Daterra Espresso blend - roasting in a Hottop

[simonp]

I recently roasted my first batch of Daterra Reserve espresso blend in the Hottop. I have roasrted it before in the air roaster, and I always had trouble hearing the cracks, and I was expecting a much easier time with the Hottop. My problem is, taht whilst I could hear the cracks now, I had trouble discerning when 2nd atarted, as 1st and 2nd seemed to merge.
Has anyone else noticed this?

[Gouezeri]

sounds like you need to change the profile....
dimmer anyone?

[HughF]

Simon - I wouldn't say it merges completely, there's a slight pause when I roast it but it's easy to miss. I tend to stop as soon as I'm sure that second is starting, i.e. well before any oil shows (at the finish or after a few days rest). The beans look dark brown but not glossy; that's the roast I like anyway.

Cheers,

Hugh

[simonp]

Simon - I wouldn't say it merges completely, there's a slight pause when I roast it but it's easy to miss. I tend to stop as soon as I'm sure that second is starting, i.e. well before any oil shows (at the finish or after a few days rest). The beans look dark brown but not glossy; that's the roast I like anyway.

Cheers,

Hugh

At first I thought that 1st had just got more active again, as there had been no gap, just slowing, but then I could hear the sound was a crackle, and the smoke smell was definitely what you get around 2nd crack. I let it run to when 2nd started to get regular, this gave no oil, and just the very occasional spot after 3 days.

All my other roasts with the Hottop have had quite a defined gap between 1st and 2nd crack, esprecially the Lintong, which took age to get to 2nd crack, but then this stuff does take a lot of heat.

This stuff does seem better with a drum roast, as it can be quite acidic and sour if roasted wrong (esprecially in the air roaster), but the drum roast seems to mellow it a little.

[pault]

I haven't done any Daterra for a while - but I reckon it can take 20 seconds into second crack

I agree it can be difficult to spot the change in cracks but there's a definite difference between the increasingly quiet 1st cracks and then the pencil-snap 2nd crack which are also quiet but a much sharper well-defined sound if that makes sense

anyway, like I say the Daterra can probably take more of a roast than most so I'd advise not to wimp out of the roast too early!!

best,

Paul.

[simonp]

sounds like you need to change the profile....
dimmer anyone?

Yeh, yeah, yeah It's not quite as simple as that, as I have noticed that the output fan on the Hottop is speed controlled, presumably to help control the temperature inside, so, it may not be as simple as manually controlling the heater to enable profiling. Rest assured when I have some time, I will be experimenting

It is telling though that I have, as yet, not felt the need to mess with this thing yet.

[Gouezeri]

only a matter of time!