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

[TallDan]

Terrible at planning my roasts ahead and they never get the rest they should.

Just used the last of my roasted coffee this morning, so I'm roasting some to be used starting tomorrow!

 

[jammin]

Busted out the Lido 1 this weekend for a mug & had forgotten how good the grind quality is. I'm so used to my Baratza Vario with Ditting machined SS 54mm flat burrs that id nearly forgot how good these old burr sets are. Spoiler Alert: they're better than mostly anything else currently available on the market.

Anyhow - the LIDO 1 is no longer in production & has been surpassed by at least 2 newer generations. The LIDO 1 however was/is a revolutionary hand grinder that was the first to bridge the gap between electric & manual grinders. Doug & Barbara from Orphan Espresso are long time manual anything coffee and designed this grinder from the ground up to fill a niche that nobody knew existed. While other hand grinders that were currently on the market featured tiny or dull/ceramic burr sets, they solved an even greater problem; burr set alignment/stability. By employing the 38mm Baratza conical burr set (featured in the fantastic Virtuoso) with a stabilized drive shaft & functional adjustment mechanism OE brought to market the best hand grinder ever produced. Not only was it nails at French Press to Aeropress, but it was passable at esprssso. Due to its immediate success, OE immediately put their profits back into their R&D dept. which led to the LIDO 2 & 3. These grinders had larger, improved burr sets with greater stability & quicker grind times. While the LIDO 1 has a very casual & relaxed pace to its grind, the LIDO 2 requires more force to drive its larger (48mm) burr set. The trade off is fewer turns to process the coffee with a more precise grind. My point is, the LIDO line is a fantastic set of grinders that produce a grind quality that rivals the best in the business such as the KF 804 etc.

Here is my LIDO 2 loaded up for tmrw's brew along with the LIDO 1 & Baratza Vario-w

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I loaded up the roaster with 14oz of El Salvador. These were beans I struggled with as they went right from 1c straight into 2c. With 14oz that was not a problem at all and I had a very nice roast. Longer than normal but I avoided 2c this way.

Should make for decent Thanksgiving coffee

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I loaded up the roaster with 14oz of El Salvador. These were beans I struggled with as they went right from 1c straight into 2c. With 14oz that was not a problem at all and I had a very nice roast. Longer than normal but I avoided 2c this way.

Should make for decent Thanksgiving coffee

The El Sal, which was a lighter roast (probably about City+) is really interesting. It had an incredible scent of fried caramel as it bloomed, and tastes like a darker roast and chocolate. I'm really surprised how "dark" it tastes despite being a lighter roast.

If I could bottle the bloom's smell, I'd be a zillion-aire.

 

[jammin]

Stopped into a local shop for the 2nd time today & decided to roll the dice on an espresso drink. My first time through I noticed they had a 4-group La Marzocci Linea (the machine that originally put Starbucks on the map) & an E-Robur (the most expensive grinder you can buy). At a glance, you could tell the owner was at least semi-serious about coffee. I watched the barista go through his workflow for the 2 customers ahead of me & was absolutely shocked he had to use a thermometer to steam his milk. That is just flat out traaiming wheel status & to me it looked like a fish out of water. Unsurprisingly the milk was a hot distaster but the shots were well crafted due to the safety net afforded by the equipment. Obviously lots of room for improvement & I wished I could have just got behind the bar & made that equipment sing.

Footnote - their coffee was over roasted... grumble grumble

 

[applescrap]

The El Sal, which was a lighter roast (probably about City+) is really interesting. It had an incredible scent of fried caramel as it bloomed, and tastes like a darker roast and chocolate. I'm really surprised how "dark" it tastes despite being a lighter roast.

If I could bottle the bloom's smell, I'd be a zillion-aire.

Was that the bodhileaf last week? Man it looked good. Sounds like a nice roast. I like chocolate and caramel so much. I am having fun. I roasted a pound more of nic. regalo de dios and hit 1c at 10 min. Cut back to four bars experimenting, then to 2 and then to 1. I felt like it stalled the crack? It was 38° out. Last time 1c lasted longer. Anyways left it on for 1min40sec more. Tried for a little darker. Burnt my finger lifting lid like a noob. The air roast is something interesting. Used blower to clean bm and heat gun.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Was that the bodhileaf last week? Man it looked good. Sounds like a nice roast. I like chocolate and caramel so much. I am having fun. I roasted a pound more of nic. regalo de dios and hit 1c at 10 min. Cut back to four bars experimenting, then to 2 and then to 1. I felt like it stalled the crack? It was 38° out. Last time 1c lasted longer. Anyways left it on for 1min40sec more. Tried for a little darker. Burnt my finger lifting lid like a noob. The air roast is something interesting. Used blower to clean bm and heat gun.

The el sal I had was from Burmans. Has been really tough to roast because the beans are huuuuge. I think Nic has some good chocolate caramel flavors sometimes too

 

[applescrap]

Some thoughts and experimentation this morning . As I was putting tin foil on the lid hole of the bread machine because the plastic melts, i considered building up a big rim of tin foil which i have seen to hold the heat gun and seal in heat. Then i wondered if that was in contradiction to the idea of air roasted coffee. So in that spirit i took the lid off and roasted that way. The plastic mold that holds the lid, holds the heat gun in place right above the beans. It only blows air on one side instead of moving it around but I don't think it matters. It gives the heat gun plenty of air to cool as well. The beans actually cooked much faster. With the heat gun on high right above it I heard a very loud crack at 7:50. I switched power to halfway and full 1c commensed at 830. I switched to lowest power at 9 min and finished at 10min. Seeking second crack but hoping not to hear it. Anyways what do you think? With the heat gun so close to the beans and the variable heat gun, seems I could have first crack happen anywhere between 7 minutes and 50 seconds to 11 minutes plus. Note its cold here in denver this morning. I think a little slower could up the consistency? Lost some coffee trying to cool with the blower. Then figured out that I could stack the collanders and make a little cage. On low the blower cooled the coffee in seconds. Since nothing gets burnt, I hit the bread machine and heat gun quick with blower and done.

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[Aristotelian]

Some thoughts and experimentation this morning . As I was putting tin foil on the lid hole of the bread machine because the plastic melts, i considered building up a big rim of tin foil which i have seen to hold the heat gun and seal in heat. Then i wondered if that was in contradiction to the idea of air roasted coffee. So in that spirit i took the lid off and roasted that way. The plastic mold that holds the lid, holds the heat gun in place right above the beans. It only blows air on one side instead of moving it around but I don't think it matters. It gives the heat gun plenty of air to cool as well. The beans actually cooked much faster. With the heat gun on high right above it I heard a very loud crack at 7:50. I switched power to halfway and full 1c commensed at 830. I switched to lowest power at 9 min and finished at 10min. Seeking second crack but hoping not to hear it. Anyways what do you think? With the heat gun so close to the beans and the variable heat gun, seems I could have first crack happen anywhere between 7 minutes and 50 seconds to 11 minutes plus. Note its cold here in denver this morning. I think a little slower could up the consistency? Lost some coffee trying to cool with the blower. Then figured out that I could stack the collanders and make a little cage. On low the blower cooled the coffee in seconds. Since nothing gets burnt, I hit the bread machine and heat gun quick with blower and done.

I am using heat gun/dog bowl method similar to this. I get the gun right up to the beans and stir constantly. Using this method, my typical profile is similar to this, early FC around 7:30-8:00, peak FC around 8:30-9:00, finish at 11:00-12:00. I have been getting great results with this type of profile whereas longer roasts in the 15:00 range have been less consistent in terms of flavor and body.

 

[jammin]

^could you use a range burner drip pan as a cover to hold the HG? It has a nice port on the side to let air & chaff out.

The nozzle looks a bit close to the beans IMHO but your results will not lie. Just keep in mind how powerful that hot air is & that you can roast the outside quicker than the inside & reach 1C with an uneven roast or worse yet, scorched beans.

Great work getting a cooling system in place. That's a great way to improve your roasts. Quick cooling locks in your roast profile & tends to boost sweetness

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Just ordered 30lbs of greens for a xmas blend this year. Sweet Marias has 15 percent off today through Wednesday if I remember right.

Im hoping I can manage to get rid of most of these, otherwise I'll be drinking a lot of Kenyan and Columbian over the next few months!

 

[Limbrizik]

Just ordered 30lbs of greens for a xmas blend this year. Sweet Marias has 15 percent off today through Wednesday if I remember right.

Thanks for sharing the 15% off! I just ordered 15 lbs to roast for xmas gifts, fantastic deal

 

[TallDan]

Any standout coffees on SM's that you guys are ordering with the 15% off? I have a couple month's supply of coffee at home right now, so certainly don't need to order any, but hate to pass up a deal.

 

[jammin]

Any standout coffees on SM's that you guys are ordering with the 15% off? I have a couple month's supply of coffee at home right now, so certainly don't need to order any, but hate to pass up a deal.

No. exactly why theyre running the sale. There is a nice sounding Kenyan PB ... but it's a PB... which is a guaranteed PITA to roast & a couple attractive Colombians(which admittedly temp me). Not sure if those are sold out but the nice PNG's I would have stocked up on are gone


Edit:
Someone please roast this (slightly expensive) bastard lightly & and vindicate my suggestion. It's pretty effing good if you're into sweet berry bombs that are really easy drinking. Don't get salty with me though if you can't execute a light roast
http://www.roastmasters.com/ethiopiaworka.html

 

[applescrap]

Sorry chiming in late here. Bodhileaf was 20% off black friday weekend.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I got the pita Kenyan pb so we'll see how it goes. Unfortunately it was the only east African that looked good to me

 

[passedpawn]

I was sitting here drinking 1st cup this AM while reading this site, but my background headthread was wondering why the coffee was tasting so damned good this morning. Duh. Inlaws, who've been visiting for 10 days, just left this morning. I've been drinking Dunkin Donuts per their request. This morning, though, I ground Ethiopian. So much better. Yowza, I'm getting another cup right now.

I roasted another 5# of it this weekend. Woot.

 

[applescrap]

So just follow up that faster was not as good. So lid back on and hg further away next time.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I'll give a Fara Sala update:

Stuffs good. This time I'm getting more Berry flavor, and the bloom smells like fruit loops. There is a Cocoa powder like flavor as well which gives it a bit more body and makes it infinitely more complex.

I think this is one of the better coffees I've had, without a doubt.

 

[TallDan]

I'll give a Fara Sala update:

Stuffs good. This time I'm getting more Berry flavor, and the bloom smells like fruit loops. There is a Cocoa powder like flavor as well which gives it a bit more body and makes it infinitely more complex.

I think this is one of the better coffees I've had, without a doubt.

Drinking some right now as well. Roasted 11/29, french press. This is a lighter roast than my previous batch, which had lots of cocoa/chocolate. With this batch I have some subdued berry flavors and some cocoa, but another flavor that I think I'd describe as baking spices. Like you said, nice complexity and just a tasty coffee.

Might try to keep the next batch lighter yet and see if I can get more of the fruit. Three 1/2lb batches so far and I don't think you can go wrong with this coffee.

 

[applescrap]

I got my order of Steve's favorites from bodhileaf. They shorted the ethiopian but had extra in the others so i guess im cool with that. Roasted the Brazilian volcano something or other and put lid on bm. Kept nozzle just in top and it slowed the roast. Plus its cold here. 12min heard loud crack. I then turned the heat down and then back up because I didn't hear any more cracks. At 1240 heard another crack and turned heat down. Turned it down some more after a minute but didnt hear another crack? I wonder if i stalled the crack somehow with the cold helping? I have heard stories of coffee that just crack a couple times. Anyways it started to get smokey at 14:40, 2 mins past start of 1c. So pulled it. The blower and two collander method cooled it in less than 60 seconds to ice cold.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Apple, given that it got smoky I don't think you stalled it. I'd guess you may have blown right through 1C without even noticing it. That can be easy with some dense central American beans.

 

[jammin]

Apple, given that it got smoky I don't think you stalled it. I'd guess you may have blown right through 1C without even noticing it. That can be easy with some dense central American beans.

I think you meant "less" dense centrals which Brazilians most certainly are.



That is one disadvantage of the Heat Gun - it is very noisy. The Bread Machine can contribute its share of noise too.

A temp probe reading the bean mass can alleviate a lot of these frustrations & give you good benchmarks as to when you should adjust the heat/fan.

 

[applescrap]

Thanks for the responses. The bread machine starts fairly loud like pebbles spinning, but when the beans start cooking they get quiet. Need to look into thermometer setup. Roasting this way has been nothing but a joy thank you. Just sharing thoughts and results. It really has been a fun process. The roast is really nice by the way. Here is a pic with and without flash. The one without the flash is closer to color. It was shot in kitchen sunlight.

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[passedpawn]

Man apple, that is a very even roast. I've got to improve mine. I'll probably stick with the turbo oven, but I think the stir crazy has to go.

 

[jammin]

Man apple, that is a very even roast. I've got to improve mine. I'll probably stick with the turbo oven, but I think the stir crazy has to go.

Are you referring to deleting the SC heating element?

 

[passedpawn]

Are you referring to deleting the SC heating element?

I'm considering mounting the TO upside down, under a metal perforated screen. Then I'll let the air from the TO blow the beans around. Something like that.

I never turned the SC element back on. Back in the day, after bypassing the SC thermostat, I disabled the heater completely and used the TO for heat. Funny, I haven't thought of turning the SC heater back on. But do you think it will improve the uniformity of my roasts? Since the SC has a thermostat tied to the stirring platform, I kinda assumed it would stay off most of the time anyway when the TO was blowing.

Thoughts?

 

[applescrap]

Is the t.o. strong enough to mix the beans on its own? If so that is the fluid air style roaster that sivetz championed. Uniformity of roast is one awesome outcome, but another and equally important is removing the chaff before it burns up. That way you are only tasting the coffee in its purest form. There's no residue left when I'm done roasting. The chaff is super light blonde color and unburned. It collects on the outside of the Bread Basket or flies out. The roasts are so sweet smelling with no burnt off flavor or scent. Maybe you could mount the to on a bm and make vent?

 

[jammin]

I'm considering mounting the TO upside down, under a metal perforated screen. Then I'll let the air from the TO blow the beans around. Something like that.

I never turned the SC element back on. Back in the day, after bypassing the SC thermostat, I disabled the heater completely and used the TO for heat. Funny, I haven't thought of turning the SC heater back on. But do you think it will improve the uniformity of my roasts? Since the SC has a thermostat tied to the stirring platform, I kinda assumed it would stay off most of the time anyway when the TO was blowing.

Thoughts?

Oh - definitely don't turn the SC element back on.

Have you improved the stirring arm yet? Most folks do something as simple as adding coat hanger wire to more elaborate stirring fins. In any case, it is my understanding that larger stirring arms that extend towards the perimeter of the SC greatly assist in creating a more even roast.

If you haven't done that yet I'd love to see what you come up with & hear your results!

 

[jammin]

Is the t.o. strong enough to mix the beans on its own? If so that is the fluid air style roaster that sivetz championed. Uniformity of roast is one awesome outcome, but another and equally important is removing the chaff before it burns up. That way you are only tasting the coffee in its purest form. There's no residue left when I'm done roasting. The chaff is super light blonde color and unburned. It collects on the outside of the Bread Basket or flies out. The roasts are so sweet smelling with no burnt off flavor or scent. Maybe you could mount the to on a bm and make vent?

You are literally making me want to build another HG/BM kit....