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Am I doing the HG thing wrong

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  • Am I doing the HG thing wrong

    Hi All

    Is the smokey smell and flavour typical of the HG roast?

    Ive found that even stopping the roast well before 2nd crack that there is a distinct smokey aroma and taste in my roast.

    Im currently achieving 1st crack at around 7mins with 300gms of beans at which time I back off and coast to 2nd crack at around 9mins.

    Maybe Im so used to drinking supermarket coffee that Im ruined

  • #2
    Re: Am I doing the HG thing wrong

    How close are you holding the heat gun to the beans?

    Are you stirring constantly?

    Rich

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    • #3
      Re: Am I doing the HG thing wrong

      Pretty close - otherwise I dont get things happening quickly (3-5cm)

      Ive tried stirring constantly and stirring every 10 seconds or so??

      Im using the HG on the 500C setting.

      The coffee tastes okay its just I feel that theres always a smokey undertone?

      Mick

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      • #4
        Re: Am I doing the HG thing wrong

        Your Heat Gun is an XU1?

        try roasting a bit darker and see what happens.

        Rich

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        • #5
          Re: Am I doing the HG thing wrong

          Ive got the Ozito.

          I dont know - it may just be me. Ive got a hypersensitive nose and can smell things that most people cant and I think that ties in with my taste too.

          I still havent made charcoal yet - I think that will be my next step to see (and hear and smell) the complete range of the roast.

          Mick

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          • #6
            Re: Am I doing the HG thing wrong

            let us know how you get on. It will be interesting.

            Rich

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Am I doing the HG thing wrong

              Micstone,
              Ive only tried a couple of HG roasts myself. The first one I overcooked, the second I stopped just after second crack. I also get a smokey sort of sensation from my beans. I also used 300g batches and had similar times to you. From the little Ive read, 500C sounds fairly hot, but Im guessing without a thermocouple device, the temp of the gun and the temp the beans are being roasted at can be worlds apart...?
              My line of thought for my next roast, in an effort to avoid the smokey flavour was to back the temp off a bit and slow down the roast. Ill try it and see if I notice a difference.
              Best of luck with the next batch.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Am I doing the HG thing wrong

                I do not have any experience using a heat gun however my knowledge of conventional roasting agrees with the last reposndent and that is that 500 degrees coming from the heat gun is probably too hot for the batch size you are attempting to roast. Id back it off. I will also agree you may be holding the heat gun too close.

                Your smokey characteristics might also be due to the type of beans you are roasting suggest beginners use heavy/dense beans rather than the lighter types at first as they (the heavier beans) proceed more slowly and dont tend to to rush away so much with you at the last minute.

                Best suggestion if you know any one from this list personally is to arrange a private Sat arvo roasting session with someone thats got the tecnique down pat and that you can learn from.

                FC.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Am I doing the HG thing wrong

                  Originally posted by micstone link=1102934891/0#2 date=1102936060
                  The coffee tastes okay its just I feel that theres always a smokey undertone?
                  Could be using too much heat and holding the gun too close. ??? On my XU1 I use the high setting and bring the gun in closer as the roast advances.

                  Ive never picked up smokiness (phenolics). Another thing thats possible. Are you leaving the beans uncovered for a little while after roasting? They need to degas a little. Think this also allows a few volatiles to dissipate as well. I give them a good 4-6 hours with the lid loosely on the jar. Then I seal.

                  Another question ... How are you cooling your beans? Rapid cooling (fast as possible) is best. Ive found that for my 300g-400g batches the wifes spare hairdryer on the cool setting works really well in getting the temps down quickly.

                  Hope this helps -
                  Warren


                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Am I doing the HG thing wrong

                    Lets get one thing perfectly clear...there should be NO smokey tones or undertones, unless the roaster puts them there or wants them there on purpose.

                    Warren, good point about cooling, obvious, and I forgot to mention...If not cooled properly at the end of the roast, the beans could be proceeding to "cook" in their own mass... this is a real no no and in exceptional circumstances can result in spontaneous combustion. Now thats really smokey!

                    Regardez,
                    FC.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Am I doing the HG thing wrong

                      Thanks for all the feedback everyone.

                      Ill not get chance to do another roast until the weekend so I wont be able to let you all know how Ive gone until then.

                      Im fairly sure I have the cooling down part fine - my beans are cool in less than 1 minute - probably closer to 30 seconds.

                      Ill back the HG out to reduce the heat on the beans and see if I can extend the roast - in theory this increases the body if Ive got that bit right - but will take extra care not to singe any beans on the way there.

                      Ill also keep the beans moving more.

                      Thanks

                      Mick

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Am I doing the HG thing wrong

                        Hi Mick,

                        I bet you assumed your HG is running at 500c because it says so on the side. Mine is the same, but I stuck a thermocouple in front of it, and guess what. 300c. I read somewhere that the ideal roasting temp. is 400c, so Im not sure how Im going to achieve that, but my HG still seems to do the trick, just a little slower than most.

                        Nick.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Am I doing the HG thing wrong

                          Ive finally done a roast that Ive been happy with

                          13 minutes from start to rolling 2nd crack by thinking about where I when wrong last time.
                          I backed off with the HG - about 7 - 8cm off the beans and kept moving the gun and the whisk the whole time.
                          No hint of smokiness this time - mind you I think I may build me a rig like Kopi-Os turbo wok so that my arms dont end up out of proportion with the rest of me

                          Thanks everyone - Im not an expert but Im a lot more comfortable with what Im doing.

                          Mick

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Am I doing the HG thing wrong

                            Ive done several roasts now that have come out well.

                            Ive switched to a 2Ltr SS Saucepan instead of the colander and have found that the copper bottom + no holes makes the job easier as it tends to concentrate the heat better.
                            The only drawback Ive found is that it gets pretty hot on your hands as the heat comes back at you more.

                            Did some Ethiopian Yirgacheffe (250gms) just until rolling 2nd crack 2 days ago and Ive already drank it all (damn). I think that at the moment the Yirg is my current favourite

                            Mick

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                            • #15
                              Re: Am I doing the HG thing wrong

                              Sounds great Mick.
                              I have been using a collander sitting in a stainless mixing bowl. Im hoping this provides insulation of sorts and perhaps the hot air is radiating back from the bowl, therefore heating the beans from underneath.
                              Are you setting your gun and leaving at the same temp for the entire roast? I am at the moment. My heatgun allows me to set a temp, very roughly mind you, but I usually set it at approx 350C guessing that the temp at the beans surface will be lower.
                              Another thing I do that doesnt seem to be a bad thing so far... is to attach a heat spreader (kind of vacuum cleaner triangle head thingy) which extends maybe 3cm from the heatguns nosel. During the roast I ocassionally use the heat spreader to stir the beans. It doesnt seem to be a bad thing thus far but time, and many many roasts, will tell.
                              Anybody else dipping their nosel into the beans... :

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