Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

[beabeabeaner]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Photo a bit lighter than actual....

[beabeabeaner]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

First roast......1.35kg PNG Wahgi
Dropped at 160, with airbed pulsing 6 sec every 2 min. Target set at 200
Went from 3k to 2k at around 8 min/180 on DMM. Then from 2k to 1k at FC which came at 11min/197, elements off at 14min/211 and started cool indrum at SC 1440, then dropped for outer cooling at 1530.
The beans were warm to touch at 19 min and fully cooled at 21 min.
I am interested to know how this sits with others profiles.

Very pleased with result. A nice even CS9.
Training with Mark has made my first solo attempt look very nice indeed!

Still do not have my ikea trolley (out of stock) so sat on floor.
No flue either yet, smoke wafted out door without any problem.
Photos of my setup will have to wait till I am satisfied gm!

Mal - point taken. Will work on it!

[Dimal]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Gday bbb...

Lovely setup mate, very jealous

As an aside, could you try to keep your images down to a size that will fit within a 600x450 pixel window please mate. Ive resized the above images for you but when the images are so large, it actually affects the page load time and bandwidth. If youre not sure how to do this, this link may be of some assistance... http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1187136315

Cheers,
Mal.

[beabeabeaner]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Thanks gm.
Hopefully Ikea trolley in stock Fri, electricians latest promise was Friday also.....hope so because my roasted supply running low.
Hottop now back in box, rather unceremoniously. Undecided about selling it, when I look at it I feel unfaithful! I did give it a major clean though.
Attached is my temp probe setup, not sure how much latency will come from direct contact of probe and bolt. It is a nice tight fit though. I seated as far into the roaster as door opening would allow.
I quizzed Andy about this, of course he has a better solution using a teflon baffle......
Looking at the flue to cyclone, looks to me as though this could point to the back of the roaster rather than the side, I think this will suit my plan better - all will be revealed!

[greenman]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Congrats bbb, I see youve got youre handle on the left and probe hole on right, interested to see how your probe reading goes compared to mine!! Keep up the pix and roasting reports

[beabeabeaner]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Move over Hotto....

[greenman]

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!

Ill be waiting for news of arrival and lotsapix

[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!

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.

[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!

[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

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

[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?

[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.

[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