Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Borrowed a friend's Hottop - 1st roasting experiences.

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Dimal
    replied
    Originally posted by dan110024 View Post
    I think my probe sits 15-20mm from the bottom of the pan. I might look into placing a second probe a little higher and see what temperatures I get. It's not easy to remove them seeing I've screwed them into the bread maker and it's a pain getting it lined up through the fire blanket!
    Matt's idea is a great one and simple, which is excellent of course...

    I've also seen someone use a couple of Leather Eyelets (leather craft stuff) and small flat washers to provide a permanently clean hole for the probe to penetrate. The eyelets also helped secure the pan insulation in place. I think CSer "Koffee_Kosmo" used a similar device to secure the probe in an early iteration of the KKTO; except I think it was one half of a spring-clip faster that he used. Was a while ago, so I could be mistaken...

    Mal.

    Leave a comment:


  • DesigningByCoffee
    replied
    I have the longer 100mm probe, which is drilled right through 3 layers of BM material (outer plastic, inner lining, pan) so alignment is no issue. I then just cut away a little section of the fire blanket where I've drilled the holes. I have also gaffer taped a kids eraser on the outside of the BM which the probe runs through in its two locations - this is grippy enough to hold the probe in location so it doesn't need to be screwed in place

    Leave a comment:


  • dan110024
    replied
    I think my probe sits 15-20mm from the bottom of the pan. I might look into placing a second probe a little higher and see what temperatures I get. It's not easy to remove them seeing I've screwed them into the bread maker and it's a pain getting it lined up through the fire blanket!

    Leave a comment:


  • Dimal
    replied
    Ditto for me...

    With my Big-Loaf BM, aim to have the Probe sitting about 20mm below the height of the Green Bean mass.
    Works a treat for consistency...

    Mal.

    Leave a comment:


  • DesigningByCoffee
    replied
    Originally posted by dan110024 View Post
    They're both 500g batches. I tried a 300g batch once which was reading completely different to what it should have been, so I stick to 500g now (600g is easier to control but I need to modify my paddle as it creates a very uneven roast).
    [ATTACH=CONFIG]10117[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]10118[/ATTACH]
    You might need to have two probe locations for the different batch sizes…
    When I first roasted 750g on my 350g setup it read about 10-15° lower. So I drilled a second hole about 15mm higher in the pan and it came right back in line - I just move the probe now as required

    Leave a comment:


  • dan110024
    replied
    Well... After going through the profiles of all the roasts I've done so far, I've found a couple of things. Firstly, I really need to leave notes in the spreadsheet that I keep. I have no idea which profile was good and which was not so good. Second is that I don't really have many 'good' profiles that I'd be 100% happy with. There are a lot with one thing or another that could be improved upon.

    Anyway... I've managed to find two that seem like they would have been ok. I don't know how good they will be to someone else though seeing these home made machines are so different to one another. But FWIW.... Here they are A shorter one and a longer one. They're both 500g batches. I tried a 300g batch once which was reading completely different to what it should have been, so I stick to 500g now (600g is easier to control but I need to modify my paddle as it creates a very uneven roast).


    Click image for larger version

Name:	roast26-Ethiopian Gambella Sundried.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	181.0 KB
ID:	740895Click image for larger version

Name:	roast29-Ethiopian Gambella Sundried.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	181.9 KB
ID:	740896

    Leave a comment:


  • DesigningByCoffee
    replied
    I used a ss camping toaster mesh replacement for that purpose - worked a treat ! Mine was not for chaff (they would have to paddle upstream pretty hard!) but to stop beans bouncing up and out into the splitter I have fitted [emoji6]

    Leave a comment:


  • Dimal
    replied
    Originally posted by jjdoom View Post
    I also picked up a strip of heavy duty aluminum screen mesh that I was planning to cover the HG nozzle with.. Aluminum melts at 660.3 °C, so it wondering people's thoughts on that idea?
    Wouldn't advise using Aluminium in that way mate....

    Al gives off a very potent and irritating smell when heated to very high temperatures and may even be hazardous. Perhaps one of our Chemists could elaborate on this...
    Certainly not a taint I would want in my coffee anyway...

    Mal.

    Leave a comment:


  • jjdoom
    replied
    Hey Matt, thanks very much for your detailed reply! Really appreciate the HG template, I need to finish my Corretto lid, but it should end up looking similar to yours. The DMM is on it's way, Andy was out of stock and I had a buying twitch so got a Victor 86B, hopefully it'll do a decent job. I'll probably be buying a stainless probe from Andy with my next bean haul. Thanks again

    Leave a comment:


  • Dimal
    replied
    Originally posted by readeral View Post
    Hey Mal, which HG do you have? Is it one with the variable air output?
    G'day "readeral"...

    No mate....

    It's the model before that one came out, the #6020. It's been a super reliable unit and I would imagine the current unit would be the same in that regard... As would the Bosch units too of course...

    Mal.

    Leave a comment:


  • DesigningByCoffee
    replied
    G'day jjdoom
    Glad to see you're into it! Trial and error is certainly part of the process
    FWIW, just a couple of really basic, starting point suggestions…

    1) Get a DMM from Andy! It'll give you repeatable way points to make changes consistently - otherwise there is no real way of understanding what has worked, and repeating it when it does!

    2) But … if you are just getting going, and want a place to start for "go by feel"… this is a really basic 'go to' technique using the Bosch gun, lidded corretto and 350g batch sizes…

    • Try starting the roast on 370 fan 2.
    Increase the gun by 40° on the gun at 2.5, 5, 7.5 and 10 minutes.
    At first crack (make note of the time this happens - should be around 12-13mins) drop the gun back 30° every minute until second crack just begins.
    Drop beans. (should happen at around 17-18mins).

    If you find these 1C/2C times are much earlier or later - then just change your starting temp to slow things down or speed them up. From what I've found with the Bosch gun, a 10° change in start temp but using the same 'technique' above will be about 1 minute change in overall time length.

    Here is one of my 350 profiles for a visual reference… (ignore all the clutter - the red line shows my basic gun inputs…)

    Click image for larger version

Name:	20150713-Yemen-350g-batch.jpg
Views:	2
Size:	109.3 KB
ID:	740886

    Hope that helps!
    Matt

    And BTW - it might be worth shifting further question or discussion of your results from here to one of these threads or similar - lots of good info for you, and keeps it all contained under one roasting style. It will also help other future corretto roasters to find

    Cheers

    Leave a comment:


  • jjdoom
    replied
    Good point about the nozzle... For some reason I just assumed it would need protecting. I went ahead with a few roasts to test the set up, unfortunately minus a DMM at the moment, so I roasted by eye.

    1st up, an under roasted, charred Bolivian... I had the gun up at full temp and the fan at max speed. I also was uneasy about taking it too far, didn't want to over roast it, that's the one on the left. I then read about not drying out the bean with too much fan, and watched Designed by Coffee's Corretto Roast Youtube video using the Bosch, and took note of his temperature and process, I tried to replicate his technique and the result is on the right. It was in second crack as I dumped it into the cooling bowl, it's good to know what a real second crack looks and smells like now
    Click image for larger version

Name:	Bolivians.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	140.9 KB
ID:	740882
    Here is my third roast, Ethiopian Bifu Geesha again. I basically did as I did with my second Bolivian batch, but wanted to eject before second crack, in the end it was probably 90 seconds after 1C. Overall my best roast of the Ethiopian so far.
    Click image for larger version

Name:	ethiopia.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	180.4 KB
ID:	740883
    But look at these little pebbles! Unroasted, undersized beans that will jam up my grinder, I picked over the full batch to weed these out.
    Click image for larger version

Name:	unroastedethi.jpg
Views:	1
Size:	54.7 KB
ID:	740884

    Looking at the first picture of the Ethiopian, I can see some scorching so next time I'll try and slow things down even more, and hopefully no small beans will be left behind.

    Leave a comment:


  • dan110024
    replied
    Originally posted by jjdoom View Post
    Hey Dan and Mal, I went with the Bosch on account of it being available down the road... Also, the digital display looks good. I'd be quite interested to see some of your temperature notes Dan, given that our ambient temps should be fairly similar (obviously set up is going to differ).

    I also picked up a strip of heavy duty aluminum screen mesh that I was planning to cover the HG nozzle with.. Aluminum melts at 660.3 °C, so it wondering people's thoughts on that idea? Or does the HG fan pretty much prevent chaff flying up the nozzle?
    Happy to share some of my notes and profiles. Keeping in mind that no corretto is the same. Will throw some up in this thread tomorrow.

    I can't see how chaff could enter the gun through the nozzle. Some does sometimes get stuck to the intake grill, but that's only when I'm blowing out the corretto and chaff is going everywhere (I've got a lid with an exhaust which prevents chaff coming anywhere near the gun when roasting). It easily comes off when you turn the heatgun off.

    Leave a comment:


  • readeral
    replied
    Hey Mal, which HG do you have? Is it one with the variable air output?

    Leave a comment:


  • jjdoom
    replied
    Hey Dan and Mal, I went with the Bosch on account of it being available down the road... Also, the digital display looks good. I'd be quite interested to see some of your temperature notes Dan, given that our ambient temps should be fairly similar (obviously set up is going to differ).

    I also picked up a strip of heavy duty aluminum screen mesh that I was planning to cover the HG nozzle with.. Aluminum melts at 660.3 °C, so it wondering people's thoughts on that idea? Or does the HG fan pretty much prevent chaff flying up the nozzle?

    Leave a comment:

Working...
X