I-Coffee roasting experiences

[Mariner]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

Another top result for the iCoffee.

For me, overdone is any roast that has gone oily which means that you casn stray well into second crack and still get a great result. Either way, its difficult to be satisfied with anything less than home roasted once you catch the bug.

HI JB,
You are absolutely right - I cant stop roasting and drinking, however cant make my coffee last any longer than about 4 days, and I am not drinking it until it is 3 days old.... I think that I am going to start roasting 250g batches instead of the 150 to hopefully take care of the imbalance between the supply and demand side of this wonderful commodity equation.

Regards Frank.

[Kafine]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

I always roast at least two 150gm batches gives me 250gm browns

[sorrentina]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

i usually roast 4 or 5 250gram batches every 10 days or so. I store the beans in small glass jars so I can open a fresh jar every few days (nothing like the hiss when the gasses escape from a fresh jar). I found I had to roast more than I thought I needed so that I could get at least some that was in the 6 to 8 day resting range. I often find the beans peak around days 4/5. A few roasts seemingly peaked at day 10- which I would never know if I didnt roast large batches... :-?

[Mariner]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

Just had another query, I roasted all of the lots that came with the roaster. 2 of the five tasted great but curdled the soy milk. I tried several milks (trying to find a locally made one as good as bonsoy...) but the result was the same for all (exept the bonsoy which was perfect). THe darker roasted Peru (CS10) was fine with soy as too was the Flores (CS8-9). But, the Ugandan (CS8) and the PNG (CS8) had to be drunk as espresso as they turned the milk.

My question is, although all of these beans drank very well straight up, most of my brews are with soy. All were drunk between 3-4 days after roasting. My theory was that the brews that turned the milk were just too acidic. If this is the case would/could I roast them a bit deeper to soften that acids or rest them a couple of days more before drinking them? I dont know..... I guess some brews just werent meant to be tainted with soy?

Thanks, Frank (Mariner)

[sorrentina]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

this is a new query I havent heard before. I am a big soy drinker- but not in coffee. I just cant stand the combination: too nutty? It works in tea...

However every now and then I run out of milk and use soy - and I have not had it curdle. But I froth the soy milk first. Are you frothing? I do recall it sort of separating in a not too pretty fashion when just poured in...

[Randy_G.]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

Just had another query, I roasted all of the lots that came with the roaster.  2 of the five tasted great but curdled the soy milk.

The curdling of the soy is not related to the heat, and since only some varieties did it we have to assume that it was something in the beans. I would guess that it is some sort of salt or related compound, or something in teh soy that combined with something in just those beans. Why? Soy milk is turned to curd (tofu) by the addition of nigari (magnesium chloride -
details:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnesium_chloride
I had it happen on a rare occasion but not since. And I can attest that it turns the coffee into a totally undrinkable mess.

Now, this is a stretch, but if the beans were subjected to salt water or spray exposure, there might be enough magnesium chloride or related molecule to do that.

[Mariner]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

Very interesting, I certainly cant explain it. I did notice that the darker I roasted, the better the soy seemed to mix....could be way off base. I dont know how to describe it but the coffee that seemed to have the most "zing" in its taste - spice and acidity were the ones that curdled the soy. They didnt curdle the regular cow milk either. I must roast some more and drink some more in the name of science to investigate this thoroughly.
F.

At least the espresso is nice

[wonder]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

Hi fellow roasters,

Ive noticed that my roasts have started to lengthen in time, Ive had my I-coffee for about 2 weeks and my roasts which initially would be first c 12-14 mins and pulling after 2nd c 16-17, are now are all over 20mins before hitting first crack if at all... Regardless of roast size

The beans are going brown but very slowly, and I actually roasted ( slow cooked ) a batch  till 35 mins and no oil, little smoke and only about a CS 8-9..

Any suggestions

Thanks
Wonder

[cruza52]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

Mine all go around the 20min mark for my standard 200gm batches... I thought the time lengthened because it was larger then recommended (150gm)size batches. I was not unduly concerned as it still produced a very nice roast

[Mariner]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

Hi Wonder,
I am not speaking (writing) from experience here as I have not had any roasting issues like this but earlier in this thread there is a lot of talk about how the ambient temperature and humidity can greatly affect the roast times. For this reason, I have only roasted in my kitchen under the extraction fan which helps to control the ambient temp and latent humidity a little better than the garage.....and luckily my wife hasnt made me go outside yet. I try to roast when the rest of the family is out.

Maybe others will be able to point you in the right direction a little better than I have. This should definitely be your starting point though - measure ambient temps. Colder weather = longer roasting times and hotter = shorter roasting times.

Good Luck with your roasting.
Regards, Frank (Mariner)

[sorrentina]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

20 minutes for 200 g and over would be normal I think...

but Wonders roaster seems to have a problem (PM sent)- you should not have an issue getting to first crack and by 25 minutes beans would be going on cooked normally...

[trentski]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

I had one roast where the beans never made it to first crack after a considerable time. It was a very cold winter night though and I have never had the issue since.

I roast 250grams at a time and depending on beans the roasts take from 17 to 24 minutes (going from memory here, I have notes at home). I find that the same beans roast in a very similar time frame, so if one week the roast takes 20 minutes, the next time I do those beans it will be pretty close to the same.

[sunbirdj]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

Hi all,

Has anyone tried roasting decaf wow using the i-coffee? When is your first crack? I thot I heard what sound like the first crack at 16 mins. I let it stay too long hoping for the first crack to end. But it seems it did not even at 20 mins. Not sure whether I have missed the end and it when into second crack. The result - burned bean.

I tried again, this time hitting the power button to put it into cooling cycle when I heard the first crack (14 mins) and let the crack finish. Mean while I kept a keen eye on the colour. I have to stop the machine before the cooling cycle ends. I quickly pour it into my DIY cooler. Looks decent. Will try tmr.

[sorrentina]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

I have never roasted a decaf so cant comment directly- however: Some beans do not make very loud cracks if at all. If you cant hear the cracks- then look closely to the bean colour instead. I put a lamp near my roaster so that the beans are well lit. You can get a feel for where they are by watching them carefully. The beans have a kind of (physical) crack in them and between first and second crack you can see chaff (?) along this crack line. After first but before second crack this line often has a light caramel/cream colour compared to the rest of the bean. As you get closer to second crack this will disappear or go dark. Just as it has disappeared seems to be a good time to end a roast... however take care: as you are entering second crack the beans are moving quickly- and just 40 seconds more can mean quite a dark roast... 2 minutes more and the beans will likely be overdone.

[sunbirdj]

Re: I-Coffee roasting experiences

Thanks for the advice SorretinaCoffee. Will try once I am through with my current batch. A quick question, in your experience does cool daylight (white color) show the colors of the bean better or a warm light (yellowish)?