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

[passedpawn]

haha. this went epic pretty fast. I'll admit, I didn't expect it.

 

[jimyson]

Got the LP assembled tonight. Looks like I need a chrome center base plate and a LP badge for the front to wrap it up.

 

[jammin]

Man that looks clean. Personally I vote to stick with the Black - it ties all the Bakelite together with the machine & gives it a custom hotrod look.

I would love to see a Naked Porta-Filter pressure profiling gauge on it though!
https://www.naked-portafilter.com/shop/naked-espresso-gear/

 

[jimyson]

Man that looks clean. Personally I vote to stick with the Black - it ties all the Bakelite together with the machine & gives it a custom hotrod look.

I would love to see a Naked Porta-Filter pressure profiling gauge on it though!
https://www.naked-portafilter.com/shop/naked-espresso-gear/

$300!!

Let me get the SJ together with the SSP burrs and recover a little and I may look more into this.

 

[jimyson]

And I think you are on the right track with the black plate. Here is a chrome one.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Guess who brewed pour over today for the first time in a month and a half! I can't tell you how great it is to have running water again.

Kitchen still has a ways to go, including backsplash and paint (as you can see) but at least now I can brew coffee the right way.

 

[jimyson]

I installed the stator tonight. The body spent about 30 mins in a 200F oven to loosen it up. The stator slipped right into place. Too bad I need to let it cool to continue. I do however need to remove the lower bearing from the rotor and plate. Maybe I will work on that tomorrow.

 

[jimyson]

I finally got the lower bearing out today. I bought a 5/16 bolt since the center of the plate had a threaded hole. That pushed the rotor out fairly easy. Then I was tasked with removing the bearing from the plate which I couldn’t do with any of the tools that I had. I didn’t want to purchase a bearing puller so someone recommended heating the lower rotor mounting plate in the oven to 400F and the bearing should pop out. Since the plate was aluminum and the bearing steel, the differential of expansion from the two metals was enough that a tap of a hammer on the plate made he bearing pop out.

Now I can claim complete success on disassembly.

I think tonight will be assembling this plate and rotor back with a new bearing. Small steps will eventually get me there.

 

[jimyson]

Well, when claiming victories, one must also claim defeats. I bugged up the rotor and lower burr carrier. That’s a $200 mistake and few week delay. [emoji53]

What an idiot. I rushed, forced, and I’m paying for it.

 

[jimyson]

But I made it all better by purchasing the SSP Red Speed burrs.

 

[TallDan]

Well, as least you’ll have a grinder that’s better than a new one with those burrs. Sounds like it’s cost you more than a new one now.

 

[jimyson]

Well, as least you’ll have a grinder that’s better than a new one with those burrs. Sounds like it’s cost you more than a new one now.

Thanks for the reminder.

Yes and no. I’m at around $900 and will have a really nice doserless SJ with Red Speed burrs. You can get a new stock doser SJ for that. I think I’m still up. Unfortunately $200 higher than I anticipated.

Ah well, life is too short to worry about it. I’m excited to have this beast of a grinder.

 

[TallDan]

Thanks for the reminder.

No problem. It’s exactly the kind of project I’d do.

 

[applescrap]

Damn man, sry to hear. Thats the right attitude. I dont know a bearing from the bearing straight but sounds like heating it was the trick.

 

[BalloonGuy]

Has anyone tried a whip cream dispenser with n20 for small batches of cold brew? I saw it on you tube. I am just wondering if it is any good in real life.

 

[jammin]

@BalloonGuy - I have not but I might give it a go this afternoon. I love iced coffee & have a great recipe I can try it with. I have been seeing a lot of nitro dispensing for specialty coffee drinks recently with milk as well - all cold beverages.

@jimyson - such a bummer to hear about your setback. You’ve been on such a good roll. Great to hear you got the SSP Red Speed’s! I am hoping to get a KafaTek Flat MAX this fall but if I miss out I might upgrade my current Flat to Red Speeds.


My new 2mm probes came in & their response time is MUCH quicker than the old 5mm's. My previous offset was 45* in order to have 1C read as 383* on average. So truthfully the offset should have been around 50 to 55 degrees. The 2mm's averaged 380* with zero offset so in theory they are nearly 50* faster. In Artisan, I have also switched to a multiplying factor rather than a fixed number. So instead of adding 10* across the board, I am using a factor of X*1.03 (x=390/380) so that 1C reads at an average of 390*. I feel this more accurately represents the temperature across the entire roast.

Here is a shot of the old 5mm probe next to a a new 2mm probe:

 

[BalloonGuy]

@jammin- I would love to hear how it goes. I was debating a small torpedo keg or pressurized growler for cold brew. I whip cream dispenser would be SO mu cheaper...

 

[jammin]

^i tried it a couple ways. Straight out of the spout it turns the coffee into a foamy whip cream. I also let one sit for 24hrs to soak up the nitro, relieved pressure and just poured the coffee out. The coffee didn’t really retain any nitrogen - not surprising since it doesn’t dissolve well at all. Beer gas has c02 blended in to carb the beverage for this reason.
Final verdict: It don’t work

 

[ong]

I didn’t see anything in this thread about it, but I’ve actually been having really good success simply roasting beans on my stovetop in a large open pot. I stir continuously the whole time with a long handled whisk, and sometime between first and second crack I’ll dump the beans into a colander, take it outside and toss them up in the air until all the chaff blows off and they cool. It’s more labor intensive than a roaster, but I can do a pound and a half or so in each batch, and the coffee (cold brew or pour over) is excellent (once I got my process dialed in). Anyone else going low-tech?

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I didn’t see anything in this thread about it, but I’ve actually been having really good success simply roasting beans on my stovetop in a large open pot. I stir continuously the whole time with a long handled whisk, and sometime between first and second crack I’ll dump the beans into a colander, take it outside and toss them up in the air until all the chaff blows off and they cool. It’s more labor intensive than a roaster, but I can do a pound and a half or so in each batch, and the coffee (cold brew or pour over) is excellent (once I got my process dialed in). Anyone else going low-tech?

For the longest time I was using a whirley popper on my stove roasting a pound at a time. I was getting really good results but grew tired of cranking the handle for 15 mins each roast session and converted a bread machine to a roaster with a heat gun and am getting even better roasts now.

 

[applescrap]

Went to great wolf lodge. And they had a dunkin donuts. Had a large coffee. It was good, well good enough anyways. Albeit a little watery. Slightly nutty, im almost certain its brazilian. I like brazilian, I think.

 

[BalloonGuy]

^i tried it a couple ways. Straight out of the spout it turns the coffee into a foamy whip cream. I also let one sit for 24hrs to soak up the nitro, relieved pressure and just poured the coffee out. The coffee didn’t really retain any nitrogen - not surprising since it doesn’t dissolve well at all. Beer gas has c02 blended in to carb the beverage for this reason.
Final verdict: It don’t work

Thanks for input. I am bummed that it doesn't work. It would have been nice to have a cheap solution... I guess nitro cold brew will be on hold for me.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I didn’t see anything in this thread about it, but I’ve actually been having really good success simply roasting beans on my stovetop in a large open pot. I stir continuously the whole time with a long handled whisk, and sometime between first and second crack I’ll dump the beans into a colander, take it outside and toss them up in the air until all the chaff blows off and they cool. It’s more labor intensive than a roaster, but I can do a pound and a half or so in each batch, and the coffee (cold brew or pour over) is excellent (once I got my process dialed in). Anyone else going low-tech?

I actually started with a Whirly as well. There is a facebook group called Home Coffee Roasters and there are
quite a few people who roast in a pan with a spoon, or with whirly pops, or a few different simple methods.

I used the Whirly for about 4 months maybe but when winter came I was struggling with the smoke (couldn't open windows) and I was a little tired of all the cranking so I got the Behmor.

The coffee from the Whirly was better than the Behmor for a while, but I found my stride on the Behmor and haven't looked back since.

In terms of simplicity though, I don't believe there is anything else on the planet you can stir in a pot for 12 mins that tastes better than coffee.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I screwed up my espresso machine pretty bad back in March. I was working on my kitchen project and was exhausted, so I made espresso to give me a bit more of a jump in the morning. But one morning I was making it and in my exhausted stupor I started to remove the portafilter while I was pulling a shot. That sounds really stupid, and it is, but I can't stress enough how insanely exhausted I was (and still am....).

When that happened I had coffee grounds/sludge shoot about 8' every direction in the kitchen and it clogged up the portafilter holder on the machine so bad that I couldn't get the portafilted seated in the machine. I left it sit since then (so 3 months) because I didn't have the time to fully clean it. Yesterday I cleaned it out (it was a mess) and all is well!

Except, I seem to not know how to pull a shot anymore. I think I'm grinding too fine and tamping too hard, because I am getting NO flow at all. I tried twice this morning, the first shot had no flow at all so I dumped the puck and reground with quite a bit less tamping, and I got about 4 drips out of the machine and that was it.

It's frustrating because I got the Vario and my espresso game went up 15 notches immediately but now I can't even get a shot...at all. Guess practice will make perfect.

Sharing for awareness Because sometimes life just isn't easy and it's the small things that get you (me) down.

 

[ba-brewer]

I didn’t see anything in this thread about it, but I’ve actually been having really good success simply roasting beans on my stovetop in a large open pot. I stir continuously the whole time with a long handled whisk, and sometime between first and second crack I’ll dump the beans into a colander, take it outside and toss them up in the air until all the chaff blows off and they cool. It’s more labor intensive than a roaster, but I can do a pound and a half or so in each batch, and the coffee (cold brew or pour over) is excellent (once I got my process dialed in). Anyone else going low-tech?

I used a cast iron pot on a propane stove for a couple years. I added extra heat with a heat gun and could get very good control of the roast. I upgrade to a behmor, but sold it as it doubled the time to roast coffee and I don't think it produced as good of a roast as the pot.

 

[jammin]

@HarborTownBrewing - does your machine have a brew pressure gauge? Have you backflushed against a blind basket? The gauge should be reading nearly 10bar during that process

 

[jimyson]

Oh baby, look what came in the mail today.

 

[jimyson]

I pity the bean that needs to run through these.

 

[applescrap]

@jimyson whoa!

@harbortown man that sounds like a major bummer. Glad you got it cleaned out. Sounds like some grounds got in that upper filter/assembly possibly too. Try some descale product or vinegar, etc, maybe? You could also be using to much coffee ground to fine and tamped too hard. I know you know all that, just crossing out all possibilities. The pump may need primed too. See directions to prime pump for your machine. On mine i think it was brew on with steamer open. Cant quite recall, but that pump may need primed better and air bubles forced out.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Jammin - no pressure gauge for me. I had adjusted the OPV a little while back using a water volume method and turns out it was set properly when I received it, for the most part, from what I could tell.

Apple, you might be right about priming the pump and looking at the upper filter. It's quite possible I got some crap in that when it exploded everywhere, but I didn't get around to taking it apart. I might have some time this weekend so I'll mess around with it a bit more and let you guys know what I find out. Thanks for the input.