sweet thread..ive heard nothing but good things about SM's...i soon will be a roasting man myself
[Reply]

Freakin unbelievable, but had to happen.

Keeping the tradition alive of breaking everything in my path, I broke the glass roasting chamber ,putting it back on for a roast.

Didn't seem like I was roughhousing it, it just chipped off a piece.

Don't try this at home, but I put a piece of tape over the hole and pulled off another roast!!!

For those keeping tabs, that's a grinder, machine, and now a roaster.

On a VERY positive note and big kudos for Sweet Marias, I told them and they are 2nd day air sending me a new one free after I told them what happened. It's enroute and tracking shows it will be in my wreckless paws before I get through the first two batches.

They may be exaggerating frshness, but won a customer for life with that move.
[Reply]

:-):-):-):-)

You need to live in a rubber house!

SM's is great, I have yet in over two years had a single complaint, just praise.
[Reply]

And to put icing on the cake, I decided to spend 200 bucks on the new Panoptix transitional lense motorcycle glasses that get really dark when it is sunny and really light when it's dark.

I was enjoying them immensely until they flew off my head the other day and got crushed under a car.

Shoulda used the straps.

Orlando Harley wasn't as kind as Sweet Marias but offered a 10% discount on new ones.

I keep reassuring myself that this is why you work so hard, right?????
[Reply]

OK - so you're a little rough on equipment. At least the coffee is finally fresh! Nice job.

I don't savvy that 4-day fresh thingie either. Your roaster and espresso machine will show you, without a doubt, some beans aren't developed for 4-5 days and then may drink brilliantly for a week or two thereafter.
[Reply]

Yemens can be at their best at 7-9days IMO for espresso SO shots. This brings up freezing roasted beans so that they can be kept at their peak flavor for espresso.
[Reply]

I am buying a popcorn popper and was wondering

what's the best blend to start with??

I tend to like the darker roasts but if I get an actual fresh roasted coffee you never know.
[Reply]

I've been enjoying the first pound of a 4 pound sampler that came with my roaster.

It's Sweet Maria's Espresso Monkey blend.

I've gotten a little better at the roast timing and have been roasting this dark.
[Reply]

What do you like now when you buy roasted? I think Brazils are great and many of the other S American's have that coffee taste where the africans are more out of the box but really wonderful.

The great thing about home roast is doing it to your taste. I now enjoy much lighter roasts after my tastes expanded from home roasting.
[Reply]

crack ? ohhh....coffee! yum....i lonly drink coffee if i know when and where it was roasted
[Reply]

Hate to beat a dead cow, but I am so happy I got the right grinder now that I am going through so many different beans.

I'm finding I need adjusting on just about every different blend and would have been in for a challenge with my old one and probably settling for what it was giving me on the given day.

Read it a while ago and thought it was crazy, but have to now agree that "grinders make espresso".
[Reply]

A tip on roasting, the darker the roast, the more you lose the flavor of the origin of
the bean. Roast dark enough and they'll all taste the same. If tha what you like, have at it, but you'll be missing out on one of the best things about homeroasting, the wonderful difference in taste that comes from the different origins:-)
[Reply]

Good point.

Do you find a general rule of thumb as far as when you stop the roast, or does it depend on the bean?

That was my biggest complaint with some of the roasters I was buying from; it seemed like every batch was very dark roasted and seemed to be almost Vienna or light French roast according to the handy chart posted earlier.
[Reply]

Nicely done Pete. Fun to read about your path. Good luck.
[Reply]