10 Mistakes New Home Coffee Roasters Make
Vložit
- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- I review 10 mistakes new home coffee roasters make in this weeks video. There are so many new home roasters who want to roast great coffee and they are using very creative equipment to get the job done. Like any new hobby, roasting coffee at home can be rewarding but it can also be frustrating and down right discouraging. Each of the 10 mistakes new home coffee roasters make can be easily fixed. This video is meant to identify these common coffee roaster mistakes and shed some light on how to avoid them.
In my video, I reference a great resource for those who roast coffee at home. My video, "3 tips for new home coffee roasters" lays a foundation for understanding what is happening to the green coffee beans while you roast them and how you can improve the flavor or your home roasted coffee. You an see that here: • 3 Tips For New Home Co...
I would love to hear your thoughts about my perspective of home coffee roasting.
Use these shortcut links to skip ahead in the video:
0:00 Let's talk about mistakes home coffee roasters make
0:40 Safety
1:37 Know Your Beans
2:26 Keep A Journal
3:31 Let The Coffee Rest
4:29 Roasting To Light or Too Dark
5:26 Roasting Too Short or Too Long
6:50 Preheat Your Roaster
8:14 Housekeeping Practices
9:07 Community
10:34 Have Fun
Links to the various coffee supplies I use:
If you click on these links I may receive a fee which helps support this channel
If your looking for a decent everyday coffee to get started roasting coffee at home, consider this 3 LB Nicaragua fresh green coffee beans (Amazon’s Choice) - amzn.to/3odS4dL
Looking for a intro way to roast coffee? Consider this hot air popper to roast coffee - amzn.to/3pkCNsL
Kettle
Bonavita 1 Liter Kettle - amzn.to/3pvGsUZ
Bonavita 1.7 Liter Kettle - amzn.to/2KOhtgr
Grinder
Baratza Encore Burr Grinder amzn.to/2YgfJQe
Bodum Burr Grinder - amzn.to/3a7xtm8
Scale
Coffee Scale With Timer - amzn.to/2M2Pvhv
Better Scale (OXO Brand) - amzn.to/3qXqxPz
Immersion Brewers
Clever Dripper - amzn.to/3iIxVva
French Press - amzn.to/39e9ti6
Percolation/Pour-Over Brewers & Supplies
Kalita 155 Stainless Steel Dripper - amzn.to/2N29SLR
Kalita 155 Stainless Paper Filters - amzn.to/2MLRzuu
Kalita 185 Stainless Steel Dripper - amzn.to/2N1F12a
Kalita 185 Paper Filters - amzn.to/3rwRppH
I roast coffee on my Mill City 500 gram commercial coffee roaster every week. I also use a Behmor and a hot air popcorn popper to roast some great coffee. Join me as we roast, brew and cup coffee every week at home.
Do you roast coffee at home? Do you craft single serve coffee and if so, what brewing method do you like? Please share your comments and be sure to like this video!
About Me:
I am a coffee enthusiast who roasts coffee from home on my sample size commercial drum coffee roaster. Coffee has been in my life for over 40 years, whether I was selling it or roasting it, I want to share my passion with you.
Venting, Cart/Rack System, Organizing Bins
Selkirk 3” X 6” (B-Vent) Pellet - amzn.to/2Mpz7Hw
Selkirk 3” X 12” (B-Vent) Pellet - amzn.to/3iKaEJ8
Selkirk 3” X 24” (B-Vent) Pellet - amzn.to/39ijuek
Selkirk 3” X 36” (B-Vent) Pellet - amzn.to/3iKacuB
Selkirk 3” Elbow Vent Pipe (B-Vent) Pellet - amzn.to/368MKSA
Selkirk 3” 90 Degree elbow (B-Vent) Pellet - amzn.to/39iXEam
Selkirk 3” 45 Degree Elbow (B-Vent) Pellet - amzn.to/2NqzAK7
Selkirk 3” X 12” Adjustable (B-Vent) Pellet - amzn.to/2LUr9GP
Selkirk Horizontal Termination (B-Vent)Pellet - amzn.to/3c7DVMN
Supplies to Build Your Coffee Cart & Organize
24x48x63 wire rack (wheels not included) - amzn.to/3sQGPLP
Wheels (set of 4) - amzn.to/39ebvi9
Hefty 15 Quart Storage Bins - amzn.to/2MsOYFh
Music:
Rubber Necking - Topher Mohr and Alex Elena
#HomeCoffeeRoaster #CleverDripper #CoffeeBrewingMethods - Jak na to + styl
As a new roaster one thing that really helps is to video each roast. Quite often in the heat of the roast I’ll miss a step or forget to write something down and it’s handy to watch the video to see what happened.
That is a great tip William. Thanks for sharing that. I remember when roasting was overwhelming. So much to remember and do at specific times. The good news is it gets less overwhelming as you get more roasts under your belt. I think it is great you are recording. My roasting friend, @Luigi Collins, whom I did the Behmor video with last year, uses a voice recorder for the same reasons. He journals all of his roasts so he can compare, learn and or replicate.
Thanks for watching my videos!
Thank you for sharing!
Thanks for watching and the encouragement Amanda. What are you roasting with?
Another good video and some great advice, thanks. I agree with everything you said. I think the biggest mistake I made when starting out was trying to replicate what someone else did. It took me several roasts to realize I needed to find my own way and once I did, my results got better and better. Your videos have helped a lot with getting me back to basics so thanks for that. Cheers.
@garygardens, Thanks for your comments. YES, the mistake of trying to replicate what someone else is one I have made as well! I have talked with a lot of new home roasters who are trying to figure this all out. Thanks for the great tip!
Thanks for the info! I recently bought a Kaldi wide roaster and your videos are great! You explain things in an easy to understand way and that is very helpful for a new guy like me.
Thanks for the encouragement Matt. I’m glad my videos have been a help to you!
Thanks for a great video! I've just bought a popcorn popper to try home roasting. Just waiting for the beans. I've watched several videos, but yours is the clearest! Can't wait to get started. Looking forward to more from your channel.
Hi Phil, I will be interested to hear how your popper works for you. Thanks for your kind comments about my videos.
I am a Green Bean and I am abut to learn, I am in the middle of making a drum roaster.
Is it Wise to doo as a Green Bean, is it a steep learning curve, probably not, any yes.
I love you videos, I find the meaningful and informative. 👍
My skillet for doing this project is : I am educated as an electronic engineer with controlling and regulation as my major, and has an electro mechanic education as well.
So I can designe PCB, program, welding, turning, milling and rewind motors.
So a drum roaster is right up my alley 😊 I hope 😂
I did the same with Beer Brewing, that was a vertical learning curve, not so much a curve when it is pointing in to heaven😂
But I am making good beer today and designing my own recipe, that is ending up as lovely beer.
Anyway Thanks for your effort and your time, it is highly appreciated 👍👍👍
Hello Allan, thank you for your comments. Sound like you are up to the challenge. You have all of the mechanical skills. When creating a drum roaster consider important features to include. This will help you roast some great coffee.
1. Variable drum speed
2. Variable airflow
3. Blades inside the drum to tumble and mix the coffee and prevent burning beans.
4. Good ventilation
5. Trier port to view and smell coffee during the roast.
Let me know how it goes!
Thank you for sharing, very informative and practical
Glad it was helpful Vincent! Thank you for watching my videos. What are you roasting with?
I don’t have a roaster yet but am trying to decide what to get. I enjoyed listening to you tips, in my quest for finding a machine I feel like I have already learned a few things.
Glad my content has been helpful. There are many choices and the cost of a roaster ranges dramatically. Consider your goals. How much coffee will I be roasting? How technical do I want to get? How much can I afford? These are all questions to consider as you begin your research into what roaster to purchase. I did a livestream last year that talks about this. You might want to check it out.. czcams.com/users/livee4q6rC6k3AQ
Дякую, вдало підібрано тему і викладено !
Thanks for watching my video. I appreciate the encluragement.
Great Video! I started home roasting 4 years ago using a toaster oven, similar to a Behmor setup. I have developed my own roasting technique and have good consistent results. These are great tips that you have shared!
Hello @weeliano, thank you for watching my video. I am glad you are having good results with your coffee roasting technique!
Thanks again for all your advice and suggestions. I have attempted several roast with my Behmor, some were ok some not so good! Enjoying the process as I learn from my mistakes!
Unfortunately I have over roasted a few of my roast and under roasted others. I am still working on learning to read the the beans as they roast.
Learning from my mistakes!
Thanks again!
@Eduardo, good to hear from you. Glad your are having fun as you learn from your mistakes! Sometimes it is hard to see the color of the beans on the Behmor so SMELL is equally important. When you start to smell the bread and grassy smell, the beans are beginning to yellow. If you are keeping track of your roast progression (times and percentages) then try and pick a consistent place you recognize as the end of dry. If you're not there yet and still trying to figure things out that's ok too.
appreciate the information boss ✍🏼
Hi Dario, thanks for watching my video. Happy Roasting!
Thank you Matt
Glad the video was helpful! What are you roasting on?
Wish I could’ve watched your vids when I started roasting. These are great tips.
One tip I’ve learned is to not get discouraged with tasting notes from green bean retailers. Some are hard to dial in and can be discouraging for a new roaster not to get these crazy exotic flavors in their beans. It’s also highly dependent on brew method.
@TMDub88, thanks for your encouraging comments! That is a great tip for any home roaster. It is easy to feel alone and frustrated when we are not getting the results we expect of hope for.
You are right, the tasting notes given from the seller of green beans is getting these when they roast and cup, but because of so many variables including our roasting ability/profile, it might taste different. Have you watched my video "Learning how to taste coffee" czcams.com/video/A2eg0-0HiFY/video.html
We start to talk about tasting notes in that video and the conversation points to not only brew methods, but an unexpected surprise.
You’ve been so helpful. I’ve definitely listened to you when you had told me in a previous comment that all the coffees are exotic and roast. I took your advice and nailed the Ethiopian sweet Lilly. But now I am struggling with a wet processed yirgacheffe. I’ve tried a good charge temp of 250 with my hive and a 150 grams. Soaking the beans starting with low medium heat and end of dry at 530. Ramp up the heat and hitting First crack at 0930 with 50 percent reduction in heat slowing the roast and ending at 1130 with a temp of 406. Getting nice chocolate but not much of the brightness or floral as my local roaster can achieve with the same beans
Hello Jeston, The wet process Yirgacheffe is a high density coffee with no mucilage because it is washed. It is a small-ish bean. If "soaking" means no heat, then don't soak. The beans are less prone to roasting defects compared to the natural you were roasting.
Using the Hive, pre-warm to 220-250, turn off heat, pour in beans, start the timer, set heat to medium low and then start shaking. Dry should take place between 4-5 minutes. You can leave your heat setting where it is for most if not all of the roast. Instead, raise or lower the hive to adjust for heat. This way you are not distracted. Actually, if you watch this video czcams.com/video/shnQf3fsoxg/video.html you will see the entire roast and how i did it. You will also see how I chart my times and temps so I can reproduce the roast over and over.
The hive is a wonderful roaster but it is very different than a drum roaster. The highest heat should be in the earlier part of the roast and you will gradually lower the temps throughout the roast by simply elevating the roaster. At least that is the way I do it. My hive has the temp gauge so i can constantly track my roast..
I just wanted to say again, thanks for your videos and practical advice. They have made my re-entry into the roasting hobby much easier and given me more confidence in roasting with my Behmor.
My biggest mistakes early on were not keeping my expectations in check and not expanding my palate by checking out other specialty roasters. I had the notion that MY roasts would be just as good as - if not better than - what specialty roasters had to offer, without even knowing the full scope of flavors out there. I don't expect a washed Peru on my Behmor to taste like one from my local roaster, but I at least should have a general reference for what it CAN taste like, if that makes sense. Once I decided to start exploring single origin offerings from other roasters, I grew to appreciate the wide range of nuances while realizing what I'd been missing, and how to reach for that standard with my own roasts.
Sorry for the lengthy comment!
@Dustin Grooms, I'm glad my videos have helped you. I think you have introduced a very true and important mistake most of us have made or will make. Learning from specialty roasters and expanding our palate with their product. We have a great roaster "MadCap Coffee" here in Michigan. I've been enjoying their coffee for years. Not long ago I had the opportunity to visit their roastery, take a tour and spend a little time in their "cupping room". We cupped together and they began to talk about the tasting notes. It was really helpful to have someone who is trained help a less experienced person like me describe what they are tasting.
Then there is the whole roasting element, where they are able to consistently reproduce the same roast, time and time again. They were roasting 75 lbs of coffee per roast by the way. Lots of training and skill to pull that one off.
Yes, coffee is amazing and the variety of single origin coffee is endless.
Thanks for sharing!
My Huky 500 is coming in about a week. Can't wait to start roasting! Thanks for all the beginning tips
That is exciting Jackson. Once you get your roaster setup, Buy some cheap beans somewhere and do some tests to see how long or short you can get your dry time. Pay attention to how much heat and drum speed you use and watch for scorching or tipping defects. Once you figure out a time it takes to safety get you to dry end, then you can plqn the remaining roast. Check out the 3 tips video I mentioned as a guide to plan your roast. From there, tweek/change to meet your needs. Let me know how things go with your new Huky!
Jackson, did you get your Huky 500?
Very good video, very helpful and easy to understand. Subbed!! 👍😎👍
Thanks for subscribing and watching! I’m glad it was helpful. What are you using to roast coffee?
@@VirtualCoffeeLab Just started and bought the budget friendly Barwell. 🤣. But watching your channel is very helpful. Thanks!!
This video was exactly what I was looking for
Thanks for watching. Glad it was helpful? What are you roasting with?
@@VirtualCoffeeLab I’m roasting small batch in a steel pot with salt. I tried on cast iron and it’s very uneven because the beans that sit flat get scorched on that side and other side is like medium roast hence Salt roasting. It takes 2 minute for the salt to heat on medium high in the steel pot. Then I put the beans in and keep stirring. After first crack when it starts to smoke I take it off the heat and keep stirring and put it back on the heat after awhile. I keep repeating this process till It reached a desired roast level and strain the salt out. I usually prefer a medium to light roast. This process is laborious but worth it, also there is lot of control and visual here. And I have no idea if the tiny(very tiny) amount of salt that gets in the grinder will damage the grinder but it definitely improves the flavour.
@Tenzin Rigol that is very interesting. So you add salt in the pot during the roasting process strictly for flavor? If yes, why not put a little salt in the coffee after you have brewed it? Just curious. Glad you are enjoying your coffee!
@@VirtualCoffeeLab I use salt for even roast as it envelopes the bean unlike cast iron.
Thank you for the information.. success always for the channel...👍
So nice of you to say that @djuna_04 . Thank you for watching my videos! What are you roasting with?
@@VirtualCoffeeLab I Roasting with simple tools. A creative tool made by my friend.
Under the " Know your beans" category I would add one should avoid getting a lot of different kinds/origins. Some vendors include a sampler pack when you buy a roaster. This can be a source of frustration due to differences in density, elevation, etc...as you mentioned. I would advocate buying AT LEAST 5 pounds of a bean you know you like, then spend your time learning with that and learning to taste those differences.
OOOOooooooo, Ed, that is a great tip. Agreed. It will be easier to measure the results if you are roasting on the same coffee. That reminds me. About a month after I got my roaster I was asked to roast and serve fresh coffee for about 200 people. It was a Christmas fellowship thing at church. I purchased 20 lbs of Guatemala HueHue and that was my first real way I was able to compare roasts and the subtle changes I was making. By the time the event came, I had enough information I was able to dial in a pretty decent cup. Thanks for the tip!
This is a great point! When I first started roasting I almost always stuck with sample packs. I quickly grew frustrated when it only took me two roasts or so to blow through a pound without getting satisfying results. These days I try to go "deep" rather than "wide," and my roasts are better for it.
This is useful and timely for me to hear. I started with a single type of bean because it was what I’d been buying and was no longer available to me. I’m about to make my second purchase and was going to try a variety of beans. While I’ll still try a couple others, I’ve pared the list way down thanks to your very sensible advice.
Very much like your pronounciation and your friendlyness.
Hello Erhard, Thank you for your kind comments. I’m glad you are enjoying my videos!
great channel. you definitely earned a sub
Welcome to the Channel and thank you for the Sub!
Great, informative and easy to follow vid! Thanks. I'm on my second batch of home roasted coffee and thanks to really thoughtful vids like yours and some advice and encouragement from more experienced friends (great "community tip btw), the second effort was vastly superior to the first. At this pace, I'll be ready to serve my own roast to people I care about in no time! Lol. Keep up the good work.
Thanks for watching and for your kind comments. I'm glad your goal is to learn and roast great coffee to share with friends. What are you roasting coffee with?
@@VirtualCoffeeLab I got a FreshRoast SR800 for my birthday :) and ordered the fair trade organic beans from an online distributor in Canada. Really, my reasoning for getting into roasting is to try to pass more of the $ back down the value chain to the growers rather than domestic roasters - knowing if that's working, along with roasting a reliable cup, are the next steps!
@@dgrahamwithers604 Happy B Day and yea, the SR800 is a popular home roasting machine. I like your reasoning behind the purchase and you are right, it benefits you with some great coffee!
How is you roasting going with the FreshRoast Graham?
I just started roasting with a popcorn popper and would love to be able to connect with other people doing this. I’m using a West Bend Stir Crazy and an Orville Redenbacher air popper. The WBSC has a hot plate with a rotating arm that pushes the beans around. What I like about it is that it’s slower. I have been roasting 70 - 100 grams green beans and it takes about 15 - 16 minutes. What I don’t like is that the beans get pushed around so the roast is a bit uneven. I do periodically lift the lid and stir them. The air popper gives a more uniform roast but it happens so fast that the beans get darker than I’d like. With the air popper it’s very obvious when it hits first crack; with the Stir Crazy, there’s not much cracking going on. In spite of these challenges, even my very first small batch was better than the coffee I’d bought at Whole Foods. A friend came over today, he’s been buying from a local roaster and liked mine better. Most places roast too dark for my tastes, their coffee tastes burnt.
I’m learning a lot from your channel and from the comments, hope to find a place where I can connect with other budget home roasters. I realize there are limits to what I can control with such a crude setup but it’s already worth it.
Thanks for sharing and your comments. The hot plate and wand generally don’t roast quick enough for my liking. The next step will be either a sweet Maria’s popper, a homemade hybrid roaster, or a fresh roast most likely. You will get better results with any of these compared to a popcorn popper or west end.
I roast my coffee straight from the fire using a clay Comal, best coffee ever ( I’m a coffee farmer ) but living in the USA and drinking coffee from my farm in Central America LoL
That's pretty cool @Aldrind. The Comal is like a clay plate right? Very interesting!
Let’s see a demonstration video
I have a small drum roaster with a bunsen burner for the heat. I try to have the heat start at 280 when starting. I roast 4oz of beans at a time. The temp swing in the garage is approximately 100 deg from winter to summer.
When I drop the beans the temp will always drop to around 200. I look for my beans to be yellow at the 4 minute mark so they are dry when they start to roast. I then look for the beans to be at start of first Crack at around 12 minutes and then done with first crack plus about 15 seconds at about 15 minutes. It gives me beans that are with a little oil on the outside. I then pull them and put them in my cooling tower within 10 seconds, with a vacuum and fan going. They cool enough to handle in another 20 seconds. For me this gives me quite a great tasting cup of coffee. I can repeat this most of the time. If I want a little bolder cup I will let it go 20 seconds. After first Crack, and increase the time a little more for a bolder tase. Once I get to second Crack all timing control is gone.
I know this is crude but it works well for my roaster and me.
Hi Mickey, thanks for sharing your coffee roasting method using the home made drum roaster. Wow, 100 degree temp swing because of seasons is crazy.
I have been waiting on the Fresh Roast sr800 and just tired of waiting. So, I am in the process of constructing my own drum roasting coffee machine. I will use propane for the heat and have an electric motor to do the work. Hopefully I will have it roasting coffee in a week or two. Jerry Hubbard Irmo South Carolina USA
That sounds interesting Jerry. How big will the drum be?
@@VirtualCoffeeLab It is 5 inches in circumference and 9 inches length. I like to roast half pound amounts. I think this would do a pound but I doubt if I will try that much. It has been fun so far building. I researched a lot of other designs and decided to do the one I am working on. It will not have any thermo couples but most times I use a thermo gun and time counter and of course site and smell. Might have it going in a week or less.
If there is an introduction about drum speed it’s gonna be helpful
great comment Abdalla. Yes, drum speed is a big deal and not understanding and applying the right drum speed during your roast can cause several problems including roasting defects and uneven roasts. I'll keep that topic in mind for a future video. Thank you.
hey! great video, I am roasting from home on an ARC800 with an external exhaust fan. I currently have the ducting set downwards since the machine sits higher than the window that I run the ducting through (I am not sure if this is resulting in poor airflow and ashy notes in my coffee) . Should I be directing the ducting upwards towards the selling or just higher than were the machine/exhaust sits? thanks!!
Hello Margaret, thanks for watching my video!
How dark are you going? What type of coffee are you roasting? How long is your total roast time?
Hmm, so you are experiencing ashy notes in your coffee? I did a video czcams.com/video/dfbRqAgnr4o/video.html answering this question.
If it isn't the airflow, there could be several other reasons I have listed below:
1. roasting coffee too dark
2. not cooling coffee quick enough, causing over roasting
3. Roasting natural and honey process where the Mucilage is burned
4. Roasting defects including tipping will cause ashy notes
5. Poor airflow is another possibility not listed in the video.
The most common issue I have experienced is from roasting defects. Double-check your roasted coffee for tipping. If you see black marks on the ends of your roast then the inside of your bean may have some burning as well.
Let's talk about your airflow. I tried to find a manual for your roaster and was unable. You should test your airflow and know what impact your settings will have on your roast. Here are some thoughts.
Use the lighter trick or measure air velocity. I don't think the downward angle of your exhaust should influence the flow as long as you have positive pressure. Regardless of what the manual might say, always check your airflow so you understand how much air is moving through your system. This is really important during the roasting process because hot air (convection), as well as the hot metal drum and bean-to-bean contact (conduction), is used to roast your coffee. Air movement is really important to move smoke out of your system, otherwise, it could influence the cup. Air needs to move through your system AND your fan speed should be tested to ensure good airflow.
There are a couple of ways to test your airflow settings. One way is to use the lighter trick. Make sure your ejection door (the door where the beans come out) is closed. Now, pull out the trier and light the lighter. Watch the flame bend based on the amount of air you are pulling through the system. At a minimum, you want to see a slight draw with a slightly bent flame. The maximum would be a bent flame that almost extinguishes. I roast somewhere in the middle or a little higher and leave it alone.
The other way is to measure air velocity with a meter. Not sure exactly what you would need but do some research and you can find a meter. I have never done this.
By the way, you might want to simply go outside and feel how much air movement you get and low, medium, and high settings. See if there is much of a difference. You could disconnect your vent and measure it right from the inside as well (with no heat or roasting going on. Simply measuring airflow. I have even used a piece of paper that is taped to the end where the air comes out and watched how much movement the paper has.
Hope my comments were helpful. Let me know what you determine.
What would you recommend for a step up from air popper ? I am only using air popper and i have done cast iron but was interested in moving up in the game.
Hi Shane. Thanks for watching my video. I guess it depends on a few things.
1. are you concerned with chaff mess?
2. do you want to stay in the "air roaster" side of roasting?
3. What is your budget?
4. what type of coffee roasting style (flavors, roast level) will you be doing?
5. What size batches would you like to roast? Minimum and Maximum
Let me know and I will share my opinion.
I love coffee, i have a small coffee farm.. but i don't have equipments.
Thanks for watching AJ.
Do you hang out on a forum or Facebook group somewhere? I purchased two drums and am ordering bearings/fans etc. And am working on a build. No more popcorn/cast iron roasting for me ☕️☕️☕️
Hi Thomas, thanks for finding my channel and leaving a comment. I visit the facebook home coffee roasters forum as well as the Reddit for roasting. Don't hang out there too much. So you building your own roaster eh? What will you be using for a heat source? Heat Gun?
❤
Thanks for watching Andreas!
Great video! Slightly unrelated, I’m looking at picking up a 500g gas USRC roaster and was wondering how long a tank of propane usually lasts. I know you’re on natural gas but thought you may have tried propane before.
Is there a way of telling how much propane is left so you don’t run out mid roast? Thanks!
I would guess about 40-50 hours. You can figure it out based on your roasters btu rating.
Take a look at this link and then calculate your btu rating instead of the 30,000 btu example. learnmetrics.com/how-long-does-a-propane-tank-last/#How_Long_Does_A_20_lbs_Propane_Tank_Last_On_A_Grill_3-Step_Calculation
Community sounds great. Does anyone know of any home roasting mailing lists? I find e-mail much easier to keep up with than anything web based, like online forums.
Kevin, there are quite a few coffee roasting communities online. Some are on Facebook and Reddit. Others are individual domains like home-barista and others. As far as email, the only single source i am aware of is a feed aggregator that hunts for any new discussions on select coffee communities. I have never used this resource so I don't know if it works well OR if this is what you were looking for. Go to this link blog.feedspot.com/coffee_roasting_forums/ and look over the page. You can subscribe to individual communities OR all of them. What they do is send a "digest" via email once a week I think. Scroll all the way towards the bottom of the page to see the option to have all of them sent to you in a digest. If you only select one or two, you have to subscribe individually AND again, I think they send you a weekly digest from that community.
Is this what you were thinking? If you subscribe, come back to this thread and share your experience once you begin to receive these digests.
Thanks - Mike
Thank you im from indonesia 🇮🇩🇮🇩
Hello, thanks for watching my videos!
How long should I preheat the roaster?
Hi Cheisi, thanks for your question.
My drum roaster takes 20-30 minutes minimum to warm up. The manufacturer (mill city) instructed that the warmup should allow the roaster to reach it's peak temp, where the safety shutoff engages. That is 455 on my roaster.
So, I do it a little different. I warm the roaster up by setting my gas on 30% of it's maximum capability and let the roaster warm up for 30 minutes, then idle it down to 25 degrees below the charge temperature I will be using. Then have everything all set to go, turn on the gas, let it build up to charge temp and then charge/put beans in the roaster.
There is a lot of metal to heat up and that is why warmup is so important.
What type of roaster do you have?
So excited to start experimenting! I purchased a Hive Roaster (roaster only), My first bean to try was an 'Indonesian Sumatra Pondak'. The only notes I took were: First crack I heard came at 22 min and I dropped at 23.5 minutes. This smells amazing in my canning jar!! Can't wait to try it. Not sure how long I should wait to brew? The second roast was an 'El Salvador Santa Leticia Pacamara' I tried the same roasting heat and this one first crack at 8 min and I left it on for an additional 1.5 min and dropped. This was is so different: The Sumatra color is really good I think? I dull darker brown color and is very consistent throughout. The Santa Leticia came out very dark and shiny in appearance. Doesn't smell burnt but is almost black! Does this make sense that they are so different (assuming you have roasted both?) Would love your thoughts1 Excited and can't wait to brew these. Thanks for your expertise
Hi Tom. Welcome to the world of home coffee roasting. Your Sumatra coffee will most likely roast differently than the El Salvador coffee BUT 22 minutes to first crack compared to 8 minutes for the El Salvador is too different. Let's talk about this for a sec.
Answer these questions if you can please:
Was your heat settings the same for both coffees?
Was the amount of coffee you roasted the same for both coffees?
Did you hold the Hive the same distance from the flame for both coffees?
If your answers were "yes" for all 3 questions, then it could be any of the following:
Your first coffee took longer because the hive was not pre-heated and you used a low flame.
The second coffee roasted raster because the Hive was already hot.
The Sumatra must be more dense because it took so long to get to first crack and you were using too low a heat setting.
Now for my suggestions to correct this. First, watch my video "taking control of your roast".
czcams.com/video/shnQf3fsoxg/video.html
Notice how I have a goal to reach roasting events like dry end, first crack and drop by a specific time? I adjust the distance from the flame based on how much time I want to take to get to first crack or some other event. You should consider this. My essential coffee roasting playlist is a great place to start and learn more about coffee roasting and roast phases.
Let me know a little more about your two roasts and we can talk more.
Thanks for watching my videos Tom!
@@VirtualCoffeeLab Before answering our 3 questions, I do believe I have a heat problem and wish i would have ordered the Hive Roaster with temp gauge! 1) I did try to have the same heat setting on my stove, however I think it is nearly impossible to have the LP gas stove dial in the exact same level even though I had the setting #3 on my dial with both roasts (if that makes sense?) 2) Exact same amount of coffee (6 oz) 3) Yes, I believe both roasts were the same distance from the flame for both roasts. I did preheat the roaster both times but without a thermometer....who knows if there was a difference with that? I will watch your suggested video however I really don't understand how to adjust to the roasting events when I don't REALLY ever know where the roast is at at any given time without a temperature to go by?? I will watch that video right now. (Very much enjoying this so far! You can't learn without failure and adjustments!!)
Hi Tom, thanks for the reply. Yes, the digital display version is very helpful. I'm think you can buy the digital dome top separate. Just contact Matt at hive and the investment will be worth it. If we break your total roast into 3 parts, we can use our senses to figure out where we are and how our roast is progressing. The 3 parts are
1. Dry Phase
2. Browning Phase
3. Development Phase
Let's start with the Dry Phase. From the time you put the beans in the hive and heat is applied until the beans turn from green to yellow is the dry phase. This phase offers visual clues with the bean color. Use a flashlight to peek inside the top hole to see the bean color and watch it change. Smell is another biggie. You will begin to smell grass, hay and then a doughy smell. You will be really close to the end of dry at that point. Color will tell.
The browning phase runs from dry end until first crack. This period of time the beans turn a cinnamon color, begin to smell sweet and continue to loose moisture. When you got to the very beginning of first crack you will want to elevate your hive just a little. Once a series of cracks happen you will have completed the browning phase and started the development phase. You will begin to smell other aromas like spice, fruit, chocolate, and depending on your coffee, a whole list of other possibilities. Watch your bean color using the flash light. The further you take your beans into development the darker they get. They also begin to swell and smooth out, getting less wrinkly and more shiny. If you are applying too much heat during this process your first crack will roll into second crack. If you are aiming for a medium roast, your moving to fast and need to use a lower heat setting.
Smell, sound, sight are all really important senses that will help you figure some of this out. A laser temperature gun would be helpful but the digital dome is probably your best bet. I show the entire roast process on my video "take control of your roast" czcams.com/video/shnQf3fsoxg/video.html . You are correct, it is difficult to roast good coffee and aim for events without knowing temperatures. Let me know what happens Tom.
You are VERY passionate about this entire process! I would like to also be like that! I believe you are correct, I need to purchase the dome with thermometer. I watched that video above as well as many of yours and Matt's. I have to be honest, I am getting a bit frustrated at this point. Only roasted 4 times and am wasting my money and time at this point. Have yet to taste an even average cup yet! I will not give up. I have a great source for a great variety of beans here in the Madison WI area so I will keep trying. I very much appreciate your replies! I am surprised how much help you have given me already. Thank you so very much! @@VirtualCoffeeLab
Yea, i know the feeling of "wasting beans" but consider it the cost of learning i guess? Don't get frustrated. Not being able to know your temps is like flying blind. Then, with the design of the hive not being "visually friendly", it can be pretty challenging. Your first comment you made here was encouraging. You are noticing bean color, listening to sounds and paying attention to smell. Those are cornerstone principles Tom. Once you can visualize temps it will really make a difference. I'm glad to help. Matt is a great source of help too.
My coffee looks like medium roast(nothing like a dark roast) but taste burned. Is it possible?
Hello Tenzin. Yes, it is possible to roast light or medium roasts and still taste burned. More than likely this is caused from roasting defects that occur in the first few minutes of roasting. See my video "How to avoid roasting defects". Then, the next time you roast cofee look and see if you can identify any of these defects in your coffee.
I’m new to roasting, and I bought a bunch of different premium green beans. I run them through for seven minutes on my Poppery II popcorn roaster. I pull them at 7 minutes, Just on the verge of second crack, hovering around there depending on the size of the bean. I’m currently letting them rest for about 2,3,4,5,&6 days before attempting to pull a shot. So far I have had a difficult time getting a really thick crema when I pull a shot. I have no issue when I get other types of fresh roasted beans from my local roaster. I’m wondering if I should bring the time back towards six minutes or up to eight minutes or so to increase my crema. Actually currently, I’m having a very difficult time building pressure using a day or two, and day three roasted bean. I’m wondering what drives Getting a good Crema. The amount of days that it sits afterward? Or is it the amount of time I’m roasting, or the ~350 degree poppery roast temp. I’m really looking forward to when I can pull a really nice shot with beans that I roast. Open to any advice! I’m roasting a half a cup of a time by the way. I’m thinking about bringing that down to a quarter of a cup in order to slow the roast time.
Hi Mark, welcome to the world of home coffee roasting. Unfortunately I'm not an espresso drinker/brewer expert. I would say that a good rule of thumb for espresso is to let freshly roasted beans rest a week. I would also consider looking at the roast date of your local roastery beans to see how long they have rested. Sorry I an't be more helpful on your issue.
@@VirtualCoffeeLab thanks for the feedback! Love your videos
I am curious how to store a new roasted coffee in the minute hours after roasting? Immediately store inside one way valve coffee bag? Or let it degass in the container?
Hello Azam, thanks for your comment. How much coffee are you roasting per batch? How many days will that last before you finish consuming that roast?
I am asking these questions because it can influence the answer.
Here is what I mean.
I share coffee with my family. We might roast 3 different coffees each week and because we are sharing. I use small ziplock bags holding each coffee and then place them in an airscape container.
Now, I know of a coffee roaster who would roast a large batch of coffee he planned to serve 3 days later in his cafe. He left the coffee exposed in a tub during that time.
Does this help?
@@VirtualCoffeeLab this means after roasting i could just put in open tray overnight and put it in the coffee bag the next day? If after roasting we immediately put it in coffee bag is the best?
I roast around 250 gram per batch using my Kaleido roasters
Where would I look to determine what unroasted beans work best for dark roast, or medium dark roast, etc.?
Tom, others might say differently but generally speaking, coffees that have tasting notes that are nutty, earthy, chocolate and caramel, tobacco, and the like seem to do well with darker roasts. Fruity coffee can roast dark as well.
I was looking at sweetmaris.com and they have filters you can apply during your search of their green coffee. They do have a filter for coffee that is “good for darker roasts “ but it is limited. They also have filters for nutty and chocolate. Truthfully you can roast jussi about any coffee dark..
What’s there a specific reason you were asking about this?
@@VirtualCoffeeLabI tend to like the darker roasts and I wanted to get those beans that are more amenable
to a dark roast. I see now that I don't have to do that. One other question I have is that you mention a Guatemalan bean but I didn't catch the whole title.
@@tomhester3770 One of my favorite beans is Guatemala HueHue. That is my go to for a Central American bean but that is just my opinion. If I was talking about Guatemalan beans, that was it.
I would like to know what is the name of roaster machine you use and how much by dollar.
Thank you very much
See my reply from 3 days ago in your previous message.
How about forming an LLC or staying as a sole proprietor? Would a home coffee roaster that has sold here and there ( in Florida) really need an LLC when not selling much besides instagram, Etsy and word of mouth? Thanks
Hi Wesley, thanks for your question. I’m not an authority on that topic. I do know that Florida does have regulations for cottage food industry. That means Cottage food products may not be sold with or associated with a regulated food business under the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services or Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
So, it sounds like an LLC is a legit business and you would need to meet the department of agriculture and consumer services. You might want to look at this link www.fdacs.gov/content/download/70108/file/Cottage-Food-Operations.pdf
Two questions for you. Today I was roasting a Brazil Fazenda Alta Vista. It's the 5th time I've roasted it. I normally get first crack around 385deg. Today I messed up the dry phase. It happened too quickly. I tried to compensate in the ramp (browning) phase by slowing things down. Well I never got a first crack. Still dropped my beans at 410deg. Has this ever happened to you? Second question. I see you drop your beans around 400deg. I'm roasting for espresso. Would you change your roasting profile for espresso?
Hi Scott, thanks for watching my video and for your comment. The Brazil Fazenda Alta Vista looks like a great coffee. It that a natural process you are roasting? This is one I was looking at here: www.cafeimports.com/europe/beanology/view/fazenda-alta-vista-yellow-bourbon-10995
What type of roaster are you using?
I have had a couple of roasts where that occurred. The first one was a kenyan that had a silent crack. It was really hard to hear. The other roast was different. I pushed a low density natural coffee too hard through the dry and by the time I began to slow down I had already past first crack without a sound and second crack was just beginning. I have had a coffee that crashed. The ROR was high at the beginning of the browning phase and while trying to slow it down the ror crashed and was too low through first crack and crack was weak. Not sure if any of these match your experience though without seeing your roast profile.
Your second question about Espresso is one I have asked professional roasters. My own opinion is it depends on the coffee you will be brewing and what type of notes you are trying to highlight. Is it a blend or single origin? My own personal taste is to use a similar profile as my other coffee with maybe a little more development. As a disclaimer I use a mokapot which i know is not the same as espresso. I'm mostly drinking filtered coffee. The temperature doesn't necessarily have to be much higher. I try and slow my development ROR down into the fun zone (below 10) when I want to extend my development %. I rarely roast past 403 on my machine because I prefer the lighter side of medium. Again, our temps will probably be different. Different probe placements and all of that so comparing temps isn't ideal. . Why not experiment. Try a roast or two how I mentioned with the lower ROR during development so your temps don't spike. That will knock down the acidity a little. maybe even extend your dev percentage a few percent. If you don't like the result, and you want to go darker then you won't want to use the fun zone method.
I think for me, I've been learning that each coffee is unique and requires a slightly different profile. My way of doing that is to start with my standard profile which is about a 10 minute roast with phase percentages of about 50/30/20. Then I start to experiment with a shorter dry, slightly longer browning phase. Then maybe a slightly shorter dev % like 17-19 and taste that. I will also try shortening and lengthening my total roast time by 30 seconds. Sometimes I do that first before messing with the phase percentages.
Hope my response answered your questions. Let me know what you think. Thanks again for sharing and for your comments.
Also, I’ve come up with a roasting profile of 40/40/20. The reason is it’s very easy to control with my machine. Last night I started using your profile of 50/30/20. Quite a bit more effort. What would you expect to be different is flavor with these two profiles?
@Scott S Yea, on my roaster with that profile it isn't "set a temp and let it go". I'm on the gas fine tuning just after dry to get a good descent and then pulling my hair out just before first crack haha. If I had to guess, I’m thinking the longer middle phase could make the cup less of a zippy acidity but I don’t know what your total roast time is or what you are using to roast the coffee so I can’t really offer more than that.
Roaster for a start up, 1kg or more? Electric or gas?
Thanks for checking out my videos. You want to start a business or is this for home roasting? Where will you be roasting your coffee and how much coffee will you roast per week? Also, what are you currently roasting with?
Let me know and I will be glad to offer my opinion.
My wife and I want to start our own coffee business. Her family have coffee farms all over the south of Colombia and want to start importing their coffee beans and roasting them ourselves and hopefully be able to sell them wholesale in the US. There's an option to also have them ship the coffee already roasted and package and sell them under their brand. Obviously the first option have more risk and more work. What do you think?
Sounds like a great opportunity for you. Before investing money in your roasting business I would strongly encourage you to learn how to roast coffee. I have no idea about the complexities of importing coffee into the USA.
Thank you. Subscribed. What is our host's name?
Thanks for subscribing and for watching Videos. My name is Mike.
A pleasure, Mike
I need to buy a fire extinguisher
Yes, highly recommended you always have on on hand and never leave your roaster unattended.
i want this rostery machin! How can i get? Can you hulp me?
Hello Behailu, my roaster is a Mill City 500 gram (North TJ-066). Millcityroasters.com 1st generation production
Ok how you hulp me to get the machin
I did not like you only talking without any demonstrations.
Thank you for watching and for sharing your opinion. I do appreciate it. I understand and as you will notice when you watch more of my videos, I am demonstrating while talking. This video is a couple years old I think. The information is still relevant BUT I agree that demonstrating is much better.