steves wrote:This worked for skirk in another thread, so thought I'd try it... Somebody help me out please
Coffee Patrol is on its way now, sirens blaring.
I'll try running my popper without turning it off - what sort of times might I expect for first / second crack do you think?
If you were to roast outside in winter, they might never get into second. It depends on outside air temp and on your popper... Seems to me I get to first crack within 4-5 minutes with my popper. Your mileage may vary.
I use it in the kitchen, under the exhaust fan, standing on the stove. The exhaust fan is on max, the kitchen door is
closed and I have opened a window or a door in another room of my flat. This way, the kitchen's air-pressure is lower than the rest of the flat, and the air must flow through the kitchen's exhaust fan. Thus, a lot less smell in the rest of the flat). The popper´s plastic top "lid" has melted now, so I put something else on top of the popper (I took the plate of an old unused springform pan and bent it into a U-shape, then turned the U upside down and put it on top - just a quick fix so I don´t get the hot air and all the chaff straight into the exhaust).
Why all these details? Because I want you to know that I perceive coffee roasting as a hot and smoky experience. Expect this, even when only roasting 100g. In the oven you can roast 300-500g, and above 300g you will have the London fog all over again in your kitchen unless you have a very powerful and effective kitchen fan. Keep the door closed as much as you can, and smoke won´t be a big problem.
3. The beans smell very nutty, or perhaps rather more malty
Typical smell of freshly roasted beans. I love it!
Update - after their statutory 48 hours (nearly) I gave them a try.
Feel free to try next batch at once, after 12-ish hours, and after 24-ish. It is good to learn how the taste changes. Some beans taste lovely immediately, even for espresso, and if you drink drip coffee, turkish, moka or vac pot (Cona, Santos et al) coffee, leaving the beans for 48 hours may be just a waste of time. Depends on the bean though, but many common singles taste great on the first day with these brew methods: santos, colombia, ethiopian dry processed (yirgacheffe), antigua, kenya...
No visible signs of oil on the beans - quite dry looking. Consistent colour throughout when broken. Slightly pungent smell of baked lemons. When ground the coffee definitely looks a little on the pale side. First shot in 22 seconds, with plenty of crema, but a little over-extracted. Taste - lots of acidity and fruitiness but quite thin.
Thinness is probably because of overextraction, and perhaps also worsened because of the light roast, which you have verified yourself by describing it as "on the pale side" when ground.
The smell of 48+ hours old beans in a blend made for espresso isn´t always what one would expect, but I think you described a typical one well.
The consistency of color in the bean may be of interest, and also the evenness of color, but is in itself no certain proof of quality of taste for a home roaster. For now, don´t worry about it at all, and for Gods sake don´t throw away something until you have tried it, even if it looks uneven or bad. It may not be bad at all, just a funky lookin´ kinda bean. Remember, the pope has blessed those beans (sic!)
Every little bean is sacred... For a commercial roaster, it´s a different story.
1. Do beans continue to darken after they've been roasted and are cold?
I often think they seem a bit lighter in color. Depends on bean I suppose. If you have slightly oily beans, the oil may creep back into the beans, giving them a silky sheen. You might perceive this as a darker color, depending on your lighting conditions.
2. Does acidity reduce with a darker roast (ie is this, and the other things, a sign that I've under-roasted?)
Yes, darker roast=>less acidity, more pungency. If it is
too acidy for your type of extraction (i.e. espresso), then you should roast further into second crack.
3. Will it help if I continue a roast until I get smoke and see what that gives me?
Yes. Roasting into second crack generates smoke, even with only 80-100g of beans, as when using a popper. Stretch the roast and see what happens. Don´t worry about the smoke.
4. How much of a smell of roasted coffee should I be getting? (Didn't seem to get much)
That depends on how much you roast and how long you do it. Judging from your pictures, you haven´t roasted into second crack.
Also, a single origin is easier to roast than a blend. Why? Because different origins have different roast profiles, meaning they reach first and second crack at different times. Please try this: by a Colombia or a Santos, a good quality batch but it doesn´t need to be great. Both of these can take a dark roast and are good behaving beans. Turn off the vacuum cleaner so you can hear the cracks! You can clean up the mess afterwards, its not a big deal. Roast into second crack. If you really want to hear how the different cracks sound, you can roast in the oven (wanna know more about that, just pm me.)