somegeek Said:

I needed to create a seal between the primary bowl and heat shield so I used several layers of foil to put this together.

Posted November 18, 2009 link

Clay34 Said:

Congrats man!  I actually put that heat gun very close to the beans.  Does your heat gun have a couple of different settings available?  If so, this next batch put it on a higher setting to begin with and then at the beginning of first crack turn it back down to the lower setting which will allow more time between first crack and second which also allows you to stop at your desired point with more room for error.  When you go from first to 2nd crack quickly, you go from city to vienna fast and the distinctions between those many steps is easily lost.

I've only been home roasting for about a year so please don't write any of this in stone and if someone more knowledgable wishes to correct any glarring errors, please feel free.

Here is a link to a nice pictoral guide from Sweet Maria's:  http://www.sweetmarias.com/roasting-VisualGuideV2.php  Tom says that the profile wasn't good so don't try to replicate the times, notice the temps and the colors.  

When you roast a long time in a smaller batch:  500 grams = 1.1 pounds this is what I did with my machine. The 3 under the date means that it was my 3rd roast with my bread machine:

11-4
3
500 grams turned into 409.5 grams or 82%
53 F Air temps, roasted outside
150 F @ 1 min
210 @ 2
275 @ 3
320 @ 5
Saw steam here
350 @ 6
375 @ 7
412 @ 8
422 1St crack
430 @ 9
435 at 10
467 @ 11
Rolling second crack at 11min 45 seconds stopped roast.

I'm using a two speed Milwaukee heat gun.  I actually prefer to hit the 14 or 15 minute mark and that is why I also roast a little larger batches.  When I went to 700 grams of green I hit this mark, when I go to 800 grams or 1.75 pounds roughly, Now I am up to 17 to 18 minutes with my equipment.

Yes, the volume of the beans goes up but the weight goes down.  All of that mosture that is coming out of those beans is weight.  

On the oil showing.  When you buy beans in the store in those see through containers, most of that oil isn't from roast level but rather age.  Oily beans are older, at least this is what my green bean supplier / comercial roaster shared with me.  When freshly roasted coffee has oil showing at the end of the roast you are at a Vienna roast headed toward french.  I much prefer my coffee not roasted that dark.  When the roast is all oily is it charcoal and just burnt.  Check out the Sweet Maria link earlier in this post.

Sorry so long winded.

Rick

Posted November 18, 2009 link