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Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

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  • #16
    Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

    Originally posted by 5E73777B761A0 link=1250961818/16#16 date=1251117579
    Originally posted by 04252E2E2933400 link=1250961818/15#15 date=1251117234
    Im still learning.
    As are we all.... 8-)

    Mal.
    And, if/when somebody thinks they know everything, I reckon its time to find something else as clearly the mind has closed to learning

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    • #17
      Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

      You certainly dont need to be an expert to use the Hottop...I have the D. Whilst not programmable as it is, I have not had one bad coffee from it yet. Espressos which have been quite tasty, and very nice through milk. And that is just using a basic profile.

      And when backed to a window with a passing breeze to draw smoke out with fanning help from me, inside use is ok if has to be done when outside use is not possible.

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      • #18
        Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

        Originally posted by 5B76777C667B666B120 link=1250961818/0#0 date=1250961818
        Reading a review of a roaster today, I came across the following quote Quote:
        These days I generally don’t enjoy coffee roasted in domestic hot air equipment. I find these coffees tend to be harsh, underdeveloped and lacking in complexity

        What a ridiculous generalisation.  
        (was this scientific sample from more than 2 roasts?)

        I hope you stopped reading at that point.

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        • #19
          Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

          Originally posted by 705D5C574D504D40390 link=1250961818/0#0 date=1250961818
          My dream is probably a sample roaster, but if it cost $15000,
          Ill go you halves and we can store it in my garage  ;D

          Originally posted by 705D5C574D504D40390 link=1250961818/0#0 date=1250961818
          not happy drinking sub-standard coffee
          me either, which is why i keep drinking commercial coffee as well as what I roast myself. Mind you, if I dont drink my own sub-standard roasts how do I learn what is wrong and what needs fixin?

          Originally posted by 705D5C574D504D40390 link=1250961818/0#0 date=1250961818
          So is your popper roast guilty of the above? What about a Gene? Or a Hotptop? Or Dudley? And how many roasts do you have under your belt to learn to master them?  
          most CERTAINLY my Gene roasts are guilty of being underdeveloped and not as interesting as I would like :-[. But, as we discussed offline last week, I wasnt giving enough time between FC and SC and I learnt something by talking to another roaster. While that one thing isnt a panacea for all thats wrong with my roasts I hope that I NEVER master my Gene or any roasting apparatus I get in the future, as I want to keep learning, keep questioning, keep striving for different and more interesting flavours.

          Originally posted by 705D5C574D504D40390 link=1250961818/0#0 date=1250961818
          I generally don’t enjoy coffee roasted in domestic hot air equipment... This is exactly what Ive found from the home-roast coffee Ive tried from a number of sources
          Maybe, just maybe, what you dont like is the approach of the home roasters whos coffee youve tried. It might be less about the device used and more about the profile and approach taken by the roaster themselves.


          Some ppl here know that I resisted home roasting for a long time, saying things along the lines of why would I do it, I know nothing and there are plenty of awesome roasters near where I live, some even within walking distance. As if I can do better, so why bother. I also feared ruining a great product that so MANY people had worked hard to get to my front door. But I dont know why I waited for so long. Like anything, theres always PLENTY of reasons NOT to do something. Just ask anyone who is writing a PhD   ;D

          But the best reason TO do something is my all time favourite. Because I can.

          I totally understand the apprehension one can feel about starting to home roast, but I think that like a lot of things, one can overthink it when maybe youd be better off just having a go.

          I might just know someone whos close and willing to let you have a go at roasting. ;D  8-)

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          • #20
            Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

            It is indeed an ongoing learning process.  I recently set up a Sicilian mate of mine with a Corretto (he is amused by the name).  He is not amused however by the coffee...he has never tasted anything nearly as good...he used to own restuarants and thought his commercially roasted coffee was nice until now....

            I am constantly learning about the best way to treat beans...the best way to massage the roast down to the best resting times.  But what I can say is that I rarely enjoy even the best local small specialty commercial roasts as I do those I do at home with a bread maker, heatgun, DMM and laptp...and lets not forget its a pretty darn scientific set up this not just someone flapping around with some heat and a spoon..

            Cheers

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            • #21
              Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

              I love going to cafes that serve great coffee but they are few and far between. Roasting my own coffee has been a wonderful experience and being able to share it with my family, friends and fellow coffee obsessives has enhanced my life greatly. Apart from a few top notch commercial roasters I consider my beans superior or on a par to most other roasters around town....maybe Im biased but the proof is in the cup........."time for a home brew!!"

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              • #22
                Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

                Agree totally GM...apart from the DiBellas, Venezianoss and the like...I would put my home roasted and brewed coffee up against anything that CharBucks, Caffeine Club or any other similar caffeine dispensary was to put in a cup.

                But then again, its the same deal with food...if you put a meal together with fresh and well looked after/prepared ingredients, the final result is going to poop all over the prepackaged/pre prepared options.

                Plus...you cant beat the love!!!

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                • #23
                  Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

                  My personal experience is mirrored by Ozs above....

                  Now and again Ill buy a bag or two of brown from roasters whose knowledge and outcomes I respect; just to make sure Im not missing the boat with what Im doing here at home. Oft times, I discover interesting flavour traits that Ive never noticed before with my own home-roasts and then the quest begins anew.

                  Roasting coffee seems to be one of those activities that one never really gets on top of, there are just so many variables and if you happen to identify a few of them, assert some level of control over them, then you are able to reproduce these outcomes because you really enjoy the brew that ends up in the cup. I must admit to trying about four or five different roasting methods over time but stuck with a modified popper for a number of years and when the Corretto came along (Hail Belinda [smiley=thumbsup.gif]), grabbed that concept with both hands and have been extremely happy this method ever since.

                  Because many of the variables that can affect the roast outcome are under the control of the Roaster, it does require of the Roaster, a high level of diligence, keen observation and good record-keeping. The latter being required of all roasting, regardless of method. However, the results in the cup can be truly excellent and considering the materials required can be obtained for nominal cost, I think its a terrific method to use if batches larger than 200-300g are your aim.

                  Theres a new version of an earlier home-roast method on the horizon now though, the KKTO (Koffee Kosmo Turbo Roaster) and this method also offers significant promise to the passionate home roaster, and one that I intend to try at some time in the not too distant future. Sure, this method also uses air as the medium to transport the thermal energy required to roast the beans, but so too do many commercial drum roasters; in fact many of them would not function without it. Its not that heated air is a problem with regard to roasting coffee, its the manner in which it is applied.

                  Done properly, great results are possible and Im sure many of us are really, really pleased with the quality of the brews we achieve at the culmination of our roasting efforts. I know in my case, my entire extended family see me as their coffee provider of choice (not necessarily my choice, too much hard work :P) but thats how it goes. Also have a string of friends, neighbours and many others who think similarly; a couple of whom have even tried to encourage me to head into a commercial venture with them. So, the Corretto must be doing something right.... 8-)

                  It is not the method that should come under criticism so much, but the knowledge, experience and ability of the Roaster. The more you learn about the bean, the more you experiment with your home-roaster and the more you experiment and catalogue your results, the better will be your chance to achieving your desired outcomes in the cup and thats what were all about here on CS, I believe. Know your roaster, know your beans and dont be afraid to experiment, thats the ticket.... 8-)

                  Cheers,
                  Mal.

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                  • #24
                    Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

                    I find myself waiting for my house to be completed not so much to move into, but to start home roasting! I am figuring its a lot like food, in that I might not be able to cook like Shannon Bennett, but I appreciate my food that much more when I manage to get close...

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                    • #25
                      Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

                      Hi Coffeehorse
                      Have a hottop B and been roasting for about 3 months now. I have roasted some average coffee, a couple of good batches and a few real shockers (a startling acidity similar to pissants, floral notes of cauliflower and the mouth feel of a gin and tonic).
                      Roasting coffee seems very much an art as well as a science. You need to be prepared for failures and accept there is a long learning curve to reliably produce top coffee irrespective of what machine you buy. There is a mass of information on the net about how to get the best out of most types of roaster. I think you need to be a bit obsessive if you want to become good at roasting. If you dont have the type of temprement that handles that then keep buying your coffee. There are many good roasters whose beans you can buy off the net.
                      I became quite despondent after a couple of months when nothing seemed to produce good coffee. (drinkable but not good). I can detect improvement in the taste of my roasts and believe that with perseverence I can get there, but it will take some time.
                      If you decide to have a go, buy 5 kg of a coffee you like (not an expensive one) keep details of each roast with tasting notes.

                      If something is worth doing its worth being obsessive about.

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