will be just fine. Be ready though to turn the power down as you start to note sharp aromas, probably pretty early on, say 12-14 minutes. When it turns sharper near the end of the count down, you are done. If it isn't there yet, add a bit more time (the C button for Continue, will reset your timer to 3:10) waiting for the turn of aroma.
Oven Roasting
This method is moderately predictable, repeatable and although not as dynamic and controllable as a drum roaster, does a good enough job.
You will need an IR thermometer and should roast 2 lb of beans. If you roast less, reduce your preheat to 325 F. Don't roast more.
Preheat your oven to 350 F.
Place your cocoa beans in a single layer on a baking sheet and into the oven.
Stir the beans at 5 minutes and check the temperature.
Continue roasting until the surface temperature reads 205-215 F (it may well vary across the beans). At that point, turn your oven down 10-15 F above your target EOR, in this case 250 + ~15 = 270 and continue to roast, stirring every 5 minutes until approximately 250 F.
Again, there will be variation but the beauty of this method is having turned the oven down it is difficult to over roast. If you do find your roast is progressing too fast, adjust accordingly, starting at 325 F and/or changing your target to 250 F. Overall you may well roast 30-40 minutes. The important part here is to get good momentum going in a hot oven and then basically coasting to finish.
