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

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I think I am over 3 weeks now, still no berries, slight herbal flavor and some chocolate. I have a little left from that roast yet to try. Still have some of the green beans too to try a different roast of two.
 
I got to have my first taste of that Nicaraguan this morning - 10 days since roasting it to city+. Lots of berry aroma and spice during the grind. First I brewed an espresso. It was fruit forward, I'll agree with blackberry. Black pepper spiciness and sweet like maybe a hint of molasses. As it cooled to lukewarm I got blueberry which transitioned to grape, then raisin-prune. Slight chocolate flavor throughout and in the finish. Pretty good for a single origin espresso, to me. I then tried it in a cappuccino which I did not like at all.
 
I think maybe you got the bottom of the barrel @ba-brewer!. Sorry my friend. Blackberry should have been very noticeable....enjoyable!! I'll trade you a 1/2 pound of mine for a 1/2 of yours??? Are you game?
 
Tiny beans! So excited to drink this, the yemen was good but srsly missing these.
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Ruint said:
I think maybe you got the bottom of the barrel @ba-brewer!. Sorry my friend. Blackberry should have been very noticeable....enjoyable!! I'll trade you a 1/2 pound of mine for a 1/2 of yours??? Are you game?
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That is a very generous offer, but it is mostly likely a personal problem and not the beans. You did have me think about it so thank you for the kind offer.

I had another cup today and even though I did not get any fruit in the cup I did notice a light amount of dry process fruitiness in the roasted beans. Rereading the descriptions it mentions chocolate in the darker roasts and also various nuts which I also picked up the first roast. Even though I did not roast the beans to far into FC from a time perspective the smooth exterior of the beans suggested a roast close to Full City maybe Full City+.

I have been roasting mostly by the seat of my pants(sight, sound and smell) and this coffee has me rethinking my roasting practice. I updated my artisan and have probes and phidget modules in the mail so I can make better observation of the roasts. Will see if a more technical approach will help improve the flavor of this coffee and others.
 
I am curious as to what not long into 1c. means to everyone. For me that would be somewhere between 30 and 45 seconds. If there is fruit that will find it. Generally once chocolate takes over I have sometimes gone past fruit flavors and sometimes not. But when there is solid fruit keytones and compounds they seem to remain.

I always thought fruit keytones and flavor compounds dissipated first. They are delicate, but I think sometimes I have seen time draw them out, but moreso some cups pour better than others. A lesson from Jammin no doubt. The other day was thinking or theorizing that it makes sense. Its dry processed, varied as a result. The roast then is varied somewhat and that translates to cups.
 
Unfortunately I will not be adding the tic tacs to the roast. Or should I? Give them a minty burst to help with morning breath :)

That other picture I think is cool. Maybe just me?
HarborTownBrewing said:
Ahh yes, Tic Tacs. I like to add orange Tic Tacs to my roast when I want to give my Kenyan beans a nice little burst of citrus ;)
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Ruint said:
I want to know if they swell up like coffee beans do, and what 1st crack sounds like??? Bwaaahaaahaaa!!
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They give off a refreshing little hiss followed by a snap, crackle, pop-like sound. An orange mist then starts to come off the roaster vent, and it's like a rainbow exploded in your face. In a good way, of course. In the cup I can taste unicorns and orange soda, followed by a hint of fresh breath. Highly recommend it!
 
applescrap said:
I am curious as to what not long into 1c. means to everyone. For me that would be somewhere between 30 and 45 seconds. If there is fruit that will find it. Generally once chocolate takes over I have sometimes gone past fruit flavors and sometimes not. But when there is solid fruit keytones and compounds they seem to remain.

I always thought fruit keytones and flavor compounds dissipated first. They are delicate, but I think sometimes I have seen time draw them out, but moreso some cups pour better than others. A lesson from Jammin no doubt. The other day was thinking or theorizing that it makes sense. Its dry processed, varied as a result. The roast then is varied somewhat and that translates to cups.
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Somewhere around a minute is "not too long to me" . Normally should still be fissures in the surface and the been not fulling expanded.
​
I generally try to hit first crack in the 8min to 9min range with FC lasting about 1.5min. Then a minute or so of silence to second crack.

I also listen to how fast the crack is happening and looking at the beans, but not always. I usually take most of my wet process coffees right out to the start of 2nd crack. I watch that fairly close for bean appearance and the start of more smoke from the roaster.

I have roasted some dry process beans hotter and faster with a FC closer to 7min, those get dropped a bit sooner like 45sec. I would guess those roasts I would not been able to get a 1.5min FC or very little time between FC and SC. I don't do that too often as prefer a less acidity coffee.
 
I like to consider about 15 or 20 seconds is quick into first crack. When you let the beans continue to advance into first crack, you are subjecting them to longer period of caramelizing temperatures.
 
Just ordered some coffee from Burmans'. Have not ever tried a coffee from Congo and thought this one warranted a taste! Also giving a Sulawesi Peaberry a try. Otherwise it was a re-order of a fantastic Costa Rican, and a solid Colombian.
 
I've had a Congo and really enjoyed it, deep chocolate flavors about 30 sec after 1c ended.
Ruint said:
Just ordered some coffee from Burmans'. Have not ever tried a coffee from Congo and thought this one warranted a taste! Also giving a Sulawesi Peaberry a try. Otherwise it was a re-order of a fantastic Costa Rican, and a solid Colombian.
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Its magically delicious!
HarborTownBrewing said:
They give off a refreshing little hiss followed by a snap, crackle, pop-like sound. An orange mist then starts to come off the roaster vent, and it's like a rainbow exploded in your face. In a good way, of course. In the cup I can taste unicorns and orange soda, followed by a hint of fresh breath. Highly recommend it!
Click to expand...
 
Looks like I know where I'll be living! Always a relief. Also looks like I won't be without fresh coffee for more than a week or two.

That said, there will be a change to my roasting situation. Currently I roast in a 3 seasons room which isn't too rough, but at the next place it looks like I'll be roasting in the garage.

That's okay because it gives me the excuse to set up a proper heating system in there (which is a good excuse for my other hobbies and tinkering outside in the winter. It also means a lot less work keeping the house clean of chaff which will be pretty nice.

I'd love to hear any garage roasting pointers or any helpful tips for me to keep in mind as I start thinking of how my new set up will be configured. Any input is appreciated!
 
HarborTownBrewing said:
looks like I'll be roasting in the garage.
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Ive been roasting in the garage for years & in the winter it gets a bit chilly (outside temps in low teens).

The one thing I appreciate most is having my roaster vented outdoors. You still get smoke but it's just that ambient roasting air.

For me, as the seasons change I find myself slowly adapting roast profiles. Occasionally I get a roast that goes a bit over the white line & I realize it's a bit colder in the garage that day*. I wouldnt say it's much more difficult to adjust to than a new coffee.


*same goes for the hot summer days. we get high 90's and triple digits in some weeks.
 
Good info there jammin. Funny, so far I had only considered how I would set everything up and vent it... I hadn't even thought of the changes temperature swings would bring to my roasts.
 
I had to add a heater to my shed for winter roasting. Both for my personal comfort and for the effect all the cold environmental air has on the bullet. I have a fairly adjustable ventilation system, but even on a low setting, it has an influence on the ambient conditions. If you got enough space in the garage, you might be able to put a wall up to form a small hall like room where you could put a little heater at one end to warm the space, and run a short vent for passive ventilation out a window (not sure that the garage has a window) or install a dryer vent where it suits your needs.
 
Idk if I updated on the gedeb wuri natural. Its really good. I pulled the roast about 45 seconds past first crack. Next day a bowl of red fruit. Actually it drank fruity the whole week which never happens. It has some other complexities too so its not just the fruit flavors. Which isnt always the case. I got 5 more pounds. Not sure if I am vibing off my friends who are nuts for it or not, but either way solid reccomendation for a fruity cup.
 
One of the guys I work with, whom I happened to ruin his perception of what good coffee is, also guilty of turning him onto cold brew, brought a growler into work made for doing nitro cold brew. He had only read about it, but loves cold brew so much now, he couldn't stand not trying it out, any longer. Being I had a little less than a half gallon of the honey nut Cheerio Ethiopian in the fridge I told him to swing by, because I would donate that to trying it out, as I hadn't had nitro or nitrous coffee before either. We put the growler together in about 10 minutes. He had thoroughly washed it the night before. Poured the coffee in, made sure every thing was good and snug, and charged it with a nitrous cartridge. Shook it as the directions stated to, which to us is nothing new, as some of us carbonate our brews the very same way. At 10 minutes we hit the faucet lever, and a tan, frothy, thick pour came out. Holy smokes!!!! That was tasty as all get out!!! It seems to add a little bit of sweetness to the cup, along with a fantastic mouth feel. Really blew me away. I will more than likely look for a nitrogen regulator and tank now to put in my keezer. If you have not tried nitro cold brew.....you really should consider it...
 
Im not a chemist but that would be n2 o2 if I am correct. Goes great with coffee Im sure. It would be like one sip and all your worries drift away, literally. Haha, I knew someone in college who had a tank. Cant remember who. Iirc he was always doing one of two things talking about stuff he did on it, or asking you to take some. Bro you want some, yeah Im good....oh nitro coffee there is a cool little keg that works. Td, iirc, said it was difficult to upkeep and I bailed but it sure looks tasty.
TallDan said:
Nitrous coffee? Not sure if that is more NHRA or “David after the dentist” but either way, I’m at least interested.
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A friend of mine was in Hawaii and was kind enough to bring back some coffee for me. It was pre-ground, but whatchagunnado. Super duper light roast, and it smells like cocoa. I looked it up to see what I could find about it because it smells so much like cocoa, I thought they may have added some.

Sure enough, in the cup there was a ton of chocolate flavor. Really delicious, even if it'd been ground for a few weeks. Really nice coffee and a fun surprise. She paid something like $24 for 7 oz so it's something I appreciate a ton and otherwise would never have tried.
 
@Ruint dude that so cool!!!

can you post details of this product & what the overall cost was?

please be sure to post your experiences with:
- how is the setup of the kit, easy to put together?
- what is the process for making the coffee?
- how is the cup; honeymoon phase aside, taste pretty good?
 
I ordered this through Amazon. My friend had ordered his thru them as well. Both of these are from Royal Brew and are rather exceptional on the build quality. Very hefty feel for both, but it does feel more impressive on the 64 ounce capacity version. The half gallon one did have a sale going on, but not sure if it is still or not. Cost is $139 for it and $199 for the gallon one like what I got. It is fairly easy to put together, and the most difficult part of the assembly is getting the o-ring in place. I'll attach a photo later....Might make you laugh a little, you won't believe the size of the o-ring compared to where it goes!
As far as process of coffee making, they give a recipe for cold brew, that they would have you add water to.....BUT......I don't follow those directions!!!:eek: I just use my concentrate with no undesirable side effects...other than maybe heart palpitations!!!:rolleyes::cool: The taste of them is very cold brew like with plain nitrogen, and with nitrous it picks up a slightly sweeter characteristic. Both have an improved mouthfeel.....and although I haven't been able to confirm it, some of my "subjects" ( lol ) have reported feeling a little bit happier after enjoying the nitrous version!enjoy
The downer on this is the cartridges of N, or N2O. The gallon size will eat 4 N cartridges or 2 N2O cartridges at a time. It is halved for the 1/2 gallon size ( 2 N carts or 1 N2O cart ). You have to change out cartridges to accomplish this. Install one, shake it and let it set for 15 minutes and then repeat. Those cartridges come with a price that may make you say "Say What???" !!!
So my initial all in price was $248. That is the gallon size container, 20 N cartridges and 48 N2O. Already had the cold brew coffee equipment. This sucky tablet I am using currently won't allow me to share links, so I will see about adding some later.
 
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The whole kit and kaboodle. The black o-ring goes on the outside diameter of the faucet receiver. It is a little bit of a stretch! Thought for sure it would break before it got to where it needed to be.
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Besides the sweetness difference between the 2 gases, the mouth feel is similar. There is a creaminess to the cup, as if cream was actually poured into it, when it most definitely hasn't been. Some people have put cream into the coffee before charging it, but I do not know what the ratio is, and probably won't pursue it any further. I have learned another reason for adding water to the cold brew, obviously if you're selling it, it is the increased volume. The other part of that is the extra water helps the solubility of gas into the liquid, so it gives off a better cascade of bubbles, a little longer.
Disclaimer... I am no expert. I am just sharing the story as I have experienced it, the most accurate, understandable way I can. I know I am not master of anything I brew, coffee or beer, and work towards ever improvement on that. If I have been able to help in your decisions to investigate or suede to go no further, I am pleased.
 

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