Blonde gushers all of a sudden

[gronk62]

Ive read heaps and learnt heaps since I started my coffee journey. Got lotsa very useful info here and have been able to sort out problems pretty quickly.

But, Ive just started my batch of Brazil Santos which was roasted on sunday arvo and no matter what I do I cant get rid of the blonde gushers. Ive never had this problem to this extent. Usually I can fix it the very next shot by adjusting the grind and/or dose.

Ive tried to grind finer in small steps but it just takes longer for the pour to start and then goes blonde in a few seconds.

Updose, downdose, water temp, tamp, nothing seems to fix it.

Im a little bit suss on the roast as the previous roasts I did were a little too dark, so I got nervous and pulled this one just as the first second cracks were starting. Its a very light coloured roast compared to anything else Ive used.

Could this be contributing to the problem?

I dont have my membership card yet so I can only compare the roast colour to the card on my screen. The roast is a little uneven and the beans vary between about CS6 - CS8 but mostly towards the lighter colour.

I will say though that the better shots do taste pretty nice. Got a bit of a chocolaty thing happening.

Anyway, any advice/thoughts would be greatly appreciated  

[luca]

Re: Blonde gushers all of a sudden

Isnt CS 6 quite light?

Maybe the coffee just needs to sit for a bit longer?

[gronk62]

Re: Blonde gushers all of a sudden

Isnt CS 6 quite light?

Maybe the coffee just needs to sit for a bit longer?

Yeah there are quite a few lightish beans. Its a bit hard to compare the roast level using a PC screen though.
I couldnt see the beans properly in the BM during the roast as the shed doesnt have very good lighting.
Ive since set a light up directly above the BM so I can watch the colour more closely.

[Dimal]

Re: Blonde gushers all of a sudden

Gday G62,

Yeah mate, I find it really difficult to roast by judging colour under artificial light so always roast outside as a result and if its raining, then under an awning out of the rain but still with plenty of natural light flooding in. I spose the pros (hmmm, that sounds almost clever ) must use lighting that is very closely balanced to natural daylight otherwise Id reckon it would make life a bit difficult when consistency is so important.

If your roast has elements that are close to the CS6 end of the scale, it is quite possible that your overall roast batch is a bit on the light side for good espresso to be possible. The beans youve kicked off with are a very soft bean and providing you use a set of gentle temperature gradients, the outcome at completion should result in a very even roast, not patchy as you have described. Allowing the beans to rest for a bit longer will help, as Luca has suggested, but in the end I dont believe youre going taste the best this bean has to offer unfortunately.

The big thing with beans of this type is not to apply too much heat early on in the process and then steepen the ramp up to a gentle slope that will have you at Rolling First Crack (RFC) at 12-13 minutes after which youll need to reduce the heat a bit so as to slow the progress towards Second Crack such that you reach about CS9-10 about 5-6 minutes after that but avoid entering SC at all. These beans quickly lose their intrinsic flavours after SC starts and especially so if you allow SC to get a roll on.

Anyway mate, see how you go with em as its only by experimenting and keeping decent records of all your roast batches (including cupping notes that mean something to you) that you will arrive at roast profiles that appeal to your palate..... Its all a bit suck and see Im afraid, but good fun and interesting 8-)

All the best mate,
Mal.

[gronk62]

Re: Blonde gushers all of a sudden

Thanks Mal

Its only gunna take me 2 or 3 more days till theyre finished and Ill be starting on the Zimbabwe pezuru estate AA I roasted last night.

Im almost betting the blonde gushers will disappear as its a much more even roast and looks to be about CS10.

Fingers crossed

[gronk62]

Re: Blonde gushers all of a sudden

Well after 3 really crappy roasts with pretty much absolutely NFI what Im doin I got some much needed guidance from Mal the mod who set me straight on stuff.

Armed with the new info I roasted 2 smaller batches. One of PNG peaberry and one of Malabar. I didnt yet have a thermocouple so they were still done by sight and sound.
Using the advice Mal gave me I achieved pretty nice, even looking roasts. That was 6 days ago.
I opened the PNG yesty arvo and am over the moon happy to say the blonde gushers have vanished.
Every shot has had tons of crema and looks like runny drippy honey. Taste is fantastic.

Thankyou Mal for your guidance. Extremely appreciated! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[Dimal]

Re: Blonde gushers all of a sudden

Great news G62,

Glad I was able to help mate .... Now, the real journey begins ;D

Mal.