Coffee talk

I did some Uganda with a slightly longer roast time and definitely liked the first roast better. The more subtle flavors for wiped out by the darker roast.

May try this one on a lower heat setting for longer. That can really change how certain beans roast as well. Just takes more babysitting during the end of the roast.
 
I did some Uganda with a slightly longer roast time and definitely liked the first roast better. The more subtle flavors for wiped out by the darker roast.

May try this one on a lower heat setting for longer. That can really change how certain beans roast as well. Just takes more babysitting during the end of the roast.
So you’re saying Uganda keep trying some different roast profiles. I see. Carry on.
 
Rod -
I made a cold brew week before last; it was weak. Give me your formula, recipe, success story know how./Pat
Weak coffee won’t do! I roast 4.0 oz of green beans, grind with my Encore to size 20, add to the French press along with 3.25 cups of cold water. Let it soak on the countertop for 16-18 hours or in the fridge for 24. Press and enjoy over ice. I get about 24 fluid ounces, which for me is three servings per batch.
 
Test batch success! This is some primo Ethiopian coffee if you like a blend of chocolate and ripe berries. I stopped the roast at the very beginning of second crack.
I like that blend for espresso, too.
I’ve been working my way through these two during a family week at the beach. I roasted extra since I am sharing with people whose appreciation for a proper coffee I deem worthy. 😼
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For the dark roast people, Costco members can get $10 off 4 pounds of Mayorga Cafe Cubano right now. Not sure if it’s in the warehouses but I ordered it online. Try it in cold brew!
 
I think with some batches of beans, depending on the process and probably ambient conditions during roasting, there are just always going to be some that are more or less dense or have more or less moisture in them to start and so there will be those outliers.


Unless you have some kicking around still, that batch is gone so we will never get to examine closely but I would call that a City roast. It was well into first crack when I stopped the heat and started to coast into the end. But yeah as I mentioned I hate over roasting my coffee so with my air roaster I usually aim to start the cooling cycle before every last bean has cracked, since there’s a lag time, kinda like an electric stove vs the immediacy of gas.


Right now I’m sipping a French press pot of 3/4 Burundi, 1/4 Ethiopian coffee. It’s damn fine, too.

I brought some home roast and an aeropress with me, traveling, but I’ve been sharing it a lot and I’m not sure it’s going to last the trip! 😱I might need to, gasp, BUY some roasted coffee somewhere before I go to the what I can only imagine is a fine coffee desert of central Florida.
That Sweet Marias link is gold, thanks for sharing it, Matt. I’d read plenty of shorthand guides on roast levels but never anything that laid it out with that much nuance. I think that’s part of what keeps me hooked on home roasting: every batch teaches you something new, and half the time it’s not what you thought you were going to learn.


Also, Evan, I’m with you on the “better to stop a little early” approach. I’ve lost a few batches chasing that last crack and regretted it. These days, if I’m on the fence, I’ll pull it and live with a slightly lighter cup. More often than not, it ends up being brighter and more interesting anyway.


Safe travels, by the way, if you do end up buying coffee in central Florida, I’m curious what you find. Sometimes those “desert” spots surprise you.
 
Been working through a couple pounds of SM 10-speed blend. It’s billed as being super flexible; light to dark, brewed coffee or espresso. My first impression was kinda meh. But now that it’s cold in the mornings and staying dark, I appreciate a good, right down the middle cup.

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Mmmmm yep put me in coach.

As a very unsophisticated roaster who tends to buy in bulk, I kinda enjoy how the changing of the season takes me from a darker medium roast to a lighter roast simply because I don’t adjust my settings to account for the change of ambient temp on my garage. Let nature decide!
 
Mmmmm yep put me in coach.

As a very unsophisticated roaster who tends to buy in bulk, I kinda enjoy how the changing of the season takes me from a darker medium roast to a lighter roast simply because I don’t adjust my settings to account for the change of ambient temp on my garage. Let nature decide!
That's kinda my situation too - I roasted today, it was a bit breezy and 40°F roasting at the open garage door. One compensation I've utilized is smaller batches (unlike the pros on this thread, I don't weigh my beans, I measure them). A half cup roasts up quicker and more evenly (I think) this time of year than a full cup. (I roasted up a new to me bean this morning, a Costa Rican bean "La Minita", smelled wonderful, taste test tomorrow morning.)
 
My little air popper roasts slower now than over the summer, for sure. I was hitting a darker medium roast in about 5.5 minutes today. In August that would have taken 4 to 4.5 minutes.
 
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