I just bought the 4 pound sampler from Sweet Maria to start out!
[Reply]

You will not be dissapointed. They have alot of great info on their site and they are great people.
[Reply]

Yes I will be roasting indoors.
Did my first batch last night, made the house smell like burnt microwaved popcorn. YMMV
All the smoke detectors went off as well.
Next time I will open the window in the kitchen and turn on the range hood exhaust.

Yes Shane, Got the roaster and beans from Sweet Marias. :-)
[Reply]

When I got home last night, I couldn't wait to fire up the roaster

Image

Image

Image

Now being a total noob, I have some questions.

I thought the beans would look more uniform in color, is this a correct assumption?
I was shooting for a city roast and stopped after what I thought was first crack.
How subtle a sound is first crack?
The cracks I heard were very distinct, and immediately afterward the roaster started smoking like crazy.
I feel the roast is darker than what I was shooting for, but like I said, I stopped after what I thought was first crack.
Any chance I missed first crack and roasted to second?
I choose a 1/4lb to roast and eyeballed it.
Should I buy a scale and weigh precise amounts?

Thanks in advance
[Reply]

Nice, after hearing that I went on their site and bought the sampler.
Shipped out the same day, can't wait.

I did some research on my roaster and it sounds like it is an okay unit. It is decent for indoors, the catalytic convertor is said to work well. The downside is it doesn't cool well. The review I read recommends taking the beans out and using a fan on them in a colonder. They recommend a milder bean because there is a long time in between cracks, maybe too long. Well I will give it all a go and see what happens.
[Reply]

Dom,

From the look of the pictures, you have a nice roast that looks to be city plus, but it's hard to be positive.

First crack is similar to the sound of popcorn and second crack is more of a crackling sound, almost like rice crispies in a cereal bowl.

You should be able to hear first crack very clearly and it sounds different than second.

From my experience, smoke usually indicates you are in second crack.

I personally roast a bit darker for espresso but occasionally roast lighter and always wait for the first crack to nearly complete before cooling.

A scale as well as notes on your roasts is a very good idea in the beginning, although I know a big dixie cup is about 3/4 of a pound and I always scoop like that into the drum and haven't touched my scale in a long time.
[Reply]

X2. Well said Pete. My thoughts exactly.
[Reply]

Thank you, Pete!

The sounds I heard were more like popcorn.
I will try to take the next batch to second crack.
Thanks for the input, fellas! :-)
[Reply]

Just curious, are you setting to P1?

If so, that is the profile that starts and ends on full roast and 1st and second crack can almost blend into one.

I personally stick with P3 because it is a longer roast and has some "flat" or times when the burners aren't on.

I'd say that by the 3rd or 4th roast, you'll be understanding the roaster a lot better.
[Reply]

I used the p3 setting.
I pushed 1/4, p3,C, start.
Pressed the cool button with about 20 seconds left on the timer.

I think as I use it more, I will definitely understand it more.
Which is why asked about the cracking sounds.
I understand it will be trial and error at the start.
I appreciate your help with my learning curve! :-)
[Reply]

that's very close to the roast setting I use, except I always set to 1lb, D as you can always hit cool early but can't always add enough time to finish a roast if the 1/4 lb setting shuts down before the desired roast is finished. (safety setting allows 1.5 minutes to be added max once roast begins)

Just to add to the excitement, once you get dialed in on a roast, you'll try another blend that behaves differently.

Enjoy!
[Reply]

I roasted my second batch last night.
I roasted a 1/2 pound, since I all but used the first 1/4 I roasted

1/2,p3,D, start

I now fully understand the sounds of first crack and second.
Very distinct difference.
I also now understand what smoke is :-)
What I thought was a lot of smoke from my first roast was nothing compared to last night, even with the range hood on!!
The hood did keep the smoke detectors from going off, so that's a plus.

Question:
The manual says to never roast 10 seconds past second crack.
Is this 10 seconds after the first sounds or 10 seconds after the sounds stop?

Thanks again!
[Reply]

Ethiopia DP Sidama Aleta Wondo, roasted to just FC. 2 batches in the FR. Tons of chaffe, not many quackers, roasted up nice. Looking forward to this one.
[Reply]

Remember to give the beans some time to rest. I leave them in trays for a few hours after cooling. Then I move them to bags but I do not zip the bag all the way closed. I leave them sit overnight, in the bag (slightly open) to allow gases to escape. The next day I extract the air, seal the bag and let them sit for at least 24 hours before using.
The darker the roast, the longer they should rest. Dark roasts like Vienna and French can take a good 3 days to settle into their own.

They mean 10 seconds after 2nd crack starts. Once 1st crack (loud popping) slows down, I get real close to the roaster and listen very carefully for 2nd crack to begin. Like mentioned before, 2nd crack is much quieter and sounds like Rice Krispies in milk. You will need to experiment how long into 2nd crack you prefer to roast. Litterally count. I know with my Air poppers, I like to go 15-20 seconds into 2nd crack. With my equipment, this gives me a good Full City + / Vienna, which I prefer.
Different beans will take different times. Different types of beans are different sizes and need different times too. This is a good reason to blend different beans after roasting instead of roasting them together.

You asked above if the handful of inconsistant beans were normal. Yes. Look at them before you raost. They are already different shades, some lighter than others. I imagine its because not all beans can be picked at the eaxct same ripness, leading to different shades.
If you can slow the roast down a bit, it might even out the shades a bit.

Take a look at this page https://www.sweetmarias.com/library/...e-degree-roast

This was very helpful to me when I first started out.

:-)
[Reply]

After they start. 10 seconds after they stop will be a fire and charcoal for beans
[Reply]

Just got my first bag of green beans from a friend:
Columbian Excelso
[Reply]

Hey Shane How I cool my beans is I use 2 hand held metal strainers and more the beans back and forth over a fan.....

BUT FIRST because the beans are still cooking even after they are out of the roaster- I sprits some distilled water on them to aid cooling, it brings the temp down quicker and evaporates (steam) very fast.

When the steam is gone and the beans are still HOT to the touch(but not burning the skin hot) I move to over the fan until cool to the touch.

I then spread them out for an hour in a large SS roasting pan, bag and leave unzipped for 18-24 hrs.

That's what I do---Just remember that after roasting you want to cool the beans down as quickly as possible. :-)
[Reply]

I use 1lb, p-2 for Costa Rican. I agree. I would rather have a longer time then not enough.
How much diffrents do the Letters A,B,C,D make in your roast?
[Reply]

Well I tried my first roast last night and think I needed to roast longer.
Thoughts and advice please! I am thinking maybe I should have gone another minute.

Image
Image
Image
[Reply]

Totally up to you.

Looks like a lighter roast, maybe city, but many love it that way.
[Reply]