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

[corkybstewart]

I had coffee in France and was incredibly disappointed (as I was with coffee in Italy). It was bland, dark roast. Like taking Costa Rica coffee, roasting it 45-60 seconds into 2nd Crack, and making an espresso with it. The best part was they would give you a small chocolate or nougat with the coffee. AND, if you were lucky, a free glass of water alongside your espresso! Free water in Europe...always appreciated.

I'm going to be travelling around San Fran/Sonoma soon. The last time I was there I was just starting to drink coffee, and I remember most places serving Illy or similar, mostly dark roast. Seemed to be a heavy Italian influence in their coffees. This time I'm going to do more research ahead of time and try to find some quality third-wave coffee shops.

We have a huge family there and rarely ever have to drink coffee in a cafe, I usually drink beer. I do drink rest area double espressos when we do travel but otherwise it's homebrewed. And grocery stores have about 5 times the choices for coffee than we do here, everything from very mild roast to "powdered charcoal".

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I'm finally ready to upgrade my roaster and decided on the Aillio Bullet. So I've been shopping used ones a bit (found one for $2k, which is about 700 less than new but turns out he is located in Spain...) and figured I'd probably have to get a new one due to limited used availability. Last night SM's rolled out a few units to people who were on a waiting list (whoops, didn't know about the list) and they were all snatched up before everyone got a chance.

Just heard from SM's that Aillio now has a sourcing problem and they aren't sure when the next units will be coming in. Soooooo, this kind of sucks haha.

 

[applescrap]

Ran out of 2700 dollar home roasters, damn, good problem to have. Crazy.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Aillio is a very very very small outfit I'm learning. I thought Behmor was small, but this is much smaller. Given the demand, I'm guessing they will raise the price soon because they can't keep up.

 

[jammin]

Ran out of 2700 dollar home roasters, damn, good problem to have. Crazy.

Look up "kafatek monolith" grinder. $2-2.5k single dosing espresso grinders. they sell out in minutes & you have to put down $500 & wait 3 months for it to be built & delivered. People are constantly posting WTB ads & gripe threads about how unfair it is that they sell out so quickly.

FWIW - my roaster was a lengthy wait in similar fashion.

 

[Inkleg]

FWIW - my roaster was a lengthy wait in similar fashion.

I can't remember, do you have a BC roaster? What size?

 

[jammin]

TJ-066. MillCity’s 500g (1lb) roaster configured for LPG. One thing about MillCity’s roasters, they can easily handle their stated batch size. I roast 454g/16oz to keep bags even. I’d like to work up a half lb profile to explore more coffees at a time but it seems I already have my hands full.

Last night I roasted that Kenyan AA & a Brazilian right behind it. Polar opposite coffees and I charged them at the same temp. Great lesson but I seriously should have known better.

 

[Inkleg]

@jammin What are you thoughts on MillCity vs BC roasters and 1k vs 2k in roasting size?
I'm researching and gathering information as I'm beginning to like this hobby a little too much.

 

[jammin]

It’s hard to lend unbiased commentary since I own a MillCity. That said, I’ve done a lot of research on the two, specifically around the 1lb models. Three things I like better about the TJ are:
1. The drum size. It has a larger diameter & thicker drum. This means more top end capacity & and more thermal mass.
2. Probes. The MC has their BT probe in a wasteland that is poor design. The TJ is perfect & comes with a Phidget to connect to your laptop via USB cord. It’s plug & play with Artisan - something any serious can’t live without.
3. Variable fan speed. The MC uses a damper which I hear is good but I really like the TJ’s dimmer style controller. The Quest M3 uses similar control which I was already used to & liked.

Regarding 1lb vs. 1kg. That’s entirely based on your needs. I roast on the bleeding edge of light and I’ve long grown sick of people telling me they prefer darker, less acidic roasts. I only roast for me & my wife. 1lb batch’s are boarderline too much. Anytime I feel the need to roast another batch it’s always a joy and only adds an extra 15 minutes to the session.

Edit: Re: size. The 1kg has a detached cyclone I think which creates an installation consideration. It does have an attached cooling tray which too. Double walled drum which is generally thought of as a plus/advantage over single walled drums.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

@Inkleg

One thing I've seen from some people is they contact Mill City and see what they recommend. I've read where the guy at Mill City has actually talked people out of their roaster and into a competitors roaster because they thought it better suited the customer's needs.

That's good business if you ask me. It might be worth reaching out to them and seeing what they have to say.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

10oz Nicaraguan and 6oz Rwandan. High heat through the first part of the roast then lowered at first crack to let it develop. I'm out of roasted coffee so I won't let it rest much before trying, smells amazing already. I'm sure it will be at it's peak at about 72 hours post roast. Not as dark as the filter on the picture suggests, maybe a little tipping, but within my accepted parameters for stove top roasting on a glass top range. Between my guns and guitars my roasting equipment upgrades have been neglected for too long, but not for much longer.

 

[passedpawn]

10oz Nicaraguan and 6oz Rwandan. High heat through the first part of the roast then lowered at first crack to let it develop. I'm out of roasted coffee so I won't let it rest much before trying, smells amazing already. I'm sure it will be at it's peak at about 72 hours post roast. Not as dark as the filter on the picture suggests, maybe a little tipping, but within my accepted parameters for stove top roasting on a glass top range. Between my guns and guitars my roasting equipment upgrades have been neglected for too long, but not for much longer.View attachment 554985

Looks great. You and I got started at this the same time (remember?). A roast like that makes my mouth water.

Those beans look like heaven. I'm pretty sure I like coffee more than beer.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

Looks great. You and I got started at this the same time (remember?). A roast like that makes my mouth water.

Those beans look like heaven. I'm pretty sure I like coffee more than beer.

I do remember! Anymore I think I crave coffee more than beer. I'm trying to decide between a behmor, a bread machine conversion, or just go all out to a commercial machine. The wife and I have been talking about opening a coffee shop, if that's the direction we are heading then a commercial machine is the obvious choice.

 

[Inkleg]

Thanks for the information guys. Right now like jammin I'm just roasting for for the wife and myself and one pot a day to share at work. Every other month I do about 5 pounds for family and friends. With the Behmor I get my best results with half pound batches, but with its limits with the temperature shut down it can make for a long roast day. I really like the idea of using Artisan and being able to drop another pound of beans while the first is cooling. I'll update as it progresses.

 

[TallDan]

I'm a little surprised we don't have anyone with a gas grill roaster in here.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

I'm a little surprised we don't have anyone with a gas grill roaster in here.

I have considered it

 

[passedpawn]

I have considered it

Haha, me too. So often in fact

 

[passedpawn]

^^ of course, being the type I am, I also look longingly (and with some seriousness that isn't really serious) at those $4k roasters that were just posted. Man I'd love one of those.

But I've also got these damned kids in college, this wife that moderates my stupidity, and other desires like building a sailboat in my garage, fishing, other random hobbies, and ... eh crud, can't remember that last thing.

 

[passedpawn]

... oh yea, I've got this job thing.

 

[applescrap]

Love the look of those mill city roasters. Also the videos, I mean cmon. There is a video of, cant think of his name, roasting on one of their roasters. Pretty sweet. Stupid question, but they make the roasters?

Is there flavor issues with gas grill?

 

[jammin]

@BrewinHooligan - that’s a damn impressive looking roast considering you did it on a cooktop. I’m impressed

Re: Gas Grill roasters. When I first got into things an RK drum was a thing of envy. I don’t understand why they fell off the map either. It’s sort of like a Behmor on steroids. Way higher capacity & control. Easy to install ET probe. My only concern is that I couldn’t control myself from doing rotisserie chicken if I had the equipment to do so haha

 

[Inkleg]

... oh yea, I've got this job thing.

.....about that....you could just put the roaster on your HBT expense account. That way you can bring fresh roasted coffee for yourself, @Yooper , @Homercidal and the rest of the moderators on board the HBT private jet for the bimonthly HBT cruise. Plus @TxBrew can list the roaster as "thread research paraphernalia" and write it off on his taxes.

 

[passedpawn]

.....about that....you could just put the roaster on your HBT expense account. That way you can bring fresh roasted coffee for yourself, @Yooper , @Homercidal and the rest of the moderators on board the HBT private jet for the bimonthly HBT cruise. Plus @TxBrew can list the roaster as "thread research paraphernalia" and write it off on his taxes.

Good idea. I'll submit the forms and see what happens.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

Love the look of those mill city roasters. Also the videos, I mean cmon. There is a video of, cant think of his name, roasting on one of their roasters. Pretty sweet. Stupid question, but they make the roasters?

Is there flavor issues with gas grill?

From my understanding you have to have a dedicated grill just for roasting or else your coffee tastes like hot dogs and burgers

 

[TallDan]

From my understanding you have to have a dedicated grill just for roasting or else your coffee tastes like hot dogs and burgers

Coffee infused steaks sound good.

 

[passedpawn]

Coffee infused steaks sound good.

It is. I make a rub of coffee / chile powder / cumin that is super great on steaks. I've grilled them this way many times, highly recommended.

Coffee-Chile Dry Rub

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

On the facebook roasting pages there are a few people who roast on their grills. I'm a little jealous at times, because the capacity is insane for such a low investment. I want to say these guys are doing 5lb roasts in a drum that cost a few hundred dollars on top of a grill they already owned.

When I had FIRST thought about roasting, back in 2012, that was the route I was looking at going because I thought it was the only way. Problem is, when you live in a fickle environment like Chicago, it's just not going to work. Which is why I think the drum roasters are tough for ~50% of the country.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I was browsing CL's "looking for labor" section or whatever, and came across this description.

Looking for a technician to service coffee and espresso machines in the chicagoland area. Looking for real experience or HVAC training as the components are very similar to HVAC repair. Pay open to what the individual brings to the table.

Am I out of my mind, or are espresso components not incredibly different than HVAC? I know HVAC pretty well...and while they may share a pump with an espresso machine, I'm not sure this was a fair comparison by the poster.

 

[applescrap]

Good question, I know I would rather work on an electric espresso machine than my gas boiler. The gas scares me.

It seems to me that my grill has to much gunk for coffee roasting. A dedicated grill seems essential, no? What about speed too. Would it be slow? I tried roasting with a whirly pop on grill and finally gave up.

Speaking of which I wonder how much speed matters. I recall seeing on probat site, I think it was, that their machines were 8 to 12 minutes for massive amounts of coffee.

On ebay there was a 30 kilo roaster from ambex sp? for 18k. If I was going to get serious I might consider that one.

 

[applescrap]

This