Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

[greenman]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Starting to get a feel for controlling heat etc--todays roast 1.2kg Ethiopian Gambella Sundreied/Indian Plantation A Grade (odd lots)

[sidewayss]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Thanks for the pics greenman, I take it that the uneveness of the roast is due to the odd lots being roasted together? Looks like C8.
The Terra certainly looks solid looking. Those black handles look like those bulging cannons from a battleship.
Have you cupped the result?
Hope the neighbours dont have any negative impressions of your exit hose attached to the window hee hee ;D

Gary

[greenman]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Thanks for the pics greenman, I take it that the uneveness of the roast is due to the odd lots being roasted together? Looks like C8.
The Terra certainly looks solid looking. Those black handles look like those bulging cannons from a battleship.
Have you cupped the result?
Hope the neighbours dont have any negative impressions of your exit hose attached to the window hee hee ;D
Gary

The roast was a lot more even than the pix indicate Gary. Neighbours havent commented on the flu yet, I think they are accustomed to pleasant aromas coming from my garage!!
Have tried some roasts from last week and they produced a decent espresso, my Kenya/Aceh blend made a lovely flat white this morning, the acidity from the Kenyan came through the milk, it was good as an espresso with upfront citrus and fruit and then some chocolate and lingering aftertaste.
Getting familiar with controlling heat application and have created a basic profile to follow
see you at the town hall over the weekend

[sidewayss]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Am sure with years of roasting under your belt youll further improve your roasting skills on the Terra.
Cool to see you can monitor your real time logging on the pc monitor while you conduct the roast.
Compared to the coretto, does the Terra have a more consistently straighter line on the graph due to the larger mass of beans?

Will be there for sure. First timer to these comps.

[greenman]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Cool to see you can monitor your real time logging on the pc monitor while you conduct the roast.
Compared to the coretto, does the Torre have a more consistently straighter line on the graph due to the larger mass of beans?
.  

Gary I always do 600g batches in my Corretto with the probe drilled into side of the bucket about 1/3 the way into the bean mass, my profiles have always been nice and steady

[greenman]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Getting more confidant with Torre now, did a 1.8kg Brazil Pulped Natural roast today, all went smoothly with a nice even roast result, smelt great, now the the wait and taste test.
Also did a couple of 1kg batches of Sumatran Mandelheng (20sec into 2C) and Harrar pulled prior to 2c, both roasts looked and smelt good, the berry notes coming off the Harrar were intense!!

[beabeabeaner]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Had a great day doing training on the torre with Mark today. The versatility of this roaster is obvious from the outset. We managed very similar profiles with 500g ang 2kg of Mexican, 300 and 550g Harar, and a great looking result with 1.75kg Kenyan. There was 1.7kg of MTE honey ending in the bin(ouch!) looking a similar colour and sheen of a garbag, thankfully the big red trucks didnt turn up! this one got away, putting it down to the learning curve. Instant tasting shows great promise... left there positively buzzing with caffeine and the glow roasting potential. From the hottop, a big step up.
Im chuffed (chaffed?)
Mark is a true gentleman, tolerating my presence and newb questions for hours. His knowledge and communication/tolerance skills were well tested, I never detected a hint of annoyance from him, despite having to cope with a newborn as well! Thanks Mark, I know my purchase will be well supported.
Now for the 20A outlet and some flue action.
I am interested to know how other torre/solar owners have tackled the flue......

[greenman]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Had a great day doing training on the torre with Mark today. The versatility of this roaster is obvious from the outset. We managed very similar profiles with 500g ang 2kg of Mexican, 300 and 550g Harar, and a great looking result with 1.75kg Kenyan. There was 1.7kg of MTE honey ending in the bin(ouch!) looking a similar colour and sheen of a garbag, thankfully the big red trucks didnt turn up! this one got away, putting it down to the learning curve. Instant tasting shows great promise... left there positively buzzing with caffeine and the glow roasting potential. From the hottop, a big step up.
Im chuffed (chaffed?)
Mark is a true gentleman, tolerating my presence and newb questions for hours. His knowledge and communication/tolerance skills were well tested, I never detected a hint of annoyance from him, despite having to cope with a newborn as well! Thanks Mark, I know my purchase will be well supported.
Now for the 20A outlet and some flue action.
I am interested to know how other torre/solar owners have tackled the flue......
 

Hi BBB, training session sounds great, I had a training session with Mark on the phone which got me up and running, would have loved a hands-on like you had, Im getting a feel for Torre now and producing some pretty good and consistent roasts.
Regards flue set-up, after talking to Mark I went for the flexible aluminium ducting attached to roaster with aluminium adhesive duct tape, I have it going out of a window right next to the roaster leaving a nice short gentle rise, it has worked really well so far, I have it venting just under the eave near fascia/gutter, I usually try and roast when there is a breeze blowing so I dont upset the neighbours!!!
When does your Torre arrive??
I roasted 3 batches on the hop today 1.8kg Brazil, 1.2 Wahgi and 1.2 Harrar, they all turned out well, look and smell great, poor old Corretto is looking a little forlorn sitting on a shelf in the corner!!
Ill look forward to lots of reports and photo when you are in action
cheers gm

[ccc2]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Now for the 20A outlet and some flue action.
I am interested to know how other torre/solar owners have tackled the flue......

Couple of key points to keep in mind when designing/implementing your flue.

1. Go wide and short - bigger the diameter the better, so many roasters are constrained by back-pressure caused by bad flue design/install. IMO flue design affects the performance of the roast to a major extent - any issue there will be imposed upon your roast quality with taints.

2. Use the smoothest surface material you can find and keep the bends to a minimum and where there are bends needed, use a large radius (no elbows).
Greenmans solution is used on quite a few installs because it a relatively cost effective, flexible and easy to install. The only challenge with the Alu-flex is the ripples in the materials love to accumulate chaff very easily and quickly. This can be cleaned pretty easy by removing and poking a piece of conduit with something bristly on the end. Alu-flex is a good starter to ensure you have your site variables working properly.

3. Design your flue so you can dismantle and clean easily. Best solution is to have an inspection point at the bottom of the vertical so you can clean - something that is needed many times a year, else you may catch fire.

4. Make sure you have some heat resistant silastic on hand (CR-232) because there are bound to be smoke leaks when you fire up.

5. Choice of flue cap or vertical non-restrictive is very important as this can either cause chronic back-pressure issues (see above) or introduce water when it rains heavy. Cap depends upon many variables such as diameter, location, flow rates, etc.

6. Whilst its best to keep the flue run as short as possible, it is also good not to have the smoke blowing back into where you are working or your neighbors. You might need a couple of metres elevation to ensure wind eddies dont blow it back under where you are working.

7. Setup your flue and check it regularly, even look outside to see what is happening near the end of the roast when smoke is highest.

[beabeabeaner]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Thanks ccc2.
Unfortunately I have no window to work with so am contemplating straight metal flue through ceiling with cap. This wont be popular with the boss...my roasting retreat is an outbuilding of our house.
It does have bifold doors that open right up so may rig something temporary with a long straight rigid duct to get started.

Greenman, I noticed your temp probe position to the left.
If you do small roasts does it reach the beans?
I asked mark to tap the right side and move the handle over. He offered to drill out the bolt so it fits snug and the nut can cap it easily.

Also looking for suitable trolley, 490 by 630 (ikea) sound right?

[Wine_of_the_Bean]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

I use the Ikea trolley for my Solar, works well.

http://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/50170636

[>CoffeeRoasters]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Hey Myles...been sampling that Mexican you left...wow...very nice Thanks for leaving some I was running low on coffee supplies.

My advice on the rigid Bunnings fluing was just for a temporary solution so you didnt have to spend too much money until you had sorted out where you were going to permanently house it. S/S straight flue is always the best option for a fixed flue that can be easily detached for cleaning. The rigid flues are great for temporary solution as they can be bent into place easily and are so cheap you can throw out and put a new one in once there is some build up inside. The Torrefatore and Solar cyclone is one of the most effective chaff collection designs I have seen so you get minimal chaff escaping up the flue and any build up is very gradual and wont cause you issues in the short term. Dont go all out on the cost for flue designs until you work out where you will have it permanantly. Airflow will be fine with the length you were looking.

On another note...congrats to the guys from Remedy Coffee in WA picking up a Bronze in the Australian category at this years Golden Bean roasted on their Solar 2kg.

Cheers

[greenman]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Thanks ccc2.
Unfortunately I have no window to work with so am contemplating straight metal flue through ceiling with cap. This wont be popular with the boss...my roasting retreat is an outbuilding of our house.
It does have bifold doors that open right up so may rig something temporary with a long straight rigid duct to get started.

Greenman, I noticed your temp probe position to the left.
If you do small roasts does it reach the beans?
I asked mark to tap the right side and move the handle over. He offered to drill out the bolt so it fits snug and the nut can cap it easily.

Also looking for suitable trolley, 490 by 630 (ikea) sound right?

Re probe, no it sits out of beans in 300g/600g roasts but 1.2 and 1.8 are fine, I just do a sight and sound roast on the smaller batches, still use the probe at 1c when I cut back on heat, it shows me the C per minute rates I am at which is a big help.
The Ikea trolley sounds good, I settled for a fixed table!

[Wine_of_the_Bean]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Mine definitely needs to be mobile, since the garage is taken up by cars (go figure). If you dont need to move it, a workbench or table is adequate.

[beabeabeaner]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

My bench is secured to the wall, no legs, so not going to chance the 50kg weight. Moving it aound on the trolley might help access during roasting and cleaning as well.
Plus, it will look schmick.
Ikea have 2 sizes of "Flytta". The smaller one has a drawer, was thinking I could put baby laptop in there for logging. The larger one gives more space for workbench. Thinking.
Paid up, hoping delivery will be early next week!