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  • Green bean grading-newbie

    I am about to do my first roast - with a corretto setup. Do I need to worry about some green beans being broken, and bean size varying between 5 - 15 mm? Do I need to sieve them to a get more even size?

    Thanks
    Alan

  • #2
    Re: Green bean grading-newbie

    No need to seive them out Alan
    I find that this adds to the character of the cup. I actually go in search of unscreened beans for this particular reason. They roast unevenly but the result is akin to roasting the same been 3 or 4 different ways then blending them.

    If anything....remove a few of the lighter beans once roasted and likewise the dark ones.

    Broken beans come from either the processing or from the bottom of the bag from which they were packed in. There is an industry exceptable % of blacks and brokens in the green coffee industry.

    Nescafe make most of there coffee from brokens and chips.

    Its not going to kill you Alan Go for it and report back with your thoughts of the roast .

    Luke.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Green bean grading-newbie

      Originally posted by 51687678425A1D0 link=1277859671/1#1 date=1277884505
      Nescafe make most of there coffee from brokens and chips.
      Now, Im not suggesting we all switch to Nescafe, but there would have to be a lot of brokens and chips to satisfy their need for coffee. Think about it.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Green bean grading-newbie

        Luke -
        Thanks for the reply. Yes, I was a bit worried the smaller beans and broken bits would burn and then taint the roast.

        Ill roast the beans as found, and see what happens.

        Alan

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Green bean grading-newbie

          Originally posted by 76575C5C5B41320 link=1277859671/2#2 date=1277885050
          Caffeine Dealer wrote on Yesterday at 17:55:
          Nescafe make most of there coffee from brokens and chips.


          Now, Im not suggesting we all switch to Nescafe, but there would have to be a lot of brokens and chips to satisfy their need for coffee.  Think about it.
          Your right Dennis

          Ill correct myself by saying that instant coffee producers buy all the brokens and chips they can get there hands on.

          A local coffee processor makes some extra cash on the side by doing so. As chips and brokens are a by product of well processed coffee. No point throwing them out when you can make a few extra hundred dollars per tonne.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Green bean grading-newbie

            Some of my favourite roasts are from beans that vary in size and in roasted colour including the odd quaker which I normally leave in and then there is the "special" ones like the Yemen BI that you need to pre and post sieve to make sure there is no sand or other bits in it A read here might help too http://www.coffeeterms.com/coffee-bean-defects.htm

            Slightly seriously I do get the odd double roasted bean that gets lodged in the Hottop drum and gets ejected in later roasts so I do have a look over finished roasts and remove them if I see them.

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            • #7
              Re: Green bean grading-newbie

              Originally posted by 2621252A22283D2D2A23440 link=1277859671/5#5 date=1277956224
              like the Yemen BI that you need to pre and post sieve to make sure there is no sand or other bits in it
              Interesting BF, just ordered some of the Yemen BI, was not aware this was nescessary, thanks for the tip.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Green bean grading-newbie

                Not sure about the current crop but I did get some small bits of sand out of last years and reports of bigger bits and rocks from others from other lots including nails and all sorts. Watch out grinders

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Green bean grading-newbie

                  Originally posted by 407C756D78190 link=1277859671/6#6 date=1277961392
                  was not aware
                  Of course every bag of green beans that we sell has "fine print" on the sticker telling you to "process with care".

                  NOTE: This is a product direct from coffee origin and could contain foreign objects that you would prefer not to come in contact with your coffee or coffee making equipment. Please process with care.

                  As for brokens and chips, as far as I can guess they dont come from the bottom of the bag (try and break one!!) but are beans damaged during the harvest, drying and the processing period of their life. Pulpers and hullers are the main cause of broken beans.

                  Others have insect damage (more so organics) and a whole host of "not perfect" attributes but as mentioned a small percentage is fine and has little effect on the resulting coffee.

                  As for SCAA grading specialty coffee (which is often quoted as gospel) is a standard of grading that suits some coffee but not all. There is little in there for the sundried or wet hulled preocesses and currently there are teams of coffee producers around the world working on better standards for anything not fully washed.

                  Some of the most amazing coffee in the world fails SCAA specialty grading so dont get too hung-up on the specifics, instead roast it, try it and make your own mind-up!

                  ...thats what CoffeeSnobs do.
                  ;-)

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Green bean grading-newbie

                    Originally posted by 755A504D340 link=1277859671/8#8 date=1277975773
                    NOTE: This is a product direct from coffee origin and could contain foreign objects that you would prefer not to come in contact with your coffee or coffee making equipment.  Please process with care.
                    Agree but lets not get that bad, that teh whole packaging is all WARNINGS..

                    I use teh soft magnetise strips around teh throat of any Hoppers I use... It helps but is not fool proof....

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Green bean grading-newbie

                      Originally posted by 456A607D040 link=1277859671/8#8 date=1277975773
                      Of course every bag of green beans that we sell has "fine print" on the sticker telling you to "process with care".
                      I understand there could be foreign objects in green beans and certainly keep an eye open for anything, usually during the cooling stage, its easier to spot anything out of the ordinary on a large flat screen.
                      I guess I got the impression from BFs post that there is a higher risk of contamination with the Yemen beans.
                      No big deal, got the beans yesterday, will run them through my grading sieves today, on reflection its probably a good thing to do with all greens.
                      Originally posted by 456A607D040 link=1277859671/8#8 date=1277975773
                      Some of the most amazing coffee in the world fails SCAA specialty grading so dont get too hung-up on the specifics, instead roast it, try it and make your own mind-up!
                      As they say appearances can be deceptive, I certainly dont stress over uneven grading or broken beans (within reason) Ive had nothing to complain about with any greens bought from CS.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Green bean grading-newbie

                        Only reason I mentioned the Yemen specifically was that compared to other beans I have got from here is just the worst one for extra bits and uneven beans but the results are great

                        Must do a back to back roast with some of last years to this years crop to compare 8-)

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Green bean grading-newbie

                          Hi

                          You can sometimes get bits of things like sticks or stones in any batch of beans. In a batch of Costa Rican Tarrazu  from Coffee Snobs I found a small, very sharp, angular rock. My wife placed it under our geological microscope and it appeared to be an Andesitic type material. Could not really confirm without a thin section but it given it was from the Tarrazu region of Costa Rica it was probably from the Arenal volcano. Google will show you lots of pics of that volcano e.g. http://www.arenal.net/. Its active and quite dangerous.  

                          It would have cost my wife and I a huge amount to go there and get a piece of the volcano. But by buying green beans from Coffee Snobs one can get wonderful surprise presents :-)

                          Mike

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Green bean grading-newbie

                            Originally posted by 516D647C69080 link=1277859671/10#10 date=1278033222
                            there is a higher risk of contamination
                            Beans from most of the planet are typically dried on large concrete slabs so mostly you will get little concrete flakes/chips/pebbles with your green beans. These will turn to sand in your grinder with little damage... still better not to grind them though!

                            Some beans will have quartz type stones (hard n nasty for a grinder) and nails, bullet shells, coins and even teeth have been found in bags of greens around the planet.

                            Mostly my destoner at the Snobbery finds concrete chips, some quartz and blue rock in Harrar and as a rule the dry processed beans are far more likely to contain rocks (inc Yemen). ...but I have found plenty of rocks in super clean, fully washed and polished beans, even in decaf that has had lots of extra processing.

                            Originally posted by 7B786D646D676561636D080 link=1277859671/12#12 date=1278041818
                            My wife placed it under our geological microscope and it appeared to be an Andesitic type material.
                            Very cool. Maybe I just found a place to send my more interesting collection of destoner finds.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Green bean grading-newbie

                              Thanks for all the informative comments. I have been surprised how evenly the beans of diverse sizes have roasted, (Brazilian and Ethiopian). I havent roasted any of the ugly duckling Yemen beans yet.

                              The roasted beans look OK, hopefully the taste will be as good.

                              Cheers
                              Alan

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