Yemen and Harrar-- I'm doing something terrible to the poor beans.
New roaster here, I need lots of grace.
I ordered yemen and harrar for single origin offerings as well as 10 other really cool micro lots.
I'm doing pretty well on hitting roast profiles from most of the selections but yemen and harrar NEVER come out consistent. I'm about to try and roast them for more time and less heat to evenly break those membranes down.
any advice on the super expensive beans I'm mutilating?
(btw- mutilating the beans= half are yellow and half are dark brown, super inconsistent and taste like burnt grass.)
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Mike McGinness on
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#5 says input, need input! Roaster, profiles? FWIW dry processed beans will never roast evenly, that's part of their character, but shouldn't taste like burnt grass!
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Permalink Reply by Eric Hammond on
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How hot are you getting them? And is the issue that the chaff is still on the bean or is that it is inconsistant? If they are dry process, then they will vary. And vary really widely. I'd roast them till, oh say 440 or so and see what happens. I like mine a little cooler, say 425 or so. Right as they start into 2nd crack. Although I had one today that didn't start 2nd crack till over 435. I've never had this issue. Do the beans look rather consistant? Again, dry process beans are never very consistant, but if you have a lot of sour or under-ripe beans, that will show up in the cup. And (I don't want you to tell us) but call the supplier. See if anyone else has had this issue. Maybe you got a bad batch. I doubt it, but it's possible. What kind of roaster are you using? Professional? Hottop? Popcorn popper? But if one load worked on it, another should.
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Permalink Reply by teresa pilarz on
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My experience at home and at work with some dry process beans shows them to be a little uneven naturally, as Mike & Eric point out. Try to turn the gas down just before first crack in order to extend the roast development time between first and second cracks. I've found a 3 or 4 minute development helps even things out a bit. Many of Willem Boot's articles have been very helpful in giving more detail on this (you could search for his previous articles in Roast mag).
I also just found this article that you might take a look at to make sure it isn't a defect, since you are having a lot of grassy flavor. http://www.roastmagazine.com/backissues/janfeb2008/detectingdefects...
Good luck!
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Permalink Reply by Sarah Leanne Barnett on
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I'm roasting on a 3-kilo from US Roaster Corp. Yesterday I tried again with the two dry processed coffees and pretty much smoked them to death with desperate flame. Today, however, I will try again and hopefully succeed with a longer roast before first crack and drop at the beginning of second crack. I'll post soon after with results. Thanks, yall. I appreciate the helpful knowledge!!!
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Ok, I've roasted literally about a ton of DP Ethiopia the last couple years with my USRC 3k. I never take it to 2nd. Batch size varies around ~7.2# to yield 6# post roast. Regardless the intended brewing method I NEVER take Ethiopia into 2nd, at all. Ok, basically SLOW YOUR RAMP DOWN!!! If you need details on HOW to control your roasts and how I specifically roast Ethiopia DP's with your USRC 3k contact PM.
Sarah Leanne Barnett said:I'm roasting on a 3-kilo from US Roaster Corp. Yesterday I tried again with the two dry processed coffees and pretty much smoked them to death with desperate flame. Today, however, I will try again and hopefully succeed with a longer roast before first crack and drop at the beginning of second crack. I'll post soon after with results. Thanks, yall. I appreciate the helpful knowledge!!!
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Permalink Reply by Bryan Dyer on
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Have you cupped/compared your underappreciated batches with your original samples? I like to record the rates of increase from my sample roasts to help me know what kind of love to give when I switch to the big machine.
How long is it taking to roast a batch? Could your batch size be to large for your machine? What is this "2nd crack" business?
Sorry for more questions when you need answers. You'll get it. It just takes lots of graph paper.
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Of the seemingly thousands of roasting lessons I've learned this week already, one has stood out above the rest. 2nd Crack is a no no for the dry processed coffees that I possess.
Why did I think it was a good idea to begin with? It's a sad thing to share, actually rather shameful. We all have our journey of knowledge in this business, right? I have to keep reminding myself of this fact and keep passion for the roast first and everything else (such as my pride and financial losses due to poor intial roasting techniques) can fall to the wayside.
I honestly think that my past career with S*bucks and how intensely I was absorbed into the corporate culture and lingo has a lot to do with my preconcieved notions involving the roasting process. (Second Crack was a recurring theme in the regional meetings. "Why is Starbucks roast so much better than others? It's because we know that the bean must be taken to second crack to reach full potential.")
It's strange. I've researched and trained so much and somehow I didn't even think about how harsh the dry processing is on the coffee and how much love should be poured into East African coffees. Small batches. Long roast times. Easy temps.
Perhaps one of the more important lessons I've learned is that I need to let go of a lot of bad information given to me along the way from corporate roasting companies, plenty more which will not be named, and pay attention to the knowledge of my peers. Even moreso, pay attention to the love required for micro lots and small batch roasts.
I have a data logger. HOWEVER, I'm VERY poorly skilled with computers and there are a jillion things I have to figure out before I can have that part of my roasting up and running. Yes, there will be graph paper soon.
The batches will be smaller today. and there will be lots of open mided love.
lemme know if anyone has any other input, I love hearing it.
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Sarah, I love the track you're on... you are thinking with a mind wide open. Take the best of your corporate training and leave the charbucks part behind (i was once a partner too.)
I think even though you've spent time and $$, this will be an invaluable learning experience and will make you a much better roaster down the road. Part of doing well in this industry rests on listening, training and experience; but developing self-confidence by starting to rely on your own instincts at some point it just as critical.
Let's all give up some love for the bean!!
Teresa
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Sarah Leanne Barnett said:The batches will be smaller today. and there will be lots of open mided love.
lemme know if anyone has any other input, I love hearing it.
Be aware (as you may have already discovered) that flame settings and even air flow required to run same/similar profile will be much different (as example) for a 4lb batch than a 7lb batch on your USRC 3k. If struggling with dialing in a coffees roast profile try not to change too many parameters at once! (Just like dialing in a shot:-)
My suggestion is get a bag of cheap beans (even past crop a year or two so cheap as possible) and really learn how to control your roaster for different size batches, different degrees of roast, different lengths of roast etc. Learn how to slow the ramp approaching 1st so you can do a good fully developed lighter roast. Learn how to stretch start of 1st to end of roast to tame a wild bean for espresso. Learn how varying ramp rates affect the cup etc. etc. etc. THEN apply what you're learning to the good stuff. It's easy to turn beans brown, it's a life long journey learning to make each bean sing.
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