Red Raider
Wreck 'em Tech
Between this and the pipe thing, we may end up with more interaction than you care for 
Anyway, thanks for letting me tag along.
Phil
Anyway, thanks for letting me tag along.
Phil
new to roasting
- Thread starter mdwest
- Start date
thejavaman
BoM December 2012
The beans have landed, boys. Dave threw in some bodyguards in true BOTL fashion too (that Cohiba has my name written all over it ).
I'm pretty stacked for the holidays, but I'll keep you all updated & try to get this done as fast as I can. A big thanks to Dave for setting this whole thing up & for all the behind the scenes work!
The coffee definitely looks wet processed to me, which is kind of surprising coming from where they did. Kinda a good thing since we'll be able to detect the flavors better since dry processing really impacts the cup flavors (extremely fruity). Not many defects either which also surprised me. Only time & cupping will tell if we have a winner on our hands or not. Finding out is half the fun too!
).I'm pretty stacked for the holidays, but I'll keep you all updated & try to get this done as fast as I can. A big thanks to Dave for setting this whole thing up & for all the behind the scenes work!
The coffee definitely looks wet processed to me, which is kind of surprising coming from where they did. Kinda a good thing since we'll be able to detect the flavors better since dry processing really impacts the cup flavors (extremely fruity). Not many defects either which also surprised me. Only time & cupping will tell if we have a winner on our hands or not. Finding out is half the fun too!
ATL and I were discussing those cohiba's in another thread... i THINK (not really sure) they are probably early 2010 or earlier... should be good to go once you let her rest for a week or two.. the one I sent him already had a bit of plume on it
thejavaman
BoM December 2012
That's really quite common. I've came across rocks, sticks, corn, you name it. Really, when grading coffee, the bean itself is all that really matters (i.e., half broken, under ripe, over ripe, off color, etc.). Specialty grade coffee can only have 0-3 defects per lb.:
http://www.coffeeresearch.org/coffee/grade.htm
If I had to guess, I'd say this coffee is grade 2. Don't read too much into that though...one of the best coffees I've ever had was a grade 3 Ethiopian DP "Idido Misty Valley". Exporters often mark specialty grade coffee as grade 2, 3 or 4 to save on taxes too.
thejavaman
BoM December 2012
My money is on older than 2010. Plume all over mine too. Thanks, Dave.ATL and I were discussing those cohiba's in another thread... i THINK (not really sure) they are probably early 2010 or earlier... should be good to go once you let her rest for a week or two.. the one I sent him already had a bit of plume on it
Wow... based on where I found this stuff.. I thought it would be mid to low grade at best.. and was mostly just hoping it would be "fresh"... (secretly, I was just happy I didnt find rocks and small chunks of camel poo in itIf I had to guess, I'd say this coffee is grade 2. Don't read too much into that though...one of the best coffees I've ever had was a grade 3 Ethiopian DP "Idido Misty Valley". Exporters often mark specialty grade coffee as grade 2, 3 or 4 to save on taxes too.
)... If it turns out to be decent once it gets in the cup... Ill buy every bag I can get off the guy when I go back in Feb/March (cant really beat the price)...
Getting excited about this experiment!
xFreebirdx
Patriot Guard Rider
this is some interesting stuff. Looking forward to it for sure.
so.... Kevin sent me a pic of how the beans are turning out....
I got so excited that I went out and bought the best burr grinder I could find less than an hour later... all I had prior to this was a tiny blade grinder that I picked up for $9.99 about 10 years ago...
get ready boys coffee is comin!
thanks again Kev.. really appreciate the help you have been with this..
I got so excited that I went out and bought the best burr grinder I could find less than an hour later... all I had prior to this was a tiny blade grinder that I picked up for $9.99 about 10 years ago...
get ready boys coffee is comin!
thanks again Kev.. really appreciate the help you have been with this..
taking us back off topic for a minute... I smoked one of those plume saturated bad boys 2 nights ago..My money is on older than 2010. Plume all over mine too. Thanks, Dave.ATL and I were discussing those cohiba's in another thread... i THINK (not really sure) they are probably early 2010 or earlier... should be good to go once you let her rest for a week or two.. the one I sent him already had a bit of plume on it
we're less than a week into 2013.. and I might have already smoked my "stick of the year"... I'm not sure I'll be able to top it.... it was really that good... absolutely amazing in fact...
Im saving the next one for when the coffee beans show up....
hope you enjoy that little cohiba as much as I did once you get around to firing yours up...
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thejavaman
BoM December 2012
Roasting up the rest of the samples right now, fellas:
Red Raider
Wreck 'em Tech
So that is what a roaster looks like. How long do you roast a batch? I've heard it doesn't smell pleasant while roasting, but I can't imagine it not being amazing. What's your take on the process?
Phil
Phil
thejavaman
BoM December 2012
Depending on the roaster, amount of coffee that you're roasting, type of bean, how light/dark you're going & a few other factors (ambient temperature, etc) it takes about 9 - 15 minutes to roast each batch.
I use that small roaster (IRoast2) for small batches. I have a Behmor for larger batches. I'm roasting each sample individually on my IRoast2 for full control & to minimize the variables so all the samples are as close to even as possible. An air roaster (like the IRoast2) accentuates acidity & nuanced flavors over body & depth which a drum roaster (like the Behmor) favors.
It doesn't smell great when roasting (though I love the smell when the beans just start caramelizing & are yellow in color) & it produces a lot of smoke. I roast in my man room with a window open, an air purifier going & a few fans running. You need some sort of ventilation or you'll stink up the whole house (which my wife says I do anyway, even with all my precautions).
I use that small roaster (IRoast2) for small batches. I have a Behmor for larger batches. I'm roasting each sample individually on my IRoast2 for full control & to minimize the variables so all the samples are as close to even as possible. An air roaster (like the IRoast2) accentuates acidity & nuanced flavors over body & depth which a drum roaster (like the Behmor) favors.
It doesn't smell great when roasting (though I love the smell when the beans just start caramelizing & are yellow in color) & it produces a lot of smoke. I roast in my man room with a window open, an air purifier going & a few fans running. You need some sort of ventilation or you'll stink up the whole house (which my wife says I do anyway, even with all my precautions).
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Red Raider
Wreck 'em Tech
Way cool.
Time and temp for sure, but are their variables that I haven't even considered?
Acidity a good thing to a certain point I assume. How do you know when that threshold has been crossed?
Sorry for all the questions but this process fascinates me. I blame you for that by the way
Phil
Time and temp for sure, but are their variables that I haven't even considered?
Acidity a good thing to a certain point I assume. How do you know when that threshold has been crossed?
Sorry for all the questions but this process fascinates me. I blame you for that by the way
Phil
thejavaman
BoM December 2012
Acidity or "brightness" is a good thing. People sometimes see the word acidity & think its the kind that makes your stomach turn, but it's the "life" of the coffee really & has nothing to do with how it impacts your stomach. Low acidity coffees taste flat & dull, but some are great components of espresso blends (i.e., Sumatra, Java, etc).
http://www.coffeeresearch.org/coffee/acidity.htm
http://www.coffeeresearch.org/coffee/acidity.htm
thejavaman
BoM December 2012
Samples are roasted & will be shipped out to Java Junkie, Bdrupe, Mdwest, xFreebirdx, Slidzero & Sean T sometime tomorrow:
I roasted my sample of this coffee on 01/03 & I'll be cupping it tomorrow with a few coworkers. However, I'm going to withhold my results until everyone else posts theirs so I don't sway any opinions unnecessarily.
I roasted my sample of this coffee on 01/03 & I'll be cupping it tomorrow with a few coworkers. However, I'm going to withhold my results until everyone else posts theirs so I don't sway any opinions unnecessarily.
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javajunkie
BoM July '12
kev, thanks for all the work on this, and i ALWAYS love sampling your roasting work! o)
tex, think of acidity like wine. hell, like most food. too much is bad, but a crisp acidity to round out a chard or some bright citrus to round out a dish can turn the corner from good to great.
tex, think of acidity like wine. hell, like most food. too much is bad, but a crisp acidity to round out a chard or some bright citrus to round out a dish can turn the corner from good to great.
Red Raider
Wreck 'em Tech
Thanks foe clearing up the acid for me guys. My first thought was I dont drink Fol***s because it kills my stomach and I have always blamed acid. Turns out that may not be the whole story.
Phil
Edit to remove brand name
Phil
Edit to remove brand name
thejavaman
BoM December 2012
Well...you're half right.
Folgers (and basically any other mass marketed coffee) contains a huge amount of the much cheaper (and MUCH less flavorful) Robusta strain of coffee (as opposed to speciality coffee which is 100% Arabica). Robusta is low grown, low quality coffee & has a lot of the kind of acidity that can gnaw at your stomach lining. Arabica matures much more slowly & grows much better at a higher altitude and the beans are hand picked when they're perfectly ripe (as opposed to indiscriminately machine picked - overripe, ripe & underripe in one fell swoop with Robusta) and Arabica has much less of the gnawing acidity. In short...you get what you pay for. Very high quality Robusta does have a place in a good espresso blend, IMO....but that's a whole other conversation.
http://coffeefaq.com/site/node/29
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Rupe
Suburban robot that monitors reality -BOM Feb.'13
Samples are roasted & will be shipped out to Java Junkie, Bdrupe, Mdwest, xFreebirdx, Slidzero & Sean T sometime tomorrow:
I roasted my sample of this coffee on 01/03 & I'll be cupping it tomorrow with a few coworkers. However, I'm going to withhold my results until everyone else posts theirs so I don't sway any opinions unnecessarily.
Cool...Thanks a bunch guys for including me. Can't wait to sample this!!!