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 Coffee Roaster, All about the art of roasting coffee

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ymeng85
post Jun 29 2017, 04:43 PM

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QUOTE(mdyyliew @ Jun 29 2017, 04:09 PM)
I did go through the choices but somehow the slightly reputable ones like North Coffee and Bideli are still very expensive. Bideli quoted me 3300 usd for their 1 kg version and North even more expensive.
Then there are all the questionable options like the hotplate roaster.
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I'm roasting on the North at the moment so if you need opinions on it, let me know...
As for temp logging software, I built a custom Arduino/VB.net software for my roastery. Not as polished but way more flexibility for me to code whatever feature I feel like adding in smile.gif
ymeng85
post Jun 30 2017, 02:59 PM

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QUOTE(kk131 @ Jun 30 2017, 01:06 PM)
This is a glorified popcorn popper at a fancy price.
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I like how you put it haha

Someday when I get back some time, I'm going to redo my popcorn popper roaster and add some software to it with PIDs biggrin.gif
ymeng85
post Jul 4 2017, 11:12 AM

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QUOTE(mdyyliew @ Jul 3 2017, 05:01 PM)
ymeng85 sifu. Saw in the coffee lover thread that you took the path from coffee lover to roaster to opening your own cafe. Very inspired! notworthy.gif

Wanna know how you improve your roasting skills? Through self learning or got take up SCA course as well?
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Too tough to go for SCA course. Not only is it far but also expensive haha. I started this thing off as a hobby so was very careful about how much I'm spending on it

Alot of it is self learning, stalking forums and read. Also, be prepared to drink lots of bad coffee. Make sure you bring up your brewing skills along the way as well
And, really helps if you have awesome googling skills too. I find that it's more useful to search "how to highlight florals" than "how to roast better coffee"

Best place for knowledge source for me - lookup Mill City roasters on youtube. Plenty of knowledge videos. Helps that I'm using the same roaster haha
ymeng85
post Aug 15 2017, 02:09 PM

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Anybody been roasting anything interesting recently? smile.gif
ymeng85
post Aug 22 2017, 10:00 AM

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QUOTE(squallx840 @ Aug 21 2017, 03:26 PM)
I had roasted the El Savador Supersonic beans from Cloud Catcher.
Turned out quite well despite my severely lacking roasting skills.(and equipment).

The beans have a "sweet" smell unlike other green beans which normally has a "grassy" smell.

Is it because of the bean's varietal or the way it is processed?
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ah, yes the Supersonic is a Natural and thus comes with heavier fermentation
You get aromas close to whisky or cempedak which can be sweetish
ymeng85
post Aug 23 2017, 03:12 PM

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QUOTE(squallx840 @ Aug 23 2017, 01:30 PM)
ah, so the fermentation comes from the cherry itself which being left to dry.

I remembered trying a liberica beans which has overwhelming jack fruit notes few years ago, I guess that is probably using natural processing as well.
Too much nangka flavor, that I could not bring myself to like it. lol.
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Yup, that flavor can be a love/hate thing. I'm on the side that loves it haha
ymeng85
post Sep 14 2017, 04:56 PM

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QUOTE(squallx840 @ Sep 14 2017, 04:35 PM)
Interesting design.

Looks pretty messy since the chaffs are flying around.
I guess it is meant to be used outdoor.
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I would take a long consideration about the cost because you're going to get tired of it very quickly and look for upgrades
If it's cheap then sure, worse case it's still a nice deco item after you've moved on.

Otherwise, a popcorn machine will serve you better - no need manual hand turning and a separate stove
ymeng85
post Sep 18 2017, 05:41 PM

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QUOTE(lowkl @ Sep 18 2017, 10:26 AM)
Just managed a first roast with Artisan logging on a Raspberry Pi. What an experience!

Learning points:
- touch screen - tak boleh pakai lah... with gloves (duh!)
- remote screen on phone via VNC - tak boleh pakai lah ... screen size & the need to scroll around serious usability problem
- Mastech 6514 temperature meter - connects to the Raspberry Pi via Artisan natively - Win!

Best feature:
- Phases LCDs - ability to continuously calculate expected times to reach the end of each phase is super super convenient!

Next things to do:
- really need to relocate the ET probe - temperature went up to 600C!!
- dedicated keyboard, monitor & mouse

and of course.... tweak the roast profile!
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Nice! Enjoy the journey bro thumbup.gif
Are you able to "try" the beans during roasting? Just making sure you mark yellow/end of dry correctly
ymeng85
post Sep 18 2017, 11:00 PM

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QUOTE(lowkl @ Sep 18 2017, 06:34 PM)
Yes; the roaster comes with a tryer. However I can't seem to find a "definitive" characteristic or set of characteristics to identify when this happens. This is very different from the cracks, which can be heard.

I currently set my drying phase to end at 150c, since my FCs is around 200c on this thermocouple placement. This also corresponds with the Maillard reaction temperature, being between 140c to 165c.

Any suggestions?
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Use your nose. Drying phase has a distinct fresh cut grass or hay aroma. The end of drying and start of yellow is marked by the color (of course) and the start of nutty or fresh baked bread aroma
This is why the tryer is so important - smell

For me this is ~170C where 1C is at 202C on my probe
ymeng85
post Nov 2 2017, 01:56 PM

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QUOTE(built @ Nov 2 2017, 01:06 PM)
thanks.

finding someone/ shop that is willing to do the fabrication and
testing would be the challenge. might end up with just buy a simple
one to try out first.
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If you know the Ikawa then you know it's an elaborated pop corn popper roaster
If you're good with AutoCad/Sketchup and have acces to material and fabrication, makes more sense to hack/upgrade a popcorn roaster

I'm actually working on that but very very slow progress
ymeng85
post Nov 2 2017, 02:58 PM

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QUOTE(built @ Nov 2 2017, 02:56 PM)
was looking at poppers; there are a few good ideas on youtube.
but the 1200w thingy, power guzzler, puts me off...  tongue.gif

zero knowledge on acad.
asked; but "too small" for fabshop.

guess i'll have to start with a drum/ cage sourced from ebay.
or just buy the cage type roaster with the ac gearmotor to start.
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That's why gas roasters exists haha. For cost purposes. Also for the ability to drop/raise quickly
ymeng85
post Nov 3 2017, 10:46 AM

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QUOTE(built @ Nov 3 2017, 07:36 AM)
you are correct.
i guess its phycologically when one sees 1200w...
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Batch sizes on a popcorn roaster is like 60 to at most 100g without mods so that's the catch
On large batches production roasters (2kg/5g etc), the gas vs electricity gap becomes way more obvious
ymeng85
post Nov 5 2017, 10:32 AM

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QUOTE(lowkl @ Nov 3 2017, 02:04 PM)
14cm diameter  X 15cm length.

built and ymeng85; would you consider an infrared halogen heat source? Honestly, I'm fascinated about this and would love to test it out.
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Putting aside cost, any heat source will work as long as it's sufficient to bring the batch size to 200C within 6-7mins
The aggressive 6-7mins is so that if you ever need to go fast, you still can

If you're good with numbers and can do some research, there should be some math somewhere to tell how much BTU needed per 100g of coffee bean batch
Depends on the design and your device's heat transfer design

This post has been edited by ymeng85: Nov 5 2017, 10:33 AM
ymeng85
post Nov 8 2017, 10:42 AM

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QUOTE(rytopa @ Nov 8 2017, 09:58 AM)
https://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z09...._u=824n3bru7ac4

U may want to consider this roaster, i am currently using it... i guess its the best bang for buck roaster rated for up to 350G, but the sweetspot seems to be 200 to 250G for me, Coupled with a USB thermo probe and you can get some serious results. with total coast less den $1000 RM

Its a perforated drum, which means its very sensitive to heat control and air flow management is not needed. So far have been loving it, the build quality is really top notch.

Also take note that roasters usually operate below maxiumum capacity, for smaller home roasters the sweet spot is usually 50-70 percent of recommended capacity. Decreasing the beans increases the space surrounding the beans, resulting in better convection heat, ensuring better roasting eveness.

Seeing some videos of Rotate Fun 200, it seems the beans are being squeezed and pushed forward outside, with not much agitation like in a normal roasting drum and space between the beans, could cause problems with tricker natural process beans which need a lot of "breathing" space for even roasting.
Attached is a Guji natural process coffee i did over the weekend with my machine.
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Very nice roast. No obvious issues. Well done
How is it tasting?
ymeng85
post Nov 8 2017, 10:55 PM

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QUOTE(rytopa @ Nov 8 2017, 11:35 AM)
Thanks, gonna cup it tomorrow with some other roast i did that day, cannot wait to try.

Interestingly does natural process coffee tend to darken much quicker? Usually i aim for a development time of 20% as per Scott Roa books, however i realise this bean darken so much quicker, i had to drop it around 17% development time as it seems to be in the dark roast territory already..i am guessing it i wanted a medium to light roast i would have to drop it even much earlier, while 1st crack is still on going...
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Yes, the sugars on the outside layer of natural coffees will tend to do that. As long as you have your RoR controlled in that development phase, you'll be fine
I've done ~15% development time before and tastes phenomenal for espresso
ymeng85
post Nov 13 2017, 02:44 PM

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QUOTE(rytopa @ Nov 13 2017, 02:31 PM)
Yes to discharge the roast, wear oven gloves and remove the whole drum and pour the beans out... Takes less than ten seconds for the whole procedure.

Used to tilt the entire unit, but its slower and cumbersome/dangerous, especially when its hot, not a good idea.
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Please be mindful of the smoke discharge especially in larger batches. Health first smile.gif

Small non-commercial units like these doesn't have venting for the cooling tray to take the smoke away from the room so when you dump, a huge amount is released into the surrounding.
Wear mask please and keep the area ventilated if you're roasting inside

On the other hand, roasting outdoors is mighty uncomfortable (sweat, lots of sweating haha) and not to mention, you are getting challenged with difference ambient temp each time so you have to surf the charge temp for each time.
ymeng85
post Nov 13 2017, 11:37 PM

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QUOTE(lowkl @ Nov 13 2017, 07:03 PM)
It's green bean restocking time! Anyone want to join to do a group buy?

NAME PROCESS
Brazil Cerrado Dulce 17/18 FC Natural
Brazil Extra Fine 17/18 Natural
Brazil Pulped Nat. Fazenda Pedra Redonda Pulped Natural
Brazil Sul de Minas, ICATU Natural
Brazil Sul de Minas, OBATA Natural
Brazil Yellow Bourbon Pulped Natural
Brazil Yellow Catuai Pulped Natural
Costa Rica Tarrazu San Rafael SHB Washed
Cuba Altura Lavado Washed
El Salvador Finca Santa Adelaida Washed
Ethiopia Djimmah Jasmine Washed
Ethiopia Sidamo Guji G2 Washed
Ethiopia Washed Yirgacheffe Gr. 1 Kochere Washed
Ethiopia Washed Yirgacheffe Gr. 2 Washed
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gr. 1 Nat. Gedeb Natural
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gr. 1 Nat. Kochere Natural
Guatemala Antigua Los Volcanes Washed
Guatemala Atitlán Santiago Washed
Guatemala Coban Washed
Guatemala Fancy Agua Tibia Estate Washed
Guatemala Fancy Huehuetenango Washed
Guatemala Finca El Retiro Washed
Guatemala Finca Joya Grande Washed
Guatemala Huehuetenango Finca Victoria Champila Washed
Guatemala Huehuetenango Finca Victoria Champila (Maragogype) Washed
Honduras San Jose Washed
Indonesia Kintamani Honey Honey
Indonesia Robusta Fine Natural
Indonesia Toraja Kalosi Washed Washed
Kenya AA Top Washed
Mexico Chiapas High Land Washed
Mexico SHG ORGANIC/FAIRTRADE Washed
Nepal Mount Everest Washed
Nicaragua Finca Los Granadillos Washed
Nicaragua Finca Un Regalo de Dios (Yellow Catuai) Honey (Black)
Nicaragua Maragogype Nueva Segovias Washed
Nicaragua Pacamara - La Bendición Washed
Puerto Rico 360 Reserva Washed
Santo Domingo Barahona Washed
Uganda Arabica Bukonzo Cooperative (Fairtrade & Organic) Washed
Uganda washed Robusta Washed
CONDITIONS:
- 3Kg minimum (can get a deeper discount if 20Kg or more)
- need at least 2 pax (including myself) to make it worth it
- If you are in the Klang Valley area, I don't mind dropping it off. Outside Klang Valley, have to cater for delivery (either courier or you arrange for a pickup)
PM me for details.
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Very nice list there bro!
If only it's Penang haha then I can help you guys hit the 20kg quota tongue.gif
ymeng85
post Nov 15 2017, 03:12 PM

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QUOTE(squallx840 @ Nov 15 2017, 09:15 AM)
I previously was surveying this roaster as well .

From what I can see, it is just a rotisserie oven with the grid drums installed inside it.
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Not everything that generate heat and spin can roast coffee. The worry is the heat output is not enough to drive the capacity of beans to hit first crack within a reasonable time. Stretch the roast too long it become baking, not roasting. Will taste SUPER flat
ymeng85
post Nov 27 2017, 11:21 AM

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QUOTE(squallx840 @ Nov 24 2017, 05:02 PM)
Thanks for the input guys lowkl rytopa

Still new to the roasting terminology. Baru tahu what ET / BT / charge temp / means.
Currently watching video to learn more about the roasting process.

I am most probably going to manually monitor the temp manually before moving to roasting monitoring software. (after trial and error lol)
Btw, do share us the outcome of your DIY "surgery" on the thermometer probe, lowkl.
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ET is environment temp or usually whats the temperature within the drum
BT is the bean temp so usually placed within the bean mass
Charge temp is the temperature that your BT has been reading when roaster is EMPTY before beans go in. Kinda like preheat temp for oven before putting your cake in
ymeng85
post Nov 29 2017, 02:20 PM

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QUOTE(lowkl @ Nov 29 2017, 11:13 AM)
Since the discussion is now on temperature monitoring, allow me to share the thermocouple mods I've done on my Kaldi Wide roaster, to plug into the Mastech MS6514, which in turn plugs into my notebook (I explored a dedicated Raspberry Pi roast monitoring system, but found it too cumbersome).

I replaced the standard mechanical thermometer used to measure BT that came with the roaster with a 10cm K-type thermocouple by wedging it with a piece of silicone (cut from a baking glove) and some Kapton tape, like so:

[attachmentid=9389315]

Looking from the inside of the hopper holder (I keep the alignment with a small screw wedged next to the thermocouple):

[attachmentid=9389374]

I'm still fine-tuning the placement of this probe as I'm still getting a higher-than-expected 1C temperatures (around 205c, instead of 199c previously using the mechanical thermometer).

The ET thermocouple is wedged in like this:

[attachmentid=9389446]

Had to use a drill to enlarge the vent hole to accommodate the probe. I tried placing the probe directly in line with the heat source, just before the drum....bad move. Rapidly reached the limits of the thermocouple and got insane readings.

I also mentioned some surgery to use mini plugs compatible with the temperature meter:

[attachmentid=9389493]
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Don't worry too much about a few C difference when changing probes. They will always have some delta from one to another.
Just offset it later on your software. Use first crack to help you nail down what is 200C reference point

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