Roasting

Roasters and roasting

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Postby AlexV » Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:31 pm

mmmm, digirosto :roll:
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Postby Steve » Wed Aug 06, 2008 1:52 pm

I've been thinking a lot about this and I've decided I'm getting out of coffee and I'm going to set up the very best fine dining restaurant with the very best environment and food quality. But I'm going to save a few bob by not fitting any ovens or hotplates or griddles and I'm going to buy a micro wave as that cooks food, and no one will taste the difference.

After spending some time with the said roaster Ian it is indeed a doddle to create some beans to go on your toast with 25-30min roasting times :) hmmm baked beans.

Roasting coffee is relatively easy, green beans in roasted beans out. But good coffee takes lot of practice and interaction with the roaster.
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RE: Re: Roasting

Postby rteasdale » Wed Aug 06, 2008 2:12 pm

One coffee shop in Lincoln has an old Probat in the window, but they only use it after closing because of the smoke. Still looks the business though! Apart from this one shop in Lincoln I've never seen coffee bars with roasters in the UK but have seen quite a few in other parts of the world, anyone else observed a similar thing?
Ventuilation is a must as are very deep pockets, because as soon as you tell your insurer that you roast coffee I would imagine your insurance would double at least!
That said for those of us that love coffee and love toys it's very tempting :D
I had a look at an Isreali company when at the WBC and some of their "toys" looked fun, from memory £2,500 for a 2kg (green been capacity). Can dig out the details if your interested?
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Postby radish » Wed Aug 06, 2008 2:26 pm

Artisan Roast in Edinburgh have a roaster (can't remember the make) in their small cafe.

It's no gimmick either - they are passionate about their coffee!
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Postby GreenBean » Wed Aug 06, 2008 4:40 pm

Steve wrote:I've been thinking a lot about this and I've decided I'm getting out of coffee and I'm going to set up the very best fine dining restaurant with the very best environment and food quality. But I'm going to save a few bob by not fitting any ovens or hotplates or griddles and I'm going to buy a micro wave as that cooks food, and no one will taste the difference.


Lol Steve. On reading this two thoughts went through my head.

1. Anyone trying to find a decent restaurant in the UK could be forgiven for thinking this is the norm now.

2. Why not take your idea a little further and start a franchise of the microwave restaurant. You could make a lot of money from the poor unfortunates who do not realise that they could have made equally bad food with a cheap microwave without the franchise costs.
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Postby Walter » Wed Aug 06, 2008 4:57 pm

They had two of these Neotec roasters in Copenhagen, one at their boot the other one in the workshop area, I've seen them both acting up even though I spent little time watching them. I didn't get the impression that this is a reliable piece.

Freshness of the beans is indeed an important factor, but it is not the only one. If you apply enough heat, all green beans will turn brown, eventually. And such beans may show the very same colour as well roasted ones, but there the resemblance ceases.

Compared to Steve I'm still a noob in the roasting business, but now - after having roasted a few thousand batches - I am slowly and gradually beginning to realize how much there is to learn about beans and roasting. And though I already know a thing or two about beans and roasting and the physics and chemistry behind it, I can only say: Scio me nihil scire ...

Hearing or reading about coffee-shop people or retailers wanting to offer their customers beans roasted either on inadequate equipment or without putting the necessary efforts into the roasting process - whatever the reasons for that may be - always brings a (somewhat tired) smile upon my face.

It probably won't take long until the customers learn to discern between fresh coffee and and fresh, well roasted coffee. And as soon as they have the choice they'll buy elsewhere, where they get the latter...

Just my 2cts worth...
fa' zoccu hai di fari e li fatti d'àutru nun guardari....

This week I are mostly playing with my new water kettle... :)
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Postby tap » Wed Aug 06, 2008 8:36 pm

yesyes, 10+ years of (shop)roasting and you are beginning to be there. is my guess. with espresso bar to my opinion this is rather long away.. easier to sweat running for those beans and get the best from the beginning instead of sweating in front of the roaster smelling your long way there. depends what we want or how we want to get there.

me want to do the journey and develop the product with possible consumer opinion. (not there yet though to take the first step)
lately mostly drinking coffee or tea
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Postby JulieJayne » Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:29 pm

Steve wrote:After spending some time with the said roaster Ian it is indeed a doddle to create some beans to go on your toast with 25-30min roasting times :) hmmm baked beans.
25-30mins. :shock: They have surely got to be either baked or burned. Doesn't sound good.

Steve wrote:Roasting coffee is relatively easy, green beans in roasted beans out. But good coffee takes lot of practice and interaction with the roaster.
And if you are not passionate about roasting itself, it will soon get very boring. How you can stand around listening and watching beans roast all day long, is beyond me. I get bored after 2 hours!
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Postby JulieJayne » Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:35 pm

Walter wrote:It probably won't take long until the customers learn to discern between fresh coffee and and fresh, well roasted coffee. And as soon as they have the choice they'll buy elsewhere, where they get the latter...
Oh Walter, if only that were true. I still have customers who given the choice of 30 fresh roasted, well roasted single origin coffees, will still turn round and say "have you any Lavazza, Kimbo, Illy?"
Espresso: BFC TCI Lira.
Grinders: Eureka Mignon (2), Mahlkonig Guatemala,
Roaster: Gene Cafe.
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Postby Steve » Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:53 pm

JulieJayne wrote:
Steve wrote:Roasting coffee is relatively easy, green beans in roasted beans out. But good coffee takes lot of practice and interaction with the roaster.
And if you are not passionate about roasting itself, it will soon get very boring. How you can stand around listening and watching beans roast all day long, is beyond me. I get bored after 2 hours!


The roasting is ok but agreed its not so much fun. Its the tasting and cupping afterwards that excites me during the roasting time, the anticipation of what is to come.

And lets be honest some people have some awful jobs out there without the end result. I hated working in the shop when we had it customers drove me mad. And some of my other jobs were horrible. My roaster understands me and never says anything stupid to me :)
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Postby Steve » Wed Aug 06, 2008 10:57 pm

JulieJayne wrote:
Walter wrote:It probably won't take long until the customers learn to discern between fresh coffee and and fresh, well roasted coffee. And as soon as they have the choice they'll buy elsewhere, where they get the latter...
Oh Walter, if only that were true. I still have customers who given the choice of 30 fresh roasted, well roasted single origin coffees, will still turn round and say "have you any Lavazza, Kimbo, Illy?"


I can tell you, keep the faith Julie Jane the people are out there, they just have to find you and you find them. And by doing the right thing we can make it happen.

I'm sure the wine industry had the same issues many years ago, and although I don't like linking the two industry's we are on a similar path. I wonder if twenty years ago wine people would believe people look for wine variates and growing regions when buying wine.

We are at the very beginning and we are all on at the ground floor, exciting times in coffee.
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Postby ivdp » Thu Aug 07, 2008 9:14 am

It is not so long ago, well say 50 years ago, that the European coffee world consisted of thousands of small roasters, only active locally.
Today you find many cafe's and shops in Turkey that have 1 or 2 kg roasters, being fired up in the morning to roast the daily needs of coffee.
In Ethiopia many roast their own on an open fire in a pan.
I see old times return in coffee land: small shops with small roasting machines providing the local demand for fresh roasted coffee.
KvdW Idro - M K30
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Postby Steve » Thu Aug 07, 2008 11:56 am

I also think we will see a big rise in my new fine dining venture.
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Postby darrensandford » Thu Aug 07, 2008 11:57 am

I'd eat there. Do you take it out of the little plastic tub it comes in, or can I do that myself?
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Postby Steve » Thu Aug 07, 2008 11:59 am

Ohhh no we keep the plastic on top as well to keep it warmer for longer. "Airline food without the check in"(tm) .
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