EvanOz85 Senior Member Joined: 9 Jul 2011 Posts: 258 Location: Lafayette, LA Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi II Grinder: Baratza Preciso, Hario... Vac Pot: Bodum Santos, Yama 5-cup Drip: Chemex, Kone 3, Kalita Wave,... Roaster: Behmor 1600
Posted Sun Jul 29, 2012, 11:06pm Subject: Roasting Ethiopia FTO Dry Process Worka Sakaro on the Behmor..
Hey guys. I have an issue I was looking for some help with.
Tonight I roasted 1/2lb of Ethiopia FTO Dry Process Worka Sakaro from SM's on my Behmor. 1/2#, P3, C.
I was aiming for a City+ roast, so when first crack started I readied my finger on the Cool button and waited. Right as first crack slowed down, second crack started full force! I was so confused that it took me a few seconds to realize what was happening and hit the cool button. I ended up with a French roast and I'm pretty upset about it.
I haven't had this happen to me since my very early runs with the Behmor. Any ideas how I can avoid this and get a smooth transition into 2C?
Since I only roast for pour-over, would it be ok to try out P1 and P2?
Posted Mon Jul 30, 2012, 4:28am Subject: Re: Roasting Ethiopia FTO Dry Process Worka Sakaro on the Behmor..
I'd honestly only recommend roasting on P1, as I never quite figured out what kind of voodoo ritual you need to perform to make any of the other profiles work consistently. (I kid, sortof*)
P1 should be fine, just be mindful of how the roast is progressing, using all of your senses. You'll need to open the door once or twice with an African bean (in my experience), to smooth out some of the sharper flavors you'll get from full-on heat. Still, the "open the door" cooling method ought to work on any profile you choose, so even P3 could give you better results. Something to try would be to pop the door open for 15-20 seconds as first crack begins rolling, perhaps blowing lightly into the chamber to help drop the temp slightly. Snap the door closed, and you should hear first crack continue and finish as normal, with a longer delay to second. I've used this manner of temperature control in both of my roasters when trying to draw out a bit more sweetness in the cup, and it works pretty well. You need to make sure first crack is rolling before you drop the ambient temp though, as otherwise you risk stalling the roast.
*I really do only roast on P1 these days. I've found that each bean/weight/profile combo has some sort of sweet spot that isn't immediately apparent without roasting many batches of the same exact beans. I personally like variety in my coffee, so I rarely roast the same thing week to week, meaning that any of the fancier profiles required this guessing game of "how much time before the drop?", "will I hit first crack before 10:00?", or my favorite: "will first crack finish before the timer runs out?" With P1, I basically just set it to a ridiculously long time that I will never hit (i.e. 20:00 for 1/2 pound), and manually control temp by opening the door at key points. Basically, the Behmor doesn't have enough control for me. It's a shame, I really like how it's put together, I just wish the programming were more flexible.
Posted Mon Jul 30, 2012, 10:39am Subject: Re: Roasting Ethiopia FTO Dry Process Worka Sakaro on the Behmor..
Evan, I generally use profile P3. I always use it for a Brazil and for Monkey Blend that I do for my son. My reasons are not complicated: P3 is a slower roast for coffees that need that.
However, when the total roasting time approaches 20 minutes, that's too long and I'm making 'baked beans'. Then I go to P1 (full power).
I NEVER wait for the 1CR to stop, expecting a 'no crack zone'. In too many coffees the 1CR is sparse, its hard to know when it stops, I can never be sure of a 'quiet zone' between the cessation of the 1CR and the onset of the 2CR.
Instead, I do what Joe Behm recommends in his manual. For a 10 oz roast (typical for me) of a new bean, I start a timer at the onset (first snap or two) of the 1CR and at 2:15 min I go to cool. If I get no 2CR at all, the next roast will be pulled at 2:30. If I get 30 sec of 2CR the next roast will be pulled at 2:00.
Generally, after 3 roasts I will know exactly how to get where I want to be, which is just a few crackles of the 2CR. I can repeat that over and over again and get the same result ...except (to quote Dr Seuss) ...when I don't. There are always small adjustments because of ambient temperature and voltage conditions.
I now have 130 roasts on my Behmor and never scrapped a roast.
Posted Mon Jul 30, 2012, 11:43am Subject: Re: Roasting Ethiopia FTO Dry Process Worka Sakaro on the Behmor..
SteveRhinehart Said:
I'd honestly only recommend roasting on P1, as I never quite figured out what kind of voodoo ritual you need to perform to make any of the other profiles work consistently. (I kid, sortof*)
I think this approach outlined by Steve is about the best one for the Behmor. I would add that having a thermometer helps tremendously, as you can actually modulate the ET fairly effectively by cracking the door at key points. I, too, wish things like better manual control and real-time temperature read-outs were included. It would make a good roaster great.
EvanOz85 Senior Member Joined: 9 Jul 2011 Posts: 258 Location: Lafayette, LA Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: La Spaziale Mini Vivaldi II Grinder: Baratza Preciso, Hario... Vac Pot: Bodum Santos, Yama 5-cup Drip: Chemex, Kone 3, Kalita Wave,... Roaster: Behmor 1600
Posted Tue Jul 31, 2012, 11:32am Subject: Re: Roasting Ethiopia FTO Dry Process Worka Sakaro on the Behmor..
Thanks guys. I've done over 50 roasts in the Behmor now and this is the trickiest bean so far.
However I must say that even at the darker roast level (it's actually more like FC++), the fruits shine through. Dry process Yirgacheffe is truly my favorite coffee and this is the best lot of it I've ever had.
biggeley Senior Member Joined: 5 Aug 2012 Posts: 2 Location: Durham, NC Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sun Aug 5, 2012, 11:01am Subject: Re: Roasting Ethiopia FTO Dry Process Worka Sakaro on the Behmor..
I really don't like going into crack at full power with an African bean with a smaller (1/2) pound batch size for the reason you describe - there's just too much energy in the roaster up front as your batch enters first crack. Try to adjust your roast curve so you're approaching first crack with some time left in leg 2 of the P3 profile.
Here's my trick: Do a 2 minute warmup on P1 with beans in the chamber. After 2 minutes of P1 has completed, stop the roast and immediately restart with 1 lb, P3, A. This should buy you enough time to get into first crack before full power starts. With less energy in the roaster 1c will be more drawn out and you'll be less likely to overrun into 2C. Don't wait until 1c has completely subsided. Hit cool when cracks have slowed significantly. If you hear anything that sounds like a first small pop of second crack hit cool immediately.
Posted Mon Aug 6, 2012, 6:39am Subject: Re: Roasting Ethiopia FTO Dry Process Worka Sakaro on the Behmor..
biggeley Said:
I really don't like going into crack at full power with an African bean with a smaller (1/2) pound batch size for the reason you describe - there's just too much energy in the roaster up front as your batch enters first crack. Try to adjust your roast curve so you're approaching first crack with some time left in leg 2 of the P3 profile.
Here's my trick: Do a 2 minute warmup on P1 with beans in the chamber. After 2 minutes of P1 has completed, stop the roast and immediately restart with 1 lb, P3, A. This should buy you enough time to get into first crack before full power starts. With less energy in the roaster 1c will be more drawn out and you'll be less likely to overrun into 2C. Don't wait until 1c has completely subsided. Hit cool when cracks have slowed significantly. If you hear anything that sounds like a first small pop of second crack hit cool immediately.
I think most of us advocating P1 with African (or other lower-density) beans are also advocating manual temperature modulation. Rather than let the Behmor reduce the heat, we do it manually by cracking the door periodically. That way we control it.
But in general, yes - you do want to take a more gentle approach to beans grown in lower altitude.
biggeley Senior Member Joined: 5 Aug 2012 Posts: 2 Location: Durham, NC Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Aug 6, 2012, 8:06am Subject: Re: Roasting Ethiopia FTO Dry Process Worka Sakaro on the Behmor..
JPDyson Said:
I think most of us advocating P1 with African (or other lower-density) beans are also advocating manual temperature modulation. Rather than let the Behmor reduce the heat, we do it manually by cracking the door periodically. That way we control it.
But in general, yes - you do want to take a more gentle approach to beans grown in lower altitude.
In general I'd agree with the P1 approach when doing larger batch sizes especially in the 3/4 lb + range. But for smaller batches (4-5.3 oz) and for 8 oz batches of coffees that tend to take heat on quickly, I find it very hard to nail a lighter roast with P1. I think this is where the approach I've outlined works quite well. It also allows one to extend the roast times (into the 12-14 minute range) quite effectively.
Roland Senior Member Joined: 21 Mar 2004 Posts: 20 Location: KY Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Olympia Cremina Grinder: Mazzer Major Roaster: Behmor
Posted Tue Aug 7, 2012, 5:16pm Subject: Re: Roasting Ethiopia FTO Dry Process Worka Sakaro on the Behmor..
I roast Yemen in the Behmor, usually about 1 pound or a little less. Yemen should be very similar to your beans. I use P1. 2nd crack is very difficult to hear, 1st crack is much easier. It takes about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes from beginning of 1st to beginning of 2nd crack, if the heaters do not start to cycle. I watch out for the 1st crack and then 2 1/2 minutes later I pay extra attention. This way I don't miss it.
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