by drgary on Sun Oct 02, 2011 1:26 pm Since last posting I've obtained a rigid probe and had a chance to fire up the HG/BM again three days ago. I was following the general espresso roast guidelines suggested by another_jim earlier regarding time and temperature (see original post, page 1), keeping a log and everything. First,
another_jim wrote:Can one smell the roast in these machines? I find ending roasts by smell the most accurate, once you know the signs.
Yes, with this "gear" I can easily smell the roast.
But ... it had been so long since I tried this I didn't notice that 8 minutes in I hadn't heard 1C.
So what I made up in my mind to fit Jim's description of roast smells wasn't relevant. I looked inside and saw the beans were a medium tan. I'd loaded the HG/BM with 8 oz of El Salvador Finca El Majahual. So I cranked up the HG, covered the vent and went for it. My temperature readings seemed high, so I was peeking at the beans and listening for 1C, which quickly came. Then I backed off the HG and jockeyed it to maintain temperature and managed about a 3 1/2 minute interval until I heard the first crackle of 2C and immediately dumped the beans into my cooling tray.I tried an AeroPress of these beans yesterday, 1 1/2 days post roast, and there was so little flavor it was like tea, so that became a mocha. Then today I tried it as espresso, and the flavor has really opened up. 20 minutes after drinking a delicious cuppa my mouth still resonates with a long finish of dark chocolate. It was balanced, had good crema and rich mouthfeel and when first sampled had hints of molasses with some mild bitters on top.
So even with this clumsy newbie attempt, I didn't screw it up! I'm guessing the slow ramp up didn't do much damage and the crucial stage between 1C and 2C was about right as was stopping it short of 2C. Next time, though, I'll try a larger load because I think my TC wasn't buried deep enough into the beans to not also be reading the air temperature.
Just like when I first acquired a La Pavoni home lever machine and found it wasn't as hard as I'd read, I'm now feeling much more courageous about home roasting. I'm hooked!
I think it's easy to form a belief that something is extraordinarily difficult when reading a forum where many are trying to solve things that have gone wrong. But as with many cooking attempts, success may depend as much on paying attention as it does on going by the numbers.
Please understand, though, that I'm not saying the numbers aren't important or that superlative roasting isn't a high art. What I am saying to other new roasters is don't be afraid to try.
You're saying that's a quick way to get rid of the Teflon in the bread pan. It was way too much work.
