FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

[sidewayss]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

The one on the left was roasted first, then the second one is the batch on the right hand side.

This test is slightly unfair as both of them are one colour scale difference.
Both were taken into second crack.
The reason why i did this was because you can roast in the Baby to start of second crack, take the beans out and they still look too light.
Not sure what the science is behind this. So what ive learnt is to roast it right into second crack to the colour profile i want, and still retain the origin characters of that particular bean.

Apart from all that, the beans from the "ramp up" version look bigger than the conventional one. You might be able to see from the pic.

How this translates in the cup i will post a bit later this afternoon, and then each day after.

Sorry about my camera work. Limitations of a compact camera is evident there.

To answer your question Julia, im not perfect as an amateur roaster ;D the left batch was a bit lighter than i wanted it to be and guesswork was involved in pulling the beans out even though i dropped a few beans out to visually sample approaching second crack.

Would be interesting if someone out there can put together a drum roaster made of conductive glass so we can see the roast under progress. Hint hint

Unlike other roasters Julia, you can roast into second crack on the Baby and get a nice cup. Try it!

Thats the fun of roasting, trying different things and experimenting and find what you like.

Gary at G

[John_Leddy]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

Hi Gary,
Interesting...your taste results from different roast profiles will be welcomed. The question might be, was the difference in colour due to the roastprofiles or the actual drop temp. into second crack.

Im still finding it is difficult to choose exactly when to finish the roast be it up to or into second crack.....

Thank you

JL

[sidewayss]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

Pardon me for this belated post due to a busy weekend.

Just roasted a batch each 200gm of Peru Des Selva.
On the pic, the one on the left is a conventional roast of full heat then tapering off just before first crack and then maintain til second.
The one on the right is the profile of moderate from start til 150 degrees then ramp up heat til before first crack when i turned down heat to moderate to low and maintain til second.

Will cup both in a few days time and report.

Another pic is the DMM probe arrangement with the roaster.
Temp readings are not entirely accurate due to the small batch.

But for those who roast without it, when you see good puffs of smoke appearing and the grassy musty smell has gone, then Maillards reaction is taking place and then you can apply changes you see fit.

Gary at G

[John_Leddy]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

Hi Steve,

Ive also had a number of similar roasts however the end results have been variable.

For me at least, a strong first crack followed closely by seconds indicates too hot a flame leading up to first
or not cutting back the flame at the onset of first to allow the roast to develop....ideally for 4-5 minutes before finishing the roast.

I guess it all boils down to taste in the end.

Did six roasts yesterday experimenting with roast development times and ramp up heats....the rapid first and close second crack roasts rated average in cupping whereas the longer roast development times (4-5 mins) preceeded by modest heat produced above average to good post roast cupping.....used the same bean for all roasts.

Perhaps the marginal tasting roasts might taste better in 5-6 days....perhaps not.

Having said that , Im still having difficulty nailing repeatable roasts.....still very hit and miss.

Cheers
JL

[John_Leddy]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

Hi Trentski
Re post 315....burner.
Im using a similar burner.....slightly larger,using only the two internal rings...it has three.

I find there is much more flame control compared with the camping stoves (have tried a small companion and a larger coleman).

I monitor the flame on the larger cast iron burner using height and colour....blue (low) or blue tipper orange for higher heat.

Still having difficulty getting consistent roasts, but getting better.

JL

[Steve1]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

Hi all,

Have just finished a roast of the Bean Bay PNG Kona Ka Estate and thought Id share...
Have to admit 1st crack rolled into second and the roast was a bit uneven, but cooled and ground and in the cup 10 mins post was amazing.

It poured like honey with few bubbles and was a beautiful balanced long black.
I think itll be even better in a few days...

Steve

[John_Leddy]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

Thanks Gary,
Looking forward to your pictures...i might also ask a question or two about the temp. probe later on.
thank you.
JL

[sidewayss]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

Hi Juliet,

I do both the adjustment of flame via temperature reading on the probe as well as aroma clues.

I use the medium size stove gas element in my kitchen with the exhaust fan on to extract the smoke.
As long as the flame is within the hole of the base of the stand, then youre on the right track.
Ive always used as full a flame as possible initially, then reduce before first crack hits so the transition is smooth.
If you dont reduce the heat when first crack arrives, it can run away from you and flow straight into second crack before you know what happened.
During first crack the beans gives off heat (exothermic), so its a good idea to start reducing heat about 1 minute before at 185 degrees approx.

I will attempt to take photos of the process in stages.

Another roast profile i have yet to undertake in future is initially apply moderate heat until 150 degrees. This is the drying phase.
Then apply full heat from there til before first crack.
This stage is when maillards reaction takes place.
Then reduce heat at 185 degrees celcius and maintain til the end.

After saying all of this, i am still also on a learning curve, with washed and dry processed beans.

Gary at G

[John_Leddy]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

Opps,
Think I should have read some of the earlier pages a little more thouroughly prior to my last post.
Some posters clearly have a lot more experience than I do.
Gary,how do you apply the temperature monitoring in a practical sense during roasting? Do you adjust flame according to temperature readings or are you just observing different stages ?

Still Learning on this roaster.
JL

[John_Leddy]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

Gary at G
How long is a peice of string, as far as roasting coffee is concerned? Your method will doubtless give some nice roasts as it is one of many standard profiles.

I suppose one question might be how many BTUs is full heat? My heater is fairly stong and full heat would have the beans arriving at first crack around 7 mins....chuck out stuff.

Your logic of relating the process to cooking steak (sealing then coasting the roast) has crossed my mind as well, and I apply this as one method when learning how to roast different beans.....especially harder types.

On another roaster I have, I charge the beans at a fairly high temperature then when beans turn from green to tan/orange...about 160c bean temp,
(or the first thin continuous wisp of smoke on the FZ-RR 700) I ease the temp back a little ( about 80%) until the onset of first crack, then reduce temp further, as you are doing, through the all important roast development period, shooting for around  4 minutes until just before or slightly into second crack.

Some roasters on the other hand, ramp the temperature up between the tan/orange stage to first crack depending on their roaster, the type of beans etc. etc.
The only way you (and me too) can work out whats right in roasting on this roaster, is to try then taste... straight after the roast, then from 6-7 days onwards.

Ive just tasted a 5 day yemen haimi roast applying the first above scenario on my FZ-RR 700 ie. high initial heat, then easing the flame back a little  from the tan/orange to first crack stage, and its to die for.....having said that....I applied the same profile to some peruvian beans and they are cupping with a slight burnt taste....maybe too much initial heat.

I guess for users of this roaster the heating device and flame strength would make comparisons challenging unless we all have the same heater.

In any event, so much to learn and so much fun doing so.
Cheers
JL

[sidewayss]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

Interested in how you all conduct your roasting on this one.

I put on high heat initially right through til before first crack.
With the DMM logger probe stuck through the vent, The heat is turned down around medium setting on the stove at 185 degrees celcius and let it cruise into first crack a little while later.
Heat is then turned down further to a medium to low setting and then let it coast to second crack 3-4 minutes later.
For an espresso profile i dump and cool beans 30 seconds into second crack.

Does anyone follow this way? So far this has produced the best results.

Its somewhat like cooking steak to me.
High heat to seal the flavours and goodness in, then a lower heat to take it to the desired colour profile.

Does anyone care to share their own experience roasting with the Baby Roaster and what works best for them?

Gary at G

[John_Leddy]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

Hi All,
After a few shockers with the new FZ-RR 700...too light =grassy.....super oily=burnt , the approximate flame level relative to producing a nice roast has been nailed....this is so important for repeating roasts and or trying different profiles.

Still much experimenting to do, in particular heat intensity and application vrs bean hardness,roast development times, etc.

Roasted one of Andys Yemen offerings and cupped immediately. Score about the same as a good post Hottop-b roast . Very good, a little short of excellent.
These beans excel from about 8 days...using the HT that is....so it will be interesting to compare throughout the resting period.

I think the FZ-RR 700 roaster will allow some darker roasts particularly with the ethiopian and yemen beans.
I particularly like the turnaround time of roasts, ease of use and instantaneous heat changes....excellent roasts are yet to come, and Im sure they will.

Looking forward to learning more.

Cheers
JL

[at535]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

Ahh thanks Mark. And of we go again, experimenting and learning, experimenting and learning.

[CoffeeRoasters]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

The general concessions is that you can pull shots pretty much straight away after a roast. In saying that does the coffee have a shorter life.

200g doesnt last very long. I havent kept it any longer than a week. You dont really get an improvement in flavour from aging (in the week), in terms of intensity, balance etc but you will build some body over a few days. This is natural with foods that contain a high % of sugars such as coffee. One of the reasons why your marinades will thicken up when stored overnight is due to the sugar molecules.

It would need to be bagged, heat sealed and stored properly for an appropriate test but also need to consider that certain beans will age differently as well so a test of the same bean under two methods would be required. You should try on your 1kg and let us know what you find

I am aiming for 1st crack around 10min and then finishing near or into 2nd crack around 15 min.

I not one to focus too much on timings but for a chamber as small as the one in the baby roaster you should be able to knock out good results in 10-12mins overall shaking every 1.5mins (which is what I do generally).

Most of the gas camping stove tops have numbered dials regulating pressure so you should be able to use this as a guide to your flame setting rather than trying to monitor it by eye.

One important thing to note is that the browning of the coffee bean using this roaster behaves differently to what most would be used to with roasting. If you are using 2nd crack as a reference point the coffee out of the baby roaster will be a fair bit lighter than out of most devices so dont be too quick to dump, you can roll it into second crack a lot longer and achieve plenty of flavour and character out of the coffee. Out of commercial roasters you would traditionally go lighter to highlight origin flavour traits for espresso but then you can encounter those strong acidic notes and limit body development that can leave the coffee unbalanced. One of the things I really like about the coffee that is roasted in the baby roaster is that you can really take it into second crack with brightness but also balance for espresso. You would think the lack of forced convection and time into second crack might make the roast smokey or carbon in flavour but it doesnt.

If you have a coffee origin that you havent liked before and struggled to get something out of it that you like give it a try in this device. I found some coffees that never really impressed me took on another life in the baby roaster.

[at535]

Re: FZ-RR 700 Baby Roaster

Here is a question for baby owners. It may have been answered already but I have not seen the answer or question I am looking for.

The general concessions is that you can pull shots pretty much straight away after a roast. In saying that does the coffee have a shorter life.

If it takes coffee anywhere from 4-10 days post roast normally before you get good results lasting up to 3 weeks does the roasts from a baby roaster have a shorter life before going stale.