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

[Bensiff]

Advice needed. I'm ordering my grinder tomorrow, and I've got it narrowed down to these two: Baratza Encore for $129, or Breville Smart Grind refurb for $116 (normally 200)

Any suggestions?

I'm strictly into french press and chemex, and don't see myself doing espresso in the near future

I have no experience with either. However do have a Baratza Vario. It is a work horse and customer service is superb.

 

[jammin]

@harbortownbrewing

I've heard great things about the Breville smart grinder. I'd def recommend


I had a Baratza Preciso for a while and it had the best press pot grind of all the grinders I've owned - well close anyways


Cool thing with the Preciso, you can add an Esato attachment later. This device allows the gridner to dose by weight. So just set the grinder for however grams you want. This is extremely efficient and beneficial for making killer coffee

 

[LabRatBrewer]

I'll try to post a pic later but I'm melting the yellow top of my popper all out of shape. I do love the coffee though. I imagine a replacement top might take some searching.

 

[TrickyDick]

I have no experience with either. However do have a Baratza Vario. It is a work horse and customer service is superb.

Ditto here. As a follow up, I asked the customer service at baratza about the loose hopper (need to hold it entire grind duration to prevent from turning and disengage the safety stopping the grinder) they are sending gratis replacement plus a gratis burr removal tool.

TD.

 

[jammin]

^heck yeah bro. baratza always exceeds expectations.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Thanks for the suggestions guys. I'm leaning toward the Baratza Encore, because it's smaller and will be easier for me to store in the cabinets when I'm not using it. I'm also a little nervous about the Smart Grinder having an LCD screen: how long will it last? I trust the grinder will have a long life, but I don't know that I can expect the screen to last as long.

Roasted up a Burundi and tried it this morning. Yummmmmm. So chocolaty and rich. Little bit of caramel. I've got the shakes

 

[Bensiff]

Grinders are pretty simple, you don't need any special technology. Pay for quality burrs, a reliable motor, and consistent gap settings. All an lcd screen means is that money didn't go to the important things, but it will attract the guy with a ton of money and no knowledge at Williams Sonoma with it's pretty display. Squirrel.

 

[TrickyDick]

So I brewed my latest Peaberry roast coffee this morning.
Yuck!
Hard to describe. Reminds me of Dunkin' Donuts. Far different from past roasts.
Hit it hard with the charge temp and then dropped the power through 1C for a fairly long stretch, and dumped shy of onset of 2C. 10 minutes total. I think was too short.

Tonight I tried another roast, slightly different. Charge temp about 10 degrees less (410) and hit it hard (100% power) until 1C then dropped to 50% and turned fan to 100% and then shortly after dropped power even further (30%) and left it there until onset of 2C.

At first I wasn't sure it was 2C, but when it started it was louder and more vigorous than 1C! sort of anyway. the snaps were not as "loud" but more "distinct", if that makes any sense and sounded like a muffled popcorn being popped. Also were MUCH more rapid compared to 1C. I let it run a good 30 seconds and it showed no letting up before ejecting. The beans look yummy and smell good too. I think I may have roasted previous beans too short.. time will tell. Overall an extra 90 seconds to this roast compared to the last. will see which I prefer.

TD

 

[jammin]

^what didn't you like about the first roast? I'm not familiar DD coffee although I hear some folks like it.

Was it too acidic/sour? Charred?

 

[TrickyDick]

The first roast just tasted... Bad. Hard to describe. Sour might be a word to describe, but not really sour like sour beer. There was a flavor reminiscent of DD coffee, which is the flavor in the DD stuff that I hate. Dirty sock like it reminds me of.

So the new roast, yeah, I brewed a pot in the morning, I think is pretty tasty. Getting some cocoa, and also a bit of acidity still. I think will improve with a little rest. I saved that profile on the chance that it turned out great. Will be roasting some more tonight and tomorrow in prep for a trip.

I wonder with the peaberries if I should go slower through the drying phase since they are rounder, but they are also smaller.


Edit

I think I figured out the ugly tasting bean problem. I think I ejected too soon. Was reading a book about coffee roasting and premature ejection (couldn't resist) before beans hit 380 will be "bad". However, I forgot to record the eject temp on the very last roast however. Also I think that I was having a hard time hearing the cracks that time too.

 

[TrickyDick]

What I find very interesting about the hot top roaster is the safety mechanism that limits the temp the 438°. I'm still learning my machine, but am also reading the coffee roasting book by Kenneth Davids. He talks of much higher roasting temps and end points for the roast.

I think I need to investigate further the temp display on the hot top. What does that probe temp mean? Where is it, and so forth. Is it the chamber temp? The bean mass temp? Something different? The HotTop manual confusing shows a time vs temp graph with modified probe temps alongside the built in probe (they should offer this from the factory I think ) which further confuses things.

After a little reading, it seems much of the information is focused on the end point of the coffee roasting. Specifically the temperature you roast the beans to. Well, it seems in my unit, I cannot measure the bean temps. Nor do I have an accurate ambient temp inside the roaster, but something a bit different, that I'm not sure about. One thing is for certain, the temperature is very important. The rate of change in temperature seems to be important as well, though this isn't discussed in much detail that I can read about, other than fast roasts bs slow roasts and acidity bs body favoring speeds. Seems that there is more to this than meets the eye.

Also it seems, that much like mashing malt, when you hit specific mash temps and rest periods that you are controlling the outcome of your wort, much like you would roast a coffee bean, you don't just ramp up directly to mash out. Seems in the coffee, that much of the process is unspoken "secret" information. Some talk about the "stretch" and I think that there is something to be said about that. Likewise the rate of rise in temp and resting without baking the bean at various steps to promote certain reactions seem likely to be important. I wish there was a more scientific approach or text that I could read to help understand better what is happening during the roast and how it affects the taste of the brewed coffee. At least more than just a target final temp.

Another thing I have a issue with is blending. when reading about blending, is it generally referring to blending green beans before roasting, or blending roasted beans? Maybe it's both..

Last thought for the night. Headed to Hawaii this summer. Any ideas where I might be able to buy some green kona beans rather than the dreck at the airports and tourist traps?

Going to be doing some more roasting tomorrow to see if I can apply anything I've read about tonight.

TD

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Td, I think you'll find satisfaction through trial and error. There really aren't any right ways to roast, per say, but many wrong ways. Detailed notes and one change at a time will slowly improve your process.

Regarding blending, my opinion is to blend post roast. A Burundi and Brazil wouldn't be roasted the same way (at least not for me) so I would never throw them in the drum together. But everyone has different opinions on this.

 

[TrickyDick]

Thanks.
Did another roast. Starting to get the hang of it. I think I like a slight bit darker roast. I wish I could do a partial eject to get a spectrum of flavor from acidity to deep body all in one roast.

It's fun to try different things and learn how it translates in the coffee mug.
Did a dry process roast. Definitely lots more chaff and much is left in the main bean mass upon ejection

TD

 

[passedpawn]

I've been fantasizing over something just like what you show there jammin. I want a cage I can attach to a rotisserie over my weber. It's just one more thing to keep me thinking about work

Looks like hell, I agree, but I'm loving this roast. I know you all probably think I'm just making lemonade out of lemons, but it's really good. No acid, no acrid burnt, just smooth coffee with a hint of cocoa.

Roast on roasters!

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Looks like hell, I agree, but I'm loving this roast. I know you all probably think I'm just making lemonade out of lemons, but it's really good.

Roast on roasters!

If you love it, who cares?!?!

BTW, I really like your countertop

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Thanks all for the input on the grinder. Seems silly to think so much about which grinder to get, especially when only spending about $100, but I just want to be sure to get something that will last a while. I went with the Encore, and can't wait for it to arrive. I'm finding my coffee can taste dramatically different from pot to pot, and I'm pretty sure this is due to the grind quality I was getting out of the blade grinder. Right now the Encore is somewhere between Utah and my home.....these shipments from the west coast take forever!

Anyways, roasted a Sumatra last night for the wife since she likes those. Holy. Crap. The smells those beans emitted during the first 6 or so mins of the roast were just atrocious. Came out well though, so we'll see!

 

[jammin]

^congrats on the grinder - I'll think your suspicions are correct. It will be fun to hear how your coffee tastes when it arrives.


PS - if you're wife likes Sumatra, try out a Papa New Guinea. They are both Indonesian and share similar characteristics, but PNG's are usually a little cleaner and sweeter.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Thanks for the PNG suggestion. I recently tried a Java Andes from Sweet Marias, and found it to be a cleaner version of the Sumatra actually. Tasted incredibly clean on the Chemex, but still had some great body through a French Press.

 

[TrickyDick]

Did a Ethiopian dry process Y.C. last night and really enjoyed the pot I brewed with it today. Very interesting flavor. I'll bet it probably benefits from a few days rest.
Headed to SanFran on spring break tomorrow, so it will get a nice rest while I'm gone. Any good coffee shops out there by the way? Staying near the Washington Eagles high school in a rental house, also close to the park.

 

[jammin]

^Four barrel, Blue Bottle and Ritual are legendary San Fran roasters. If you hit any of their shops - I will be incredibly jealous.

Don't be afraid to ask the barista what is pouring best THAT DAY. I'd suggest ordering a straight shot of espresso in addition to something hand poured. Shots at cafes like those are on a whole other level than almost anywhere else.

 

[TrickyDick]

Thanks for the recommendations. I checked and unfortunately, where I am staying those places are all a long ways away. However, I am sure that I will hit up at least one of those spots.

 

[TallDan]

Picked up some black cat since I walked by intelligentsia twice a day for the past few days. It will be fun to taste some good fresh commercially roasted coffee after sticking with home roasted coffee for the past couple months.

 

[jammin]

^good call. I'm WAY overdue for some good pro roasted coffee. What a great way to stay calibrated

I wish it wasn't so darn spendy though. I have nothing good locally so shipping really makes it a tough sell for me. Especially since the coffee will already be 3-5 days old by the time I get it

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Jammin, I think LaColombe does free shipping occassionally, or on certain sized orders. They are my go to craft-coffee.

 

[Bensiff]

^Four barrel, Blue Bottle and Ritual are legendary San Fran roasters. If you hit any of their shops - I will be incredibly jealous.

Don't be afraid to ask the barista what is pouring best THAT DAY. I'd suggest ordering a straight shot of espresso in addition to something hand poured. Shots at cafes like those are on a whole other level than almost anywhere else.

Does that require going to San Fran? Last time I was there, there was no parking to be had and when I found a place I got a ticket. Almost two years later the court finally got around to agreeing that the parking enforcement forked it up. I was ready to happily not return to Cali until the statue of limitations was up on the bench warrant that would have been issued if they did not dismiss the citation. Either way, I'm pretty much done with visiting San Fran when there are so many other great places to go that actually have parking. I'll keep my area visits to Russian River Brewing and Napa valley and drive through San Fran for the now.

 

[passedpawn]

Does that require going to San Fran? Last time I was there, there was no parking to be had and when I found a place I got a ticket. Almost two years later the court finally got around to agreeing that the parking enforcement forked it up. I was ready to happily not return to Cali until the statue of limitations was up on the bench warrant that would have been issued if they did not dismiss the citation. Either way, I'm pretty much done with visiting San Fran when there are so many other great places to go that actually have parking. I'll keep my area visits to Russian River Brewing and Napa valley and drive through San Fran for the now.

Uber.

 

[jammin]

hopefully this roast comes out where I want it. 4th time with this bean and the last of my 2lb bag. I think it will be a good.

I dried them in just the right amount of time i think, but hit 1C about 25 seconds quicker than I would have preferred. Thankfully, 1C was very controlled and came on about 2-3 degrees later than anticipated. This should result in a hair more melanoidan and a softer cup. With the nice stretch @ 4.6*/min I think ill get some good sweetness too! Dropping the beans at a nice city level should round it all out with good terroir.

You all have motivated me to roast in advance more lately as well so this roast should have 2-3 days of rest before it finally makes it way to the burrs of my grinder (I just throw in the hopper on top of my last roast).

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Jammin, where is your temp reading coming from?

 

[TallDan]

I was going to ask for some more info about the graph too. I'm assuming the red line is roaster temp, the blue line is bean temp, can you explain the significance of the colored bar at the top and the shaded regions? I've think I know what's going on there, but am not sure.

 

[jammin]

Red line is max environmental temp (read between the drum and she'll where the elements are).

Blue is bean temp.

Colored bar at the top just shows the time spent in each phase of the roast


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