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

[HarborTownBrewing]

Question for any of you coffee roasting connoisseurs. Anyone have experience with the Hario Glass RCR-50 Non-Electric Home Roaster? Looks pretty interesting. Looks like it wouldn't turn out very large batches, and completely manual (not a downside for me), but I like the fact that you could actually watch the roast in action compared to some I see on the market. No clue about how hot it gets or how quickly it would roast, but the drum seems like it would lend itself to a fairly even roast. I'm just in the "getting interested in roasting phase" - and reading a lot, so quite new to all this.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000IC53ZW/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I'd say if you are interested in a manual roaster, save the $240 and buy a Whirlypop and tape the top flap open so you can watch the roast and take infrared temp probe readings.

 

[BrewinBromanite]

50g (~2oz) batches and $265? That's crazy. I think you'd be better off with a fresh roast sr700 (although i've never used one myself).

Wow, that is smaller than I was thinking it was.

I'd say if you are interested in a manual roaster, save the $240 and buy a Whirlypop and tape the top flap open so you can watch the roast and take infrared temp probe readings.

Hmmm, more reading is in order. Thanks for the quick replies.

 

[applescrap]

I'd say if you are interested in a manual roaster, save the $240 and buy a Whirlypop and tape the top flap open so you can watch the roast and take infrared temp probe readings.

So that's the answer . Thanks, my thumb was getting hot. Plus every time it fell (the dastardly lid), I had to stop stirring to open it and that led to some inconsistency. Sorry to hear about your batch.

 

[passedpawn]

So that's the answer . Thanks, my thumb was getting hot. Plus every time it fell (the dastardly lid), I had to stop stirring to open it and that led to some inconsistency. Sorry to hear about your batch.

Ove Gloves!

 

[TallDan]

Ove Gloves!

Ya know, those seemed like kind of a goofy Christmas gift when I got them, but they're great for brewing, coffee roasting, grill/smoking...

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Following up on my accidental dark roast, its actually pretty good. Blueberries and licorice. I wouldn't choose it every day but I'll take it!

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Screwed up a Sumatra today. My heads just not in it lately. This one should be okay, but not great. I hit the wrong button at the beginning of 1c and meant to reduce heat to 25% but only reduced to 75%. Guess we'll see.

 

[applescrap]

Harbortown hopefully the former will be true again with the latter

 

[applescrap]

I have been trying to catch up on the thread so give me a little time. It's an enjoyable read . So I'm becoming more used to this light roast. One reason I wanted to roast my own in the first place was to get light roast. The light roast is very grainy and nutty tasting still but it's really good. It's apparent that letting the coffee rest a few days Mellows it and balances it out after roasting. Still looking for more thoughts and comments on light roasted coffee. Keeping the caffeine completely intact is one bonus that I like. The grounds are so light in color. Here's a picture of the beans again

View attachment 1466695621903.jpg

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Pics are always tough to tell, but that looks a little light to me. I can't recall what kind of bean you are roasting, or if you mentioned hot long after 1C you stopped the roast. If you are looking for a light roast, you may want to stop the roast about 20-30 secs after 1C ends.

"Grainy and Nutty" can be normal flavors in some coffees, but they can also be characteristics of underdeveloped coffee. If it were too light a roast, it would taste my grassy or like a green tea.

Regarding the caffeine comment, my thoughts are you aren't going to pick up a lot more caffeine in roasting light. If you want more caffeine content by volume, I'd suggest roasting the coffee as dark as you want it so it tastes as you want it to, and simply adding more beans when you are brewing it so it's a stronger cup.

 

[applescrap]

Thanks harbortownbrewing. What i would like to do is experiment with different shades of light. I'm really enjoying the coffee though the freshness is ridiculous. I think I've become addicted to that taste of the roast! Thanks for ruining store bought coffee for me everyone

 

[passedpawn]

I love it when my body, clothes, hair are saturated with the aroma of roasted coffee beans.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

A good friend of mine lives about 2 miles away from a HUGE (and when I say huge I mean it - they roast for a good portion of coffee which comes in cans). You can pretty much smell the roasting smell 12 hours a day at his place. On the bright side, it's usually too warm out to open the windows so they don't get the smell in their place.

That would be a bit too much of the smell for me!

 

[jammin]

happy with the profile on this Bolivian micro-lot i roasted tonight. brewing it tomorrow morning bc I'm out so it will be interesting to see how it develops. I did a second batch of it that was a little faster and ever so slightly darker

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Think I didn't roast my sumatra enough. Smells like weed. Probably a city+roast

 

[TallDan]

Think I didn't roast my sumatra enough. Smells like weed. Probably a city+roast

You could be on to something. A new niche market in coffee.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Honestly you're probably right. Not the best smell or taste in the morning.

 

[BrewinBromanite]

50g (~2oz) batches and $265? That's crazy. I think you'd be better off with a fresh roast sr700 (although i've never used one myself).

Just a follow up. Sister and bro-in-law just gave me a French press for my bday. Got a good bag of local freshly roasted coffee last week, and have been putting it through the keurig with the pod that you can put your own beans in, and have been less than pleased.

Just put the same beans through the press, and it's a totally different coffee! Anywho, I used 12 or so oz of water with ~ 50 grams of coffee, and it made one really nice strong cup. Which made me realize, based on the comment above from @TallDan just how small the batches would be in that little glass drum roaster... I will definitely be looking for something with a bit larger capacity.

 

[BrewinBromanite]

Honestly you're probably right. Not the best smell or taste in the morning.

Back in college I might have disagreed there...I mean, a friend I knew might have disagreed...

 

[applescrap]

Just some keurig ideas....An easy way to reuse a Keurig cup is to put a strong piece of foil over the top. Take the old foil off, clean it out, put the coffee in and put a strong piece of foil over it. They actually make these little caps that go on top. If you have the reusable one that's just all screen it's worthless. I've heard the one that comes with it can work well if you cut an old cup and put it in there. Basically it has to work just like a new cup with only one little hole for the coffee to come out.

 

[applescrap]

Two bad batches really. I tried to go light but I went to light I think. I'm wondering if it even cracked and if I should re-roast it. The second one I made for my wife she likes dark roast coffee so I thought I'd give it a try.

View attachment 1466992156256.jpg

View attachment 1466992166490.jpg

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Apple, It looks like the beans are roasting fairly unevenly. If I remember right, you were using a Whirlypop. It's not difficult to get an even roast in that, but you do need to really crank it. Probably one rotation each second.

Regarding roast levels, the darker one is tough to judge because the dark beans of the lot are "darker" (of course) but it also has very light beans too. I wouldn't call it a dark roast though, not until you start to see oil on the beans a little while after you roast.

I personally haven't re-roasted beans before but you may want to try it for the first roast. That one's pretty light.

I used this chart for a while, especially the temps: http://legacy.sweetmarias.com/library/content/using-sight-determine-degree-roast. I got an infrared thermometer like this and would shoot it onto the beans to get an idea of where I was in the roast. This helped me learn roast levels and development. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DMI632G/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[applescrap]

Thanks for all your help. Yeah this morning the dark roast, Seems like they got darker after resting. I was in a hurry and used my stove on high. I think it was at first crack in 4-5 minutes. The first one I'm not sure it cracked. It is blonde in color when Ground and creates that translucent coffee. Definitely taste different than the other origin. The dark coffee smells like what I would generally associate coffee as smelling like. It smells a little burnt and taste like a cup of coffee I bought at the store. It seems most of the coffee I've been buying in the store over the years has all been super dark roast. I wonder if this is not a half-bad way to make coffee. I don't seem to mind the taste. The light roast coffee has more nuances and smells and tastes nutty like toasted grain. I don't think I'll ever be able to decide on a roast level. Thanks, need to get the thermometer and also maybe roast a little slower so I can have more control.

Edit...Looking at this picture you can definitely see too much variance.

View attachment 1467047312947.jpg

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Tried the Sumatra as a SO espresso this morning and it was like drinking mushrooms. Creamy and forest-y (?). So much funk.

Getting ready tonight to start roasting up a lot of coffee for some upcoming family gatherings. This year I'm not fooling around - taking my Baratza and Chemex, and doing it right.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Just made a latte, but I'm not really sure if it's any good because I don't drink lattes.

Thinking about getting some chocolate to make some chocolate flavored drinks. For special occasions and whatnot.

 

[jammin]

Just made a latte, but I'm not really sure if it's any good because I don't drink lattes.

Thinking about getting some chocolate to make some chocolate flavored drinks. For special occasions and whatnot.

If you do chocolate, get this one. Thank me later..

http://www.dilettante.com/Chocolate-Topping/Semi-Sweet-Ephemere-Chocolate-Sauce.html

 

[TallDan]

After trying a few chocolate syrups and other things for mochas, I settled on cocoa powder and sugar. Easy to adjust sweetness to taste, always stocked in the pantry for baking.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

If you do chocolate, get this one. Thank me later..

http://www.dilettante.com/Chocolate-Topping/Semi-Sweet-Ephemere-Chocolate-Sauce.html

I like the price. Heck, it's cheap by your standards

How much do you get out of a bottle usually? I'm thinking of ordering a couple to save on shipping.

 

[jammin]

I like the price. Heck, it's cheap by your standards

How much do you get out of a bottle usually? I'm thinking of ordering a couple to save on shipping.

It's very thick, almost mousse like. It doesn't take much for a smallish latte (I don't drown my shots) so maybe a tablespoon. A bottle will last you quite a while.

I got turned on to to it by a local coffee shop that uses it. The chocolate flavor is unreal and is not cloying or overly sweet. Just great stuff. Makes a mean hot chocolate too.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

My fine grinds for espresso have been...not very fine the last few shots I've pulled. I checked the grinder calibration, and that was all good. So I did some Baratza troubleshooting and found where two of my burr holder flanges were missing and the third was chipped.

Fortunately Baratza is sending me a new one. And apparently it's by design: http://www.baratza.com/having-a-weak-link-plastic-burr-holder-is-a-good-thing/

But the whole ordeal got me thinking, "if my grinder is broken, may as well look at new ones." Anyone see the new Sette? http://www.baratza.com/grinder/sette-270/