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bcspark

Roasted two 350grm batches of Bolivia Vincente Paye in the Hotop for my eldest.Taken to just past second crack they were a smoke out and chaff bomb.Finished at cs9 and roasted easily. Will have to wait for report.

askthecoffeeguy

on 1436503432:

Roasted two 350grm batches of Bolivia Vincente Paye in the Hotop for my eldest.Taken to just past second crack they were a smoke out and chaff bomb.Finished at cs9 and roasted easily. Will have to wait for report.

How did you go? I ditched a batch recently that went only just past prime - cause they tasted like carbon in my cup !

bcspark

on 1437443593:

How did you go? I ditched a batch recently that went only just past prime - cause they tasted like carbon in my cup !

Instead of trying and reporting he went skiing.Batch left with grandson who drowns it with milk and is present gen  :question:

bcspark

Sunday on back patio about to heat up the KKTO-HG to do four roasts of 625grm green.1 Bolivia Vjncente Paye,2 Panama La Esmeralda Palmyra and3 Ethiopian Harar these to Sydney.4 Ethiopia Guji Sedamo to eldest in Brissie. Both families are back from a weeks skiing on Tredbo slopes.

GaryatGala

Would be interested to see pics of your roast Bcspark. What was your roast times and how does the heat gun differ from the turbo oven in terms of overall use and taste in the cup?

bcspark

Gary I am completing these roasts at 224deg in 17 min, into 2nd crack.The reason for modding and using the Stienel HG was to have more forced air and more available heat.Thjs gives me many options of degrees per minute rise during the program.Hence there are many different profiles that can be attained.With this setup you can roast from short 15min to long 25 min ending with an even result, no burning or tipping,I have never binned a roast.Gary my HG nozzle is is close to bean mass and on opposite side to probe giving me true readings no matter what size batches I do.In the learning curve I went through to perfect the mod different beans react to how they want to be roasted i.e the amount of heat they want to absorb from bottom to 100c and time from 5-8 min,the drying phase.I have at all times full control and have done batches of 500grm minimum to,by mistake,1125grm.At no time could my roasting be as consistent with the TO.In closing the Steinel HG is second most powerful in their industrial range and has sliding controls which are infinite and 2300watts allowing to be used off standard GPO.An endeavour will be made to post pics at next roast dates.

bcspark

Gary to see my mod go to Roasters-Different Roasting Equipment,page 2 then Koffee Kosmo Roaster with Heat Gun as Alternative Heat Source.Pics show the mod but heat gun is same as Galumys gun in same forum.Flavour in the cup is brilliant and again I have never had the need to bin a roast.

GaryatGala

Really enjoyed reading of your KKTO heatgun journey. Am keen to try replicate something like that using the existing Bosch 630 heatgun and a cover using the fibre cement sheet I,ve got lying around. I am interested in attaching a diffuser similar or same as the Hiclone for heat distribution. An important consideration would be how to design the exhaust properly to tie in with the heat input. So basically I,ll cut the fibre cement to overlap the circumference of the roasting chamber, screw on four wine corks to the underside of the lid to fit the outer circumference so that the lid/cover stays put. I may have to utilize two overlaping layers of the fibre cement sheet for strength. Heatgun to be located centrally on a short extension tube so that it sit vertically hands free. I think one of the advantages using this method is that cracks can be heard. Sounds travel well through fibre cement. My question at the moment for you Bcspark, is how did you find the taste in the cup on the heat gun compared to the turbo oven? What fan speed and what heat settings do you use  to achieve your 17 minute roasts. Thanks very much to you and KK. [emoji3] [emoji106]

bcspark

Gary if you are using a probe to record data I would suggest the HG to be one side opisit the probe.The heat should be directed to the outside of bean mass where the most bean agitation is.Most HG have a cyclonic air flow.You also do not need to exhaust as the blue silicon seal should have a 10mm gap and the KKTO exhausts through base,which should be ventilated .to allow steam and gasses out,My Steinel has a strong air flow which is set to full and adjustments are made by heat slider to suit the roast profile.Beginning heat is adjusted to maintain a steady heat rise i.e 10-12 deg per minute.till first crack and reduce heat not air to 4deg which will rise the bean giving off heat to take roast to second crack and or beyond.Flavour comparison I have not done but the uniform roasts are quite different.Do not forget to allow for loading after pre heat, I have a lift up door to cover a 50x50mm cutout which takes a ss jam funnel to give tidy filling and somewhere to burp after 1stC.Definitely do the mod  and the learning curve will begin.I hope I have given  you some insight to my design characteristics which I arrived at by trial and error.

askthecoffeeguy

I use a good old bread maker and heat gun combo (when im not using the Behmor Plus) - and i get very even and consistent results I dont use a temperature probe - but I do tend to back off on applying the heat until the colour change begins to take place, then I gradually lower the heat gun so that it ends up being about 5cm away from the bean mass then I back off again when i get to rolling first crack I love the profile that this produces with good bean expansion that sometimes seems to be lacking in the Behmor, and there's a great 'roast coffee' flavour to the coffee as well which isnt always so evident using other methods ! P

bcspark

Gary I apologise for not fully answering your post.Difference with HG is consistancey and repeatable roasting to profile or by senses.My roast begins with preheat to approx 120deg with full air supply and about 2/3 heat,load then try to achieve a bottom out of somewhere of 70deg.At this I then govern the roast by applying heat to reach 194deg 1stC reduce heat but keep roast going to roll into 2nd.1st should be 12-14 min with drying time 70-100deg in 5 min.

Dry_bean.

on 1438047589:

Gary I apologise for not fully answering your post.Difference with HG is consistancey and repeatable roasting to profile or by senses.My roast begins with preheat to approx 120deg with full air supply and about 2/3 heat,load then try to achieve a bottom out of somewhere of 70deg.At this I then govern the roast by applying heat to reach 194deg 1stC reduce heat but keep roast going to roll into 2nd.1st should be 12-14 min with drying time 70-100deg in 5 min.

Interesting BCS! my method is a little different to yours, sounds like we finish up with very similar results though. I use a converted Breville single loaf bread maker. Bosch variable speed heat gun. Digital multi meter to monitor temp. I always roast 750 grams of green. I start all roasts from dead cold regardless of season, with the heat gun set on medium speed, 550° winter, 500° summer, first crack always occurs within a degree of 200° at around 14 minutes, I then drop the temp by 50°, I'm aiming at 225° or there about's at just under 20 minutes. I use a 20 litre plastic bucket with a bathroom exhaust fan and seive to cool them fast.

Koffee_Kosmo

I haven't had much time to visit and participate in this discussion due to work schedule I have used bcSpark's roaster when it was just converted and it roasted well Recently purchased a Steinel HL 2010 HG for future experimentation I have been roasting 1 kg batches with TO heat for a long time so experiments may take a while KK

askthecoffeeguy

roasted 2kg of png organic in 400g batches yesterday average roast time was 8 minutes plus one minute cooldown with a hairdryer on the cool cycle - have to say im pretty happy with the bean expansion and the roast profile - and its drinking very well today already! p

GaryatGala

Thanks for your responses Bcspark. Will be something to look forward to for my next project.[emoji106] For the time being, the heat guns will be consigned to the bread makers and the KKTO will stay in it,s current shape except that the next roast will be with the heat guard of the turbo oven removed to study the change in roast profile and the resultant taste in the cup. In due time the heat gun turbo roaster will go ahead. I have two heat guns and plenty of ideas for the cover. [emoji3]

GaryatGala

roasted 2kg of png organic in 400g batches yesterday average roast time was 8 minutes plus one minute cooldown with a hairdryer on the cool cycle - have to say im pretty happy with the bean expansion and the roast profile - and its drinking very well today already! That,s a quick roast Pat. That,s in fluid bed territory for that batch size . [emoji2]

bcspark

Had an afternoon on the KKTO-HG five roasts 4 so beans .To Brissie son Ethiopia Yiggy.to post to Sydney Yiggy,Indo Manderling Gayo and El Salvador La Cumbre COE.Decided to spoil me with 500grms of Hawaii Kona Kaipe all roasted to 2nd crack or just into at 225deg and beautiful 17min even batches

askthecoffeeguy

on 1438226360:

roasted 2kg of png organic in 400g batches yesterday average roast time was 8 minutes plus one minute cooldown with a hairdryer on the cool cycle - have to say im pretty happy with the bean expansion and the roast profile - and its drinking very well today already! That,s a quick roast Pat. That,s in fluid bed territory for that batch size . [emoji2]

Hi gary, I removed the glass from the cover of the bread oven, then carved a groove for the heat gun to sit pretty much level with the top of the baking tray inside - which is where I keep the tip of the heat gun until the beans begin to change colour, then I lower the gun so that its sitting about 5cm above the beans - its pretty rapid turnaround times alright, and first crack gets going good and proper! Towards the end of first crack I back off on the heat, and let it coast a little, then pull the roast at the first snips of second crack - which is darker than some folks go, I know, but its great for espresso and for cold filter as well! P

bcspark

I have a natural curiosity regarding Australian green beans.Have roasted Ashtons beans and I and my sons all agree that they are as good as the PNG offerings.Bit the bullet and ordered 5kg of Skybury Peaberry.Emailed for advice on roast depth and had a prompt and informative reply.Roasted for espresso i.e. CS9 and sent to my two sons for evaluation. Both them and I have enjoyed our tripples and machiatos and agree that Australian grown is up to world class.

Brett H

Completely agree mate!  I've no complaints note recieved any when I've had Aussie Beans with the exception of batch I had off anther group that tasted tainted.  They were very expensive comparatively and quite dreadful.  They were called MHT or MZT or some such.  It may have just been a bad batch but I wouldn't waste big money giving them a second chance when the others are so good and so reasonable.

FreshCoffee2

As with anything, there's ordinary stuff as well as good stuff. And FYI (for your interest) there is more to this than meets the eye. Australian production is small, and many growers wont / cant sell their product to commercial roasters at a wholesale rate. You therefore would find it a rarity to find a commercial roaster offering australian coffee per se. It is therefore the domain of the growers themselves to either sell greens at a retail level to whoever, or capitalise on their raw product by having it roasted for them or roasting it themselves to sell at retail. That is, some Australian coffee is quite good, but it will usually only ever be offered for sale by the growers themselves in either green or roasted form, in a limited / exclusive way to keep the price to a level that helps them to derive a worthwhile income from inside the Australian economy, where costs are what they are...

Brett H

Excellent insight!!  Thank you for sharing!!

Unknown

Hi all!, I am new to the forum and social media in general. I am from Brissy and looking at purchasing a domestic roaster wondering what home roasters people recommend and why? Any help would be much appreciated. I have used the Behmor 1600plus before, and seen some pretty sweet home roasters put together from various household domestic whitegoods parts. (One in particular was by a really nice chap, Kelsey in the Sunny Coast using a dryer drum and heat gun.) As much as I would like to experiment like that I am looking for something closer to a sample roaster. Has anyone used the Gene Cafe? It appears to be quite a good roaster. Cheers!

Koffee_Kosmo

Design wise the gene cafe is well thought out and does a good job I'm not familiar about its reliability or longevity But if it's a small batch / sample roaster you want it will do the job On another level and a higher price point then you can research the Hot Top roaster KK

Unknown

Thanks KK! Indeed the aesthetics of the gene cafe looks well thought out and there is a distributor in Aus so any issues should be easy to address. I've heard good things about the Hot Top might look into it. More importantly though I notice that my profile says instant coffee drinker!!! would someone tell me how to change that for the love of all things sacred! Cheers!

Koffee_Kosmo

on 1465531529:

Thanks KK! Indeed the aesthetics of the gene cafe looks well thought out and there is a distributor in Aus so any issues should be easy to address. I've heard good things about the Hot Top might look into it. Cheers!

No problem And there are other roasters recently released into the market And it depends on your budget

on 1465531529:

Thanks KK! More importantly though I notice that my profile says instant coffee drinker!!! would someone tell me how to change that for the love of all things sacred! Cheers!

If just means you are new to the site It will automatically go away the more posts you make So get posting KK

Unknown

Thanks Kosmo! Will keep you posted as to what I decide. Appreciate the technical support with the forum... Time for my next Chemex!

askthecoffeeguy

Having owned a gene cafe I would say that they're a great learning device but I got over the constant tipping and charring of.beans from coming into contact with the glass surface of the rotating drum - which is a problem I've not encountered in the Behmor Plus Also you can do much larger quantities on the Behmor Plus which is handy like me you find yourself going through more than 500g of coffee in your own in a.week !

Unknown

on 1465913025:

Having owned a gene cafe I would say that they're a great learning device but I got over the constant tipping and charring of.beans from coming into contact with the glass surface of the rotating drum - which is a problem I've not encountered in the Behmor Plus Also you can do much larger quantities on the Behmor Plus which is handy like me you find yourself going through more than 500g of coffee in your own in a.week !

Thanks mate! I appreciate the info certainly would not be pleased with tipping due to the inability to adjust drum speed. I might wait till Behmor release their new model in Aus.

askthecoffeeguy

Behmor have already released the Behmor Plus in Australia it has variable drum speed (fast or slow) and manual programming functions And I manage to get stunning cafe quality roasts from it time and time again in fact I've got two of them which means in theory at least I can roast 1kg at a time !

deegee

I've been using the Behmor Plus for most of my roasts for a few months now, and I have never noticed any signs of tipping or localised charring on any of my beans. Until recently I have concentrated on learning to use the preset programs, so most of my roasts have been done with the drum running at standard speed. I suspect that the fairly open mesh of the drum, and good agitation of the beans by the vanes means that surface contact between the drum and the beans is minimised and heating is mostly radiant and air convection.