My First Roast - comments welcome

[gvillegrrl]

Wow, Martin - what a setup! You're one dedicated coffee roaster! And that fact that Igor (uh, yer Mrs.) would brave the winter cold to assist says a lot about her...namely, that you'd better hang on to her cuz you'll never find a woman like that again!

I've run out of the the two batches (out of five) which came out perfecto (hastened by the fact that I had to SHARE with coworkers ). I'm making myself drink the not-so-great stuff so as not to waste it. But I'm looking forward to roasting again, probably Sunday or Monday.

[martin]

Wow, Martin - what a setup! You're one dedicated coffee roaster! :) And that fact that Igor (uh, yer Mrs.) would brave the winter cold to assist says a lot about her...namely, that you'd better hang on to her cuz you'll never find a woman like that again! ;)

I had never ever intended to end up roasting using the gun & bowl approach, though I'd read about it while reading more or less everything I came across about homeroasting during the tail end of 2009. The plan had been to use the as-yet unbought roaster appliance to satisfy family demands for a Xmas list (that worked) and then, after the new model Freshroasts arrived and Tom had a chance to review them in depth, use it to [help] cover the purchase of whichever one I decided suited me best. Somehow I ended up with both the gift certificate and an 8# sampler of greens on Christmas day, and I had a heat gun, a porch, and a medium-sized stainless mixing bowl that I was willing to hazard. So on the 26th I summoned Igor to the cold lab...

Learned a few things pretty quickly. Your regular porcelain (?) dinner plate doesn't deal well with the hot bottom of the bowl sitting on one side while the rest of the plate is exposed to a near-freezing ambient; it sounds a lot like a really emphatic first crack as it becomes two half plates. This led to the silicon baking sheet folded around a cookie rack as seen in the photos, and despite some initial concerns it's worked splendidly. The metal wisk works better and scorches less than a wooden spoon. And, at least with air temperatures of 45F and lower, the optimum fixed gun placement is with the muzzle about 1" above the rim of the bowl - it's deeper for its size than the traditional dog bowl - and vertical. Based on yesterday afternoon's roast I'm pondering ways I might slightly back it off as the beans enter C1, as they seemed to sprint on towards C2 faster than necessary. OTOH, with the Nesco expected to arrive on Monday, it may be time for the tripod to resume being just a tripod once again. :-)

[johndespres]

Good evening, all.

One way to ensure rest is to roast several batches in one session, then drink as you normally do, making your way through the various batches, making tasting notes as you go.

This is a great thread! Heather, your progress and enthusiasm are both great fun to read about. Keep having fun.

John

[gvillegrrl]

I had never ever intended to end up roasting using the gun & bowl approach, though I'd read about it while reading more or less everything I came across about homeroasting during the tail end of 2009. The plan had been to use the as-yet unbought roaster appliance to satisfy family demands for a Xmas list (that worked) and then, after the new model Freshroasts arrived and Tom had a chance to review them in depth, use it to [help] cover the purchase of whichever one I decided suited me best. Somehow I ended up with both the gift certificate and an 8# sampler of greens on Christmas day, and I had a heat gun, a porch, and a medium-sized stainless mixing bowl that I was willing to hazard. So on the 26th I summoned Igor to the cold lab...

Learned a few things pretty quickly. Your regular porcelain (?) dinner plate doesn't deal well with the hot bottom of the bowl sitting on one side while the rest of the plate is exposed to a near-freezing ambient; it sounds a lot like a really emphatic first crack as it becomes two half plates. This led to the silicon baking sheet folded around a cookie rack as seen in the photos, and despite some initial concerns it's worked splendidly. The metal wisk works better and scorches less than a wooden spoon. And, at least with air temperatures of 45F and lower, the optimum fixed gun placement is with the muzzle about 1" above the rim of the bowl - it's deeper for its size than the traditional dog bowl - and vertical. Based on yesterday afternoon's roast I'm pondering ways I might slightly back it off as the beans enter C1, as they seemed to sprint on towards C2 faster than necessary. OTOH, with the Nesco expected to arrive on Monday, it may be time for the tripod to resume being just a tripod once again.

I'm pretty sure there's some sort of medical term for the mental imbalance that causes bean roasting fixation (BRF?). We have a problem. Really. And I'm not sure Igor should be enabling you. But, then again, maybe I'm just jealous that my dog won't help me whisk.

If I weren't careful I might be jealous of the Nesco. But, rather than allow such base emotions to engulf me, I'm going to choose to be self-righteous about the purity of roasting in my Poppery 2 while trying to fan the fire alarm.

[gvillegrrl]

Good evening, all.

One way to ensure rest is to roast several batches in one session, then drink as you normally do, making your way through the various batches, making tasting notes as you go.

This is a great thread! Heather, your progress and enthusiasm are both great fun to read about. Keep having fun.

John

Hey, John,

I can definitely taste the difference in batches as they mellow in their Tupperware bowls on the kitchen counter. Currently, I'm grudgingly forcing myself to drink the last of the first two batches I did. One is under-roasted; the other is "baked," (never reached FC after 20 min.); both are now getting kind of old. They're actually better than a lot of store-bought, but they don't compare to a couple of batches which game out perfectly, and which are - of course - long gone. I have enough roasted beans to last me about three more days (dammit!) so I will roast again on Wed. morning and have yummy java Thursday morning. Yay!

Heather

[whindbagg]

Wow, Martin - what a setup! You're one dedicated coffee roaster! And that fact that Igor (uh, yer Mrs.) would brave the winter cold to assist says a lot about her...namely, that you'd better hang on to her cuz you'll never find a woman like that again!

I had never ever intended to end up roasting using the gun & bowl approach, though I'd read about it while reading more or less everything I came across about homeroasting during the tail end of 2009. The plan had been to use the as-yet unbought roaster appliance to satisfy family demands for a Xmas list (that worked) and then, after the new model Freshroasts arrived and Tom had a chance to review them in depth, use it to [help] cover the purchase of whichever one I decided suited me best. Somehow I ended up with both the gift certificate and an 8# sampler of greens on Christmas day, and I had a heat gun, a porch, and a medium-sized stainless mixing bowl that I was willing to hazard. So on the 26th I summoned Igor to the cold lab...

Learned a few things pretty quickly. Your regular porcelain (?) dinner plate doesn't deal well with the hot bottom of the bowl sitting on one side while the rest of the plate is exposed to a near-freezing ambient; it sounds a lot like a really emphatic first crack as it becomes two half plates. This led to the silicon baking sheet folded around a cookie rack as seen in the photos, and despite some initial concerns it's worked splendidly. The metal wisk works better and scorches less than a wooden spoon. And, at least with air temperatures of 45F and lower, the optimum fixed gun placement is with the muzzle about 1" above the rim of the bowl - it's deeper for its size than the traditional dog bowl - and vertical. Based on yesterday afternoon's roast I'm pondering ways I might slightly back it off as the beans enter C1, as they seemed to sprint on towards C2 faster than necessary. OTOH, with the Nesco expected to arrive on Monday, it may be time for the tripod to resume being just a tripod once again.

Interesting setup. I imagine it's a long-handled whisk so you don't scorch the mitts, right?
Let us know if what happens with the Nesco. And if it works beyond your wildest dreams. And if so, are you going to put up your current setup on eBay? I can just imagine the listing. Gently used heavy-duty dog bowl heat-gun coffee roaster with AI. Serious inquiries only.

[whindbagg]

I'm pretty sure there's some sort of medical term for the mental imbalance that causes bean roasting fixation (BRF?). We have a problem. Really. And I'm not sure Igor should be enabling you. But, then again, maybe I'm just jealous that my dog won't help me whisk.

I think the condition is called obsession, and yeah, it is a problem, and yes, you are now officially around the bend. There is nothing left for it but to enjoy the ride.

But you are right when you say we are geeks about all this. I am constantly amazed by the ingenuity of people who the cobble together Rube Goldberg-like contraptions to better serve The Bean.

How did your colleagues like the roasts? Are you proselytizing the miracle of The Roast with missionary zeal to them? Or are they happy to let you do all the work in feeding their habit? Beware you don't become an enabler yourself!

[gvillegrrl]

I think the condition is called obsession, and yeah, it is a problem, and yes, you are now officially around the bend. There is nothing left for it but to enjoy the ride.

But you are right when you say we are geeks about all this. I am constantly amazed by the ingenuity of people who the cobble together Rube Goldberg-like contraptions to better serve The Bean.

How did your colleagues like the roasts? Are you proselytizing the miracle of The Roast with missionary zeal to them? Or are they happy to let you do all the work in feeding their habit? Beware you don't become an enabler yourself!

I know. I'm sick (she said, hanging her head). I realized it today when, while roasting greens in the popper, I found myself using the stopwatch on my cell phone to make exact notes with regard to times and stages, and carrying roasted beans to the computer to compare the color to SM's chart. Alas, "the bend" has long faded in my rear-view mirror.

Colleagues are most enthusiastic about the roast, but those yahoos are going to have to roast their own beans from now on. The first one's free; after that you have to pay! And I've already turned a complete stranger (a customer where I work) on to the whole thing. He came in the other day and said he had a shipment on the way from SM's. Do you think SM will put me on commission!? (Yo, Tom, how 'bout a free T-shirt, dude?)

Thank goodness the nasty under-roasted stuff is finally gone. I roasted Brazilian Cerrado DP Fazenda Aurea this morning - two roasts; one 30 secs into C2 and the other just past C1, but before C2. Too cold to go outside (some of us don't have Igor to assist!) so I covered the smoke alarm with saran wrap, which worked like a charm. Been trying all day to decide which one to brew first (or mix the two!?).

BRF - it's a sickness. I need help.

[martin]

Geeze, I spend one evening with a good book and a new roaster, and I get this much behind?!? Three shorter replies and then a longer narrative - the Nesco narrative, take one.

Obsession is definitely the word for it!

Not an especially long handled wisk. Probably because I grabbed the mixing bowl on hand, which is basically a ~7" diameter hemisphere with a bit of a flat on the bottom, the hot air doesn't spread out much until it gets well above the rim of the bowl. So I can hold the wisk barehand off to the side and stir just fine. I was a little surprised there wasn't enough conducted heat to matter, but in hindsight, the wires are very very thin, so "catch" little of the heated airflow, compared ot the distance from the warm zone to the hand.

Ebay? Heck no - the gun goes back on the workbench, and the tripod back into its bag in case I ever want to take it out for some photo work again. No part of the gun & bowl setup was purchased for that use - oh, except the wooden spoon that browned enough to worry me in its one use, and that was part of a very very cheap set.

So, yeah, I came home Monday to find the Nesco, another 8# sampler and the mini-Ibis kettle waiting to be unboxed and washed before using. Waited for Cally to get home from bell choir rehersal before doing the first roast, for which I prepared a 4 oz charge of the Guatamala Huehuetenago Finca La Maravilla, whcih I still had left from the XMas sampler. Ran the Nesco empty briefly to see if it all looked to be working - it did - and got a good whiff of fresh hot heater wire smell, so I ran it for about one minute more before loading the beans and starting the roast. Set the timer to 22 to leave some slack, pressed start, and...

Y'know, compared to gun & bowl this is a pretty boring way to turn greens into roasted coffee. :-) That screw really keeps the beans stirred up, and while the Nesco isn't terribly noisy we didn't hear very much first crack. OTOH, we did hear some cracks (one early one at about 8:00), and my notes suggest that these Huehuetenago beans may tend to be quiet. So by 14:00 we seemed to be past first crack and getting nicely browned, though it's true about a good deal of chaff staying in the roast chamber; between that and the pretty quick dance the beans are doing it's not the easiest thing to judge the color. Anyway, pressed cool at 14 minutes, let it run for 1 minute and dumped the beans into the cooling tray; put the chaff filter back on and let it run its regular cool-down to make sure I didn't leave the internals excessively warm.

Funny thing about that chaff. It looks a right mess inside the chamber, but there was only a pinch of chaff in the pan when I slid the cooled beans off. The chaff collector cup was surprisngly full after the cooling cycle had finished. Beans were pretty even, and if I went a little + on the C+ I had in mind, I think it was pretty good for a first time out. Couldn't wait and had a cup this morning - very nice, but I expect another day's rest will help.

[whindbagg]

...I realized it today when, while roasting greens in the popper, I found myself using the stopwatch on my cell phone to make exact notes with regard to times and stages, and carrying roasted beans to the computer to compare the color to SM's chart.

You use the tools you have, not so strange (at least to those of us who are gonzo nuts too). Timing the roast is important. I use the countdown timer on the microwave and have to do a quick conversion in my head. I start the timer at 20 minutes and when it reads 12:00 I know I'm at eight minutes, etc. Are you finding a good color match between your roast and the expected stage on the screen? Is your monitor from a laptop or or flat lcd screen or is it an old-fashioned CRT computer monitor? CRT's look brighter. And like I said, Tom took those shots under bright light. You'll need to observe your beans under a halogen bulb or sunlight or sumpin' to get a good match. And those DP beans can have a lot of off-color beans, too.

Thank goodness the nasty under-roasted stuff is finally gone. I roasted Brazilian Cerrado DP Fazenda Aurea this morning - two roasts; one 30 secs into C2 and the other just past C1, but before C2. Too cold to go outside (some of us don't have Igor to assist!) so I covered the smoke alarm with saran wrap, which worked like a charm. Been trying all day to decide which one to brew first (or mix the two!?).

Just couldn't bring yourself to toss the under-roasted beans, huh? All right, you have a solid C+ and a good FC+. Now I haven't tried this bean yet, although I did the read Tom's notes on it. I tend to like the lower acid, earthier, nut-chocolate flavor notes, so maybe I'll get some. A C+ cup tends to be brighter, as you have probably experienced, and a darker roast tends to mute those bright notes and bring out things like molasses and chocolate. Ideally a side by side comparison of a C+ and a FC+ brew of a particular bean is quite striking in like, say a "fruit-bomb", like the old Ethiopia Organic Idido Misty Valley DP of a year and a half, two years ago ( I so miss that lot!), where the fruit notes of the C+ are amazing, but in the FC+ fade dramatically and are replaced by the dark chocolate. In the Brazilian Cerrado it sounds like the difference would be more subtle, that of nutty in C+ going to chocolate in FC+. I guess what I'm trying to suggest, for whatever it's worth, is not to blend the two roasts; use them separately to educate your palate. And the FC+ would have a longer rest time, anyway.

Sail on!

Lionel