Breville Crazy Popper

[Coffee_Kid]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

Yay, I think im getting a popper today! and should be roasting anytime soon!

[Dimal]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

Hmmm,

Thats a newy on me TG. Everything Ive ever read about cooling beans has always promoted the quicker you do it the better. Quite a few roasters even go so far as to use a fine water mist spray to try and cool the beans down even faster again. In my situation, I just use the exhaust fan in a box design and that cools a 300 gram batch down in about a minute. Suits me though as the minute or so while the beans are cooling allows the bread-pan to cool down enough for me to reinstall without oven mitts and get ready for the next batch.

Mal.

[Thundergod]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

I wanted to ask opinions on cooling the beans.

I mentioned to Hazel the other day that I can get my 100g batches down to room temp in under 30 seconds and she reckoned that theres a school of thought that cooling too fast can be bad.
She says that cooling by pouring between colanders is sufficient providing they cool in under 2 minutes.

Thoughts?

[JavaB]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

Ya - the breadmaker allows so much more control.

Gotta agree with that.... you can get to first crack when YOU want to and then decide how long you want to stretch the roast before second crack....

Javaphile quoted an ideal time of around 15 minutes for the whole roast.... easily done in a BM heatgun setup. Either get a variable heat gun or a support which will let you raise / lower the gun to change the temp.....

I wouldnt use a popper again (not to mention 700+ grams in a roast with the Corretto - sweet

[grendel]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

Ya - the breadmaker allows so much more control.

[COFFEECHASER]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

They are the same sort of times that I have been getting with my crazy popper Thundergod. Maybe we will both get some tips from others on Saturday to help prolong the process. My first batch was 150gm and than I did two 100gm batches the next time and the five minute mark was about it. Will all be of little use now that I have got my breadmaker. I noticed you are heading down the same path as well. I am sure I will still use the popper at times though. Hoepfully I will have my heat gun for Saturday but might be a stretch as I am relying on brother-in-law bringing it down from newcastle for me.

[Thundergod]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

Thanks.

Next batch will be half size (50gms) to compare.

Did 2 batches tonight of the Ethiopa Limu from my starter pack.

The first batch was 100gms to compare to my previous efforts with the PNG Peaberry and also to compare with my intended 50gm batch to compare roasting times.

This is what I got:
100 gms 1st crack 2:05 End of 1st 4:10 2nd crack 4:45 End of roast 4:50
50 gms 1st crack 1:45 End of 1st 3:30 2nd crack 5:30 End of roast 5:30

First crack came and went sooner in the smaller batch.
Not what I was expecting.

However, Id read about angling the popper to extend the roast and this seemed to do the trick as I managed to extend the roasts beyond my max (so far) 5 minutes.

Ill try angling the next small batch from the very beginning and see if I can put off first crack a little as well.

[bolb]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

Thanks
Javaphile
Perhaps a little knowledge for me is not such a dangerous thing. Just dont let my kids know otherwise ill never hear the end of thing.

Thanks again.

Bolb

[Javaphile]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

This is the first time i have ever had it to what i think you call a rolling 2nd crack when is just has little constant popping sounds. Is rolling 2nd crack the same as 2nd crack or past 2nd crack.

While first crack is usually very noticable snaps 2nd crack sounds more like crinkling plastic wrap. 2nd crack will start off with a few scattered crinkles which will gradually pick up in pace until the sound is a contant roll of crinkles. Thats the rolling 2nd crack.


Java "Rumoured to be a bit cracked" phile

[bolb]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

Hi MochaMaster

I doubt you will get the grunt of a PC power supply, i pulled an old machine apart at work the other day with that same thought and found even running two case fans togher it "couldnt pull the skin off a rice pudding" to quote my father.

I definitely like the idea of embedding the SS bowl into a bucket lid and blowing air through that. This will be the next project.

Bolb

[bolb]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

Thanks to Bendel, Baristacrat, Mal and Javaphile for your replies.

Mal
This is the first time i have ever had it to what i think you call a rolling 2nd crack when is just has little constant popping sounds. Is rolling 2nd crack the same as 2nd crack or past 2nd crack.

The only trouble with the word crack is that it reminds of my father in-law and his pants that never fit him mmm... what a thought. :

All my previous roasts have been a lighter brown with the evidence of a little husk?? within the bean but all in all a really nice flavour from the shot. Usually they were only 80gms and i never got a darker roast out of them. Then again i never partially covered over the top of the chimney with wood before either.

I will grind last nights roast tomorrow night after work and see what it tastes like.

I am picking up a stack of beans from my wholesaler on saturday so will do some playing around and try and sort out some workspace so i can be more scientific (or more like Dr Bunsen Honeydews offsider "Beaker" from the muppets).

Thanks for the replies guys
This is the first non work related forum i have ever posted in and you all have wealth of knowledge, its just a shame i dont always get the same quality responses in the IT world.

Bolb

[niallpedlow]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

I happen to have an old PC power supply hanging around - I should be able to find a fan of some description, whether a PC component or some other form, possibly more than one. The power supply should be quite useful for this I think - Ill never be putting it back in another computer. Hmmm .... thinking now ...

[Dimal]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

Yeah, thatll work with a genuine Universal/Series motor so long as you make sure the voltage is right (with XFMR as you suggest), but not all automotive fans are these days.... most of the newer ones coming out are brushless motors that utilise a powerful ring magnet in the rotor and Solid-State commutation in the Stator. With these you still need to be able to supply 12-14V DC, maybe from a suitable battery charger for example.

Mal.

[COFFEECHASER]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

For those who havent bought a fan yet you can use universal automotive fans that are readily available and can spin either direction if you just change polarity. But than you also have added expense of a transformer.

[Thundergod]

Re: Breville Crazy Popper

I meant to turn the blade over.

But just having a look at the fan on my desk (duh), Ive realised that wont work.

Either the direction of rotation would have to be reversed (somehow) or else a different set of fan blades (opposite angle) would need to be used.

So MochaMaster yes turning upside down would be one way.
But as they are designed to fit flush with a ceiling there tends to be a lot of stuff on the other side (motor, brackets, whatever).