roasting green coffee beans

[papavino]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

In terms of time after roasting to time of brewing, I usually wait at least 12 hours with my beans in jars with the lids loosely attached while they off-gas. After about 12 hours, I tighten the lids and they really start to taste great after about 48 hours rest. Granted, I do small batches with an electronic roaster that holds about 1 small mason jar's worth of roasted beans at a time. It's good enough to feed my addiction for a few days, then I get to try new beans. The thing I'd be concerned about with the larger volumes in the oven is the control over the roast level. Some beans I roast to city+, but others I take to full-city and slightly beyond, depending on the flavors present in the bean. I find it pretty easy to control with my little workhorse, but I don't know if I could cool the beans from the oven quickly enough to prevent them from going into second crack (or to Vienna), fully. No espresso machine for me yet, but I do love my Zassenhaus mill. That thing is great. My fiance always gives me grief about how I love to do everything by hand.

I had been ordering my beans from sweetmarias.com because I love Tom's descriptions of his coffees and they've always been great. But my last order was canceled for some reason and it left a bad taste in my mouth, so I'm trying to find a source locally.

[blacknoir]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

or just make a long stick with a hook on the end?

[Rastys]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

Thanks for that Nikki,
but I already have a roaster now and cost me $32 plus some thought and time.
The ones you showed are great, easy to connect to a steel tube flattened a little to slip over the oval handle with a thumb screw to secure it. I think that the postage would make it totally uneconomical to get to Australia.
I like the thought of being able to use the setup as a rotiserie as well, I just need to prove it for our large family Christmas day dinner

Rastys

[Modthyrth]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

I saw this in the latest Williams Sonoma catalog that came to the house, and immediately thought of this thread:



It's a stainless steel mesh grilling basket. You'd need to rig something for a long handle, but it already clasps closed and is made of stainless steel. Most collanders are made of aluminum, and that made me nervous. $49.95. Here's the link to the product on their website:

Mesh Grill-Top Chef's Pan | Williams-Sonoma

Anyone have any ideas on how to attach a long metal handle? The only metal I work with is the stuff I use to make tiaras for work, and I sincerely doubt I'll be able to apply any of those skills, unless I want to encrust the thing with rhinestones and pearls. ;-)

[Rastys]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

fornax hominus
as yet I have no beans. Have done considerable google searches in Aus but not overly interested in those read. I will check out some coffee suppliers here in Adelaide for some suitable beans initially to try. Selecting the perfect bean will take time and experimentation with temperatures, times and blends.
We have a large group for a pizza feast on the 28th June so will do some beans a week prior so that they can go through the espresso machine on the day.


Dmun,
the drive and belt will be some 2' from the oven door and right out level with the front arch. I can also put up a temp heat deflector if necessary. Remember also that the oven door will be closed so little if any heat should get to the belt.

[dmun]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

I also bought home from the wrecking yard, a couple of notched gears from a 1500cc Mitsubishi Lancer engine complete with notched timing belt.

Will your timing belt put up with in-front-of-the-oven heat?

[fornax hominus]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

Lookin good!
When is your trial roast?
What beans do you have to roast? Although they sell beans just for espresso we have used beans from 4 continents with no problems .

[Rastys]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

fornax hominus
Yesterday, I made a tray to catch and to cool the beans when released from the roaster. I used the left over expanded metal to make a tray with top rolled edge 300mmw x 450mm long x 50mm high, It will easily slip through the front rotiserie support and under the roaster. All I need to make now is the fan forced cooling frame to sit the tray over and cool with a blast of cool air from under and above the hot beans.
Heat treated glass is cooled in the same way to make it tough and to shatter into thousands of little pieces as in automotive and shower screen/patio door glass (but not the laminated type).
I also bought home from the wrecking yard, a couple of notched gears from a 1500cc Mitsubishi Lancer engine complete with notched timing belt.
Under test this afternoon, it revolves at 30 rpm and could be slowed to almost zero if needed. I don't want it to rotate too fast as this would not allow the beans to cascade within the roasting bin. I can easily sped it up by increasing the size of the drive pulley on the wiper motor as I used the smallest that I could find.
This is to be my drive from a variable speed 12 volt windscreen wiper motor.
All I need too do now is to set it up in the oven and work out a way of tensioning the belt so that it tracks true and straight and maybe (if I need it) compensate for variable height of the rotating shaft, (mainly for the rotiserie function).
An electronics mate is building me a 240 volt power supply and variable speed controller.

[Rastys]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

Fornax Hominus
I respect your credentials, and experience. I am a very newbie in comparison and need to get my act together for the event.
I have established after a lot of searching, reading and evaluating that I need to put the beans in at approx 200˚C, rotating them at around 50 to 60 rpm until the first cracking, then slow down the heating (if possible by either opening the door or sliding them out nearer the door) until they reach the start of the second cracking. I then plan on removing them (dumping them into a yet to be made tray that will fit into the top of a frame housing a good capacity fan), whilst still cracking and cool them to room temperature.
It is then advised to rest for between 3 to 5 days in a well ventilated cool area in plain calico bags, grind and brew. If the beans are a darker/espresso roast, then the post rest can be increased to 10 days before optimum taste and aroma.
How does this sound to you?

Cheers.

[fornax hominus]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

Rastys
I have been an espresso coffee maker for 16 years , 10 years roasting ,5 in wood ovens , and all I know for sure is you have to adjust the grind [ and I cannot advise you enough that you have to have a burr type grinder] with every roast . But as in cooking you get to consume your mistakes.

[Rastys]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

The hexagonal design has only one baffle/paddle at present, at the hinge, but I can very easily add more or even angled smaller ones to mix the beans up more. The ones sliding around the ends of the roaster could be chanelled onto the centre and visa versa. I just want to keep the open edges free from baffles for ease of emptying the beans.
I have just joined a coffee forum for more advice and to get a few answers to my brewing/espresso making.
I will get that exceptional brew yet.

Rastys

[fornax hominus]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

Rastys
Oops, my post yesterday must have fallen under the bus ... I noted that your octagonal design will expose more beans to the heat than a cylinder which would require baffles to stop them sliding to the bottom as it rotates.
I can see where you want your door shut for the rotisserie operation , but for coffee the thing about roasting with open door and the fire still going is that you visually have to check how things are going towards the end .
As well different factors come in to play , type & quantity of of beans, temp. of the oven , and with me [not you] the outside air temperature [I have roasted beans @ -20c .. not fun!!].
Great work on the roaster!

[Rastys]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

All done!
Now it needs cleaning a little, some good green beans and a hot oven.
I decided to make the stand to stand inside the oven and be used as a rotiserie as:

http://www.fornobravo.com/forum/f35/...erie-4352.html

I made it adjustable height, to fit easily through the oven opening and can be used for a roaster or change the shaft to a stainless for a rotiserie capable of an 850mm long cook. There is also access for a tray to slide in to empty the beans or a drip tray for the rotiserie.
I will need to cut one small semicircular holes in the oven doors so that the heat can be contained within the oven when the shaft is protruding through. I also need to insulate the drive motor from heat for the longer bakes.
I did not fit a motor yet as I will hand crank it for the roaster initially whilst I think the motor/drive system through. This is not a very long time as I have been studying up on coffee bean selection and roasting.
Neill has a couple of ideas but I need to take into consideration the adjustable height, viewing access into the oven past the drive set-up and also safety factors.

Rastys

[Rastys]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

fornax hominus
Well, we're making progress. I tried to get some stainless wire mesh but was pretty expensive, had too come from interstate, would take a week or so to arrive and they wanted too much for a simple delivery, so I sourced some small aperture expanded steel sheet.
I bought an off cut with enough to build another 2 roasters for $36. Came home this afternoon, cut the sheet and folded it, I thought that a hexagonal one would be easier to make (as I don't have a set of rollers to form it properly), but would aggitate the beans better whilst roasting.
It took around 2 hours to make and I plan on a rotisery base with provision for a tray to slide in under the roaster for when I use the set-up as a rotiserie.
I can't see the point in making some thing for a single purpose and by putting a stainless shaft into the base will become a rotiserie for that side of lamb or smallish pig.
The opening method is simple, with just a single wire pin pulled out from the 4 protruding lugs and hey presto, it's fully open.
It measures 400mm long and 200mm diameter and should hold several kilos of beans but I only plan on roasting a kilo at a time.
I have left a protruding lip in the roaster to aggitate the beans and can add others if needs be.
All it needs is a bake and a lick with some steel wool to clean it up a little.

Rastys

[Rastys]

Re: roasting green coffee beans

I will source the stainless wire this week and have a long weekend coming up to make it all.
I have plenty of wiper motors as I work sat mornings in a wrecking yard and get them for free as they never sell.
Hooked up through a variable rheostat, you have infinite speed control, so set it to what you feel is suitable.
Thanks for your input, muchly appreciated and will get back with the progress made as we have a large pizza cookup and now fresh roasted coffee for the espresso machine on 28 June.
Cheers.

Rastys