Let's keep it simple. Here's rough format for the Annual HB Homeroasting Competition

• Two competition categories: straight espresso and brewed.
• I will post a list of eligible coffees available at Sweet Maria's at the start of the competition window.
• Competitors will have four weeks to order, try out, roast and send me 100 to 200 grams of their roast coffee entries. Coffees received after the closing date will not be eligible.
• Entries must include the coffee origins, the blends, the roasting device used, the roasting time and the finishing temperature or roast level. Other roasting details will be welcome.
• Coffees will be frozen on the day they are received. Brewing entries will be removed from the freezer on the day of competition. Espresso entries will be removed so they will have completed their recommended resting period on the competition day. Espresso entries without prescribed resting period will get one week of non-frozen resting days. Coffee will be frozen in its sent packaging, so use something appropriate.
• Espresso entries will be brewed on my Elektra Semi with E61 style double baskets. Dose will based on my dial in, unless you prescribe one. Feel free to include helpful dial in info. Tasting will be blind.
• Brewing entries will be ground fine French Press, steeped for 3 minutes, and paper filtered for 1 minute, and tasted blind.
• I will include my own, non-competing entry, also tasted blind. This will satisfy both my and, I hope, your curiosity.
• I reserve the right to get additional tasting judges for the competition. Results will be based on my ratings. If there are other judges, their reviews will be shown complete and separate, so people can combine ratings as they please.
• The results, including the tasting notes, will be made public

If anybody volunteers as a greens, prize or other kind of sponsor, as judge, etc. I will happily modify the rules to accommodate.

Suggestions for improving the format are welcome.

Would Dan like some coffees too?
Consider blends and SOs?

This is great...i've been thinking about something like this for a little while....not that i'm good enough to enter (yet...maybe next year though, or if by some fluke i have some appropriate greens on hand). it will be cool to see how everyone fares, since i've essentially learned all i know about home roasting from posts here.

can't wait to see the results.....

How about slipping in some pro roasts (cupped blind against the home roasts) just for kicks?

portamento wrote:How about slipping in some pro roasts just for kicks?

If nobody wants to participate, it won't be happening.

Jim,

this sounds like a great idea, though quite a bit of work on your part. I entered a beer home-brewing contest and it was educational and fun to have my brews evaluated seriously. I'm interested.

Dave

I am definitely interested in participating. I don't have any friends that are interested in coffee beyond Folgers and Coffeemate, so this would be a great way to see how my roasts rank with people who actually know coffee and help me to improve.

This can be much more than just a competition. This will be one of the best ways to improve your roasting, tasting and blending approaches. We often mention to roast, cup and adjust. I would suggest sending in a sample and at the same time putting some in the freezer tightly packaged. After your roast has been analyzed you can pull your sample out and look for what was identified. Then we can discuss the ways that improvements can be accomplished. This process will improve your tasting and roasting abilities. Don't miss out on this special opportunity whether a newbie or a long time homeroaster.

another_jim wrote:If nobody wants to participate, it won't be happening.

I'm in.

Jim

I'm in.