Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend

[korkiley]

JavaBuzz and Joey, thank you both. I think I'll order a couple of pounds. That's hardly enough to do much playing around but as much as I can afford for the moment. I'm also buying a couple of pounds each of the two Yemens available at SM (which is why I can't afford more of the African blend but it's a special request from my wife

I recently graduated from a Hottop and am having difficulty settling on a good charge weight for the Huky. I used a charge weight of 227g (.5 lb) on the Hottop because it was divisible into any weight purchased from SM from a pound up. This seemed a decent weight considering the capacity of the Hottop but this seems on the low side for the Huky. I see a lot of Huky owners are doing 324g which is divisible into 5 lbs but I don't often buy higher than 2lb. lots. On the advise of the guys from Mill City I want to keep my charge weight--it's difficult enough to keep track of all the variables. 3 / 2lb. Is 302g. Does that seem like a reasonable charge weight. It has the disadvantage that I wouldn't be able to compare my roasts directly with others on this forum.

[JavaBuzz]

With th stock IR propane stove, here's what I've found...

I've found that 2/3lb (302gr) isn't too difficult to control, though it might be difficult if just starting out.

I think around 363gr (about 80% of 1lb) is a sweet spot for this roaster, and it is pretty easy to push the heat and still get an even/unscorched roast. You could probably go about 10% in either direction from this and still be around the sweet spot too.

A 1lb roast is doable and usually turns out pretty good, but if you want to push a roast fast through phase 1, I've found it is sometimes hard to get enough heat from the stock burner. However, you'll most likely get much better roasts doing a 1lb roast vs two 1/2lb roasts.

Under 300gr (for example, 1/2lb) can be pretty difficult to control and fairly easy to scorch the beans, especially on the perforated drum. Especially starting out, I wouldn't recommend roasting less than about 300gr. It will just cause frustration.

[korkiley]

Thank you for the recommendation. I could do 1lb roasts I suppose, but it doesn't sound like the easiest and I like to roast more frequently= more practice. I have done several half pound roasts which mostly went alright, or so it seemed at least : ) I notice from his roast logs, that my late brother was doing 350g roasts on this same roaster. I'll definitely go for something in the over 300g range.

[hankua]

JavaBuzz and Joey, thank you both. I think I'll order a couple of pounds. That's hardly enough to do much playing around but as much as I can afford for the moment. I'm also buying a couple of pounds each of the two Yemens available at SM (which is why I can't afford more of the African blend but it's a special request from my wife

I recently graduated from a Hottop and am having difficulty settling on a good charge weight for the Huky. I used a charge weight of 227g (.5 lb) on the Hottop because it was divisible into any weight purchased from SM from a pound up. This seemed a decent weight considering the capacity of the Hottop but this seems on the low side for the Huky. I see a lot of Huky owners are doing 324g which is divisible into 5 lbs but I don't often buy higher than 2lb. lots. On the advise of the guys from Mill City I want to keep my charge weight--it's difficult enough to keep track of all the variables. 3 / 2lb. Is 302g. Does that seem like a reasonable charge weight. It has the disadvantage that I wouldn't be able to compare my roasts directly with others on this forum.

You should be fine, I got a few 2lb bags from BodiLeaf and roasted 302g. That gives you three roasts to play around with.

[JavaBuzz]

Here's what I currently usually do:

Bought     Roast
1lb           1lb
2lb           2/3lb (3 total roasts)
5lb           80%/1lb (~363gr)*
10/15lb     Similar to 5lb

*The last two to three roasts on a 5lb bag I typically divide into slightly larger than 363gr roasts.

I also typically try to buy at least 5lb of a bean, though there's always exceptions to that. It can be hard to dial-in and fine-tune a roast of a bean with less than that. Even with 10lb+ I'm often still fine-tuning and tweaking the roast (though I love experimenting).

[Chert]

FWIW

2lbs:  109 gm sample roast (that is a fun little sensory challenge)
          400 gm x 2

[korkiley]

I have a measly 2 lbs of Majarani coming next week. Well, I can always get more.

By the way, can someone tell me if I can convert an existing roast from Celsius to Fahrenheit in Artisan. I installed it on windows and tried importing a roast from Artisan Coffee Alliance which was a snap but I would like to view it in Celsius instead of Fahrenheit.

Thanks.

[thusband]

Open the profile and go to Roast > Temperature > Convert to Fahrenheit.

[korkiley]

That was easy. Thank you so much!

[Joey]

This is my first time roasting for espresso. Not super happy with the profile but we'll see how it tastes in about 7-10 days or so.

[korkiley]

I haven't read this whole thread so maybe I missed something about this blend, but why would you wait 7 to 10 days before trying your roast. I consume most of my roasts within that time period and have rarely, if ever, noticed the bean improving after a week, but often the opposite. I wouldn't wait more than a couple of days at the most. Otherwise you could easily miss the time when it is at its best!

[JavaBuzz]

A small number of coffees are better with more rest. A couple of us found this to be the case with this blend.

Before 5 days or so, to me the acidity was too much. After 5+ days, the acidity evened out and seemed to have more character, and some of the other flavor notes were more noticeable too.

Side note: many people say Yemens typically taste better with more rest too. I've personally found mixed results with this generalization.

[korkiley]

Thanks. I guess I should go back and read the whole thread! Nevertheless, I would sample after a couple of days at most. It's nice to observe changes over time. Also, too much acidity to one person might be about right for another.

In the mean time my 2 lbs of Majirani arrived yesterday but I'm not ready to try a roast yet. The last three roasts I did a few days ago were a disaster. I tried stabilizing the temp for the charge then turning the gas off until turnaround. After trying two roasts with a 6 to 7 minute drying phase I tried leaving gas on at the lowest possible setting until turnaround and that worked much better.

I've been searching these forums for information about using the shutter. I am unsure how to use it. I guess it is irrelevant for a solid drum but I have a perforated drum. I've decided that the safest approach is to leave the shutter closed at all times. My theory is that with the shutter closed I will be less apt to scorch the beans and it should act as a buffer to smooth out my gas and fan adjustments. Any advice is more than welcome!

[SusanJoM]

I've been searching these forums for information about using the shutter. I am unsure how to use it. I guess it is irrelevant for a solid drum but I have a perforated drum. I've decided that the safest approach is to leave the shutter closed at all times. My theory is that with the shutter closed I will be less apt to scorch the beans and it should act as a buffer to smooth out my gas and fan adjustments. Any advice is more than welcome!

I also have the perforated drum, and except for the occasional times when I discover that I have inadvertently closed it, I leave the grate (you call it the shutter) open all the time.

Scorching appears to be a non-issue with the perforated drum.  Yes, I know that is counter-intuitive, but the drum doesn't get as hot, and it is the drum (not the flame itself) which is the scorcher....

[korkiley]

Thank you for your input!