Getting the feel for the Corretto

[greenman]

Re: Getting the feel for the Corretto

Hi Droshi, I have a Breville with rectangular bucket and I started doing 300g batches but have found as TG above has said that 600g is the optimum batch size for my setup, I tried 800g but it was a tad uneven, 600g gives you 500g of roasted beans which fit nicely into the 500g zip-lock bag or 2x250g bags.
Ive found some beans have a very quiet first crack, a good indicator is watching the colour of your beans and getting close to first crack the smoke is a good sign you are almost there, same with second crack the smoke usually increases close to 2C plus most beans are quite audible, the DMM will make life a lot easier and give you control over your roasts. I start with the gun 3cm from top of the bucket and adjust it as the roast progresses aiming the gun into the corner of the bucket, the heat probe is located 2/3 the way up the bean mass. I reach 1c around 200C and 2c around 216-220C.
Enjoy your roasting

[Thundergod]

Re: Getting the feel for the Corretto

Batch size will depend on the BM.
Which one do you have?

Which heatgun?
What temp settings does it have?

I started doing 300g batches and then moved up to 600g.
I now find 600g batches easier to control and 700 is the limit on my BM anyway.

I point the gun at the furthest corner from my temp probe about where the beans meet the bowl.
The force of the air pushes them down a bit and I think this helps mix the outside beans a little while the ones closer to the middle are being stirred by the paddle.
It also seems to keep the odd stray bean from escaping over the top towards the end of the roast if you aim in the right spot.

[Dimal]

Re: Getting the feel for the Corretto

Welcome Droshi.... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Regarding an "ideal" batch size... This seems to be quite variable but a rough rule of thumb seems to indicate that starting at between 50-60% by weight of the largest loaf size that the BM was rated for, will be close to the money. 150g will more than likely be quite light on from my personal experience.

Ill let others answer your additional questions...

Mal.

[Droshi]

Hi all,

Ive just got all setup and rewired the bread machine and roasted 2 batches of 150g Brazil Cerrado. Coming from a drum roaster things are a bit different. Mainly I didnt hear first and second crack really pick up into rolling, I only seemed to hear a few of the loudest cracks. Is that normal over the bread machine motor and heat gun blower?

I dont have a thermocouple and DMM yet, but I plan to get one when they come in stock here. Question is, until then Im wondering how I get a feel for more when things happen. Maybe I should keep the tip of the heat gun constant after the drying phase just to see what sort of profile Id achieve with that and then modify from there. How far away should the heat gun be when ramping up to first crack? Where should it be aimed? Ive been keeping it maybe 2-3cm from the top and angled to hit the beans and side of the bowl equally.

I was also thinking afterwards that my 150g might be a bit too low? Whats the minimum roast size people do in these?

Ill report back after Ive tasted these batches.

I thought I read quite a bit before starting, but now afterwards so many questions. Sorry if they are repeats.

Thanks!