Yes, r-e-l-a-x is fantastic advice, thank you HB!

(I'm a regular on one of the european coffee forums, TMC, and this post prompted me to finally register here at H-B.com).

I've never fomalized it, but some days i switch off the timer, the night before, so the espresso machine doesn't come on the next day. If I want coffee next morning, I'll have an aeropress or cafetiere, and ponder the coffee, not the espresso.

If it's reached the stage of a man-versus-machine, adversarial relationship, step back, get to know the machine in your own time, and don't worry too much about it!

And, if you make an awful cup from time to time, don't sweat it. It's just a cup of coffee - it can go down the sink...

Noah,

A super fast roast doesn't allow time for any development in the roasting process. Either you will never have any development, or you will burn it all away. Roasting is a progression. Think about cooking a steak on the grill outside, adjusting the flame just so, turning it about every four minutes, doing each side twice, finishing in about twelve to fifteen minutes depending on the cut... Then think about cranking up the heat, turning it every forty-five seconds, and finishing in three minutes. How's it taste? You can't hurry the flavor out of the bean, you need to coax it a little.

I didnt quite have the patience to wait for an online order, so I went to a local roaster (Cafe Kubal) with a knowledgable barista and bought a pound of beans after I requested a double shot of espresso using the beans. The first shot that I pulled when I got home was thick and drippy with glorious crema, very dark around the edges, with various shades of brown/red towards the center! I cannot describe the excitement - and the next two shots were just a visually pleasing! The last shot I pulled was actually overly bitter. BITTER! I've never been able to pull anything but the worst sour, so imagine my excitement. So, its back to the roasting forums to try and become comfortable with the bread machine/heat gun method. I feel so stupid for not thinking about the most important factor all this time, THE BEANS!! Thanks guys!

I knew it wasn't the machine or hand grinder! Congrats!
PC

Hello Noah I'm glad you got things figured out. I too have been in the same spot many a time. Might I suggest though that you do not stop getting professional beans? The reason being getting consistent espresso can be a large enough job without the added variable of the roast factor.

Myself I'm an avid home roaster and really enjoy it and I'm not saying quit altogether but with professional beans comes a quality and consistency that is a little more difficult to achieve each and every time at home.

The FAQ has some very interesting discussions on the merits of home roasting for espresso: Home Roasting FAQ.

This is a possibly a benefit to a roaster like the Hottop. Drip brewing is more forgiving than espresso, or so it seems. But i could tell even with my initial Fresh Roast +8 that with drip, it could be better. There were other problems too with the fast roast times of the Fresh Roast. I havent ventured into espresso yet - i have a use Gaggia Classic Coffee in the mail (via ebay). so i am excited to try my Hottop roasts with it. I think that less sophisticated roasting methods are probably a lot of fun and satisfying but perhaps more difficult to get roasts that produce consistently good coffee, no matter the brewing method. i suspect thats one of the fun challenges of home roasting is working to get that consistency. but for someone starting out, all the variables might not be so obvious (such as for the OP). i guess you get what you pay for. but thats not to say that you cant get as good as if you paid for the highest quality tools from the outset - it might just take more of your own effort to get to that point. for example, with me, i refuse to spend $1000 on a grinder for espresso - so i am going to try using my baratza maestro+ and if that fails get a hand grinder and be done with it.

Thanks for reminding me of the FAQs section Tim, I will read through them before I start roasting my new batch. I have enjoyed this bag of coffee so much that I think that I will continue to buy some pro-roasted beans, but, as I am sure you can relate to, I now have a new challenge before me, a new opportunity to learn more, to develop a new skill, so I to dive in head first. As an aside, I began roasting along with a neighbor at the same time, and while we have roasted about the same amount of beans, I have stuck to the popper while he made himself a TimEggers soup can/drill roaster and roasted me a 22 minute small batch of SM Peru FTO San Ignacio Cajamarca (I told him to make the roast on the long side to compare), and the shot was a great success, with a thick speckled crema, but not as dark as the Ethiopian. The color and condition of the beans after the roast were nowhere near as polished or nice as the pro beans, but the taste and the shot were more than enough of a confirmation for me that espresso can be roasted at home (at least for the VERY limited taste I have for it thus far). The cappa tasted like a hot chocolate!

Oh believe me I'm not trying to sway you (or anyone) from home roasting. I do it and love it, but just keep a level head about it (which you are) and realize that by not trying the best pro coffees the home barista will surely miss out on the wider (and more delicious) coffee scene. I've found home roasting to be an excellent and educational addition to the many coffees available abroad.

plexus wrote:for example, with me, i refuse to spend $1000 on a grinder for espresso - so i am going to try using my baratza maestro+ and if that fails get a hand grinder and be done with it.

Oh $1000 seems a little high. I have less that $300 total spent on my Mazzer Super Jolly and it's a grinder that's a joy to use everyday. But to each his own.