Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Chris Cockrell on December 1, 2009 at 6:01am

This is a hard set of questions to answer without knowing what type of roaster you are using. Please provide some additional information and help will come. Chris

Permalink Reply by iñigo on December 2, 2009 at 6:52am

Hi Chris, thank you for your attention. I did my own roaster because I look for one in internet and they were so expensive so I decide to fabricate it.I bought one machine like this
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_udrXCl4P538/R7RHrgcvqCI/AAAAAAAAAMc/_RznQ...
At the image doesnt appear the container but there it is a blade who moves the coffee.
I changed the electronic to have more temperature, it goes well,and I introduce one digital thermometer inside to have the exactly temperature because the normal thermometers are not too much exactly. The problem is that I dont know if I roast well, I saw videos of probat machines and diedrich and I saw that the temperature normaly goes down a lot when they introduce the coffee.That doesnt happen in my roaster because I roast 125grs per batch and its not enough to pull down the temperature.
Any idea?I know the information is not so good but I am sure that you know more than me...stages of the coffee,temperatures,how to improve...
Thank you Chris ;-)

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Permalink Reply by Eddie on December 7, 2009 at 12:23pm

Hi Inigo;

I think you may be approaching this from the wrong point... have you read the coffeeFAQ on alt.coffee - there is a wealth of roasting info' there.

From my experience of roasting (>4 years) you only need to pre-heat to around 150 C then intro' the green and raise the temp at around 10 degrees per 30 seconds or so. Most Arabica first cracks around 200C, and second around 230C. If you're only using radiant heat (eg the breadmaker) you need to keep everything moving constantly, otherwise you get local hotspots on the bean's surface. The total roast should take around 9-12 minutes, then dump it and air cool it quickly (mesh tray/fan work well.

Eddie
Machiatto Espresso, Wairarapa, NZ

Permalink Reply by iñigo on December 7, 2009 at 12:34pm

Thank you Eddie, good information.I roasted in that temperatures because I saw in most youtubes videos that people pre heat in that temperatures...I will roast with your information and look the process, also I will try to maintein the temp at around 10 degrees per 30 seconds. I write more about here.
Thank you

Permalink Reply by Chris Cockrell on December 7, 2009 at 2:14pm

inigo - sorry it has taken me some time to get back with you...I have no experiance with roasting on a bread machine, however if you are just roasting for home use, the amount of drop in enviroment temp is not as critical as if you were roasting as a business for high paying customers. Not to say that it isn't important - it is - but in your case, the temp rise is probably fast so try to find a rate of rise in the 7-10 deg per minute and look for 1c around 390deg. after 1c stops you have drinkable coffee. The level of roast is now up to your taste. A normal roast should not exceed 18min in your case. I would let a batch go as far as it will go temp pwise just to see what range you really have and to see how the roast progresses after 1c...sometimes the roast can really take off so watching your heat should very important. Do some tests and some upping to see if you are getting what you want. Don't expect what you can get from a true coffee roaster...still good, fresh coffee should be easily obtained.

Have fun..

Chris

iñigo said:

Hi Chris, thank you for your attention. I did my own roaster because I look for one in internet and they were so expensive so I decide to fabricate it.I bought one machine like this
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_udrXCl4P538/R7RHrgcvqCI/AAAAAAAAAMc/_RznQ...
At the image doesnt appear the container but there it is a blade who moves the coffee.
I changed the electronic to have more temperature, it goes well,and I introduce one digital thermometer inside to have the exactly temperature because the normal thermometers are not too much exactly. The problem is that I dont know if I roast well, I saw videos of probat machines and diedrich and I saw that the temperature normaly goes down a lot when they introduce the coffee.That doesnt happen in my roaster because I roast 125grs per batch and its not enough to pull down the temperature.
Any idea?I know the information is not so good but I am sure that you know more than me...stages of the coffee,temperatures,how to improve...
Thank you Chris ;-)

Permalink Reply by iñigo on December 8, 2009 at 2:52pm

Crish good information, I have decided to buy a iroast like sweet marias machines for christmas I think will be a best machine and easier to find a piece of advice...up until them I will roast in the bread machine with all the information of this discussion.I will write here with a thousand of doubts!!!Thanks!!

Permalink Reply by Matthew Pitts on December 9, 2009 at 5:27am

What are you using to roast with? Home roaster, popcorn popper, stovetop?

When roasting at home the problems is temp consistensy. I use just the stove top "Whirly Pop."
I've had some success with this method, however find that certain raw beans don't develop as they should...
When it comes to home roasting, I think practice makes perfect. Try different methods, and see what works best for you.
Just keep them beans moving to get more of a consistent roast.

Permalink Reply by Luis Till on January 3, 2010 at 9:38pm

Inigo...my numbers for roasting at home on a modified whirly pop (by modified I mean with foil and a thermometer to measure ambient temp) are fairly consistent and I 'have played with them quite a bit. I usually drop the beans at a steady 315F my temp drops down to roughly 250F or 230F depending on the amount I roast. I usually roast less than 250g at a time and my steady numbers come from roasting 120g. Depending on the coffee I roast 1st crack usually happens between 295F and 310F. I let it develop until roughly 320F to 330F. Roasts last about 10-12 mins but I lose track of time worrying about watching the temp and constantly agitating to work an even roast.
A great tool for me has been keeping a journal/roast log. That way I can keep track of some of the factors that may contribute to a good or bad roast.