Coffee talk

Matt B

RAMONES
Forum Supporter
So with this machine there is no progamable modes or anything like that. Essentially it's built like a blender in that you pour the beans into a glass chamber, put the chaff collector on top, and turn it on. Then you can adjust fan speed and power level (heat) up and down between 1-9 settings while monitoring the timer and temp reading. So basically you can control those variables but its up to the user to adjust those variables as needed/desired to achieve the desired roast level.

I guess where I'm having confusion is knowing how to differentiate between first and second crack if indeed first crack just kinda rolls into the second.
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.
 

Nick Clayton

Fishing Is Neat
Forum Supporter
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

RAMONES
Forum Supporter
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

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
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

Life of the Party
Forum Supporter
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

Fishing Is Neat
Forum Supporter
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!

20220928_143359.jpg20220928_143349.jpg20220928_143339.jpg20220928_143328.jpg
 

Matt B

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

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.
 

Wayne Kohan

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

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.
 

Buzzy

I prefer to call them strike indicators.
Forum Supporter
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.
 

wanderingrichard

Life of the Party
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

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


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

Life of the Party
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.
 

Matt B

RAMONES
Forum Supporter
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

Life of the Party
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.
 
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