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

[jammin]

I’m going to roast tonight.. I’m going to roast tonight.. I’m going to roast tonight . I’m GOING to roast tonight

I started at about a 10 setting with the encore grinder (1st shot) and switched it down to 6 for the second. Got ambitious and dropped it to 2 for the 3rd...which is why I didn't even bother taking a pic....super dark, hardly any crema and very little liquid in the cup. Think I choked it too much. So the 4th shot I increased back up to a 4...

that is with 20 grams weighed with beans, and I seem to lose 1.5 grams getting it from grinder to what goes in the basket​

A trick for fine adjustments on stepped grinders to slightly increase or decrease dose. Keep that in your bag of tricks when dialing in your shots. Look’n good so far!

 

[Ruint]

I am going to roast tonight! LoL! Going to start my pre heat after this post! Done used up all my available roasted beans at least for doing espresso...and only have a pot's worth for the moccamaster.

 

[Ruint]

Thanks everyone for the advice and guidance!!! Sure does help me focus in!

 

[applescrap]

The guat geisha I tasted some apricot. It disappeared when I iced it, but man it was nice to suckle on a huge ice cold cup of hr coffee. Thanks passedpawn, Jammin, Harbor and the rest of the crew. What a treat. Man sweet light last night.

 

[TallDan]

Warning: (not really)**** roaster pics.

Took the cover off of my Mill City last night to put the cable for the new temp probe in place. Figured I’d post a couple pictures. Looks like the inside of some electric brewing control panels, plenty of components in common.

 

[TallDan]

Ugh. App is making it hard to post more than one pic in a post.

 

[TallDan]

One more.

 

[Inkleg]

Thanks for the roaster porn @TallDan. Now I want to go pull on my espresso shot.

 

[jammin]

@TallDan - are you replacing the PID T/C? I like the stock 5mm as an appx. Of Drum temp.

Have fun getting that shell back on. It’s a royal PITA. I had to use large wood clamps to assist holding it in. While the hoods off though be sure & lube the rear pillow. Some 30w works just fine.

 

[Ruint]

I will have to tear mine down for a cleaning in the very near future. Right now... it's in use!

 

[Ruint]

Above you see my make shift bean controller!! LoL! Dang things are unruley as all get out coming out of the drum. Often trying to escape!!

 

[TallDan]

@TallDan - are you replacing the PID T/C? I like the stock 5mm as an appx. Of Drum temp.

Have fun getting that shell back on. It’s a royal PITA. I had to use large wood clamps to assist holding it in. While the hoods off though be sure & lube the rear pillow. Some 30w works just fine.

Yes.

The PID and BT probes were the stock 5mm probes. The ET probe was a smaller one that I assume a previous owner replaced due to failure. I'm moving the old ET probe to the PID and got a pair of new ones from Mill City for artisan BT and ET. This way I have more confidence in the data in artisan. I suppose that I could use the old BT probe for the PID, but if two of those 5mm probes have failed on this roaster, I'm betting that third one will fail too.

I'm tempted to route all of the TC wires through the roaster and mount the phidget to the roaster as well, but i don't think i'll do that right now.

The speed controller for the air flow has a modbus port. If I replace the PID with one that has a modbus port, it should be easy to control the roaster with artisan. The drum speed control appears to be entirely analog (via a module humorously labeled "ASS-22"), so I suspect I would have to replace that, if i want to control it in software, but drum speed doesn't bring as much to the party in automation.

 

[Ruint]

Fresh roasted, fresh shot. Increased my pre infusion to 10 and pulled ended shot as 30

 

[jammin]

I wouldn't mess with the ASS-22. I just replaced mine & the unit it is very specific to running the motor. If you're very comfortable with all the stuff then maybe no problem but I tried using an AS-22 speed controller & the drum wouldn't run. The extra S in the model name makes a big difference apparently. The component cooling fan in the housing failed on my roaster & I suspect the speed controller over heated as a result. The top of it was melted slightly & sunken in with a 1/2" x 1/2" dent. The failure caused the drum motor to have a very rough start. Heavy buzzing & heaving sounds combined with low to no rotation. It's exactly what symptoms you'd experience of the start capacitor to your AC condenser (the outside box) took a dump.

As for the TC failure, the 5mm BT probe on my roaster had a mechanical failure. The sheath is what the actual 5mm measurement is based. The TC is just 2 small wires soldered together which are shoved into the end of the stainless steel tube. That tube protects it but also carries a thermal mass that influences the reading you get. I feel like the 5mm sheath carries a thermal mass that simulates drum temp/dynamics much closer than the lighter 2mm probes. Artisan records my BT temp at charge but i manually record ET (2mm probe in the plenum/exhaust along with the 5mm PID probe). The difference between the 2mm ET probe in the plenum & the 5mm PID probe vary quite wildly but using my the PID probe for charge temp my roast results are very consistent.

 

[TallDan]

I wouldn't mess with the ASS-22. I just replaced mine & the unit it is very specific to running the motor. If you're very comfortable with all the stuff then maybe no problem but I tried using an AS-22 speed controller & the drum wouldn't run. The extra S in the model name makes a big difference apparently. The component cooling fan in the housing failed on my roaster & I suspect the speed controller over heated as a result. The top of it was melted slightly & sunken in with a 1/2" x 1/2" dent. The failure caused the drum motor to have a very rough start. Heavy buzzing & heaving sounds combined with low to no rotation. It's exactly what symptoms you'd experience of the start capacitor to your AC condenser (the outside box) took a dump.

As for the TC failure, the 5mm BT probe on my roaster had a mechanical failure. The sheath is what the actual 5mm measurement is based. The TC is just 2 small wires soldered together which are shoved into the end of the stainless steel tube. That tube protects it but also carries a thermal mass that influences the reading you get. I feel like the 5mm sheath carries a thermal mass that simulates drum temp/dynamics much closer than the lighter 2mm probes. Artisan records my BT temp at charge but i manually record ET (2mm probe in the plenum/exhaust along with the 5mm PID probe). The difference between the 2mm ET probe in the plenum & the 5mm PID probe vary quite wildly but using my the PID probe for charge temp my roast results are very consistent.

Well, unless I'm mistaken, I don't think that drum speed influences the roast much (as long as it's in the range it should be in) so automating that would be low on the list anyway.

My PID probe is actually much nearer to my BT probe than the ET probe. The exhaust plenum on mine has the ET probe and an analog dial thermometer. Since I've never had a working PID probe, thus far I've not used it for anything at all, all of my roasting has been based on what is reported in artisan. I mostly wanted to fix the PID probe so that I don't have to watch the roaster as much when it's warming up. Maybe the 5mm probe would be better for me, but we'll see what I get.

 

[jammin]

Does your roaster not have adjustable drum speed? Mine has a potentiometer connected to the ASS-22 to adjust drum speed. Maxed out, it is just barely getting to optimal RPMs.
I always let my roaster warm up for 30 minutes prior to the first roast. After it initially climbs to 435*, the pid shuts the gas off. Once it kicks back on, I set the gas to a minimum level & fan to 50. This combo holds the roaster at 380 almost perfectly for the duration of warm up and between batches. This reading is easy to see on the PID and again, what I feel gives a more true appx. of drum temp. You'll notice that adjust fan speed will cause the 2mm probe readings to swing rapidly.

 

[TallDan]

Does your roaster not have adjustable drum speed? Mine has a potentiometer connected to the ASS-22 to adjust drum speed. Maxed out, it is just barely getting to optimal RPMs.
I always let my roaster warm up for 30 minutes prior to the first roast. After it initially climbs to 435*, the pid shuts the gas off. Once it kicks back on, I set the gas to a minimum level & fan to 50. This combo holds the roaster at 380 almost perfectly for the duration of warm up and between batches. This reading is easy to see on the PID and again, what I feel gives a more true appx. of drum temp. You'll notice that adjust fan speed will cause the 2mm probe readings to swing rapidly.

Yes, it has the ASS-22 and the potentiometer. I adjust it a couple times during a roast to try to keep the 50 degree tumble, and it seems to have more than enough speed for my batch sizes.

 

[Ruint]

I need to really, really practice my frothing skills...lol

 

[pshankstar]

I need to really, really practice my frothing skills...lol

You and me both!!! Amen.

 

[Ruint]

I also got coffee dedicated scales now too. Several steps up from having a normal kitchen scale for everything. The small one fits under espresso cups underneath the portafilter so I can really get accurate now.

 

[Ruint]

Now onto grinder selection. Uuuuugggghhh! It will be focused on strictly doing grinds for espresso. I can't afford the monolith...for quite sometime!! I am down to deciding between the sette 270Wi or the niche zero I think. I would need to keep the ceramic burrs in the sette I think for espresso grind or am I confusing that with the vario? I expect to have to verify calibration and alignment on either one I end up getting. Any hacks to be considered for either???

 

[TallDan]

Yep. Confusing the vario. Sette only has one burr option: Steel conical.

 

[Ruint]

Yes sir!! Thank you for that TD!!! Been looking at so many stats on grinders and their reviews my head is swimming!

 

[jammin]

Been a anxiety filled week for roasting. I dropped my MacBook Pro which broke the screen. This was about 20 minutes into warming up the roaster. Dropped it off for repairs the next day but they quoted a week+ and that was all i needed for an excuse for a new machine. This led to a new problem .. the 2019 MacBook Air’s only have USB C ports so couldn’t plug in my Phidget data hardware and I don’t roast blind w/o Artisan anymore.
So finally back in business tonight. 3 roasts in a row & all went great including my last pound of Banko. Did a pound of Hangadhi along side it which should be fun to cup side x side.

 

[Inkleg]

Glad you’re back up and running @jammin.
I have 1 pound left of the Banko to roast. My wife is not happy about it.

 

[applescrap]

Been a anxiety filled week for roasting. I dropped my MacBook Pro which broke the screen. This was about 20 minutes into warming up the roaster. Dropped it off for repairs the next day but they quoted a week+ and that was all i needed for an excuse for a new machine. This led to a new problem .. the 2019 MacBook Air’s only have USB C ports so couldn’t plug in my Phidget data hardware and I don’t roast blind w/o Artisan anymore.
So finally back in business tonight. 3 roasts in a row & all went great including my last pound of Banko. Did a pound of Hangadhi along side it which should be fun to cup side x side.

Oh man bummer, but sounds like you figured out a good solution.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I had an unsuccesful roast of the Yemen a few months ago and decided to give it another try. This one was going better but again I didn't get much of a crack. I have read that this bean tends to roast unevenly and can be challenging so that might be it, but I'm not sure. I guess I'll have to see how it tastes in a few days.

Next I tried the Ethiopia Hangahi for the 2nd time and I had a better roast than my first but still screwed this one up a little by not getting on the heat enough up front.

I'm in a bit of a roasting funk right now, at least with new beans. My brain comes up with a game plan but I fail to execute it in real time. I think part of it might be lack of practice, because I had a stretch in early May where I had about 5 lbs of roasted beans to drink (for a variety of reasons) so I have only roasted twice in the last month (including last night).

 

[Ruint]

Well....I have the 270wi inbound. Reading on the indiegogo site, the part that says you aren't guaranteed product (niche zero) even though you pledge, kinda made me think twice! That and coupled with no definitive shipping date other than maybe this month....just didn't cut it with me!

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Well....I have the 270wi inbound. Reading on the indiegogo site, the part that says you aren't guaranteed product (niche zero) even though you pledge, kinda made me think twice! That and coupled with no definitive shipping date other than maybe this month....just didn't cut it with me!

My research told me the Sette series is phenomenal as an espresso-oriented grinder. I'm sure you could also grind successfully for a V60 or Melitta as well if you ever felt like getting wild. But for an espresso-only grinder, I don't think you can go wrong. Plus it's gorgeous.

 

[TallDan]

Well....I have the 270wi inbound. Reading on the indiegogo site, the part that says you aren't guaranteed product (niche zero) even though you pledge, kinda made me think twice! That and coupled with no definitive shipping date other than maybe this month....just didn't cut it with me!

That’s indiegogo’s standard wording. Why they’re still using that instead of any normal online storefront is beyond me.