Coffee talk

[Nick Clayton]

I suspect you may have not hit second crack. Have you done more batches? That first one you posted did not look like it had hit second crack to me.

I asked for the same machine for my birthday. Good chance I get one.

Ya that one I posted is the only one I've done focused on light. Definitely nowhere near second crack on that one. I've done several other roasts where I pushed them much further but just haven't felt like I've found that light bulb "ohhhhh that's definitely second crack" moment.

So far I'm really digging the machine. No doubt in more experienced hands it would really roast some great coffee. Even my first handful of attempts have been damned tasty.

 

[Matt B]

Ya that one I posted is the only one I've done focused on light. Definitely nowhere near second crack on that one. I've done several other roasts where I pushed them much further but just haven't felt like I've found that light bulb "ohhhhh that's definitely second crack" moment.

So far I'm really digging the machine. No doubt in more experienced hands it would really roast some great coffee. Even my first handful of attempts have been damned tasty.

If it tastes great then it is great, right?
Smell has become a huge clue for me. If I’m smelling things but not hearing things, I’ll pull a couple out and look at them. Occasionally I have encountered some beans that seem to be weirdly quiet with the crack.

 

[ThatGuyRyRy]

It depends on the bean, but I typically roast for 6-7 minutes. I'm running 9 heat and 9 blower for the first minute, then I turn down to either blower setting to 5-6 for the remaining time until I get to the cool off where I turn the blower back up to 9 again

 

[ThatGuyRyRy]

Ya that one I posted is the only one I've done focused on light. Definitely nowhere near second crack on that one. I've done several other roasts where I pushed them much further but just haven't felt like I've found that light bulb "ohhhhh that's definitely second crack" moment.

So far I'm really digging the machine. No doubt in more experienced hands it would really roast some great coffee. Even my first handful of attempts have been damned tasty.

It depends on the bean, but I typically roast for 6-7 minutes. I'm running 9 heat and 9 blower for the first minute, then I turn down to either blower setting to 5-6 for the remaining time until I get to the cool off where I turn the blower back up to 9 again

 

[Nick Clayton]

My journey into roasting has been a ton of fun so far. I haven't had a lot of time to devote to it, but I've been roasting a batch or two every night after getting off the ocean.

It took me quite a few tries to really start seeing positive results. My early attempts were pulled too early or far too late. It was getting a bit frustrating, but I finally found myself getting the hang of it and the last week or so have had some fantastic cups.

Learning how to regulate the temp as well as when to pull the beans has been key. I found I was blasting right through first crack and into second too quickly and way over roasting my beans often. I feel I've gotten a much better understanding of that and how to monitor the heat to get a nice rolling first crack without going straight into second. I'm also getting much better at using my eyes to know when it's time to pull them.

Today was my first day off in quite a while so along with some errands I've been roasting off and on today. Did a Kenyan, an Ethiopian, some Columbian, and another batch of a Costa Rica bean that I ordered from Captains Coffee that is just wonderful. Can't wait to try these out!

 

[wanderingrichard]

Why is it when people derive simple pleasures from something, there's always somebody throwing cold water on it ?

Paper-Filtered Coffee and Cholesterol | NutritionFacts.org

New data suggest even paper-filtered coffee may raise “bad” LDL cholesterol. As I discuss in my recent video Does Coffee Affect Cholesterol?, if you give

nutritionfacts.org

 

[Matt B]

Why is it when people derive simple pleasures from something, there's always somebody throwing cold water on it ?

Paper-Filtered Coffee and Cholesterol | NutritionFacts.org

New data suggest even paper-filtered coffee may raise “bad” LDL cholesterol. As I discuss in my recent video Does Coffee Affect Cholesterol?, if you give

nutritionfacts.org

Well you can’t blame people for wanting to not harm themselves. Here’s my take, for me, with my cholesta-muhrol challenges, on this particular topic: I’m going to die of something, and it won’t be from lack of coffee. I drink a modest amount of really good tasting coffee every damn day and it’s usually through a paper filter in an Aeropress. I’m sure some coffee goes into my cup without contacting paper but I don’t sweat it.

 

[troutpocket]

I’m hosting family this weekend. They typically go for a darker roast so I did a couple batches of a Sweet Maria’s espresso blend aiming for FC+



It comes out just fine with an Aeropress. Full body and a little syrupy. Makes a nice Americano.

 

[Wayne Kohan]

Why is it when people derive simple pleasures from something, there's always somebody throwing cold water on it ?

Paper-Filtered Coffee and Cholesterol | NutritionFacts.org

New data suggest even paper-filtered coffee may raise “bad” LDL cholesterol. As I discuss in my recent video Does Coffee Affect Cholesterol?, if you give

nutritionfacts.org

One needs to look at appropriate end points in studies. Just because it (minimally) raises your LDL cholesterol, it does not mean you die quicker. Sometimes there are other things that come in to play as well. I take a statin drug as it increases my chance of living longer due to my heart disease, but it also increases my risk of diabetes. And it has effects that decrease the risk of further cardiac events past its cholesterol lowering ability.

Here's a study from earlier this year showing drinking coffee lengthens your life, so drink away.

Drinking coffee may be linked to lower risk of death, even with a little sugar

People in the U.K. who had more than one daily cup of coffee had a lower mortality risk than non-coffee drinkers, a study found.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Buzzy]

Well you can’t blame people for wanting to not harm themselves. Here’s my take, for me, with my cholesta-muhrol challenges, on this particular topic: I’m going to die of something, and it won’t be from lack of coffee. I drink a modest amount of really good tasting coffee every damn day and it’s usually through a paper filter in an Aeropress. I’m sure some coffee goes into my cup without contacting paper but I don’t sweat it.

Amen! Well stated. On my first cup of "pour over" Columbia Finca Palmical. I'll take my chances with the cholesterol problem resulting from paper filters.

 

[Nick Clayton]

Of all the things that could end up taking me out, coffee is just not a concern.

I've given up almost all of my other vices, coffee is one thing I'm just not gonna sweat. The ocean is likely to get me before coffee does.

 

[wanderingrichard]

I'm like Nick, I have very very few vices in my life now. A great cup of coffee and maybe a nice porter or stout once in a while and that's about it.

It irks me that someone would waste valuable research time and resources to basically tell the world that coffee done a certain way raises your cholesterol.

In this day and age, those resources could have been more constructively used fighting cancer, ebola, Alzheimer's, ALS, COVID, or any other of a myriad onerous health problems plaguing the world, because we already know cholesterol can be a bad thing if left unchecked

Maybe those involved in that study should be made to repay the grant money they wasted on this farce.

 

[wanderingrichard]

For those wanting a Baratza..


GQ: The Baratza Encore Coffee Grinder Is on Sale for the First Time Ever.

Our Favorite Coffee Grinder Is on Sale for the First Time Ever

Baratza's easy-to-use bean pulverizer has never been cheaper.

www.gq.com

 

[wanderingrichard]

Ummm, for those of you who roast your own, this just popped up as a hazard.

Coffee roasting chemical and flu combo seriously damages lungs

When combined with the flu, short-term exposure to a chemical used in coffee roasting can damage the lungs, a new study with mice shows.

www.futurity.org

Personally I think its more directed at those who work in the industrial sized roasting facilities, but you might want to dig into it a bit deeper

 

[wanderingrichard]

Interesting. I wonder if the competition was based on Facebook friends voting... ??


Daily Coffee News: Roast Magazine Announces 2023 Roaster of the Year WinnersDaily Coffee News by Roast Magazine.

Roast Magazine Announces 2023 Roaster of the Year Winners

Rabbit Hole Roasters and Cafe Kreyol have won Roast magazine’s 19th annual Roaster of the Year competition. The two coffee roasting companies will be featured in the trade publication’s Novemb…

dailycoffeenews.com

 

[mtskibum16]

Can’t say my profile is perfect but it’s consistent! Dotted is target and solid is current roast. Top green line bean temp and lower green rate of rise.

 

[troutpocket]

This is about as dark as I roast. Per recommendation from Sweet Maria’s. I went 17 minutes which is about double the roast time I used for Kenyan beans over the summer.

It’s a deep, chocolate-y, dense cup. Yum.

 

[Matt B]

This is about as dark as I roast. Per recommendation from Sweet Maria’s. I went 17 minutes which is about double the roast time I used for Kenyan beans over the summer.
View attachment 37302View attachment 37303
It’s a deep, chocolate-y, dense cup. Yum.

Wow, must be a dense bean; that's pretty light for that long a roast. Looks and sounds delicious.

 

[mtskibum16]

This is about as dark as I roast. Per recommendation from Sweet Maria’s. I went 17 minutes which is about double the roast time I used for Kenyan beans over the summer.
View attachment 37302View attachment 37303
It’s a deep, chocolate-y, dense cup. Yum.

You're using a popcorn popper right? Maybe it's just because of the types of beans you are usually roasting, but I'm surprised how uneven many of the roasts you post are. I usually assumed it was just the typical naturally processed light roast thing, but my roaster would never have anywhere near that type of variation with a dark roast. Are you getting plenty of agitation? Again, it could just be the bean and I'm certainly not criticizing, just trying to understand where the unevenness comes from.

 

[troutpocket]

You're using a popcorn popper right? Maybe it's just because of the types of beans you are usually roasting, but I'm surprised how uneven many of the roasts you post are. I usually assumed it was just the typical naturally processed light roast thing, but my roaster would never have anywhere near that type of variation with a dark roast. Are you getting plenty of agitation? Again, it could just be the bean and I'm certainly not criticizing, just trying to understand where the unevenness comes from.

I’ve commented on the inherent variation in roast level that comes with using an air popper. But you’re right about it being especially obvious in a dark roast!