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Permalink Reply by Henry Levine on March 1, 2013 at 10:14pm

Hi
Nice gear! I'm a hobbyist with a .5k profile roaster (Yang 800n). My machine will turn on a dime so it's easy to play with profile. I drop in at 180c and hit 90c at 1:30. For light roasted DP beans drying at 6 minutes at least. Your roast development is pretty short and that's a matter of taste. Do you have any air control? I change air and gas settings during roast development.

My roast development is more like 2:30-3:00 ending @202c-208c (for drip). That way I can get a balance between origin and roast. Nothing wrong with a light roast, especially if you have some expensive beans. But not many people in my part of the country like bright coffee.

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Permalink Reply by sara macdonnell on March 1, 2013 at 10:50pm

Hi Henry

Thanks for reply, yes Ive started to also have a 6 / 7 minute drying period (up to 150c), seems to cup well, I am interested to hear that you have a 6 minute drying period

IM a bit nervous of burning the beans. Whenever I push it to a 3 min RD I can taste the roast but I will give it a try and see how it goes.

I cannot control airflow but I do have some control of the gas by turning it off and on. I am having a gas meter fitted so that I can control the flame properly.

Where are you from? Your roaster sounds interesting

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Permalink Reply by Brady on March 2, 2013 at 5:47am

I've been reluctant to jump in here, since I'm one of the least knowledgeable here when it comes to roasting. I'm trying to figure this one out as well though.

It seems to me that there are a couple of ways to achieve "sweetness". Remember that sweetness and acid are opposite sides of the same coin. That means that even if you have developed plenty of sugars, they can be overwhelmed by too much acidity. If you focus too much on sugars your coffee may be flat. Finding the right balance seems to be the trick.

You might try developing more sugars by extending the second part of your drying time AND extending your roast development time a little to tweak down any remaining excess acids.

Trying to achieve sweetness in a very light roast has been very elusive for me. Frankly, even popular national roasters seem to struggle with this. I think that's why there are so many underdeveloped coffees out there.

Could you elaborate on what you mean by "taste the roast"? Do you mean smoky, toasted, or caramelized? If the former, are you experience any tipping? How's your roaster in terms of exhausting roast smoke? I think some degree of caramelization is desirable and will help with your perceived sweetness. The key would be to find the exact balance you're looking for.

One other thing is cooling. To retain sweetness, you need to cool your beans quickly once you choose to end your roast. If your roaster's cooling capability is inadequate that may be part of your problem.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Henry Levine on March 2, 2013 at 7:26pm

Hi, I'm from Fl; my pid was set for *c and stayed with it. The DP Ethiopian profile has extended drying because it ends at the completion of 1c with 2:00min RD. It's a different profile shared by a friend with the same machine. Otherwise I end drying like you, @6 min. My machine is totally manual, the pid is only a readout. Gas control is with a needle valve and pressure gauge; air control is a rotating baffle mounted inside the exhaust pipe.

So how does the airflow work inside the Giesen drum? Does it bypass to the cooling tray with a lever? I used a handheld wind speed meter to get an idea how the different settings related; setting it on top of the chaff collector.

I've been focusing on the roast development phase, learning how to control my machine. What I'm doing is not going to translate to yours with the settings. But you could try setting targets, then work on them. One could be extending 1c for 2:00 without stalling the roast. Another one might be to end the roast with a specific RD time and temperature. Can you roast light, medium and dark? I've taken beans 30-45 seconds into 2c just to see how the roaster reacts. Some folks like burnt coffee :)

I'm currently stretching out 1c for 2:00, then ending at 2:30-3:00 somewhere between 1st and 2nd. Often I don't even know what specific temp. will be at 3:00; the gas and air control are conveniently located so the end can be adjusted.

Can your roaster pid read 500g accurately? Practicing would be more economical with 1/2 bean loads. If someone else can roast with the W1 so can you; that's how I see it.

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Permalink Reply by Mike McGinness on March 4, 2013 at 1:36pm

This article on Coffee Shrub may be helpful.

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Permalink Reply by sara macdonnell on March 5, 2013 at 11:40am

That is a really helpful article, thanks for the link

Mike McGinness said:

This article on Coffee Shrub may be helpful.

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Permalink Reply by Henry Levine on March 5, 2013 at 4:07pm

Mike's a well respected pro and shared some great green coffee with the home roasting community. :)

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