Smalest relevant sample quantity of bean ?

[LTB]

Hi everybody !

I just got my green beans order, and tomorrow I will try to roast three different coffes, 2 or 3 different roast by origin - that means 6 or 9 roasts in a row.

I would like to "waste" the smallest amount of bean, but in the same time I would like the result be relevant, and be able to reproduce more or less the same profile with biggest amount later.

What would be for you the smalest relevant amount of green bean for each roast ?

Thank's !

[summer]

I would take 200g samples, because this is the smallest batchsize I've had succes with.
But I suspect you can go lower than 200g - but remember: You have to practice practice practice. 

[edtbjon]

I've done 125g charges, which I described in this thread: https://www.hukyforum.com/index.php/topic,819.0.html.
You do get a higher than normal BT reading, but I found it to be fairly consistent at 15-20C above the real bean temp (judged from reading, listening and smelling the beans).
Now, developing a proper profile is somewhat different, as in my opinion, a 450g charge doesn't develop in the same way as a 125g or a 200g charge does. So what I'm trying to do is to find my best profile at 200g and then see how I have to tweak it so that it works with a 450g charge. As "summer" pointed out, all of this takes practice and learning the roaster. (Another "sad fact" is that it's easier to learn and getting to understand the roaster when roasting larger charges. Again my opinion, but the roaster is more "stable" with more beans in it.)

[LTB]

What you say make sense ! And thanks for the link of your subject.
A french friend use to sample 200g becase his bean provider send him 200gr samples.

So that can match with what you are saying, I think I will go for that today - later we will see.

Thank's !

[jyalpert]

I used to roast 227g charges, and now I do 350g since the last Huky competition.  It took probably 2-3 roasts to learn what I needed to change.  Turns out the roaster is a bit easier to control at 350g, but on the whole the process is about the same.

If you're practicing, I'd definitely at least want the thermocouples covered in beans so they're reading as they will with "real" charge weights.  I can only attest down to 227g, but the thermocouples read consistently at that charge weight.  Sounds from the other posts like you could be good down to 200g as well.

Might be worth getting some cheap beans and doing some larger practice charges later on, so you can see how the roaster reacts to dumping in larger amounts of beans.