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

[applescrap]

Nice scenery, Scrappy. Wish I was there--for many reasons, not the least being that the 95-100 degree weather came here a month early.

It really is cold up here. I cant believe it gets that hot up there in Minnesota. Dreading the heat this summer.

I like the way you put that htb about biking. Honestly I dont ever see myself flying down a mountain on a bike on a trail. I cant see any way to make it feel safe to me. After being on a green, the people into this are clearly cut from a different cloth than me. They seem to have a fearlessness that I lack. I do love the single track, but flying around a slick surface covered with large rocks on a bike is not in me. Maybe with those huge tires and lots of practice, but still to many variables for high speed riding for my taste.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Haha whenever bikers give trail advice I always laugh a bit, because they are either completely unaware of the average person's skills or they are being a bit smug. Sounds like your son was killin it though Apple! And you too, of course

I've got another family rental coming up, and I'm thinking of roasting up a bunch of Guat for that. Seems to be a good crowd pleaser normally, and we'll go through a bunch of it I'm sure. Hoping my Sweet Marias shipment gets here soon, I'm dangerously low on beans all of a sudden.

Along those lines, I will also be stocking up on copious amounts of alcohol. Probably a couple homebrews, but also some cheap beers and decent bourbon. Pretty much every day feels like that Luke Bryan song: "Black coffee in the morning, dark whiskey in the evening."

 

[pshankstar]

Well I think my Behmor 1600+ needs some repairs or should be replaced. I was roasting some beans, all is good getting near the end where first crack should start any minute. Then several minutes go by and still no first crack. Check the temp and it’s down to 133. What the hell, did it start cooling down? Nope!
Now I’m trying to figure out what I need to do to troubleshoot it. I don’t want to go down a rabbit hole of ordering one or two parts at a time to try to fix it. Plus I figure now would be the time to do the upgrade to it too.
The other dilemma I have is do I just replace it with a new unit instead of trying to fix it? I would love to upgrade to a bullet but that wouldn’t fly with SWMBO given the cost.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

@pshankstar I'm sorry to hear that. You may still want to reach out to Behmor customer support and see if they can get you in the right direction or help troubleshoot it. I know they are really good with helping even outside of the warranty period.

 

[pshankstar]

@pshankstar I'm sorry to hear that. You may still want to reach out to Behmor customer support and see if they can get you in the right direction or help troubleshoot it. I know they are really good with helping even outside of the warranty period.

Thanks bud and no worries!

It’s been a great workhorse for me. I’ll reach out to them tomorrow to get some direction on how to proceed. I really want to do the upgrade to it if I’m going to do any repairs. The dilemma I have is with the upgrade kit and just the elements I’m just shy of $150 for parts plus shipping. I could order a new Behmor for $450 shipped. I don’t want to put too much money into it and do all the repairs myself just to have something else fail shortly down the road. I feel if it’s going to be around $200 or more, I may just buy a new one. I hate to do that but that’s the struggle I have. Ugh

 

[MaxStout]

It really is cold up here. I cant believe it gets that hot up there in Minnesota. Dreading the heat this summer.

I like the way you put that htb about biking. Honestly I dont ever see myself flying down a mountain on a bike on a trail. I cant see any way to make it feel safe to me. After being on a green, the people into this are clearly cut from a different cloth than me. They seem to have a fearlessness that I lack. I do love the single track, but flying around a slick surface covered with large rocks on a bike is not in me. Maybe with those huge tires and lots of practice, but still to many variables for high speed riding for my taste.

It's been >90 for over a week and expected to continue at least another week. We usually don't get this until July or so, but the heat has started early the past few years. It's like we have a month of spring, and a month of fall. I want to brew this weekend, but I'm not sitting in my garage next to a propane burner. It'll be an indoor brew on the stovetop.

 

[jammin]

Hey y'all its been a bit. Had to log in & give a heads up on this nice looking Kenyan from SM's

Kiambu Fram Farm AB

Notes claim "ripe blueberry". Im a big fan of the SL-28/Bourbon varietal and the AB screen size. On paper this one looks like a real winner.

Hope y'all have been well.

Cheers
~j

 

[pshankstar]

Maybe this is why the elements stopped working?
New wire (thicker gauge) and connectors. Cleaned it again and did a dry run after a normal cleaning and the elements work again. I’ll have to write back to Behmor and send them this picture. Looking forward to start roasting again after a $5 fix.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Well I have my first "customer" issue. They say the coffee they bought from me is "sour" and requested a darker roast of something else. They had told me they liked dark roast, and I gave them a Peru that I dropped at the onset of 2C (which is dark for me). But apparently it's not right for them. Part of me wonders if they are grinding it too fine, or how they are making it.

It's funny how subjective it all is. I tried that roast this morning and it was delicious, but once you hand the beans to someone else it's completely out of your control between the grind, brew, and their taste buds. I'm thinking I'll roast a Colombian pretty darn dark and see what she thinks of it. I have a feeling in the long run this isn't going to be worth the hassle but we'll see.

Hey @pshankstar great that you found that! Any idea how it got to that point?

 

[MaxStout]

Well I have my first "customer" issue. They say the coffee they bought from me is "sour" and requested a darker roast of something else. They had told me they liked dark roast, and I gave them a Peru that I dropped at the onset of 2C (which is dark for me). But apparently it's not right for them. Part of me wonders if they are grinding it too fine, or how they are making it.

It's funny how subjective it all is. I tried that roast this morning and it was delicious, but once you hand the beans to someone else it's completely out of your control between the grind, brew, and their taste buds. I'm thinking I'll roast a Colombian pretty darn dark and see what she thinks of it. I have a feeling in the long run this isn't going to be worth the hassle but we'll see.

Hey @pshankstar great that you found that! Any idea how it got to that point?

Unfortunately, too many people (particularly Americans) are conditioned to think "dark roast" is the standard. Many coffee drinkers like that scorchy flavor. I was in that camp for a long time, until a local barista suggested I try lighter roasts. Now that I roast my own, I rarely go beyond medium roast. If somebody wants dark roast I use the cheapest beans I have on hand. It's not like they'll know the difference, anyway.

 

[pshankstar]

Hey @pshankstar great that you found that! Any idea how it got to that point?

I have no idea how it happened. The unit doesn’t move much and stays in the garage where I roast. If I moved it from room regularly I would think that would be the culprit but honestly it looks like it just burned out which is kind of scary.

 

[applescrap]

Haha whenever bikers give trail advice I always laugh a bit, because they are either completely unaware of the average person's skills or they are being a bit smug. Sounds like your son was killin it though Apple! And you too, of course

I've got another family rental coming up, and I'm thinking of roasting up a bunch of Guat for that. Seems to be a good crowd pleaser normally, and we'll go through a bunch of it I'm sure. Hoping my Sweet Marias shipment gets here soon, I'm dangerously low on beans all of a sudden.

Along those lines, I will also be stocking up on copious amounts of alcohol. Probably a couple homebrews, but also some cheap beers and decent bourbon. Pretty much every day feels like that Luke Bryan song: "Black coffee in the morning, dark whiskey in the evening."

View attachment 732095Maybe this is why the elements stopped working?
New wire (thicker gauge) and connectors. Cleaned it again and did a dry run after a normal cleaning and the elements work again. I’ll have to write back to Behmor and send them this picture. Looking forward to start roasting again after a $5 fix.

Double like!

 

[applescrap]

Well I have my first "customer" issue. They say the coffee they bought from me is "sour" and requested a darker roast of something else. They had told me they liked dark roast, and I gave them a Peru that I dropped at the onset of 2C (which is dark for me). But apparently it's not right for them. Part of me wonders if they are grinding it too fine, or how they are making it.

It's funny how subjective it all is. I tried that roast this morning and it was delicious, but once you hand the beans to someone else it's completely out of your control between the grind, brew, and their taste buds. I'm thinking I'll roast a Colombian pretty darn dark and see what she thinks of it. I have a feeling in the long run this isn't going to be worth the hassle but we'll see.

Hey @pshankstar great that you found that! Any idea how it got to that point?

Gonna definitely be worth it. If they want cheap beans fried, it will be good for business. Although would that rub off onto future roasts?

 

[applescrap]

I have no idea how it happened. The unit doesn’t move much and stays in the garage where I roast. If I moved it from room regularly I would think that would be the culprit but honestly it looks like it just burned out which is kind of scary.

Super scary! It's all the farting around harbortown did in there jk, wow those things are durable.

I supplied my bosses with coffee every Friday this year. hope they gonna think about that if its between me and someone else . I need some beans, gonna check burmans tonight.

I need to roast some decaf, I feel like I am always fumbling too much with it. I know it has probably been shared with me before, but any tips on roasting this will be greatly appreciated!

 

[TallDan]

Hey y'all its been a bit. Had to log in & give a heads up on this nice looking Kenyan from SM's

Kiambu Fram Farm AB

Notes claim "ripe blueberry". Im a big fan of the SL-28/Bourbon varietal and the AB screen size. On paper this one looks like a real winner.

Hope y'all have been well.

Cheers
~j

Thanks for the tip! I'm running low on green coffee, so I went for 10lb. I've had some real top notch coffees lately, so hopefully this keeps that streak alive.

 

[jammin]

@TallDan - give’n them a go today.

 

[jammin]

Roast went good. Those AB's are always super predictable & smooth to roast.

 

[TallDan]

Should have taken a picture, ive been enjoying some blended iced americanos lately. Amazing texture out of the blender with just espresso and ice water, it’s a lot like a nitro coffee.

 

[TallDan]

Took a picture this time. This is a couple minutes after pouring from the blender.

 

[TallDan]

Roast went good. Those AB's are always super predictable & smooth to roast.

View attachment 732908

View attachment 732909

View attachment 732910

Mine arrived today and I just roasted my first batch. I see some similarities in our graphs...

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

Well I had that customer who wanted something darker so here it goes - the darkest roast I've ever made. Smoke billowed out of the roaster door when i dropped these and they are soooo shiny. I'm curious if she is going to like these or not.

I feel like I've sinned against these wonderful Colombian beans.

 

[MaxStout]

Those shiny beans sure are purty. But they've had the living shiat choked out of them. Different strokes...

 

[bleme]

Well I had that customer who wanted something darker so here it goes

If she wanted Starbucks roast, why not buy Starbucks???

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I dropped them off, she wasn't there but her friend was and told me how the purchaser is "a connesouir". I bit my tongue instead of responding how I wanted to.

But in true Homebrewtalk fashion, I will give you all a thorough review of these charred beans once they've rested a bit. I've got enough to make a french press worth so that should be interesting.

 

[ba-brewer]

I have been getting emails from Bohdi leaf the last few days for a home roasting contest. I suppose it is mostly a way to sell coffee but I thought it was an interesting idea. The time frame seems really tight to get the beans then send it back. If they sent you a tasting score sheet like a beer contest that might be fun to see what they say.

I tried to find the information on their website but it looks like they only have the information in the email, this is the text;

Use Code @ Check Out to Enter Competition

*Green Coffee Sale ends Monday 6/28 @ 11:59 PM* *One Code Per Order*

COMPETITION COFFEE​

Attention: Home Roasters IT'S GOIN DOWN! Y'all making us blush. We have over 50 Home Roasters set to compete! We are going to extend our sale through Monday 6/28 to give everyone a chance to join. We are only accepting El Salvador Montevideo Washed submissions, so secure your's today and use code: PICK 25 for 25% off! Checking out with code PICK25 is your submission. We will toss in a small competition submission bag with all Montevideo Washed orders. If you haven't purchase your El Salvador Montevideo Washed yet, what are you waiting for?! We love tasting coffee, but we have to cap this competition @ 100 entries, so don't wait! SEND SUBMISSIONS TO: 428 W. KATELLA AVE (SUITE B) ORANGE CA, 92867 ______________________________________________________ Submission Deadline: July 15th All we need is 3 - 4 oz of your roast July 24th @ 11 AM, we will host a FREE public cupping feat: our Top 10 coffees Winner will be announced by 12 PM on July 24th

​

About us: We're a small company out of beautiful Southern California. What we lack in size, we make up for in service. Our mission is to provide large and small roasters with exceptional coffees, economical prices, and excellent customer service. Our dedication to quality and service is fueled by our commitment to our customers, a fervent caffeine addiction, and ongoing research. We proudly perform extensive research on every batch of coffee beans so that every import is filled with the best coffee beans in the world. Contact us by email: [email protected]

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[passedpawn]

Well I had that customer who wanted something darker so here it goes - the darkest roast I've ever made. Smoke billowed out of the roaster door when i dropped these and they are soooo shiny. I'm curious if she is going to like these or not.

I feel like I've sinned against these wonderful Colombian beans.

View attachment 733423

Ouch, you made those beans cry Uncle.

 

[MaxStout]

You could've done this for her and she'd probably be none the wiser.

Save those Colombian beans for yourself.

 

[HarborTownBrewing]

I started to write the bag label : "Burned as dark as the devil's heart, this coffee has notes of ash and burn - also known as ashburn. Subtle sweetness comes from the sugar you undoubtedly have to pour in by the ounce to turn this normally beautiful coffee into something halfway palatable."

After I roasted that dark dark roast I repented for my sins by roasting an Ethiopian to 13 percent development. All is right in the world again!

 

[bmullins393]

Well I had that customer who wanted something darker so here it goes - the darkest roast I've ever made. Smoke billowed out of the roaster door when i dropped these and they are soooo shiny. I'm curious if she is going to like these or not.

I feel like I've sinned against these wonderful Colombian beans.

View attachment 733423

I have a customer that insists on this type of bean. I give her what she wants... I don't get it, but its her coffee... Keep us posted.

 

[MaxStout]

Next time someone wants a "super dark" roast, or "Italian roast," or whatever it's called, use some "seasoning greens," coffee meant for breaking in a new roaster. By the time you get it to such a high roast level, it won't matter that the beans were a blend of whatever the green coffee seller had left over.