Any insight on starting to roast in a drum roaster?

[Redswing]

I would beg to differ. Coffee is a matter of taste. I have sampled from official roasters who already package their product and others who sell it at coffee shops. I judge my self hard to see what I am able to achieve and I am able to come close to. Sometimes I have done better. I surpass and fall short. Am I an Artisan? No. That's not the market I plan to target. Have I tasted knock your socks off coffee, you bet. But, that's not my aim.

Definately on Peter's side on this one. Have you ever tried comparing roast profiles from your own roaster? you should if you haven't. Try whatever size batch it takes to get to first crack around 9 min (even if it be tiny), then cup that next to a batch that takes (gasp) 25 minutes to get to first crack. That difference is going to be undeniably tremendous. The longer the roast, the more muted the flavor of the bean. The faster, the brighter. Not subjective.

 

[peterjschmidt]

I guess it doesn't really matter that much if the OP is not aiming for excellent, 'knock your socks off' coffee, and the marketing plan is not targeting artisanal roasting.

I just hope they're not mad at us for trying to steer them toward accepted roasting practices.

 

[PinkRose]

Am I an Artisan? No. That's not the market I plan to target. Have I tasted knock your socks off coffee, you bet. But, that's not my aim.

What market are you planning to target? Is it people who haven't yet explored the world of good coffee? Why give them less when you can perfect your craft and give them more?

 

[bmcglynn]

Yes, I've tested coffee profiles from my roaster and figured out where would be the best roast for each bean (city, city+, full city, full city+, Vienna). I understand from an Artisan point of view this is an unconventional approach and it doesn't register within the main stream of roasting. I chuckle that there is a preconceived notion that I have never tasted great roasted coffee. Like I said, I've tasted roasted coffee much better than mine and drank others that mine easily beat, you're making assumptions that what I produce can't be all that great because of the roasting methodologies. I understand--it doesn't compute.

From what I have in terms of hardware, I'm producing in the "good enough" category and for people who never had roasted coffee before the coffee is great (did you catch that). I know perfectionists and artists struggle with this (trust me, I'm married to one). Because of budgetary constraints, I had to pursue this route and so far I'm pleased with my results and so are others who have purchased my coffee.

I would like to get a better roaster and location that will fit my needs, but right now that isn't possible. So, should I stop what I'm doing because I don't meet the roasting standards? Absolutely not. Your customers will tell you if whether you should or not. That's why I'm trying to broaden out. It's safer without much more investment to test the market.

Back to the business model. Have you ever read Blue Ocean Strategy? Every business owner should if you're interested in starting or growing your business. There's much more to producing a product whether it's good, or great and knowing how to market it. I've seen a lot of coffee roasting websites and they are crappy. This is coming from a professional. So, I can switch hats here and become the "artisan roaster" for marketing. You guys could be selling much more coffee if you applied better website marketing practices, but then again I could just be making some assumptions, because I don't know if you are selling a lot, or breaking even, or if you are just comfortable with where you are at (catch the parallel here?). There is a case study of Yellow Tail Wine in the book. Instead of giving it away, I suggest you read it.

In conclusion, no ill will here. I think you all need to go back to your roots--to the beginning when you first started. Some started roasting by training on the right equipment, some bought used roasters and made the leap of faith, others began like me. In the end, I don't know where this will go, but I won't know if I don't try. Or as Yoda puts it, "Do, or do not, there is no try".

 

[Masterroaster]

I congratulate you on purchasing a roaster. There are a lot of things to consider when roasting coffee. The most important I feel are Time,Temperature,and the quality of the bean you are roasting. How you get the job done is up to you. I have personally roasted coffee in a lot of different ways including popcorn poppers,skillets,ovens,hot air machines with open flame and hot air and I am currently roasting in a Diedrich IR7 Drum roaster. Most beginner roasters make the mistake of baking the coffee instead of roasting. Roasting should be done as quickly as possible without scorching taking place or roasting any qualities or origin specific nuances you are looking for out of your been. My roast times vary of course but never exceed (for a 5lb roast) in my drum roaster( Coffee for drip use) is 7 to 9 minutes depending on the bean and the roast parameters and the qualities I am looking to either keep in the coffee or roast out of the coffee. For Espresso, roast times are longer due to the nature of Espresso roasting again you can roast in or out characteristics depending on roast time temp and when you apply the heat. My espresso roasts never exceed 18 min. I am not familiar with the machine you purchased I did a quick google search it looks like a electric drum roaster. depending on your airflow thru the drum you may find it difficult to control your roast temperature. I would do a preheat of the drum before I roasted and more than likely the hotter you can start the roast do to the drop in temp you are going to get when you put the green coffee in the better your roast will turn out. Also try starting with half the roasters capacity IE 5 lb max = 2.5 lb roast. Most commercial roasters are designed to operate best at full capacity where as non commercial have a hard time keeping temp at max cap. Well I could go on all day about roasting so I hope this gets you started and I will check back to see if you have any specific questions but you need to do several roasts with the green coffee you have, roasting it with different times and temps to different degrees of roast ( first crack,second crack) keep a roast log with times start to finish, initial temp when started the roast, the temp drop before the machine started to rise in temp again, and the time to cracks and the final temp when you dropped the beans to cool. and don't forget to cool the beans as rapidly as possible. with that in mind the beans will continue to roast after you have taken them out until they are cooled so drop them a touch early. and then do some cupping to determine the best roast for the coffee you have picked.

 

[BFRoasters]

Masterroaster- I roast now on the same roaster that he is using. And I agree, I throw a grill thermometer in there and let it get screaming hot ( like 700 degrees) but thats because the thermometer sits almost on top of the bottom heating coil. Then I drop the beans. Start with 2 lbs 6 ozs(so my yield is 2 lbs roasted) and I get to first crack between 14-16 min depending on the bean. Seems to work well, coffee tastes nice. I started at 450 and roasts took over 20min and tasted baked.

 

[Bardo]

For millenia coffee was enjoyed prepared in the simplest possible way, roasted in a pan, ground and brewed in a pot of boiling water (and still is in large parts of the world). As times have changed so have techniques, equipment and expectations. The notion that we are misguided because we don't have fifty thousand dollars to invest in a commercial roasting site, and that our customers are boors for enjoying our simple but thoughtful roasts, is a little arrogant. While the value of renowned vintage wine is undeniable, even the most erudite wine drinker recognizes the value of the vin de casa.

 

[Masterroaster]

Well Said. Your or my taste in coffee is based on what we have tasted not in what we have not. If you like it continue doing it, If you don't change the way you are doing it or stop. I have been roasting Coffee a long time and I think I do very well at it. My customers like it, I have stolen a lot of customers away from other shops, I have had to expand my operation to accommodate my growing business. All signs that I know what I am doing. The moment I think this I go to my Parents house (the people who love and support me the most) And they sit me down to have a nice cup of Yuban. Terrible Coffee to me But they love it. I ask them why, They say because we have always drank Yuban and we like the taste, it is coffee to us. So go figure Just because you like it don't expect others to and don't be disappointed when they don't. Things are always done the way they are done until someone changes the way its done.

 

[peterjschmidt]

For millenia coffee was enjoyed prepared in the simplest possible way, roasted in a pan, ground and brewed in a pot of boiling water (and still is in large parts of the world). As times have changed so have techniques, equipment and expectations. The notion that we are misguided because we don't have fifty thousand dollars to invest in a commercial roasting site, and that our customers are boors for enjoying our simple but thoughtful roasts, is a little arrogant. While the value of renowned vintage wine is undeniable, even the most erudite wine drinker recognizes the value of the vin de casa.

I agree that is well said. At the same time, I don't hear anyone saying anyone is misguided, calling anyone boors, nor do I hear any arrogance or condescension. Everybody's free to enjoy coffee any way they like, and to sell coffee that's roasted in any way the customers are willing to pay for. And yet, there are better ways to roast and worse ways to roast, and as a community geared toward offering help and good information, I believe we should be attempting to do just that.

 

[Bardo]

Peter, agreed. My goal is to grow as a roaster, and that means time effort and money. All of which will come if I pursue excellence while accepting my limitations.