GDM528 wrote:I think it does, as the app will check (and insist) that you have the appropriate model, so it may not fully register with the recipe-sharing servers.

I also suggest you don't update the app, as the current version still allows profile editing - the next version may hold editing hostage for $34/month.

Got it. Thanks for the help. Will be able to play around starting Wed.

Iowa_Boy wrote:I would have thought the spike would scorch/burn natural process beans.
Peppersass, do you adjust preheat temp or the height of the spike for different bean types?

Out of eight different naturals I've roasted in the Ikawa Pro V3, only one had any hint of scorching, and it was minor. A couple of roasts were somewhat uneven in color, probably a combination of uneven bean size amount of chaff still adhered to the beans. Taste in the cup hasn't indicated problems with scorching.

FWIW all of the naturals I've roasted have been high-grown, dense beans.

I haven't adjusted preheat time. The only editing I've done has been to shorten the overall roast time, slightly changing the slope of the curve after 1C.

GDM528 wrote:Thank you! I was able to view in the Pro app, at which point I discovered it has 8 temperature setpoints and 11 fan setpoints! Is your edited version as pointilicious?

My edited version has one less setpoint in each of the two curves. The original idea was to shorten the overall roast time because I was dropping my light roast at around 1:30 past 1C, which was happening around 7:20-7:30. So I shortened the end time from 10:09 to 9:10. But more often than not, I drop the roasts manually, well before the end of the shortened curve, usually around 8:30-ish, but sometimes at 8:00-8:15 for a very light roast. I could just use the original profile for that and get the same result.

Specifically, I replaced the last two setpoints in the temperature curve, which were 9:35->422F and 10:09->424F, with 9:10->424F. I replaced the last three setpoints in the fan curve, which were 8:57->67%, 10:09->72% and 10:09->74%, with 8:37->67% and 9:10->74%. (Don't ask me why the original profile has two different fan set points at 10:09.) I wanted to get that bump to 74% to happen earlier, but since I usually drop my roasts earlier the edit doesn't have any effect.

Every now and then I think I should create profiles with exact end times for the coffees of which I have a fair amount on hand. Then I wouldn't have to monitor the roast at the end to manually drop. But I haven't gotten around to it. I suspect if I did that the beans would sit in the roast chamber for a few minutes before I got to the roaster to evacuate them. I prefer to get them out of the roaster as soon as possible so they'll cool down the rest of the way.

Peppersass wrote:Out of eight different naturals I've roasted in the Ikawa Pro V3, only one had any hint of scorching, and it was minor. A couple of roasts were somewhat uneven in color, probably a combination of uneven bean size amount of chaff still adhered to the beans. Taste in the cup hasn't indicated problems with scorching.

FWIW all of the naturals I've roasted have been high-grown, dense beans.

I haven't adjusted preheat time. The only editing I've done has been to shorten the overall roast time, slightly changing the slope of the curve after 1C.

What's the recommended batch size for the Pro V3?
I've been keeping my batch size at around 50g, which keeps the beans off the bottom of the chamber.

Also, ever see a subtle dip in the inlet temp right around first crack, when the beans go exothermic?

Peppersass wrote:(Don't ask me why the original profile has two different fan set points at 10:09.)

I prefer to get them out of the roaster as soon as possible so they'll cool down the rest of the way.

That hitch at 10:09 for the Pro is a freebie setpoint for the Home version that will jump from the fan speed at the end of the roast to a single setting for the cool-down fan speed. Speaking of which, I've been extending cool-down to run for at least 2 minutes, at which point the chamber is down to 50C or so - is that still too hot?

GDM528 wrote:Speaking of which, I've been extending cool-down to run for at least 2 minutes, at which point the chamber is down to 50C or so - is that still too hot?

I really can't say. To avoid any doubt, I like the beans to get to room temperature as quickly as possible. But I'm OK with just getting the beans out and pouring them into the bean tray that comes with the Pro V3.

GDM528 wrote:I'll post tasting results later, but I admit to a visual bias for roast color that likely slants my tasting notes, and I haven't mastered preparing espressos blindfolded. I anticipate the term "baked" may come into play, although that word makes me think about a yummy batch of brownies. I think the term 'baked' means all the tasty volatiles have been driven out, leading to a watered-down brew - did I get that right?

Tasted results of the 'remediated' roasting test:
Suspicions confirmed regarding the effects of re-roasting. All those complex volatiles were driven out, leaving a very 'simple' taste profile. The 2-minute profile was very 'meh', whereas the 3-minute profile had more 'roasting character' - go big or go home. Still tasted like coffee, including the signature bitter notes of a darker roast. Evoked images of what it might be like to finish off the last few beans in a 5lb bag of coffee purchased from Costco 3 months earlier. Apologies to Costco, who FWIW is selling a 2lb bag of Panama Geisha for only $43, Full City roast...

So, in my role to serve as a warning to others: remediation may be better addressed by tuning the extraction and learning to appreciate lighter roasts.

My latest attempt at a general-purpose Full City roast profile, because Ikawa's generic profiles don't go dark enough for me. What Ikawa calls Dark+++ roast for BYOB looks more like a medium roast IMO. My target is to get to a roast level where the beans haven't quite produced any audible second-cracks, yet still show very light oil spots on a few of the beans. Also want to make this a starting recipe for whatever non-Ikawa beans I want to try, and fine-tune from there if needed.

Thanks to Peppersass and Iowa_Boy for their profile postings, which informed elements of this recipe, along with many other postings from the drum roasters out there.

Basic roasting strategy:
1) start hot / linear ramp to first crack / slow ramp towards second crack - only four setpoints
2) don't over-dry the beans; I read somewhere that going into browning temperatures with a bit of water helps the chemistry
3) force first-crack to land between 6 and 7 minutes and limit roast time to no more than 9 minutes to discourage baking
4) set final roast level with a single temperature setpoint so it's easy to tweak from medium to dark
5) avoid maneuvers that might scorch natural-processed greens

I fixed the fan speed at a flat 80% for the entire roast to simplify the thermal analysis. If I change both the temperature AND the fan speed, my ability to understand the heat transfer is trashed - too complicated for my small brain to handle. I understand that adjustments to fan speed may be able to expose tasting notes of some fruit I've never heard of, but I've also read that exposure to Starbucks has turned my palate into permanently damaged goods - so I'm a cheap date when it comes to coffee tasting.

I've tried one-each natural-process and washed greens so far and hoping for any feedback before I try out another half-dozen greens.

I run the machine once before making any measurements. Per another posting, just one run is enough to thermally stabilize the Ikawa. Then I captured thermal profiles with the chamber empty, then again with natural and washed greens.

Important Safety Tip:
Regarding my thermocouple readings, I made the usual efforts to calibrate carefully to get accurate readings but still maintain a healthy skepticism. I suspect my readings might be too high, but I also suspect other readings I've seen posted elsewhere might be too low. I assert what ultimately matters, are the temperature settings in the app - my thermocouple measurement simply provides useful background to speed up the process. Given that Ikawa ships machines they claim will produce a specific roast result from their sourced greens, implies all machines are calibrated to a common standard. Therefore, and for example, setting 275C on my machine should be within just a couple degrees of anyone else's machine set to the same temperature. I can't think of any other roaster manufacturer that can make this claim.



Here's the link to the recipe: https://share.ikawa.support/profile_hom ... laTFiATA=
Should be editable with any version of the Ikawa app.

I put a 150C setpoint at the 2 second mark to emulate the Pro version's pre-heat/bean-drop workflow. I don't know for sure, but I suspect the Pro machines can't do the instant-ramp at the beginning of the profile. Perhaps a Pro owner could confirm...

Observations:
1) the Ikawa's aggressive convective heating system really keeps different beans on the same thermal track - this is super-useful
2) I think the RoR curve flattening at the 150sec mark implies the beans are still carrying a teensy bit of water into browning
3) the shift to exothermic chemistry is observable in the RoR curve ('bump' ~6-minute mark) nearly a minute before any cracks are heard

I'd like to think that two different greens hitting first-crack within 30 second of each other (and in the target window, yay!) is a glass-half-full situation. Given that I don't drop the roast for another 2-3 minutes, the FC timing difference is relatively small. The two roasts looked nearly the same color, although the washed beans were far more uniform such that a roast color analyzer would likely read a small difference. If I were going for a lighter roast with a much shorter development time, I would feel compelled to compensate.

I did some initial tests of the final temperature setpoint, and it appears like I get about one roast level shift every 5 degrees:
275 = Full City
270 = City+
265 = City
Alternatively, just hitting the 'drop' button early might yield a similar result.

Again, comments/criticisms/suggestions welcomed.

GDM528 wrote: I put a 150C setpoint at the 2 second mark to emulate the Pro version's pre-heat/bean-drop workflow. I don't know for sure, but I suspect the Pro machines can't do the instant-ramp at the beginning of the profile. Perhaps a Pro owner could confirm...

I can set an outlet temperature profile to go from 50 to 150 in 2 seconds. I shudder to think what would happen if I ran it. It has enough wild oscillation just starting preheated. This is a normal run.


Here it is with immediate bean loading. The roast came out 4 points lighter on the EspressoVision scale (21, medium-light instead of 17, medium)

Roasted a Klatch Sumatra Mutu Batek coffee last weekend using my Ikawa Home adapted Espresso Profile 1.
Recall that in that profile, I am charging the beans at the 1 minute mark.
Below is the Artisan profile. Even though the curve looked decent, to my eye the beans looked scorched. So I did a roast with an Ikawa Vietnam coffee profile which supposedly had a longer drying time. Beans came out looking similar. Was frustrated.
So I will admit to being very pleasantly surprised after tasting the coffee that both results were excellent. Good rich chocolate and spicy flavor notes, no evidence to my palate of scorching!
In fact, I did a roast on the Bullet the weekend (profile curve listed below) and overall the bean result looks pretty similar (maybe very slightly more even color). There was still a fair amount of color variability, so it seems like it's the bean. Haven't tasted it yet, but suspect that it will taste similar to the Ikawa roasted coffee.
So my conclusion is that the Ikawa Home adapted Espresso Profile 1 has been working quite well.
Still working to teak the curve a bit to prolong drying time a bit when needed and get a slightly less flat ROR between DE and 1C.