Best way to roast Ethiopian Yirgacheffe & Sumatra Lintong

[expat]

Thanks to so many of you for your helpful suggestions in my post asking for roasting and recipe help.

Some of the posts have got me thinking more about roasting the beans individually instead of as a blend. The easiest blend to do that with would be my Mocha-Java which is:
Sumatra Lintong - 66.66%
Ethiopia Yirgacheffe - 33.33%

So I can roast 20kg of the Sumatra and 10kg of the Yirgacheffe and blend it into a super sized triple batch (I've got a 10kg roaster).

I've got my ideas about the best way to roast each of these beans -- actually my wife, the "Roast Mistress in Residence" has her thoughts -- but being new roasters we'd like to defer to the collective "roast wisdom" of the forum members.

What is your advice/experience on roasting these beans individually?

 

[chast]

I do a yirg med dark and dark. depends on the customer. two different flavors.

 

[expat]

Based on cracks, where would you say medium dark and dark fall? One friend says he'd roast Ethiopian Yirga to second crack, maybe a tiny bit past, but not into rolling 2nd crack since he thinks that starts killing the flavor.

Also the Yirgacheffe has a distinctive white line running down the middle of the bean where it is like two lobes of a brain coming together. Is that gone at medium dark or gone at dark?

 

[chast]

I will have to go back and check my notes. I use a Javalytics Color Analyzer to determine med to med/dark and jot down the roast temp, time and color scale on the bags and logs
418 seems right for the med and around 425 for med dark. but every machine is different.

 

[eldub]

Wow ,chast. I just peeped that color analyzer and wasn't expecting the sticker shock that comes along with it. hahaha

lw

 

[chast]

cheaper in price than the Agtron and more accurate if you want my opinion. I like toys!!
Going to add Typica logging software to my sample roaster next.

 

[expat]

I'll look into the Typica. I'm just starting to use Artisan Roaster's logging software and was unaware of Typica. Wonder which one fits the bill the best?

 

[eldub]

Interesting conversation. Is this software something I could use with our new roaster? (its not automated.)

I'd really like to learn more about this process.

scott

 

[expat]

You can google Artisan coffee software and find it that way. Also you can go to coffee troupe dot com and get it there I think. Rich Helms is the originator of the software and it seems there is a fairly vibrant group out there supporting the software. Rich's website is cool as well for some of the experiments he's done.

 

[chast]

Just checked out his software and site. Will have to try his software and compare it to Typica. My sample roaster is already set up with the hardware needed to run Artisan. Typica I needed to purchhase the low end logger NI-USB-TC01 for 99.00. The USB-9211A, the best one to use, is just under 700.00. My sample uses a Fuji PXR-4 controller and the datalogger that is with it is a USB-COMi-M which can be purchased for 59.00 ( average). Get a Bulgin USB panel mount adapter and you have a clean setup.

 

[eldub]

Thanks for the info. How difficult is it to set up a system like you outline above?

 

[chast]

if you are mechanically inclined including the Fuji about 1/2 hour, includes drilling

 

[expat]

If you go for the Artisan roaster software you can find a list of the PIDs that they support. I think they support the Fuji controller although I'd say most of their users use the Omega (since that is what the guy who wrote the software started with).

As chast says it isn't too difficult to install.