roast, data, meanings

[lizzy]

a short update. I've been roasting away, and noticing much improvement in taste. I noticed a lack of body in some Mexican coffee I'd roasted. did another batch and tried to slow the roast down a bit. I think the coffee tasted much better, and really that was such a thrill, to taste a difference and attribute it to something I did! I've read so much the last week that my head is spinning.

my latest thing is using that spreadsheet and plotting the profile on the graph. All the roasts I did look pretty much the same "shape". can anyone recommend a source of some examples of what profiles plotted out should look like? mine are a gradual hill climb upward. nothing dramatic. the temps of first crack and roast over vary some, and the coffee tastes good. But I have new tools and am dying to learn how to use them better.

 

[lizzy]

After stressing over the time and temp data stuff, I've decided that the data is just so you can reproduce the roast that you like best. With that in mind, I have just been roasting and drinking coffee. "umm, a little too dark, ooh, bet that would be good a touch darker". When I really like the roast, since I have written down the temp and time I used to get it, so I can do it again. It is faster and hotter and cleaner than my first roaster. I think there was a lot of smoke "flavoring" the roast in the electric one.

 

[ElPugDiablo]

After stressing over the time and temp data stuff, I've decided that the data is just so you can reproduce the roast that you like best. With that in mind, I have just been roasting and drinking coffee. "umm, a little too dark, ooh, bet that would be good a touch darker". When I really like the roast, since I have written down the temp and time I used to get it, so I can do it again. It is faster and hotter and cleaner than my first roaster. I think there was a lot of smoke "flavoring" the roast in the electric one.

Don't know if you read this yet. But I find it very useful.

http://www.terroircoffee.com/content/view/146/27/

 

[lizzy]

that is useful, thank you! I've got a few books, and have been looking at coffee beans a long time, while we were paying another roaster to supply our shop. It's easy to be a discerning critic when a big chunk of your profit is going to the the coffee roaster.

Also, I've clipped some articles from Roast magazine. I've been gradually expanding the origins of coffee I order, and feel comfortable with some of the "easier" beans.

I still have a few questions about the relationship between temp and time, and suspect the gas jets need some adjustment.

thanks again for the link!