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

[Sbe2]

Second roast in the cast iron was way better than the first. Had less charred beans, but man it would be nice to use convection like you all, instead of conduction.

 

[ba-brewer]

Second roast in the cast iron was way better than the first. Had less charred beans, but man it would be nice to use convection like you all, instead of conduction.View attachment 630231

This post showed my hybrid approach with a cast iron pot and a heat gun which I used when I first started roasting coffee, you get a lot of control using both direct fire and the heat gun.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/...ewing-and-tasting.452446/page-40#post-7602307

 

[Sbe2]

This post showed my hybrid approach with a cast iron pot and a heat gun which I used when I first started roasting coffee, you get a lot of control using both direct fire and the heat gun.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/-coffee--ingredients-roasting-grinding-brewing-and-tasting.452446/page-40#post-7602307

Thanks. I might be just saving up for a Behmor, while roasting the beans I have.

 

[Ruint]

Spent a good part of the day trying to perfect shots ground by the encore, only to have the sette show up...making me want to start all over!

 

[Ruint]

all the new toys....

 

[Ruint]

Spent a little bit of time on the bullet today...lol...roasted 15 lbs of coffee!

 

[jammin]

That’s the only way to learn. I burned through about the same learning about my roaster & seasoning the drum before I even kept a batch. It’s fun knowing you’re not gonna drink the coffee so can push the limits. Hit 1C in 6 minutes, run it out to 2nd crack - all the stuff I normally don’t do

 

[Ruint]

I did that already...learning the machine thing....todays' coffee is planned to be kept and used! Time put into roasting was about 3 hours. I have some folks that like to get their coffee from me, plus, I have been going thru more in the attempts of learning better espresso shots...lol

 

[jammin]

Oh dang. Well that’s pretty awesome. Are you going full 2lb batches?

 

[Ruint]

Only do some at 1kg. The R-1 does have it's limits pushed a little bit with those size batches. I pushed even harder today with a 1052 gram drop...lol. I have not had a bad one yet, but don't want to push it too hard, too often. I usually run with 600 to 900 gram batches without any problems and nice control. Need to do a good thorough cleaning session on it, as my drum and bean temps are getting really, really close. Good thing I use my nose and sight experience still!!!


to date, I have a total of 34.61 kg roasted, recorded, since getting the bullet

 

[TallDan]

Paging @Sprouthog

I'm sure some others here would be very interested in hearing what you think about your new toy when it arrives!

 

[Ruint]

Still a wee bit bitter. Ran out of stepless adjustments so went up one more notch on the stepped adjustment. Have to wait till tomorrow to taste test anymore!!

 

[Inkleg]

Let us know how that coffee is Inkleg. Very curious if it is all they say it is, at least for the crema.

Sorry, I completely forgot you ask about the Lavazza Super Crema.
I make coffee for myself and one friend at work (a year ago I weened him from cream and sugar to black coffee and he has become quite the coffee connoisseur). I ground some, took it to work and made it in a Behmor drip without saying anything to him. He came to me after pouring his cup mentioned that the coffee tasted burnt. I agreed and told him that it wasn't mine and what coffee it was. The twist to this is when I got home that night my wife said she made her coffee that morning using the same bean and mentioned to me that it tasted burnt and that she would stick to my roasted coffee (she makes espresso, but is no expert). I agree with both of them. It's not horrible..."Oh I can't drink that", but it leaves something to be desired.

 

[Ruint]

Thank you for the update Inkleg. I don't think I will even bother to get some...lol....I can't stand burnt coffee!

 

[TrickyDick]

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!!

Nice! K.I.S.S.
If it works, and I’m sure it does, then the less effort involved the better.
TD

 

[TrickyDick]

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.

I think that there are USB hubs for USB C machines that will allow legacy USB connections.

 

[applescrap]

Sorry, I completely forgot you ask about the Lavazza Super Crema.
I make coffee for myself and one friend at work (a year ago I weened him from cream and sugar to black coffee and he has become quite the coffee connoisseur). I ground some, took it to work and made it in a Behmor drip without saying anything to him. He came to me after pouring his cup mentioned that the coffee tasted burnt. I agreed and told him that it wasn't mine and what coffee it was. The twist to this is when I got home that night my wife said she made her coffee that morning using the same bean and mentioned to me that it tasted burnt and that she would stick to my roasted coffee (she makes espresso, but is no expert). I agree with both of them. It's not horrible..."Oh I can't drink that", but it leaves something to be desired.

Yep, burnt isnt quite as good as it used to be after lighter home roast. I have a theory and I have to test it. My theory is that if I burn toast through and through it might taste similar to a burnt coffe if brewed. I mean some of this stuff tastes like flat carbon to me.

I have been drinking the hanabongi. It is a nice Ethiopian for sure. Really nice body and mouthfeel. The guat geisha, has also been more enjoyable to me this roast. I like the apricot flavor. I must have taken the roast to far but I got no fruit on the hanabongi. Next I will go real light. If I didn't have some like it I would be kicking myself for not getting 10 pounds at that deal. Makes a perfect daily drinker or inbetween new roasts. Have been doing pour overs with blade grinder, ugh, argh, damn.

 

[MaxStout]

Yep, burnt isnt quite as good as it used to be after lighter home roast.

CSB time: Before I started home-roasting, I almost always bought French roast. At the coffee shop, in store-bought beans, K-cups, etc. It was my go-to. I had had lighter roasts before, of course, but I always seemed to gravitate to the dark roasts. Then I started to roast my own--first doing a couple dark roasts (which were disasters, as that level roast with a heat gun is seconds away from becoming cinders, and I ended up with enough scorched beans to ruin the batch). But I started experimenting and went to what near as I could judge was a Vienna roast, then full city or so. Roast the beans brown, not black. Stop just on the verge of 2C and cool quickly. The coffee really started to grow on me. And fresher, too. Haven't tried making a light roast yet, but that's on the horizon once I get more confidence and skill. Anyway, I popped a K-cup of some Caribou French roast into the Keurig a few days ago, just because I was out of home-roast at the moment, it was 7AM and I just wanted a cup of joe. Yuk. It was like drinking charcoal water. Couldn't finish it. I got in the car and drove to a nearby Dunn Bros. (our local chain) to get one at the drive-thru.

Maybe this is what BMC drinkers go through when they discover craft beer.

/CSB

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I have to admit, I do not know and can not find what CSB stands for.

Only thing that comes to mind is Canada Breakfast Stout, but that does not quite seem appropriate!

 

[TallDan]

I have to admit, I do not know and can not find what CSB stands for.

Only thing that comes to mind is Canada Breakfast Stout, but that does not quite seem appropriate!

I wasn't sure either, but figured it out...

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Well crap. I feel old

 

[TallDan]

Roasted back-to-back batches again, first ones since changing the probes, the front drum bearing, oiling the chain, and generally cleaning things up and adjusting the drum a little. Roaster is noticeably quieter now, not that it was loud before, but there was some noises from the chain, the bearing, the inside of the drum axle rubbing the fan speed controller and a slight squeak from... somewhere, that is all gone now. Went with higher charge temps and got to 1c much faster than before. Second batch was 230g of decaf, probably went a bit too fast...

 

[MaxStout]

Stopped in to Mill City Roasters to pick up 10 lbs. of Colombian. Two of the staff spent a few minutes talking with me, and gave me some helpful advice for the type of roasting I do. Nice to see that they take the time to sell 40 bucks of beans to a DIYer, and they said how they support home-roasters. Nice showroom with some roaster bling set up on display (and for training).

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I have to kill a few hours at Starbucks today (need internet and parking for a trailer...so...this is my only option where I am). You thought their coffee was bad? NO! That's actually not the worst part. The worst parts of SB:

1) The music they play. It is the type of music that gets you hyped up to punch puppies. It's loud enough that everyone in the shop is talking loud to be heard, until the blender is going...then people are yelling at each other.

2) Speaking of blenders...why does a freaking coffee shop have a blender.

3) Another note on blenders and music: The blender is the exact same sound and frequency as Lady Gaga's voice in that song Narrows or Shadows or whatever bs crap song that is. They were both running and it was a perfect harmony.

4) No matter where you sit, there are people. Why is a guy standing over my shoulder treating his bag of chips like a stress ball? Can you imagine what that sounds like? This makes me want to punch kittens, and I genuinely adore kittens.

5) They have officially removed the sizes from the display boards. I never did understand Mandarin or whatever language the sizes were before, but I could at least take a stab at it based on their order on the display board. Now? Nothing. So I ask, "could I just get, like, a medium or whatever you all call it?" and I'm met with a fake smile and a stare that makes you want to retreat to the woods. To be fair, they probably also get tired of Lady Gaga's blender voice.

 

[TallDan]

I have to kill a few hours at Starbucks today (need internet and parking for a trailer...so...this is my only option where I am). You thought their coffee was bad? NO! That's actually not the worst part. The worst parts of SB:

1) The music they play. It is the type of music that gets you hyped up to punch puppies. It's loud enough that everyone in the shop is talking loud to be heard, until the blender is going...then people are yelling at each other.

2) Speaking of blenders...why does a freaking coffee shop have a blender.

3) Another note on blenders and music: The blender is the exact same sound and frequency as Lady Gaga's voice in that song Narrows or Shadows or whatever bs crap song that is. They were both running and it was a perfect harmony.

4) No matter where you sit, there are people. Why is a guy standing over my shoulder treating his bag of chips like a stress ball? Can you imagine what that sounds like? This makes me want to punch kittens, and I genuinely adore kittens.

5) They have officially removed the sizes from the display boards. I never did understand Mandarin or whatever language the sizes were before, but I could at least take a stab at it based on their order on the display board. Now? Nothing. So I ask, "could I just get, like, a medium or whatever you all call it?" and I'm met with a fake smile and a stare that makes you want to retreat to the woods. To be fair, they probably also get tired of Lady Gaga's blender voice.

Are you talking about that Lady Gaga duet song? It is really awful. In reality, everything else in that sbux, including the coffee, was probably fine. It's just that the song is SO bad that it made the entire experience bad.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Yeah, that one with Bradley Cooper I think. I honestly can't believe how horrible a song it is...like, was it a joke? I'm afraid not!

 

[TallDan]

Yeah, that one with Bradley Cooper I think. I honestly can't believe how horrible a song it is...like, was it a joke? I'm afraid not!

It starts off like it’s going to be some epic song but then somehow fails completely. Yet I hear it over and over like it’s hugely popular.

 

[MaxStout]

I have to kill a few hours at Starbucks today (need internet and parking for a trailer...so...this is my only option where I am). You thought their coffee was bad? NO! That's actually not the worst part. The worst parts of SB:

1) The music they play. It is the type of music that gets you hyped up to punch puppies. It's loud enough that everyone in the shop is talking loud to be heard, until the blender is going...then people are yelling at each other.

2) Speaking of blenders...why does a freaking coffee shop have a blender.

3) Another note on blenders and music: The blender is the exact same sound and frequency as Lady Gaga's voice in that song Narrows or Shadows or whatever bs crap song that is. They were both running and it was a perfect harmony.

4) No matter where you sit, there are people. Why is a guy standing over my shoulder treating his bag of chips like a stress ball? Can you imagine what that sounds like? This makes me want to punch kittens, and I genuinely adore kittens.

5) They have officially removed the sizes from the display boards. I never did understand Mandarin or whatever language the sizes were before, but I could at least take a stab at it based on their order on the display board. Now? Nothing. So I ask, "could I just get, like, a medium or whatever you all call it?" and I'm met with a fake smile and a stare that makes you want to retreat to the woods. To be fair, they probably also get tired of Lady Gaga's blender voice.

Can't have a good Starbucks-bashing without this gem. Sure the character's being kind of a d-bag, but it's still funny.

 

[jammin]

Hi All,

I placed an order from Royal for a 22lb box of their recent Kenyan offering: Kenya Nyeri Ichamama Triple Washed Red Cherry Crown Jewel

They loaded 4 new Crown Jewels today, 3 Kenyans & 1 Ethiopian. All are washed so no Dry Process Ethiopian Berry bombs in this update. All sound amazing and it was difficult to pick which Kenyan of the 3. The AB jumped out at me right away as last year's crop was comprised primarily of AA (large screen/bean size) offerings and I have best luck with the AB's for some reason. So I called up Royal, had a good chat and went with the Ichamama. Due to it's very high density & slightly lower moisture content it's a somewhat intimidating coffee but I was assured this is one of the better Kenyans to come across their table and most importantly for me, a standout in the sweetness department.

 

[Inkleg]

Hi All,

I placed an order from Royal for a 22lb box of their recent Kenyan offering: Kenya Nyeri Ichamama Triple Washed Red Cherry Crown Jewel

They loaded 4 new Crown Jewels today, 3 Kenyans & 1 Ethiopian. All are washed so no Dry Process Ethiopian Berry bombs in this update. All sound amazing and it was difficult to pick which Kenyan of the 3. The AB jumped out at me right away as last year's crop was comprised primarily of AA (large screen/bean size) offerings and I have best luck with the AB's for some reason. So I called up Royal, had a good chat and went with the Ichamama. Due to it's very high density & slightly lower moisture content it's a somewhat intimidating coffee but I was assured this is one of the better Kenyans to come across their table and most importantly for me, a standout in the sweetness department.

If you decide to split this I’m in please!