Too Much Coffee

O.K. so here is my first roast attempt.

I used the Kenyan beans Pete gave me.

1/4 pound on P1 - thought I'd best keep it simple to start with.

1C with 1.50 to go. By this time the beans were getting quite dark. I was aiming for a medium roast like the Hasbean on the right.



Not tasted yet but was certainly interesting to watch.
Thought I'd get more of a coffee smell but it was more like toast.

Will add tasting notes once they have rested.

That was fun!

Erm.........you know when I said dark........ahem.......not kidding.

I suppose it may be ok for espresso but as a filter coffee it is realy just a mouthful of smoke (not unpleasant though...I've had worse).

So what have we learned? Well I'll try the same settings but will press the cool button as soon as 1C starts to try get the medium roast.

French roast?

Yeah....at least!

P1 is a bit harsh on a 1/4lb roast Tony, try the same on P2. I found that a 1/2lb roast gives more control, but that came after a few trial and erros sessions.

It seems that I am due for a few of those myself with Chuky, my second roast shows how lucky I was with the first.

Thanks for the advice.

Tried the beans in the Aeropress today and it was much nicer than the V60. So not a complete disaster.

Now that's more like it.
1/4 lb on P2.

1C with 22 seconds to go this time which continued into the cooling cycle.

End result almost exactly the same colour as the Hasbean roast (on the left).

Looking forward to having this in the morning.

I understand it is good to let them rest for a few hours. Should they by in a jar or something or just cover them?

Letting them rest for 2-3 days makes sense if you are using them for espresso. They should be left in an open container so the carbon dioxide can escape. For other brewing methods it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. We did a cupping with Steve some years ago and we ground them shortly after roasting. They were great. Glad you nailed the roast this time. Looks good.

Thanks Bruce. I can't take much credit for the outcome. I basically pressed two buttons and the machine did the rest.
However, I know more than I did before i.e. what 1st crack is, what colour roast I am aiming for, how long 1/4 lb roast takes in this machine and now what to do with the beans once roasted. Glad to be learning bit by bit.

Have to say the brew was very, very nice indeed. It was almost fruity like a naturally processed bean, with a very prominent malty flavour. I wonder if this is because of how freshly roasted the beans were?

I now need to look into what characteristics beans from different regions have so I have more idea what to choose when buying.

I am very pleased that you are getting the hang of it Tony, my third roast with Chuky, I managed to get a decent even roast that I hope will begin to step up from the last. I still have to equal my doorstep roast where I was clueless, panicing and getting the best result ever.

I can identify with that totally, sometimes ignorance is bliss!

Glad you're progressing - right ball park on your second roast is good! Broad generalisation, but for a typical Kenyan you'd expect flavour to be fruity but also creamy - sounds like you've got it about right from your tasting notes Kenyans you'll typically get roast flavours beginning to come to the fore once you reach second crack, so I'd usually be aiming to finish the roast just before 2nd.

http://drinks.seriouseats.com/2013/06/c ... iopia.html

Found this very easy summary of the different world regions. This hobby gets more fascinating the more I learn.

So have now learned how different beans need a different approach (I know this is obvious but first hand experience has no substitute).

Tried a Cota Rican Tarrazu. Intending to get the 'floral, fruity' thing going I just did a very light roast like I did before. The result was very dull and tasteless, a big disappointment.

Next roast, I pushed on into 1st crack for a good 30 seconds and hey presto an extremely tasty brew resulted.

Amazing how a few seconds can make such a difference.

I'm glad you are keeping at it Tony, once you get the right time to hit the off button it gets easier. I once asked an engineer the right moment to stop tightening a cylinder head bolt, his reply was 'Half a turn before it breaks'. Its a similar principal with the Behmor, once the cold air is on the beans are still roasting inside, so getting the timing right is critical. The smell of scorched chaff can drown the roasting smell, good ventilation helps. My doorstep roast was fantastic, it took me months to repeat it.