ken fox wrote:I would beg to differ.
Ken...begging does not become you..
There is an assumption among home roasters that their roast product is good; unfortunately, this is often not the case. One reason why home roasters assume their roast product to be good is that they are comparing their home roast to what they can buy locally, which often seriously sucks. They are comparing to stuff like starbucks or that gross dark and oily stuff sitting in bins at a supermarket.
Ken, I have not purchased coffee in a supermarket in 30 years...my only online roasted coffee comes from the usual terrific roasters often mentioned here. Not only do I enjoy it, it is a benchmark upon which I strive to
approach
I, as have many other home roasters we both know have had numerous compliments from folks about our coffee, and I often roast coffee's such as metropolis "greenline" (green version of redline).. Therefore my comparisons are with artisan roasted coffee...am I their equal?....occasionally, and
that's what separates (in my opinion) the rank and file homeroaster from the pro. But those occasional victories are sweet. Saving money is also a good thing, as my roasting appliance cost $89 (co/ufo combo)
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We home roasters are not professionals, we often have no training, we have highly varied equipment that varies in both its innate capabilities, and in the ability to accurately monitor the roast temperature during the roast process. One has to consider the impact of the raw material, e.g. The coffee, that is being used by a person who makes any particular comment about their espressos or coffees. In my opinion, the coffee that one uses is far and away the biggest factor in anyone's results, far outweighing any piece of equipment or issue of technique.
Speaking for myself, I use only the best coffee possible...ordering only from top vendors, and occasionally from either of the co-ops. Ken, once again, all things being relative, I've noticed absolutely no differences in my pulls (regarding times, blonding, or distribution/packing) with my homeroasted versions of say, redline than i do with the actual sent to me roasted version. Yes, acidity might vary a bit, but not in a way that gets in the way of my enjoyment.
Once again, speaking only for me, I am either a very good home roaster, or have deteriorating taste buds, because I find my home roasted coffee to be more than just acceptable, and my shots to be addictive. This has not been an overnight journey, as anyone who has observed my struggles can attest.
So...Ken, I hereby stand up to your "assumption among homeroasters that their coffee is good" comment and reply....our coffee
is good. Better than good, or I wouldn't be on this website calling you out.
But as they say here in the south "I mean it in a good way'