Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

[greenman]

Re: Torrefatore 2kg manual roaster

missed first crack  

The DMM and/or sampler doesnt help with this?

Lapse of concentration and bad lighting : : :

[beanflying]

Re: Torrefatore 2kg manual roaster

morphed into charcoal

Isnr that what they call "drum seasoning"

[greenman]

Re: Torrefatore 2kg manual roaster

morphed into charcoal

Isnr that what they call "drum seasoning"

;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D

[Thundergod]

Re: Torrefatore 2kg manual roaster

Did another roast last night, PNG Kimmel PB but missed first crack and they morphed into charcoal

Well thats interesting.
I once was discussing roasting with a professional roaster and (having mentioned I have a little Kimel) they told me it was difficult to over-roast a PNG bean.

Congratulations greenman!! Youve managed the near impossible it seems.  ;D

[sidewayss]

Re: Torrefatore 2kg manual roaster

Greenman,
Just nod your head and say YES, its drum seasoning stage!!  :

I think Beanflying is still kicking himself those tire spikes didnt work . What do you expect for Mexican made tire spikes?? Thats why hes taking the pee out of you.

[Dr_Jon]

Re: Torrefatore 2kg manual roaster

I got mine on Tuesday - had been hassling the StarTrack people about it, and ended up racing home from work to head out to the depot to pick it up. Then I couldnt help myself and just had to try it out

Ive since done another 5 roasts, of varying sizes and beans.
Initial impressions -

Roast quantities - I havent gone below 500g yet as my initial roast at this level got away from me a bit too ;D not quite to drum seasoning standard, but definitely Full French style. The heat output is very good! Other roasts of 1kg were significantly easier to track, and 1.6kg very good. Roast times were yellow at around 5mins (135 - 145C); 1st crack at about 10-12, and other roasts pulled at start of second at 15-17mins.

Heat control - very easy in short. You can have a combination of any of the three elements on, and heat modulation is quite responsive. Being able to use a combination of various elements (ie 2 elm only for 500g batch), along with changing thermostat levels (eg set at 190 to 1st crack, then up to 220 for end of second crack) allows a smooth temperature profile when raising temps gradually. In conjuction with airflow regulation (pulsing at variable rates), the roast characteristics have been beautifully even in every roast so far without a problem. The CS datalogger probe sits outside the bean mass in smaller roasts, and hence does not give the bean mass temp, but it correlates within a degree to the reported temp on the roaster itself, so roast temps are pretty good in terms of accuracy 8-)

Ive come from the Baby Roaster, and have found the ease of use, along with degree of flexibility of this amazing so far - soooo much more control!! Having said that though, the window on the front is quite large, and so you can really see what is going on with the beans. I havent yet had to use the trier for this reason. Im also using mine in my shed, and as I live in a semi-rural area it aint a small shed, and I dont have to worry about neighbours getting smoked out, so I havent actually flued it yet. I say this because I like being able to see the smoke coming out at different stages in the roast, and thus it correlates well with the Baby in terms of being able to see, smell, and hear whats going on at different stages.

Cooling - finally, the external cooling has apparently been upgraded from the Solar, and it is awesome. 1.5kg roast from dump to cold in the tray in just over a minute. Nothing more needs to be said, especially when you can have the roaster elements idling to keep up temps, and then jump in again in the time it takes to stuff around setting up a new roast profile on the laptop.

So far (gee, in 4 whole days??) Ive only been able to cup a Brazil roasted with Mark on the demo last week, and this has been very enjoyable (to say the least). Cupping of Peru, Yirg, Sulawesi, and Mexican Typica will begin tomorrow. Probably too early really, but hey, trying them all on consecutive days will demonstrate whats coming out and on as the flavours develop.

In summary, I am absolutely stoked with it. Very flexible, accurate to the degree, easy to use, and very versatile in terms of roast quantities. I am particularly impressed with the ability to modify heat and air so easily, and so accurately, and am of the opinion that this will be coming through in the cup. As a relative noob, my roasting skills arent great, but as a learing tool this is fantastic as it is easy to operate, and thus skill improvements are in roasting variables, NOT mechanical variables. It is sooooo nice not taking 4hrs to roast the weeks supply!! My only issue now is having to actually buy coffee bags because friends and associates from work are hassling me for coffee.....

Ill post up more in a while after having another few weeks to play, and more importantly, to TASTE! For now though, its back to the night shift grind :-/

[greenman]

Re: Torrefatore 2kg manual roaster

Dr J
Congratulations on the arrival of your Torre and settling into roasting some great coffee!!
The trip to visit Mark sounds like it paid off with such an easy transition, I had a talk to Mark on the phone and I am gradually getting a feel for the heat application/air etc, I did an Aceh roast last night and didnt back off the heat from 1c to 2c quickly enough and got a few divots but the roast still smelt pretty good.
Will be looking forward to future posts Dr J
cheers gman

[borat123]

Re: Torrefatore 2kg manual roaster

How deep would I have to reach into my empty pockets to buy one?

Whats the difference between it and a Solar (?)

thanks.

[TC]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

How deep would I have to reach into my empty pockets to buy one?

The answer to that question is dependent on the length of your arms Borat   ;D

Whats the difference between it and a Solar (?)

thanks.

Have a read of this thread and the differences will become obvious...

Enjoy!

2mcm

[Yelta]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

did my first two roasts this afternoon after I  finished setting up--
300g Ethiopian Gambella and 300g Indian plantation A Grade
reached 1C around 9min and 2c 14min CS 8ish--nice even roasts, great aromas coming from the cooling box--early days but lookin good will try and lengthen roast times next roast session!!

Good looking roast Greenman, well done, I can see you and your new toy spending many happy hours together
As an after thought for those among us who have wondered about the Italian word (torre) I know I have (my espresso cups are by Torrefazione)
Torre = tower, so there, thanks Mr Google, no more sleepless nights.

PS
Have since been informed by TG and Dennis that my interpretation of the Italian is a little off target, apparently Torrefazione = roasting, blending, coffee store, coffee shop, however cant find a translation for Torrefattore
Torre still means tower.

[beanflying]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

translation for Torrefattore  

Torrefattore = Roaster or also "coffee roaster"
arrostito = Roasted
Tosta = Roast
Torrefazione = Roasting
Tosta Cafe = Coffee Roaster

And people think english has to many words for similar things. All useful for searching that site that shall not be named :

Nice to see you owners are having fun with your new toys. Soon I hope soon  

[Thundergod]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Torre still means tower

Fattore = factor but it doesnt seem relavent.

[Koffee_Kosmo]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Fattore = factor but it doesnt seem relavent.

It may be relevant to Italians ??

KK

[TC]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

One more very happy CSer collected his Torrefatorre from us this morning and I must say its hugely impressive in its workmanship and tweakability. Photos simply do not do justice to the metal.

In operation, you have control over everything and for me, this makes it particularly attractive.  8-)

Our intention is to have one out of the next batch on site for me to play with and I have in mind a really nice little roast your own offer for CSers...

Stay tuned...

[Thundergod]

Re: Solar Autoroast and Torrefattore 2kg discussion thread

Fattore = factor but it doesnt seem relavent.  

It may be relevant to Italians ??

KK

It may just be a branding, and yes, maybe to an Italian theres a subtle meaning a dictionary wont convey.