☕ Coffee ☕: Ingredients, Roasting, Grinding, Brewing, and Tasting

Inkleg said:

I might question some people on this forum about beer brewing, but if @jammin says anything about a coffee I just get it and thank him later.
I just ordered 7 lbs.
I still have 10 lbs of the Banko that I'm going through in numerous ways. I roasted and cold brewed a pound and put it on nitro for the wife. That was a huge hit!

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Agree with this 100%. @jammin has not steered me wrong at all.

Oops, i dont think that was received in the spirit that i meant it. Obviously I trust jammins taste. Not sure he has tasted this one yet. The banko was crown jewel iirc, i am willing to wait for something like that. If this is that hope you all will let me know, i dont get paid till the end of the month so i have some time and it makes sense to me to see what you all think. Cheers!

^Apple - if SM’s sells out, Coffee Shrub has 50# bags. I receive some this Tuesday & I’ll roast it right away. If it’s as good as I suspect maybe we can grab a box from them & split it up with the gang.
.. In the words of the great Snoop Dog, “it ain’t no fun, if the homies can’t have none”

Sounds super good, thanks as always. You have me really excited to get some fresh good Ethiopian! Hell any Ethiopian would do. Problem is it has been to easy to get spoiled. This really nice guat has been awesone, fruity and good. But man had some good kenyan this morning that gicherori and wow. Even though i don't care for it that much it is so superior in quality. Less defect or off flavor. Just stupid high quality. No real distinct flavors but definitely bright with peaches, dark cherry, and carmel maybe. Burmans has some new 2018 Ethiopians as well.

Speaking of ethiopians, took a ride with an Ethiopian uber driver. He got super intense and passionate about the subject. Said they all drink coffee together, never alone, never alone he emphatically repeated. The neighborhood that is. If someone can hear the hand grinder being banged they are on their way over. They take turns whose house serves, one for the am, another for lunch and someone elses house for dinner. They make the coffee three x he told me. ALWAYS. ALWAYS 3X.

abol is the first runnings and strong, tona is the second and berka is the third runnings. Roasted in a pan over a coal fire right before brewing. Just enough for the ceremony (?). Seems very ceremonial. Inspired found a little more info online, that they drink half export half. Iirc 500 million pounds for 100 million people. Kids are served it too i think. The whole community is very involved. Drinking it is a ritual that involves talking with friends. Made in a jebena and served in mugs without handles. Pretty cool.

jammin said:

Probably one you don’t want to miss -
https://www.sweetmarias.com/ethiopia-dry-process-guji-hambela.html

I grabbed 10lbs

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Cool, thanks for the pointer. I was ready to order coffee already so I grabbed a couple of pounds to try this one out.

This morning I'm drinking my first product of the Bullet, post seasoning. I was a little nervous because in my seasoning roasts I really struggled to hear 1C and it took a while to get to it. However, I was using a Robusta bean and my research also suggested that the longer it takes to get to 1C, the softer the crack will sound.

So for my first real roast I used Colombia La Plata. I bought 10 lbs of it to play around with on the roaster and try a few different things so I can get a feel for how it roasts.

The first roast I did went according to plan. I started with high heat, and at yellowing I dropped the heat down a little bit every minute. I entered 1C around the 7:30 mark; 1C ended about 8:45, and I dropped the roast about 45 seconds later.

The second roast also went according to plan. I did NOT drop the heat at yellowing, I just kept it on high the entire time until 1C happened, then I dropped the heat down significantly.

What was interesting is both roasts hit 1C and ended 1C at nearly the same time. I would have thought there would be a difference. I have roast curves but I don't really know what to look for in them...yet.

Anyways, I'm trying the first roast right now (only been about 18 hours since I roasted it) and it's actually pretty good! Nice body, good level of acidity. Maybe a little jammy with a hint of caramel, but it's early.

jammin said:

Probably one you don’t want to miss -
https://www.sweetmarias.com/ethiopia-dry-process-guji-hambela.html

I grabbed 10lbs

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This sold out over the weekend. I heard it was 13,000lb allotment.

jammin said:

This sold out over the weekend. I heard it was 13,000lb allotment.

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Wow. I got 5lb. Was tempted to get more, but I know many more great coffees are coming over the next several months.

jammin said:

This sold out over the weekend. I heard it was 13,000lb allotment.

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Thanks for keeping an eye open for interesting coffee. I looked after you posted and 5lb bags were already out of stock. I am glad I ordered some then.

I know there is a time of year when Ethiopian dry process coffee is harder to find so I normal will get a couple pounds of it when ever i make a order.

jammin said:

This sold out over the weekend. I heard it was 13,000lb allotment.

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Thanks for having our backs!

passedpawn said:

I'm a coffee addict, and I bet a lot of other members here are also. I LOVE a rich cup of coffee.

I was just thinking how much similar the art of coffee and beer are. Buying raw ingredients, roasting, milling, sparging, tasting... pretty close to what we are doing with our beer obsession. And, it's funny that very similar equipment is used by electric beer brewers and coffee makers (check out Auber Instruments offerings). Even the nuances of coffee and beer tasting are analogous.

I'm just now thinking about getting into it. What do you guys use for roasting, etc? What equipment? Where to you get your beans? Do you filter water? What temps?

Any good sites out there?

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I don't roast, but as far as the biggest bang for the buck In brewing equipment, I go for the Aeropress. Easy to use, easy to clean, and makes a better brew than many of the more expensive machines. ( Great for coffee or an Americano, but not quite espresso)

My Colombian has sat for a day and a half now. It's good, nice and citrusy with a good little bit of acidity. If it were Kenyan I would be quite pleased. Problem is, it's Colombian I don't really think it should taste that way - I expected more caramel and cocoa.

Anyone have any input? Maybe stretch out the roast a bit for more development? I believe I hit 1C in about 7.5 mins and dropped the roast about 45-55 secs after 1C ended.

I can't believe how awesome your guys' roasters are? Hittig 1c and all at 7 or 8 minutes without scorching. That video from rao, iirc, he said that the faster you roast the brighter and more acidic the coffee will be. I think that is true. At first I wasnt sure i liked it always. Now i want and expect it. Did the behmor give you that taste?

I got citrusy, acidic coffee (Kenyan and Guat mostly) on the Behmor, but never with a Colombian like this is. I also would never imagine hitting 1C in the Behmor in less than 8 mins unless I was roasting 1/4 lb.

I think I need to slow it down a bit, maybe aim to hit 1C around 10 or 11 mins. It's still a good coffee...just not what I want it to be, nor what it should be.

HarborTownBrewing said:

Anyone have any input? Maybe stretch out the roast a bit for more development? I believe I hit 1C in about 7.5 mins and dropped the roast about 45-55 secs after 1C ended.

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I think you’re on the right track to stretch the ramp to 1C. 10 minutes is more than I’d suggest, esp for a drip roast. Sounds like you had a decent development phase if you’re going nearly 1 minute AFTER 1C ENDED. I’d speculate that’s over 20% of the total roast time spent in development. Pushing 1C start out to 9min should be plenty. From there, shoot for 90 seconds development with +10 to 15 increase in bean temp.

This little impromptu side trip might delay my coffee buying even more! Had this liquid folgers today and it was drinkable, for sure. I think it is roasted and brewed fairly fresh. Then factory sealed until opened. The jar stuff is ground and packed in jars and by the time one buys it let alone finishes it, it is bad. This colombian wasn't bad. I think people are using it at home somehow. After a few cups it started to taste concentraty and was less pleasant. Jammin i cant seem to be able to navigate all the choices and info at crown jewels, but it seems if we got 133 pounds we could get a great rate.

Oops, here is the folgers.

applescrap said:

Jammin i cant seem to be able to navigate all the choices and info at crown jewels, but it seems if we got 133 pounds we could get a great rate.

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This is not part of the crown jewels, and I think it is still in transit, but if this is a fruity year I would be interested to get in on a group purchase of this coffee.
https://royalcoffee.com/products/42500/

I dont know what this years will be like, but maybe 4 or 5years ago I got some Bali natural coffee that was really fruity. It smelled a bit funky while roasting but it had a really nice strong apricot flavor. It had a decent body like a Sumatran, but without the earthy flavor. Sweet Maria's had some a I think last year or the year before but it was not as good, well not as fruity.

As a side note I have seen that some of the civet cat coffee, Kopi Luwak, come from the Kintamani area where this coffee is grown.

So it hits me instantly, just all of a sudden, boom.....Chocolate! Anyone ever give it a whirl. Seems a little more involved with the roasting part being the easiest.

Apple if you check around the web you'll find some people who roast cocoa in a Behmor. Supposedly it's actually a pretty good machine for it. Some also roast almonds in their machine.

http://chocolatealchemy.com/behmor-1600-gourmet-coffee-and-cocoa-roaster/

Cliff palace, mesa Verde. The farmer bros coffee this morning was too much for me. I couldn't finish two sips.

@jimyson - i think you already received your RedSpeeds but I saw a used set for a fair price over at HomeBarista. Thought you might take a look if you haven't got your burrs though -
https://www.home-barista.com/buysell/64mm-ssp-red-speed-burr-set-t53468.html

FWIW - Anyone that has a Mazzer Super Jolly or Mini (certain models only i think) these are a substantial upgrade from stock. Alternatively, if you're considering a grinder upgrade these could be worth grabbing. Used Super Jollys come up for sale all the time (often on your local craigslist) for very low prices. I bet you could slap this used kit together for under $350 no prob & have some serious quality on your bench.

jammin said:

@jimyson - i think you already received your RedSpeeds but I saw a used set for a fair price over at HomeBarista. Thought you might take a look if you haven't got your burrs though -
https://www.home-barista.com/buysell/64mm-ssp-red-speed-burr-set-t53468.html

FWIW - Anyone that has a Mazzer Super Jolly or Mini (certain models only i think) these are a substantial upgrade from stock. Alternatively, if you're considering a grinder upgrade these could be worth grabbing. Used Super Jollys come up for sale all the time (often on your local craigslist) for very low prices. I bet you could slap this used kit together for under $350 no prob & have some serious quality on your bench.

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Thanks for the link. I did get mine in. I’m just about finished with the grinder. I’m waiting for a couple screws to show up from China to button things up. I’ve been using it and have been getting pretty good results. I need to work on some channeling issues with the La Pavoni and unfortunately am unable to dial things in as good as some since I go from drip to espresso in a given day on the grinder. I get close but it’s the slight changes that I lose right now.

@jimyson have you given any second thought to adding a manometer to your LP so you can monitor brew pressure during the shot? I just love the idea of it. Makes me want to buy another Cremina just to build that out & play around with the profiling!

Good to hear you have the RedSpeeds grinding coffee for. Have you aligned the burrs with a marker & shims or similar?

jammin said:

@jimyson have you given any second thought to adding a manometer to your LP so you can monitor brew pressure during the shot? I just love the idea of it. Makes me want to buy another Cremina just to build that out & play around with the profiling!

Good to hear you have the RedSpeeds grinding coffee for. Have you aligned the burrs with a marker & shims or similar?

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The manometer is on the want list for now until I recover from the grinder and initial LP build. I’ve not aligned yet. To be honest, when I first got it running, I threw some washable marker on the top burr and dropped it until I heard some noise from them touching. When I looked, I didn’t see any wear. I did it again a couple times and didn’t really see any wear. I’ve held off from exploring that anymore for no good reason. It’s still something that I need to do.

FYI, I also got 10 lbs of that Ethiopia. [emoji15]. The discussion here made me rethink my strategy where I will make the Uganda for drip for the wife and I and I’ll do small batches of what I like for espresso.

I use the same grind for drip and esspresso. I only make small strong pots of coffee and dont notice any quality difference in grind. I guess if i was making huge pots of coffee the fine grind could be a problem but i use about a half cup of grinds for 4ish cups. 2 tablespoons per cup.

applescrap said:

I use the same grind for drip and esspresso. I only make small strong pots of coffee and dont notice any quality difference in grind. I guess if i was making huge pots of coffee the fine grind could be a problem but i use about a half cup of grinds for 4ish cups. 2 tablespoons per cup.

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My drip would clog if I used that fine of a grind. Plus, I feel like 5-6 mins of drip with that fine of a grind would make the coffee too bitter. This SJ can get pretty damn fine in the grind.

jimyson said:

FYI, I also got 10 lbs of that Ethiopia. [emoji15]

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Awesome! Really happy that some of our crew was able to snag some before it quickly sold out.


It’s fresh crop season boy-oh’s & it’s gonna be fun to score some fantastic greens! Looking forward to hearing what everyone snags & most importantly how it’s tasting

@passedpawn - can we peer pressure or bribe you into dropping more coffee emojis?

Burmans, roastmaster, crown jewel, i cant navigate all this. Help.

Know what, we just need to fly to ethiopia and pick our own next year [emoji3]

jimyson said:

My drip would clog if I used that fine of a grind. Plus, I feel like 5-6 mins of drip with that fine of a grind would make the coffee too bitter. This SJ can get pretty damn fine in the grind.

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Exactly, i knew that just making sure uhh everyone was on the same page. I should time my brews on different machines. I have a dinky travel walmart 4 cup mr coffee, the goodwill gevalia turd, and a krupps pro aroma. None of them meet the specs of your guys finer brewers. Still should check. To be sure the virtuoso doesnt grind as fine as the supped up sj. That said it is set to finest inside and out, and i have it at four. It would overflow surely beyond 1/2 cup of grinds. I need to try it coarser and see if maybe I am over extracting a little. I wouldnt doubt it. Almost need a couple grinders, one for espresso one for drip.

applescrap said:

Almost need a couple grinders, one for espresso one for drip.

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This. I’m not sure that my wife would agree though. [emoji23]

In case anyone is interested, you can point and laugh at my roasts. I'm only four roast in on the Bullet (not counting seasoning beans) and still trying to learn how sensitive the power settings were.

Goal today was to try to hit 1C around 9:00 like @jammin had suggested.

First roast: 170 preheat and started with what's called "P7" heat level. I slowly reduced heat later in the roast cycle. Hit 1C at 8:18, so a bit soon.


2nd Roast: 165 Preheat, with "P5" setting to begin with, slowly tapering down the heat during the later stages of the roast. This got to 1C at 9:42.


Neither were exactly what I was going for, but every time I roast I learn something new. Today I learned I can keep an eye on my C/min and sort of forecast when the roast will be hitting 1C.

If anyone has any input, I'm all ears. Otherwise, I'll follow up in a few days with some cupping notes on the differences between the two.

So I bought a cold brew gizmo this weekend since I live in AZ and hot coffee when it feels like the surface of the sun outside just isn't super enjoyable and I've enjoyed some commercial cold brew offerings. I am currently enjoying my first cup. I let it brew at room temp for 24 hours. I slightly sweetened the whole batch with some simple syrup made with sugar in the raw. This was a blend of Guatemala and Tanzanian peaberry and it turned out pretty damn good. I'm hooked

@HarborTownBrewing those look nice to me. I like the curve on the bean temp.

I emailed roastmaster, yes im that lazy and they responded with this. I somehow missed bl 30 percent african last week. It went to my junk mail. Grrr. I would have got nitsu ruz at least to hold me off. At 8.24 a pound its so overpriced. But 30 percent off would be worth it. Its class for sure, nothing overly special to hang on to iirc.

EDIT. .... bodhi already emailed me back and they will accept my plea for some nitsu.

I'm shaking my head violently right now. I reached out to a local farmers market about the possibility of selling coffee at the market next summer. My question was more along the lines of, "am I eligible..." due to a number of various changing laws and requirements in the city. This is the response I got (copy/pasted):

"As long as vendors abide by cottage food laws they are eligible for our market, but the responsibility for this is solely on them. However, I'm not sure if we'd be the best fit for you-there are 4 coffee houses within 2 blocks of us, including a Starbucks on the street where the market takes place. We also place a priority on things being grown within 200 miles, and coffee beans don't fit that profile."

Bold/underline added for good humor.

#1, That's straight up insulting to even put the S word in your response.

#2, You don't know me!!! Seriously though, they don't know that my coffee isn't the same as the 4 commercial coffee roasters close to their market.

#3, Sounds like coffee shouldn't be sold at a market because it has to travel so far. Huh. Wonder if they don't drink it because of it's long journey, either.

Responses like this really kill my excitement, because I know she phrased it as ,"we might not be the best fit for you" but I know she means, "we won't allow you here". This city sucks, honestly.

Yeah that’s an ignorant response for sure.
A new cafe just opened up downtown right next to where they hold the farmers market over the weekend. That’s where they got going! They had a coffee cart there on weekend selling coffee drinks with coffee they sourced (from coffee shrub) & roasted themselves.

I say go for it - people go to Farmers Markets ready to spend a little pocket money. If they don’t already have a coffee cart you’re gonna do great. What you’re offering has nothing to do with how many commercial chains are nearby. Folks that get it will be thrilled to see you & others will already be open to new things just because of the environment.


Edit: have you thought about an espresso machine for the cart? If I can spend your money for you there is a SWWWEEEEEETTTT vintage Faema 2 group lever at HB for sale. Even has a gas manifold on it for alternative heat - if that doesn’t scream coffee cart what does?!

jammin said:

Edit: have you thought about an espresso machine for the cart? If I can spend your money for you there is a SWWWEEEEEETTTT vintage Faema 2 group lever at HB for sale. Even has a gas manifold on it for alternative heat - if that doesn’t scream coffee cart what does?!

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If there were to be one person, just ONE PERSON, to get me more wrapped up in coffee, of course it would be you @jammin ! hahaha

I'm going to take this step by step and see what happens. We'll see. It's funny - my wife and I were moving all our stuff into the new cabinets this weekend and I saw the old whirlypop. That's how this whole thing started back about 4 years ago. $5k later...here I am. It's been a heck of a fun hobby though, and I've enjoyed nearly every minute of it.

Haha, sounds like a yes to me. Albeit a little unfriendly. Better play nice no s... the coffee wasnt grown in chicago, Neither was the hot dog carts ketchup and the hippy chicks hemp. To me coffee roasting is certainly a local craft. You are not selling coffe, you're selling your coffee you roasted locally. You become an artisan.

Side note-bl honored the 30 percent deal so got 5lb nitsu ruz. Its not fresh but it only needs to hold me over until the fresh greenies arrive.

applescrap said:

no s... the coffee wasnt grown in chicago, Neither was the hot dog carts ketchup and the hippy chicks hemp. To me coffee roasting is certainly a local craft. You are not selling coffe, you're selling your coffee you roasted locally. You become an artisan.

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This is true, and exactly what my wife and I were talking about last night. In talking to her, I realized she should never handle PR for me because she gets a little.....aggressive haha.

But like she said: are the ingredients of the pastries being grown within 200 miles? The flour alone likely comes from Nebraska or another nearby state. If someone is selling blueberry muffins in May, those blueberries surely aren't from the Midwest, and I really doubt they are using locally grown ones the rest of the year. But you are right - the point of selling at such a venue is to show the artisan part of it.

Anyways...
In a follow up to those two profile I had posted a few days ago, the shorter roast was still a little sweet and acidic. The longer roast was exactly what I was going for though! Sweet, great body, slight bitterness, some fruit flavors as well as black tea.

I'm beyond excited to get a successful roast with my 4th attempt on this roaster, but now the real challenge - trying to actually repeat the results.

I recall in those videos i posted from mill city joe says in production its either right or its wrong. Not good or bad. Either you hit the numbers or you dont. For some reason that stuck with me. And was the moment I realized being a coffee roaster commercially is not the same as being a home Artesian roaster.