Too Much Coffee

I bought some CO2 decaf beans to roast in my super-high-tec wok ( ), and found that they behaved in a strange way compared to my normal caff beans.

1) No chaff? Where did it all go? It was really odd to open the lid to dump them and see no chaff at all.

2) They seemed to go a bit apeshit after 1st crack. I heard the last pop of 1st, and 20 seconds later WHAM! 2nd started with a vengeance! I dumped them as quickly as I could, but they were already darker than I wanted, with more oils showing than I like. They aren't ruined, but I could do better next time. Maybe I should turn the burner down for these between 1st and 2nd? I normally drop it quite low during 1st, then up high to get from 1st to 2nd.

No chaff - it wasn't there in the first place. Same for SWP and CO2 decafs.

Yes, I find my decaf (brazil co2 from HB) can run away a bit, once it gets going.

Perhaps it has to do with the bean size; my co2 decaf starts off with smaller-than-average beans (which i assume is a consequence of the decaf process) which are hard to heat at first, then run away. (By the end of the roast, they're puffed up to normal size)...

De-caf roast do indeed run away. The chafff has already been removed by the processes. As a rule they do need a darker roast anyway and usually into 2C with oils is about right. From researching and experience, the reason they seem to 'run' is the fact that they are already processed.

I have found over the years a slower roast, if you can drag it out, is pretty good. This gives the flavours a chance to develop more, so yeah, turn the heat down a little.

I'll give it another go tomorrow evening, I think. Thanks

To a lesser extent you will also find the same thing happens with any "aged" beans.

But Decaf's are the most difficult. Turn the heat down a little, and watch them like a hawk at the end.

On the plus side, as there is no chaff, there is no chance of chaff fire, and you can also load more into your roaster.