ddunn Senior Member Joined: 14 May 2002 Posts: 30 Location: Columbus, MS Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: LaSpaziale S1 Grinder: Mini Mazzer & Baratza... Drip: Moccamaster CD10 Roaster: Hottop analog & iRoast 2
Posted Sat Jul 11, 2009, 3:47am Subject: Need to Slow Down iRoast
I normally roast with my Hottop, but I am experimenting with my iRoast and having a hard time slowing my roasts down with it. My Kill-a-Watt tells me that the voltage is 118 as my iRoast runs. First I tried the presets, but they run way too fast. Then I tried this profile:
Stage 1 360F 5 Minutes 15 min left Stage 2 370F 4 Minutes 10 min left Stage 3 380F 3 Minutes 6 min left Stage 4 390F 2 Minutes 3 min left Stage 5 400F 1 Minute 1 min left COOLING NA 4 Minutes 0 min left
However, I am having to "bail out" with 2 to 3 minutes in the profile, somewhere in stage 4, in order for the beans to not over roast. The roast I am looking for is about Vienna. Would someone suggest how I might modify this profile or suggest a completely different profile that will allow me to roast the full 15 minutes available and end up with a Vienna roast?
By the way, I am using very high quality coffee beans (Columbian Supremo Popayan, Yemen Mocha Matari, etc., but they all roast too fast with my iRoast using the presets and the profile listed above. Thanks!
Logicafe Senior Member Joined: 2 Oct 2008 Posts: 50 Location: Columbus, Ohio Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Gaggia, Solis Grinder: Rocky Roaster: Gene Cafe, I-Roast
Posted Sat Jul 11, 2009, 6:44am Subject: Re: Need to Slow Down iRoast
I do almost all roasting on my Gene Cafe, but still pull out the iRoast2 sometimes. Do you know about when first crack is occurring? That will be what you need to draw out longer without stalling the roast. I really never had much luck drawing out 15 minutes of roast time on it. With forced air roasters and small quantities of beans, 10-12 minutes is not unusually for a roast cycle. What is the amount of beans are you using? You can also probe the chamber temperature and this can give very accurate feedback into trying to slow first crack. I only use 3 stages for a roast profile and it will depend on coffee type. The Yemen does normally requires longer roasting time due to being high-grown. Also if you are roasting into Vienna, Sweet Maria's website states "The Vienna stage (also called Continental) to Light French stage is where you begin to find Origin Character eclipsed by Roast Character". I don't roast anything past Full City+, unless by accident which then my friend who likes anything with oily beans is a very happy camper. The big question is, how does it taste?
TheJohnNewton Senior Member Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Posts: 16 Location: East Bay SF Area Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Kitchen Aide Drip: Chemex, AeroPress, Moka Pot
Posted Sat Jul 11, 2009, 7:09am Subject: Re: Need to Slow Down iRoast
Why are you wanting to slow it down? How is the resulting taste in the cup? Are you unhappy with the taste? I think air roasting is typically faster than drum roasting. Convection transfers heat faster.
ddunn Senior Member Joined: 14 May 2002 Posts: 30 Location: Columbus, MS Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: LaSpaziale S1 Grinder: Mini Mazzer & Baratza... Drip: Moccamaster CD10 Roaster: Hottop analog & iRoast 2
Posted Sat Jul 11, 2009, 9:44am Subject: Re: Need to Slow Down iRoast
Thanks to both of you for your responses. It is almost impossible for me to hear first or second crack on this roaster with all the noise it makes. The fact that I have moderate hearing loss and tennitis (ringing in ears), contributes to the problem.
Why do I want to slow down the roast in my iRoast? Because I like the taste of the coffee I roast in my Hottop roaster better than what I am getting from my iRoast, and I figure one of the reasons is the speed with which my coffee is roasted in my iRoast.
I am roasting 150 grams at a time. I have considered putting a probe in the roasting chamber, since I have a Fluke digital thermometer, but I have not done it, because I would not know what to do with the information if I did. Could you refer me to a source on on this topic?
When it comes to coffee I find that "variety is the spice of life". I roast from Full City to Vienna and once in a while take it all the way to French roast, and I make coffee using an espresso machine (drinking it straight up and sometimes with a little milk, hot and cold), French press and drip coffee.
TheJohnNewton Senior Member Joined: 11 Oct 2008 Posts: 16 Location: East Bay SF Area Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Kitchen Aide Drip: Chemex, AeroPress, Moka Pot
Posted Sat Jul 11, 2009, 10:30am Subject: Re: Need to Slow Down iRoast
I don't have a hotop or other drum roaster so this is purely from reading but from what I've read air roasters tend to lead to a brighter cup than drum roasters. Maybe you simply prefer the taste of drum roasted coffee.
Lol on hearing first crack. They don't call it the iRoar for nothing. This page gives pictures and temps for various stages of the roast. http://www.sweetmarias.com/roasted.pict-guide.php I put a probe in my iRoast and I find the temp readout is not quite as accurate as listening but it's pretty close. The built in temperature readout, on the other hand, is pretty much worthless.
JKalpin Senior Member Joined: 28 Dec 2008 Posts: 242 Location: Thornhill, Ontario Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Aerobie Aeropress Grinder: Baratza Maestro Plus Vac Pot: Yama 5-Cup Drip: Bunn Roaster: Freshroast Plus 8
Posted Sat Jul 11, 2009, 7:18pm Subject: Re: Need to Slow Down iRoast
ddunn Said:
I am roasting 150 grams at a time. I have considered putting a probe in the roasting chamber, since I have a Fluke digital thermometer, but I have not done it, because I would not know what to do with the information if I did. Could you refer me to a source on on this topic?
I have installed a probe in my Freshroast 8+. The tip of it is in the center of the bean mass, so I tell myself I am measuring 'bean temperature'.
I'm not sure if that temperature is accurate but I'm sure it is reproducible, that is, if it says 475F and is really 482F, the next time I roast it will read the same (with that error).
For Brazil Moreninha (my current stock) it reaches 10 seconds into the 2CR at 475F and will do so roast after roast. I don't have to listen for the cracks ...just go to cooling at 475.
Suppose I could not hear the cracks ...?! I would take my next stock and run a few roasts, perhaps cutting them off at 460F, 465F, 470F, 475F etc to find the 'sweet spot'.
I also rely on the appearance of the bean after roasting. At 475 it will be dark brown with the slightest sheen of oil.
FredK Senior Member Joined: 28 Jun 2009 Posts: 140 Location: NJ Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Gaggia Classic Grinder: Kyocera hand grinder Roaster: FreshRoast+8
Posted Sat Aug 29, 2009, 7:40pm Subject: Re: Need to Slow Down iRoast
JKalpin Said:
I have installed a probe in my Freshroast 8+. The tip of it is in the center of the bean mass, so I tell myself I am measuring 'bean temperature'.
I'm not sure if that temperature is accurate but I'm sure it is reproducible, that is, if it says 475F and is really 482F, the next time I roast it will read the same (with that error).
For Brazil Moreninha (my current stock) it reaches 10 seconds into the 2CR at 475F and will do so roast after roast. I don't have to listen for the cracks ...just go to cooling at 475.
Suppose I could not hear the cracks ...?! I would take my next stock and run a few roasts, perhaps cutting them off at 460F, 465F, 470F, 475F etc to find the 'sweet spot'.
I also rely on the appearance of the bean after roasting. At 475 it will be dark brown with the slightest sheen of oil.
I'm having a hard time getting my Freshroast up to those temperatures. How much beans are you using for your batches? I tried 65g and can only max out at 445F.
fishordie999 Junior Member Joined: 25 Aug 2009 Posts: 17 Location: Winona Lake Expertise: Just starting
Espresso: aero press Roaster: I Roast-2
Posted Sat Aug 29, 2009, 8:07pm Subject: Re: Need to Slow Down iRoast
150 g I don't ever go that dark for my roasts. Never go to second crack on purpose. I have messed up twice and had to drink burned tasting coffee. If you go slow like I showed you can get up to the higher temps. Hope this didn't confuse you too much.
mldavis2 Senior Member Joined: 11 Jul 2009 Posts: 48 Location: Missouri Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Capresso Infinity Drip: French press, Aeropress, CCD Roaster: iRoast2
Posted Sun Aug 30, 2009, 4:51am Subject: Re: Need to Slow Down iRoast
I'm now using a profile I like very much for city to FC. I don't make espresso and I don't care much for Vienna or French roasts, preferring to taste the bean character more than the roast, but that's not necessarily right, just personal.
385 for 5 min. 420 for 1 min. 365 for 5 min. 400 for 4 min.
Stage 1 brings beans to the verge of 1C. Most (and beans are all different) will then pop during the short 2nd stage, followed by a reduced heat which slows the roast between 1C and 2C. The higher 4th stage will push the roast into the charcoal ranges however far you like it.
As I've stated elsewhere on these threads, there are far too many variables to use time as a guide. Different beans roast at different rates. The age of stored beans and storage conditions can vary the amount of residual moisture in the beans, so beans from the same batch can change over time. Ambient temperatures are always a big factor in air roasters and although the iRoast2 will vary fan speeds to maintain pre-programmed temperatures, the rate of roasting does change a bit. Actual temperatures are higher than the programmed settings because they are measured by a sensor outside of the chamber itself, so use them only as a settings guide, not actual bean temps.
One of the main advantages to the iRoast is the visibility of the beans. I'm aware that different beans will look somewhat different at the same roasting stages, but bean condition is the very best way I've found to judge the degree of roast. That takes some practice, of course, but by slowing the roast down in stage 3 (above), you have very good control over the final roast level.
I haven't tried removing the lid to aid in cooling, but it sounds like a good idea if it works and doesn't blow chaff all over the room. I never thought to try that because there are micro-switches in that lid latching mechanism that warn that the lid is not secured, and you sure wouldn't want to risk a total power shutdown during the cooling cycle because not only are the beans being cooled, but the heating elements and circuitry as well. I'll let someone else try that and report that it's OK.
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