Test batches with the new coffee from Brazil turned out very even in roast. 0.4 points difference between whole bean and ground degree of roast measurements on the medium roast, 0.0 points difference for the darker roast.
The lighter roast only had slight changes from the initial exploratory roast which again boosted intensity, this time of a nutty flavor that I wanted to highlight in this coffee, but also had the pleasant surprise of introducing just a little bit of a honey flavor that connects well with the sweetness in the cup.
As espresso a bit of chocolate comes out of the darker roast and there's enough intensity that it should hold up in a milk drink. While it could work in an emergency, the overall flavor profile lacks the complexity I like in an espresso. Should work well as an ingredient in a blend.
The roasting plan for the darker roast is likely to look strange to people who get their roasting plans from others. I massively stretched out the period after the color change from yellow to brown prior to first crack and then pushed faster through to the end. The goal was to get a cup where the smoky flavor expected of a French Roast dominated the cup without sacrificing intensity of flavor (identified as a problem in a faster exploratory roast) or body.