temp, color and oil?

[lizzy]

I'm hoping for a bit of advice please. the coffe we are roasting tastes good, the degree of roast is looking right as far a color goes, but I am not getting much if any oily sheen on the darker roasts. my temperature gauge is air in drum. I don't know whether to go for higher temps or longer roasts. any advice?

 

[lizzy]

hmm. thought I'd update my own post. I finally took the plunge and bought my own green beans. I'd been buying green from the shop who used to roast for our shop.

Don't know why exactly, but now that I'm roasting the beans we ordered, I am getting that bit of gloss on the darker roasts.

except for SWP decaf espresso blend...that one is a bit tricky.

I've learned a lot about my roaster in the last few weeks. (it works best outside, doesn't like being vented)

we must be doing ok with our new roasting efforts, our shop business has almost doubled. But in this business there are so many variables, it is hard to know exactly why we are so busy, even though I'd like to think it is our roast!

 

[Alun_evans]

What kind of electric roaster are you using Lizzy? What kind of temperatures are you able to get out of it? Often the smaller electric roasters available are both difficult to use to achieve the roasting temperature ramps you are probably looking for, and also difficult to control in more than a fundemantal way (especially if pre-programmed). Good to hear you are doing it yourself though, good luck

 

[lizzy]

It is a torrefattori by coffee-tech engineering. It isn't pre-programmed. The temp. probe is, I believe, for temperature in the drum. I dump the beans in around 150-180 C, depending on what I'm roasting. I usually watch the temp closely after the first crack, and turn off the heat when the temp gets close to 200 C. I usually decide by visually inspecting the beans, when to turn the heat off, and the cooling fan on. It is like cooking on electric heat, you have to get the feel for how long things will keep cooking after you turn the heat off. It probably is very different from a larger gas roaster, but for now it is working for me.

I find myself roasting 3-5 hrs a day though!!!!