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You guys go and get me excited about the Konga, only to find out that they're out of stock except for 1lb bags. 
☕ Coffee ☕: Ingredients, Roasting, Grinding, Brewing, and Tasting
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Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
86 pounds of coffee there and that isn't all of it! I have a green coffee bean hoarding problem!
I roasted the SM konga today, did not notice any fruitiness from the green beans or the roasted coffee. I will give it a couple days before I try it.
Looking forward to it ba-brewer. I have been on a hiatus from roasting, but will crank back up here shortly.
I am reducing my batch size down to 1/3lb to roast more often. Relearning my roaster with digital probes and artisan too. Feels so weird looking at my roaster without the analog thermometers.
I just got 25 pounds of Tarrazu and roasted the first pound today. I can't wait to try it on Thursday.
Had a cup today, not getting fruit but a very nice floral aroma. Medium body with a soft acid finish. Floral flavors with a slight amount of coco. Might be some burnt sugar notes in the flavor and aroma as it cooled.
This was my roast profile.
applescrap
Be the ball!
I got the decaf and roasted some. Smelled like a waffle cone. Ill tell you this decaf I have drank is tasty. Much better than the caffeine opposite. For example the columbian was like a warm carmel syrup dessert. I have had plenty of columbian, even micro, dont remember them tasting that good. I am drinking the gedeb wuri.
JuanMoore
Getting the banned back together
Howdy HBT coffee roasters. Got back into roasting recently after about a year long hiatus. Was teaching a house guest how to roast on my heavily modified popcorn popper last week and he somehow managed to block enough of the air intake that the roaster overheated and fried itself. I have access to a Behmor at my office but don't really like it.
So I decided to build a new roaster. Keeping things just as ghetto as the popcorn popper roaster though. Started with a whirley pop, drill, scrap wood, a variable power heat gun, and ran one seasoning batch as proof of concept. Then added a metal platform (wood base was getting so hot it started drawing sap out of the wood and burning it), a wind screen with insulation, modified the bean auger a bit, secured things better, and mounted to a scrap of plywood with hinges and added a simple handle for easy bean drop.
Second seasoning roast was 225g of some very old / stale Guatemalan beans. Things went quite smoothly, and I think I could easily up the charge quite a bit. Is a nice change over the ~80-90g max in my previous set up.
Popcorn popper had a thermocouple that I read with a Yoctopuce for tracking temp in Artisan. The Yoctopuce got damaged somehow when the popper overheat, so I ordered some Phidgets components and a second thermocouple. Will mess with thermocouple placements when that stuff arrives, but I'm excited about having more than one temp reading. Went with Phidgets this time instead of Yoctopuce because I'm somewhat intrigued by the idea of controlling the heat gun dial with a servo through Artisan, and/or replacing the drill with a small gear motor and controlling auger speed. Might also hack the wiring on the heat gun to gain control of the fan speed, as it currently only has high and low.
So I decided to build a new roaster. Keeping things just as ghetto as the popcorn popper roaster though. Started with a whirley pop, drill, scrap wood, a variable power heat gun, and ran one seasoning batch as proof of concept. Then added a metal platform (wood base was getting so hot it started drawing sap out of the wood and burning it), a wind screen with insulation, modified the bean auger a bit, secured things better, and mounted to a scrap of plywood with hinges and added a simple handle for easy bean drop.
Second seasoning roast was 225g of some very old / stale Guatemalan beans. Things went quite smoothly, and I think I could easily up the charge quite a bit. Is a nice change over the ~80-90g max in my previous set up.
Popcorn popper had a thermocouple that I read with a Yoctopuce for tracking temp in Artisan. The Yoctopuce got damaged somehow when the popper overheat, so I ordered some Phidgets components and a second thermocouple. Will mess with thermocouple placements when that stuff arrives, but I'm excited about having more than one temp reading. Went with Phidgets this time instead of Yoctopuce because I'm somewhat intrigued by the idea of controlling the heat gun dial with a servo through Artisan, and/or replacing the drill with a small gear motor and controlling auger speed. Might also hack the wiring on the heat gun to gain control of the fan speed, as it currently only has high and low.
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HarborTownBrewing
Well-Known Member
I didn't realize the app was kaput, so the last month I haven't been getting notifications and just thought you all haven't been doing any coffee roasting. Just realized that wasn't the case! Got a little update on my situation:
Moving to the new house this weekend, got my roasting space figured out. I'll post pictures once I get it set up, but the plan is to set it up in the unfinished basement for the time being. There are some windows I can vent it out of, which was my main concern, but that should work just fine for me. I have not vented my chaff tray yet, but decided I'm going to do this at the new place. Dropping 1.5 lbs of beans just generates too much smoke during the cooling phase and makes it tough to be around.
I roasted up a bunch of coffee before the move to make sure I've got enough to get me by until I get it set up. The Bullet is getting it's own box and it's own little spot to protect it during transport. Precious cargo! I'm not looking forward to having to re-engineer my roasting space, but it's a good opportunity to improve my experience now that I've had about 2 years of experience on this machine and know what works well and what doesn't.
Moving to the new house this weekend, got my roasting space figured out. I'll post pictures once I get it set up, but the plan is to set it up in the unfinished basement for the time being. There are some windows I can vent it out of, which was my main concern, but that should work just fine for me. I have not vented my chaff tray yet, but decided I'm going to do this at the new place. Dropping 1.5 lbs of beans just generates too much smoke during the cooling phase and makes it tough to be around.
I roasted up a bunch of coffee before the move to make sure I've got enough to get me by until I get it set up. The Bullet is getting it's own box and it's own little spot to protect it during transport. Precious cargo! I'm not looking forward to having to re-engineer my roasting space, but it's a good opportunity to improve my experience now that I've had about 2 years of experience on this machine and know what works well and what doesn't.
Royal sent out an email stating fresh crop Kenyans should be posted to their site around May 7th. All Kirinyaga region & AA grade. I'm a little excited to see what kind of cupping notes are posted with these as Kirinyaga is well known for producing INCREDIBLE coffee.
Id like to get 2, maybe 3 different selections from this shipment if notes/specs pass muster and do a group buy. As soon Im able to review what the Crown has to say about them Ill pass along my suggestions to the group & see what everybody thinks about it.
Currently there is a killer sounding Colombian listed. I've never even heard of a Pink Bourbon varietal but Ive had several regular & Yellow Bourbon varietals. They've been steady enough that if I see a coffee is a Bourbon varietal it always gets my consideration. Anyways - cupping notes make it sound like a very sweet cup with some nice acidity "Lemonade, sugar, sweet, plum, juicy"
https://royalcoffee.com/product/cj1346/
Id like to get 2, maybe 3 different selections from this shipment if notes/specs pass muster and do a group buy. As soon Im able to review what the Crown has to say about them Ill pass along my suggestions to the group & see what everybody thinks about it.
Currently there is a killer sounding Colombian listed. I've never even heard of a Pink Bourbon varietal but Ive had several regular & Yellow Bourbon varietals. They've been steady enough that if I see a coffee is a Bourbon varietal it always gets my consideration. Anyways - cupping notes make it sound like a very sweet cup with some nice acidity "Lemonade, sugar, sweet, plum, juicy"
https://royalcoffee.com/product/cj1346/
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I'd be in for one of each selection/weight.
The machine got tucked away for a bit but it was time to come out again. Gave it a good soak of Dezcal solution and away we go!!
^been wondering if we’d ever see more pics of that machine! It was funny to follow your restoration journey on it.
Any updates on the Super Jolly (right?) with the SSP burrs?
Any updates on the Super Jolly (right?) with the SSP burrs?
Im not sure how it got tucked away. We use the SJ weekly with home roasted beans for drip. It’s likely because the SJ is so big that we put it in the basement and it’s pretty easy to grind for drip but a little more of a chore to go daily for espresso. Dunno. I was missing it and decided it was time again. The LP is up on the counter where it belongs and the SJ hangs in the trenches ready to work.
I’m sure I don’t do it justice. I mean, the SSP burrs seem to do a fantastic job for drip. . Lol. My shot this morning was delicious though so something must be right. I was thinking about getting a solid cleaning and realignment now that the LP is out again.
It’s funny because using everything brought back some great memories and challenges of the restoration. When I pulled out the o-ring of the basket filter, I thought about all the different components that I pulled apart to get things back functioning.
Thanks for checking in and also all the support during the build. Your knowledge was crucial.
HarborTownBrewing
Well-Known Member
@jammin I don't remember how old your flat is, but this may be relevant to your interests:
https://www.home-barista.com/buysell/april-2020-monolith-max-t64757.html
Related, someone just posted a WTB for a Malkonig Tanzania on coffee geek. I haven't used my kr805 much and if i can sell for a good price, I may do that and go in a different direction. It needs new burrs, which aren't cheap, and it's a monstrous grinder for my single dosing usage.
https://www.home-barista.com/buysell/april-2020-monolith-max-t64757.html
Related, someone just posted a WTB for a Malkonig Tanzania on coffee geek. I haven't used my kr805 much and if i can sell for a good price, I may do that and go in a different direction. It needs new burrs, which aren't cheap, and it's a monstrous grinder for my single dosing usage.
thanks. I dig it too. Yes, tore it down during refurbish and sent it with the SJ body and the handle of the tamper that goes into the throat. I honestly wish I went with something else on the SJ. Ah well.
Welcome the the thread Brewers Hardware! I spent a lot of cash with you guys over the years!
Looks like I missed out on most of the great fruit bombs this year.....
But I am at least keeping to my new rule of not overbuying green coffee.
Getting ready to order some more. Maybe I hold on for another month and keep my eyes peeled.
Keep us posted of any fruit (especially blueberry) in the pipeline!!
TD
Looks like I missed out on most of the great fruit bombs this year.....
But I am at least keeping to my new rule of not overbuying green coffee.
Getting ready to order some more. Maybe I hold on for another month and keep my eyes peeled.
Keep us posted of any fruit (especially blueberry) in the pipeline!!
TD
https://www.sweetmarias.com/ethiopia-dry-process-kayon-mountain-taaroo-6177.html
working through my supply of this but I'm running short, and having a hard time coaxing out any blueberry notes.
Anybody else buy this one and have better success with getting blueberry??
TD
working through my supply of this but I'm running short, and having a hard time coaxing out any blueberry notes.
Anybody else buy this one and have better success with getting blueberry??
TD
That Ethiopian was a failure for me @TrickyDick, or I completely failed to bring the blueberry aspect to the forefront more likely. The best blueberry coffee I have found this year was with a Nicaragua Dry process Buenos Aires Caturra, that needed a 3 week rest for it to come into it's own!
My bad....in finding this coffee in my logs, I was working from lot 2 of the same named coffee.....could be why there was no blueberry!!! LoL
My bad....in finding this coffee in my logs, I was working from lot 2 of the same named coffee.....could be why there was no blueberry!!! LoL
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I just realized this morning that I've read tons of information about beer water and the importance of the different minerals but I've never seen anything like that for coffee water...
I've always used RO water for my coffee but it looks like I need some calcium and magnesium in there. Sounds like I need to juice some spinach....
http://users.rcn.com/erics/Water Quality/Water FAQ.pdfhttp://www.manualcoffeebrewing.com/what-is-the-best-water-to-use-when-making-coffee/
I've always used RO water for my coffee but it looks like I need some calcium and magnesium in there. Sounds like I need to juice some spinach....
http://users.rcn.com/erics/Water Quality/Water FAQ.pdfhttp://www.manualcoffeebrewing.com/what-is-the-best-water-to-use-when-making-coffee/
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I wanted to share this with everyone here. A while back I bought a used Baratza Encore grinder from a member here on HBT in excellent condition. It's been a great workhorse but recently it started acting up, the motor wouldn't start sometimes and the RPMs would fluctuate occasionally. I spent some time researching the cause of the issue and troubleshooting it with no avail, so I decided to reach out to Baratza support for some help. I figured I had nothing to lose.
I emailed them this past weekend and thought I wouldn't hear back until Monday at the earliest (its the weekend and this damn COVID-19 virus), well I received a response within 24 hours that Saturday night! Damn that was fast! This morning I got back to the Baratza rep with the info he asked for and the additional troubleshooting he asked me to do with a video clip during my troubleshooting. He got back to me about an hour ago and was surprised to see such a "young" grinder have an issue with a couple of dead poles within the motor. With that he asked if I felt comfortable with following the instructions he sent me on how to replace the motor, he would send me a new motor free of charge!
What an amazing company to do business with and support! With service like this, I will continue to buy their products! I even told the rep it was a used unit I bought from a friend who had upgraded, so they knew it wasn't a grinder I bought from them expecting any sort of warranty. Anyhow, I am still in awe of this service and support and had to share. If anyone is on the fence about buying one of their grinders, I hope you see and read this post, b/c you don't usually get service like this. Cheers everyone and stay safe!
I emailed them this past weekend and thought I wouldn't hear back until Monday at the earliest (its the weekend and this damn COVID-19 virus), well I received a response within 24 hours that Saturday night! Damn that was fast! This morning I got back to the Baratza rep with the info he asked for and the additional troubleshooting he asked me to do with a video clip during my troubleshooting. He got back to me about an hour ago and was surprised to see such a "young" grinder have an issue with a couple of dead poles within the motor. With that he asked if I felt comfortable with following the instructions he sent me on how to replace the motor, he would send me a new motor free of charge!
What an amazing company to do business with and support! With service like this, I will continue to buy their products! I even told the rep it was a used unit I bought from a friend who had upgraded, so they knew it wasn't a grinder I bought from them expecting any sort of warranty. Anyhow, I am still in awe of this service and support and had to share. If anyone is on the fence about buying one of their grinders, I hope you see and read this post, b/c you don't usually get service like this. Cheers everyone and stay safe!
3 weeks!! LOL! I havent mastered the patience to let anything rest that long. The most ever was a ... Yemen I think, I rested 14 days.
Yall gotta shout out the blueberry greens asap when you find one!
TD
I have a formula based of the SCCA or whatever their letters are for a profile for coffee. I'm too lazy to mix it up though and use from my daily brews. I think uses CaCl and HCO3. When I got into my basement to roast later today, I take a picture of the post-it note I wrote it down on. There is some overpriced commercial product I suspect does the same thing. Idea is to add to distilled water let it dissolve and use for brewing coffee.
TD
Absolutely! I had an issue also and the support was above and beyond.
Actually, I swapped my burrs for steel burrs since I'm strictly a coffee (not espresso) drinker. My original ceramic burrs have a chip in them. Since I don't use them I don't see the point to ask for a replacement. They did send me a free hopper though when mine started to come loose during grinding. Free shipping too.
TD
I'm thinking my Burton Salts might do the job. It's weighted pretty high toward SO4 but probably better than nothing. Not good for much else...
@Ruint How did you roast that Taroo? I usually always drop immediately at the end or slowing of the first crack. Wonder if holding out a bit longer might help, but would seem unlikely.
Getting ready to roast tonight. Got two pounds I'm going to do. One vintage one new crop. I like vintage instead of old crop.
Down to 5 pounds of new crop. Time to order more, but I can't see anything I'm interested in. I can probably nurse my way through the last four pounds of new crop (after roasting one tonight), but doing a pound of Vintage along with the New until something nice pops up on the radar.
TD
Getting ready to roast tonight. Got two pounds I'm going to do. One vintage one new crop. I like vintage instead of old crop.
Down to 5 pounds of new crop. Time to order more, but I can't see anything I'm interested in. I can probably nurse my way through the last four pounds of new crop (after roasting one tonight), but doing a pound of Vintage along with the New until something nice pops up on the radar.
TD
This article looks pretty easy to follow:
https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/diy-water-recipes-the-world-in-two-bottles/
https://www.baristahustle.com/blog/diy-water-recipes-the-world-in-two-bottles/
I've heard similar good things about their support in the past. Their grinders also seem to have more problems than they should, so great support is needed.
This one was brought to my attention elsewhere:
https://www.coffeebeancorral.com/pr...ffe-Misty-Valley-Natural__ETHORGMISTYVAL.aspxHaven't ever bought from that place, but the description does make it tempting.
Nothing special I recall about this roast @TrickyDick . I know I had been experimenting a little bit with a lower preheat drum charge. I hit hard with power for most of the roast and as soon as 1st crack, I would then drop power, increase fan and drum speed to promote circulation and an aggressive hold on temperature climb. This was a full bag from Sweet Maria's and weighed in at 474 grams. I actually charge the drum to a higher heat now...426 degrees F. and let it soak some heat up before turning power up. Still aim at doing a 12 minute or so roast, sometimes finish a little early, as I take the aroma and the color into evaluation. I normally don't get close to 2nd crack, and often times, don't completely finish 1st crack.
Purple squiggly line is "drum temp"
Reddish color is power
The only line not squiggly is bean temp!
Purple squiggly line is "drum temp"
Reddish color is power
The only line not squiggly is bean temp!
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Water for coffee brewing water per gallon
@TrickyDick .
Take a gander....NO promises though....
https://www.bodhileafcoffee.com/products/ethiopia-sidama-ardi-natural
https://www.bodhileafcoffee.com/products/ethiopia-harrar-abebe-natural-green
Take a gander....NO promises though....
https://www.bodhileafcoffee.com/products/ethiopia-sidama-ardi-natural
https://www.bodhileafcoffee.com/products/ethiopia-harrar-abebe-natural-green
Thanks.... Ill look tomorrow . headed to bed soon. Snapped some pics of my brewing and roasting setup along with my latest vintage roast. will try to get those online soon.
For old greens I am finding that they are easier to manage and roast once vac sealed in mylar bags and frozen. compared to leaving them at the ambient FL temps (75-80 degrees and similar relative humidity).These beans were impossible top hear first crack for some and now clearly audible. Taste in the cup will say....
TD
For old greens I am finding that they are easier to manage and roast once vac sealed in mylar bags and frozen. compared to leaving them at the ambient FL temps (75-80 degrees and similar relative humidity).These beans were impossible top hear first crack for some and now clearly audible. Taste in the cup will say....
TD
JuanMoore
Getting the banned back together
I saw a couple mentions of a blueberry bomb on reddit and another forum, but didn't put much trust in them. Then a local roaster I admire said the same thing, and I trust them a lot more. Kinda spendy and never ordered from them, but a guy I used to work with (the one who got me into roasting) talked me into splitting 10# with him after I'd had a few too many whiskeys, lol.
Yep. My order should arrive today, along with the electronics to upgrade my junkyard roaster v2.1. I'll likely roast some in the next couple days and will try to remember to report back here with the results. Not sure I have the new roaster dialed in enough to ensure I bring those flavors out, but I'll give it a shot.
Thanks for the suggestions!
Planning to post some pictures of my latest Vintage Roast 2017 crop - mylar vac sealed and frozen in 2019 with oxygen absorber. The freezing brought some life back to them somehow, and revived a blunted First Crack.
Can't post from Laptop, will have to post pics from phone or iPad later tonight.
TD
Planning to post some pictures of my latest Vintage Roast 2017 crop - mylar vac sealed and frozen in 2019 with oxygen absorber. The freezing brought some life back to them somehow, and revived a blunted First Crack.
Can't post from Laptop, will have to post pics from phone or iPad later tonight.
TD
HarborTownBrewing
Well-Known Member
Been in the new house just a couple days but got my roaster set up and taking it for a few spins tonight.
Definitely started off a little Rocky, forgot to plug it into the computer to begin with. But, all is good now. Just going to take time to get used to new routines and setups.
Definitely started off a little Rocky, forgot to plug it into the computer to begin with. But, all is good now. Just going to take time to get used to new routines and setups.
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