My first KKTO Roast - Peru Ceja de Selva Estate

Koffee_Kosmo

You don't need to drop the heat unless the roast needs to be slowed to second crack Another way is to add air by lifting the TO Add some red or coloured beans to the agitator test video for easier perusal of the mixing action However by the look of it it's pushing the bean mass a little KK

ericshum

KK, more test videos here: http://www.youtube.com/user/cikay11 I have also attached in this thread the images (front and top view) of the 2 agitator blades we have.

Koffee_Kosmo

I have uploaded a photo of my agitator in the pot so you can see the relative bend and clearance to the side wall Have viewed the videos and still pushing compared to optimum agitation [attach=1] [attach=3] And another design for flexible bases - sometimes found on some pot brands [attach=2] KK

GaryatGala

i can also offer a few tips. Do try a bigger batch from 500gm upwards. With a long handled latte or ice coffee spoon, bend the spoon so that you got yourself a sampling tool. Drop the heat to 220 deg on the dial as soon as first crack starts. From this stage, it needs your full attention and note down the smoke and smells along the way. Take lots of notes. I keep a diary and note down the ambient temperature, type of beans used, the length of time taken to roast etc When it's one minute after first crack ends, quickly lift the lid and take out a few beans with the spoon and inspect. Then put beans back in and close lid asap. Do this every 30 seconds. This act will burp the roast and stop it from running away from you. Before second crack starts, it will start to smoke a lot. Use this cue to finalize inspection of the beans and expect the first few snaps of second crack to commence soon. Usually the balance of bean and roast character is achieved somewhere before second crack. I've had good results before right to the first few snaps of second crack. Have had good results too right into the middle of second crack, which is dark espresso territory. Dump and cool beans. Keep roasting, take notes and roast some more. Darker, lighter. This way you will achieve better results and you will find what your palate prefers. I agree with KK that looking at your vid the beans are being pushed around, thus achieving uneven roasting. Have a look at this vid i made. Hope it will help you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jno9bwzGTw

UNM

Just looking at the shape of the agitator, it seems beans would slip through the large hole in it. You may want to block that off and angle it so the beans cascade over the top. That is, however, pure guesswork. Easy enough to try variations on agitation without any heat until you get a good mix going. Chuck a couple of coloured beans in and you will see what is going on more clearly (think that was already mentioned earlier).

ericshum

Thanks for the video Gary. Will try the spoon and inspect method, that will definitely help. At least I have the Peru roasted by UNM to compare against. Thanks for that, Ewan. I've got 2 batches of a light roast of the Peru CdS. On my next roast, I'll attempt to get it just up to second crack. As with doing a larger batch, KK was advising against it as my roast volume is about 11litres which is more than the optimal 9 litre volume.

ericshum

Another roast done today: Batch size = 400gm Ambient Temp ~14dC Preheated at 250dC for 5mins then 220dC for another 5mins Motor speed = 105 rpm (almost twice the speed of previous roast) Agitator mod performed Removed silicone tube between outer pot and strainer - turns out that the silicone tube was not allowing the strainer to sit properly on the pot - no temp sensors but could feel that the pot heats up much faster. Time to first crack = ~10:00 Constantly lifted the top of inspect roast and to pick up a few beans (this was at about every 30 sec interval). Heat kept at 250dC all the way. Second crack started at about 15:45 and we pulled. Results were more closely matched with UNM's roast in terms of colour of beans. The beans were more evenly roasted (but still not ideal), probably due to the centrifugal force of the rotation pushing the beans out from the centre. We're thinking of varying the speed to utilize the centrifugal force at high speeds to swing the beans out from the centre and then slowing it down to let beans tumble down.

ericshum

Tasting notes: *My palate's not trained to tell what they taste like and I could only compare one roast to another* I only compared espressos as I don't take milk Benchmark: Ewan's roast performed using a hottop on 03/10/2012 1) Roast date (06/10/2012 - this was the first roast after visiting Ewan, 500gm with First crack @ 11:45 and pulled at 14:30) - a very light roast - Call this Roast 1: - For some reason all I tasted just 'sour' and it felt very light. Got another friend to taste it as well. He said the same thing. I would deem this undrinkable (very dilute and not much flavour). 2) Roast date (07/10/2012 - this was the second roast after visiting Ewan, 400gm with First crack @ 11:15 and pulled at 14:15) - a darker roast than Roast 1 but still lighter than Ewan's roast - Call this Roast 2: - There is still the acidic taste with this coffee but there was more flavour around the palate. Probably could taste other 'notes' but I can't describe them. There's also more body to it. Crema of the coffee looks 'nicer'. I would deem this drinkable. Ewan's roast (Benchmark) - Has a more well rounded taste for some reason and not as 'sour' as Roast 2. Can anyone explain why this is the case? Does a darker roast, in general, have a more well rounded taste with a heavier body?

Koffee_Kosmo

EricS wrote:

Tasting notes: *My palate's not trained to tell what they taste like and I could only compare one roast to another* I only compared espressos as I don't take milk Benchmark: Ewan's roast performed using a hottop on 03/10/2012 1) Roast date (06/10/2012 - this was the first roast after visiting Ewan, 500gm with First crack @ 11:45 and pulled at 14:30) - a very light roast - Call this Roast 1: - For some reason all I tasted just 'sour' and it felt very light. Got another friend to taste it as well. He said the same thing. I would deem this undrinkable (very dilute and not much flavour). 2) Roast date (07/10/2012 - this was the second roast after visiting Ewan, 400gm with First crack @ 11:15 and pulled at 14:15) - a darker roast than Roast 1 but still lighter than Ewan's roast - Call this Roast 2: - There is still the acidic taste with this coffee but there was more flavour around the palate. Probably could taste other 'notes' but I can't describe them. There's also more body to it. Crema of the coffee looks 'nicer'. I would deem this drinkable. Ewan's roast (Benchmark) - Has a more well rounded taste for some reason and not as 'sour' as Roast 2. Can anyone explain why this is the case? Does a darker roast, in general, have a more well rounded taste with a heavier body?

Yes The reason is a light roast is suited to a different brew method and brew temp as well as steep time affect it A roast that has reached second crack is suited to fast extraction and lower heat such as espresso Having said that a light roast is still suitable for espresso style but a three times longer rest time/ degas is recommended Is all to do with the volatile oils and there relationship with the notes I made above KK

ericshum

This is our fourth roast of the Peru CdS (14/10/2012): Batch size = 400gm First crack @ ~10:00 - 10:30 At 12:00, we dropped the heat to 220dC At 13:00, burped and inspected beans At 14:00, burped, inspected beans and increased temp back to 250dC Could hear the second crack even after lifting the TO and pulled at 16:00 as we noted a slight sheen. We suspect that second crack occurred and we didnt hear it? Would we see any sheen before the occurrence of second crack? We're happy with the overall colour and the roast was quite even. Roast colour closely matched Ewan's roast. Can't wait to taste it next week.

« Previous Page