ripcityman wrote:...Pictures below, if you want to know more, I'll be around...

Looks like a food-service pan. I am curious as to the heating source and what you used as an axle in the center. Care to start a thread of your own showcasing?

+1. Your creation definitely worth a thread on its own. It is a simple system and seems pretty easy to replicate too if the person has some of the tools/ingredient around.

Some update, my beans has taken much less of the smokiness, I think (lost track of time), after 5 days of resting. A shot of espresso this morning is sooo good! I think the way how I store the beans also heavily affects the smokiness. With this batch, I occasionally open the can every day to release some of the gas. It seems to work better that way. In my previous roasts, I pretty much store them airtight after 4 hours post-roast, and only open the can to release the 'gas' for the first two days.

Oh, and thanks for the link. I've watched the videos a few times prior to this, but the resolution isn't good enough to show the fine details. If I have your SS roaster, I probably wouldn't even bother with fabricating one from the floats. Haha. But it will be an interesting project nonetheless, to see what fine work you can come up with, as compared to my ugly roaster.

I'm glad to see others here in the U.S. post about the FZ-RR-700 baby roaster and other roasters like it. I bought a motorized version about a year ago and love it. I started with a popcorn popper then moved on to a Behmor and used it for a long time but got frustrated with the lack of control so I sold it and ordered the baby roaster.
I know air flow is really important when you roast large amounts of coffee, but for a half pound and lower it seems like roasters like the baby roaster do a great job. I normally roast about 225 grams and get great results; although I did install 2 stirring arms in my roaster and I still give it a shake every minute and a half.

I really like being able to control everything with this roaster, although I sometimes drive myself crazy thinking about different profiles to use. I use a portable stove that pumps out a lot of heat so I can finish a roast in 8 minutes if I wanted to or I can extend it out as long as I want. Lately I've been starting with a medium low heat until about 4 and a half minutes and then pushing the heat up to hit first crack starts around 10-11 minutes, then once first crack gets really strong I kick the heat down really low to finish first crack and stop it where I want. I let my roasts rest about 4 days to get rid of any roasty flavor.

samuellaw178 and ripcityman I would love to hear what roast profiles you use with different types of beans with your similar roasters as I am always experimenting with profiles.

Thanks,
Justin

It's a Coleman Perfect Flow single burner camp stove available at Walmart $23.88. You can get it at Target or Sporting goods store. Ebay sells them, but you will have to pay shipping.

I started a new thread on the roaster. Huh, you were so close. It's a steam pot used by chefs.

I have many profiles based on the beans of course. I love El Salvador washed Bourbon. I use the Coleman Perfect Flow camp stove (10,000 BTU). My profile for that is a 12 minute roast I call the 6.3.1.

The Coleman has six distinctive clicks from low to high heat. So I start at 6 (high) and roast to audible first crack signs then turn to 3. Once the first crack is rolling, I turn the stove to 1 (lowest setting) to slow the first crack to a good 3 three minutes or more in length. I leave the stove on 1 for the remainder of the roast which is 15 seconds into the second crack. The roast shows no signs of oil popping.

jcof3474 wrote: samuellaw178 and ripcityman I would love to hear what roast profiles you use with different types of beans with your similar roasters as I am always experimenting with profiles.

Hi Justin,
Below is what I came out with after plenty of confusing readings on this and other forums, so by no means they're proven nor truth. I read that drying phase happens at 100-150C. Slightly stretched drying phase will allow for more even drying, and eventually even roast, about 3-4 min is desirable. From 150C to 200C(roughly where fc happens) is where the sugar starts melting, and chemical reaction or flavor deterioration may happens here if you let it go too long, so it was suggested to rush to first crack as soon as possible without scorching the beans. Development phase is the period from fc to drop time. It is when the development of (chemical reactions favorable for) flavor occurs. Optimally 2-5 min is desired depending on the roast level you're aiming for. The darker your roast, the longer development phase you're looking at.

samuellaw178 wrote:My roast timeline normally goes like this :
Start with room temp roaster on medium high gas,for 100g green.
Lower the gas to medium after about ~2.5th minutes, *hopefully* for the drying phase
Turn up the gas once I smelled some sweet-coffee aroma, or at 5-6th min if I don't notice any dramatic in smell.
Aim 8-11th minutes for first crack
3-5 minutes from FC to SC, which it is dropped immediately at the first snap of SC
Vacuum cooled within 2 minutes.

Just an update, I have done another two roasts. This time without the lid on. During the first crack, I am surprised how much smoke is actually coming out from the roaster! I think I am only getting about 20% of the smoke out previously with the lid on. Immediately after the roast, I smelled the beans and they're grassy & wheaty, but not smokey at all! These were Full City & Full City+ roast and would definitely smelled way smokier if the lid was on. When I taste the beans after 2 days, they're very good in espresso. Not so much of smokiness.

Theee may not be enough data point but I am quite sure the finding is significant. Will post back if this is not true in my future roast.

So the conclusion, at least for now, is ventilation, if not airflow, is especially important in roasting.

Thanks for the profile information gentlemen.

ripcityman I am really interested in the burner that you are using. I use an Iwatani camping stove that is 12,000 BTU, and while it is nice the adjustment is very hard to keep consistent, the slightest touch changes the flame level a lot. So the Coleman with the click adjustment sounds like that would be easy to use.


Thanks again,
Justin

Yes a Korean stove. I have used the butane stoves before. The one I used was only 8,000 BTU'S, but actually did an excellent job. The up side to the Butane stoves are electronic ignition, low profile, and the base of the stove fits my particular roaster perfectly. My wife is Asian, so we frequent an Asian supermarket here in the Portland, Or. Yesterday I found two different versions of the Korean made butane stoves for $14.99, the store also sells a 4 pack of butane for $4.99. Try buying these butane stoves at an American style sporting goods store and they are $30.00, the butane is $2 a can.

The upside to the Coleman stove is it is available everywhere, and so are the 1 pound propane cylinders. Did you know you can refill those cylinders? Just google " Mr. Heater Propane Tank Refill Adaptor" they are available on EBAY or Cabelas. Instead of paying 2/3 dollars for a bottle of propane, you can refill for .65 cents.

Lastly the six distinctive settings on the Coleman stove are really an advantage when roasting coffee.