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Another First Roast Post - Problems!!

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  • Another First Roast Post - Problems!!

    Hi everyone

    I attempted my first roast last night with the Crazy Popper.

    I roasted outside (it wasnt particuarly cold outside but it was cold enough) and did not seem to get the beans to crack at all. Is the crack quite audible cause I could not hear anything above the sound of the machine, nor did i get any smoke.

    What should i try different? Would inside be a better place to roast for the temperature?

  • #2
    Re: Another First Roast Post - Problems!!

    marxman,

    More info please.
    How much did you try to roast?
    How long?
    What did the beans look like at the end?

    As a generla rule of thumb for poppers - 80g or thereabouts is a good batch size to start with.
    If the beans move around too quicly, you need more. If they are not moving at all, you need less. Having too many or too little in the batch can cause a no-roast.

    The cracks should be audible - especially 1st crack, but everything is relative. If the popper is particularly loud and the batch is very small, you might have trouble.

    So, in summary - measure the weight and time the roast. If you get into the habit of writing these things down, it REALLY helps you in the future.

    Dont despair. It will come together!

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Another First Roast Post - Problems!!

      Ambient temperature is very important for popper roasting. If you do roast outdoors, it may be best to place the popper inside a cardboard box when the temperature dips. If the popper keeps sucking in cool air, it has a difficult time getting the bean mass up to temperature.

      Another thing that may help is adding a chimney and increasing the load of beans slightly.

      First crack sound like snapping small twigs. Second crack is a bit more difficult to hear, especially over the drone of the popper. It sounds more like rice bubbles when you add milk.

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      • #4
        Re: Another First Roast Post - Problems!!

        I probably roasted one cupful of beans (the cup on top of the machine).

        The beans were a light brown when finished and i roasted for abut 20 minutes. THis morning they smelled fantastic

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Another First Roast Post - Problems!!

          Use a scale, preferably digital. I can only guess, but one scoop is around 60-80g.

          By all means, get yourself a chimney, and ditch the plastic shroud. Measure out about 100-120g, and do batches increasing batch size until you get the popper to cut out. Minus about 5g from that, and that is your approximate max batch size. My poppers max out around 150g, but I usually do 125g batches to extend roast times slightly.

          Be patient, good results will come with practice.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Another First Roast Post - Problems!!

            Congratulations on your first roast, Marxman.  The mysteries of smoke, chaff, cracks, timing can be overwhelming and confusing at first.

            In a popper, 20 minutes sounds like way, way over time. I used to get to second crack in 6 minutes or under in my late popper. Any longer and beans were cremated charcoal.

            Twenty minutes is also getting way long for barbecue drum roasters which produce more even roasts in a more manageable time.

            First cracks should be pretty much easy to detect --they manifest as quite loud sharp snaps of twigs, as Nunu pointed out. It may start with one....then a few seconds pause....then another......Perhaps only one or two in the first 15-20 seconds.  Then the number increases dramatically, an avalanche. This may go on for a minute or two.

            Youll notice the aroma is also quite distinct, very noticeable during this phase.
            There may be much smoke from the burning skins of the beans (chaff).

            Then, a respite.... nothing may happen for several more minutes, and then second crack begins.  Unlike first crack, in my experience on my barbecue drum, second crack begins in earnest very suddenly with not much if any lead up (a contrast to first crack).

            The noise is not as pronounced, and may even escape notice.  Timing from here on is very critical -  every second counts.

            Good luck

            --Robusto

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            • #7
              Re: Another First Roast Post - Problems!!

              Another way to increase the roast temperature is to use some sort of obstruction over the outlet. I use a small offcut of timber. The decreased airflow also makes it easier to hear 2nd crack.

              As for batch size, if you dont have a set of scales (get some!), id say load up the popper til it just cant move the beans for the first 30 seconds or so. At that amount youll most likely need a chimney to stop them flying out at the end though.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Another First Roast Post - Problems!!

                Another tip Ive found when roasting on cold nights, to speed up the end or take it a bit further than the ambient temperature will allow, is to hold an inverted saucepan or similar over the chimney during the last part of the roast.
                By doing this, hot air is deflected downwards and back towards the air intake. By varying the height you hold the pot at, you can vary the heating rate.

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