Richard wrote:And next you will be submitting a patent claim that teaches carbonated espresso?

Actually, Richard, next would be a tennis-ball-pump adapted to storing beans under CO2 pressure. That way, instant crema no matter how you brew.

r

FWIW, Carl Staub from Agtron suggested that many home roasters cool down their roasts too quickly at the end. He said the stresses produced by this procedure result in "microcracks" in the beans' surface. Then oxygen gets in more easily and decreases the usable life of the beans.

IIRC, Carl said the 2-3 minute cooldown common in commercial roasting was long enough to avoid the problem.

I usually store my roasted beans in vacuumed container. I let the beans rest for one or two days after roasting (depending on the type of bean) and then I freeze them in the vacuumed container. I have noticed that when I thaw the beans, the outgassing continues.- even after several weeks. I hope this means the beans are still fresh from being stored this way.

The freezer I use is the old type that requires defrosting every few months, not the frost free kind. That is important since the frost free type is not always at its coldest temperature.

jerry

Wonder what would happen if one where to take a ordinary glass jar with a metal lid with proper seal and install a quick-fitting with a backflow valve and a one way valve, and then purge the jar with argon before storing it?

LeoZ wrote:ever notice that?
buy preroasted beans, and they seem to have a good lifecycle.

home roasted, on the other hand, a couple of weeks, max.

do pro-roasters extend the roasts which could help lengthen lifespan?

another far stretch, buy lavazza. ok, not ideal, but still a great tasting bean, and not anywhere as flat as a homeroasted bean would taste, especially after 2-3 months!

You're comparing a can of Lavazza to a good home roast?///ugh...
Forgive me here, but you must not drink much coffee to have 2 week old home roast sitting around
...admittedly, we drink a bunch of coffee around here, but I roast a full # in my Behmor (yield after roasting about 13.6 oz)...
It's gone in 7 days , max...and that's with a 24 hour rest. For non espresso brewed coffee, 2 weeks, if kept air tight in a 1 way valved bag should be no problem, though. On rare occasion, I've had both Pro roasted and home roasted versions of the same varietal, and after 10 days noticed no appreiciable difference in degradation.
Most espresso's lose much of their ability to produce mountains of crema after 10 days, but (at least to me) often have more complex flavors. Just goes to show how we all taste things differently!

AndyS wrote:FWIW, Carl Staub from Agtron suggested that many home roasters cool down their roasts too quickly at the end. He said the stresses produced by this procedure result in "microcracks" in the beans' surface. Then oxygen gets in more easily and decreases the usable life of the beans.

IIRC, Carl said the 2-3 minute cool down common in commercial roasting was long enough to avoid the problem.

Andy...interesting you/Carl said the above...I've posted that since roasting coffee with a Behmor 1600 (I was a beta tester, so I've had 8 months with it) I've noticed that my coffee doess seem "fresher" a bit longer....when I've had some at 10 days after roast date (rare...lol) when brewed in an Aerobie, there is still a serious amount of blooming. There is a protracted cooling period on the Behmor...I compensate buy stopping my roast a touch earlier, and let it coast that extra bit during the first minute of cool down (ala a BBQ roaster)
I think Carl may have the answer...I used to do 1 minute cooldowns, when roasting with my StirCrazy/CO combo...spritzing, etc.

IMAWriter wrote:I think Carl may have the answer...I used to do 1 minute cooldowns, when roasting with my StirCrazy/CO combo...spritzing, etc.

Hi Rob:

This sounds like a great project for Ken and Jim!

They can roast a bunch of batches and cool some in 1 min and some in 3 min. Wait a couple weeks and see if there's a difference in freshness.

It's great giving people homework. I shoulda been a teacher!

I'd even suggest that Ken use his own roaster rather than a Behmor.

Yes his own roaster would be a true test, of course...however, if he's using a fluid bed roaster (I didn't catch which roaster he had) and he's purchasing roasted that's been drum roasted.....?
I remember how my popper roasts were drinkable early, and faded by the 6th or 7th day...they would oil up fast, even if I was able to stop them before 2nd...which was pretty hard to do!

IMAWriter wrote:Yes his own roaster would be a true test, of course...however, if he's using a fluid bed roaster (I didn't catch which roaster he had) and he's purchasing roasted that's been drum roasted.....?

Hi Rob:

Ken uses a heavily modified pro sample roaster.

My suggestion was not that he compare his own roast to something he purchased. Instead he should split his own roasted coffee batches in half as soon as the roast is over, cooling half in 1 minute and the other half in 3 minutes. Then compare the coffees over time.

Obviously, many home roasters can try this, and perhaps they will. Of course Ken and Jim do a particularly good job of blind tasting and data analysis.

Ken, if you're lurking out there, feel free to send me an email. And what are you doing with all your newfound free time?

AndyS wrote:
...This sounds like a great project for Ken and Jim!

...They can roast a bunch of batches and cool some in 1 min and some in 3 min. Wait a couple weeks and see if there's a difference in freshness...

Hope we all have the answer for it