Huky Forum

HUKY 500 (T, J, SOLID, PERF) => Roasting => Topic started by: hankua on August 01, 2016, 08:14:54 PM

Title: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: hankua on August 01, 2016, 08:14:54 PM
Saw this in an email today and thought it would be fun to have a group roast/share/learn/experiment/ etc. to spice up the summer doldrums.

Beans available here:

https://www.sweetmarias.com/product/sweet-marias-majirani-african-blend-5187

SM always sources quality African beans; and no doubt they have created a great blend.

Some of the venues we've used for competition are moving/expanding/busy/etc. so I thought we could do something without the hassle of sending roasts in the middle of the summer.

Folks, this is not about who has the best espresso roast; rather trying to improve our own by learning from our members or trying something new.

No judging and everyone's welcome to join in and have some fun.



Title: Re: Espresso Roasting Majirana SM Group Roast
Post by: hankua on August 01, 2016, 08:15:21 PM
I'm in; #5 ordered  ;D
Title: Re: Espresso Roasting Majirana SM Group Roast
Post by: kenneroast on August 01, 2016, 09:23:55 PM
For those that want to, can we do exchanges?  8) Peer review has helped me hone in on my roasting style. I still have a lot more to learn as a roaster, but every exchange I've done has had some great feedback. Nice way to get outside of that bubble
Title: Re: Espresso Roasting Majirana SM Group Roast
Post by: hankua on August 02, 2016, 06:29:38 AM
Of Course!
Title: Re: Espresso Roasting Majirana SM Group Roast
Post by: Gregr on August 02, 2016, 06:34:35 AM
Great idea Hank  :)
The description sounds incredible. Exchanges sound great too! I'll probably attempt to tone down the brightness a tiny bit by stretching out the finish a little bit more than what most people like these days. Might be nice to swap with someone who likes a brigthter shot as a good contrast or even to blend.
Title: Re: Espresso Roasting Majirana SM Group Roast
Post by: hankua on August 02, 2016, 06:50:35 AM
I'm going to attempt your profile, after running mine. I don't have anything specific except "low and slow for spro". Full City roast is recommended and we should all try one at least for comparison, and I'll throw in a drip roast as well.

I'll be able to run 7 roasts out of my #5, using 324g
Title: Re: Espresso Roasting Majirana SM Group Roast
Post by: Gregr on August 02, 2016, 07:06:37 AM
Full City- my interpretation of Full City is roughly 3 minutes of development time-- does that sound like it's in the ballpark? Finish temp may be a more universal indicator- around 417-420F/214-215.5C?
Title: Re: Espresso Roasting Majirana SM Group Roast
Post by: hankua on August 02, 2016, 07:45:42 AM
My impression or recollection of Full City or Full City+ is just before 2C or the the very first pops of 2C.

I rarely roast to 2C, and there is nothing written in stone; SM has defined some of these roast levels in the past. Artisan roasters seem to have abandoned these terms in favor of descriptors; which makes a lot of sense.

https://legacy.sweetmarias.com/library/content/using-sight-determine-degree-roast

More likely one is able to achieve the FC or FC+ level of development using different individual methods/profiles. "One size does not fit all"

We don't have to follow any specific guidelines, who knows someone might have a profile that tastes fantastic and is unusual.

Speaking for myself, I'm guilty of running the same profiles over and over.   :o
Title: Re: Espresso Roasting Majirana SM Group Roast
Post by: thusband on August 02, 2016, 08:46:27 AM
An exchange is a great idea. Please count me in.  My 5# is on its way.

edit: Maybe we could make use of Javabuzz's Roast Profile Database.
Title: Re: Espresso Roasting Majirana SM Group Roast
Post by: Gregr on August 02, 2016, 08:58:34 AM
Great idea- I'll reach out to him now.
Title: Re: Espresso Roasting Majirana SM Group Roast
Post by: JavaBuzz on August 02, 2016, 10:31:39 AM
If you wanted to post the profiles on the ArtisanCoffeeAlliance website, that would be great. Once there's a few profiles, I should be able to pull some data out of the database for comparison as well.

I'd be interested in joining the Roast and Learn too. I only occassionally attempt roasting for espresso, so could be some good knowledge to gain.
Title: Re: Espresso Roasting Majirana SM Group Roast
Post by: Gregr on August 02, 2016, 12:06:46 PM
Great- looking forward to this!
Title: Re: Espresso Roasting Majirana SM Group Roast
Post by: JavaBuzz on August 02, 2016, 04:06:55 PM
A couple questions:

*Can we make this a 2-3mo event? I always had trouble keeping up with the HB roasts when they were monthly. I also think a more lengthy examination of the coffee could be beneficial.

*Will this be the official topic post? If so, I can link back to it on the ACA website.

Now to decide how many pounds to order (and if there's anything else I want to grab while I'm at it). :)
Title: Re: Espresso Roasting Majirana SM Group Roast
Post by: Gregr on August 02, 2016, 04:25:17 PM
Sure that all sounds good. I'll make it a sticky and we can keep adding for a couple months or until we get tired of it  :D
I only ordered 2 pounds but I'm sure I'll go back and get some more once I've tasted it. Seems like SM blends tend to be availabe a lot longer than single origins.
Title: Re: Espresso Roasting Majirana SM Group Roast
Post by: hankua on August 02, 2016, 04:35:30 PM
Yes, let's make this the official topic post; and Greg can tune up the title to reflect it.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share and Learn Group Roast #1
Post by: Gregr on August 02, 2016, 04:50:55 PM
How's this sound?:
Huky Roast Share and Learn Group Roast #1
If the thread becomes large and unwieldy we can go in and remove superflous post like this  ;D
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share and Learn Group Roast #1
Post by: JavaBuzz on August 02, 2016, 07:38:43 PM
Added some links to the event on the ArtisanCoffeeAlliance.com (ACA) website and purchased some event beans for myself as well...
Along with some "93pt" Yirgacheffe on the side; my Ethiopia stockpile is was dwindling. :)
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share and Learn Group Roast #1
Post by: JavaBuzz on August 02, 2016, 07:49:09 PM
One thing I just thought...

My website doesn't have an option yet for adding blends to it. I'll have to figure out how best to handle this one...

Guessing I'll add a country named "Blend" and go from there. I'll post an update on here and let people know what I come up with.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share and Learn Group Roast #1
Post by: day on August 02, 2016, 08:50:13 PM
I personally think you could hit leave it as "blend" I mean, the main reason it matters is to identify general trends of the bean in question and recognize if the bean you have is likely to be similar, which is really just a general starting position at best, but is useful for starting out anyway. Given how general that is even with a country identified it would be kind of ridiculous for someone to start breaking a blend down in that fashion. If it is a artisan alliance we should really be pushing for post roast blending anyway, pre roast blending is decidedly less artisan:) not to say it can't ever work out, but it's obviously not about precise control and optimizing the roast profile for each bean. Just my opinion anyway
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share and Learn Group Roast #1
Post by: hankua on August 02, 2016, 11:01:29 PM
How's this sound?:
Huky Roast Share and Learn Group Roast #1
If the thread becomes large and unwieldy we can go in and remove superflous post like this  ;D

That's fine, but what about "espresso" and "Sweet Maria's Majirani African Blend"?

In the past, we've only done traditional contests and I thought one centered on espresso would change things up. Whatever direction it ends up going is fine; just fun and no pressure.

What about copying the description from SM and incorporation it in the beginning of the thread; it's an interesting read?
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share and Learn Group Espresso Roast
Post by: Gregr on August 03, 2016, 05:54:28 AM
I just put "Espresso" in the title but when I played around with the Sweet Maria's stuff it looked a bit too long for a subject line but maybe that's just me? If you (Hank) or anyone else feels otherwise or has an idea of what would make a better title just holler.
Hank you should be able to go in and add the description to your first post but if you don't want to or the edit option doesn't work for you let me know. That description is so great it had me hooked immediately. And typical of Sweet Maria's- they're in a class all by themselves.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn SM Majirani Espresso Blend Group
Post by: day on August 03, 2016, 08:12:42 AM
I take back my comments in reference to the roast and learn, I somehow didn't realize what was going on here...
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn SM Majirani Espresso Blend Group
Post by: JavaBuzz on August 03, 2016, 06:17:04 PM
All right, made some changes on ACA that I think should work for this group roast:

Added a Country named "**Blend**" (will be at the top of the Country list)
Added a Region named "African (SM's Majirani)"

So select those options if uploading a profile on ACA for the group roast and you should be good-to-go.

If anyone has a better idea/option, feel free to let me know. :)
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn SM Majirani Espresso Blend Group
Post by: Gregr on August 04, 2016, 04:23:11 PM
Beans arrived today and I tossed em right in the roaster  ;D
The profile can be seen here:
https://www.artisancoffeealliance.com/ACA/view.php?iroast=6-2016080423160201
Now the hard part begins- waiting for it to rest.
Oh- I forgot to click in Artisan for an adjustment I made at the beginning of first crack- I raised the heat to 2.kPa for 50 seconds then dropped it to 1.0.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn SM Majirani Espresso Blend Group
Post by: Gregr on August 07, 2016, 06:15:36 AM
After a too short 3 day rest I pulled a couple of shots this morning. First was 18g in and 22g out, 26 seconds. Second was 18/18/26. I don't have much of a cupping vocabulary and frankly I couldn't identify any specific notes anyways but the main thing I taste is a simple sugary type sweetness. Not fruity, not chocolate or caramel but clear and dominating sweetness. Body and acidity seem evenly matched- probably due to the long-ish development since the write-up mentions heavy brightness. Seems like a roast that would please even people that don't like espresso because they think it's bitter- there's no bitter in these shots. I wouldn't call it an intense espresso but it's incredibly tasty and makes me want more  :)
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn SM Majirani Espresso Blend Group
Post by: thusband on August 07, 2016, 08:00:35 AM
I will agree with you, Greg.  I thought the beans had an incredible chocolaty caramel smell right after roasting so I was looking forward to the cup.  I don't get the chocolate or caramel but do get the sweetness.  The beans have rested 72 hours but maybe they need a bit more. I'll be trying different profiles so we'll see what develops. I'll get the profile up on ACA shortly.   
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn SM Majirani Espresso Blend Group
Post by: JavaBuzz on August 10, 2016, 06:54:04 PM
Just received my shipment of beans from SM, though not sure if I'll have time to roast some this week.

Looking forward to testing out some of the profiles others have shared too!
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn SM Majirani Espresso Blend Group
Post by: hankua on August 11, 2016, 04:16:13 PM
Roasted two batches this morning; one medium city+ and the other full city. The full city roast as filter coffee was chocolate with some very light acidity, pretty nice. As espresso with steamed milk, milk chocolate without sugar. I'm going to wait and see how the medium roast turns out before another attempt.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn SM Majirani Espresso Blend Group
Post by: easygene on August 16, 2016, 11:43:00 AM
Hankua:  On Aug 11 you said:
Quote
I'm going to wait and see how the medium roast turns out before another attempt.

Anything yet?  Reason for asking is wondering about the suitability for pour-over.
I plan to roast a batch this afternoon.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: Gregr on August 21, 2016, 04:06:14 AM
I had to work out of town so wasn't able to enjoy this roast til it was 16 days old, except for that first early taste. This blend is spoiling me now though- it's so sweet and tasty- forgiving too. The shots I pulled that went too fast were even good.
Next roast, which hopefully will be today, will be shorter- going to try to get a brighter roast to see how that tastes. Last one was 3 minutes of development, next one will be 2:30 if all goes as planned. The first one I posted on ACA but forgot to insert into this thread too so here it is:
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: hankua on August 21, 2016, 07:06:53 AM
Me too; Its definitely in the "comfort food" category. Lots of chocolate and with milk has the candy bar flavor. My two minute RD came out fine as a filter roast and espresso; going to shorten it up to 1:30 RD for filter and see if I can tweek some fruit flavors.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: JavaBuzz on August 21, 2016, 10:32:05 AM
Just did my first two roasts yesterday. One Full City (attempt for espresso) and one City+/City++ (for filter, though might see what happens as espresso too).

I'll plan on posting the graph if I think they're worth looking at. :)
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: Gregr on August 24, 2016, 06:00:52 AM
Anyone want to do a swap? I'm going to try to roast another pound today and make it a little lighter than last time.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: JavaBuzz on August 24, 2016, 07:44:48 PM
I will probably need a week or two before I'm ready to roast and swap, but I'd be interested.

Signed up for the Mill City FOTR, so roasting for that will take precedence the next week or two. Not really expecting to get to the 2nd round, but figure I'll give it my best shot and hopefully learn something in the process. :)
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: Gregr on August 26, 2016, 06:31:50 AM
Just pulled an early shot of the second Majirani blend roast. It tastes like it still needs a couple more days rest but after that wow- sweet and clear. Another very tasty shot, full of sugar cane sweetness. This roast surprises me in that the balance between brightness and body is almost identical to the first roast. That one had more development and a shorter drying phase. Not a lot but enough to taste a difference. Will report back when the beans have had a proper rest.
https://www.artisancoffeealliance.com/ACA/view.php?iroast=6-2016082512141001
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: thusband on August 26, 2016, 06:59:37 AM
I'm really enjoying this blend.  My first roast after two days rest was nice but not a lot of chocolate which I was expecting. Then each day after it was better and now after a week it seems to be at its peak.  Great mouth feel, low acid, caramel and fudge brownies.  My wife goes with a mocha and I stick to Americanos or espressos.

I roasted again yesterday and took it a little further than I planned but we'll see. I wanted to drop around 425.

Greg, would you like to swap?

https://www.artisancoffeealliance.com/ACA/view.php?isubmit=View&iroast=20-2016082613452001
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: Gregr on August 26, 2016, 07:32:28 AM
Unfortunately kenneroast got first dibs on this one so until I do another roast I can't do another swap. And to be honest, it's gonna be hard to give up any of it  ;D  That said, I would love to trade in the future, especially with a nice dark roast to contrast the medium roast I did.
I find it to be a little on the low acid too though I still get some coming thru at the tip of the tongue. Surprising considering the roast and cupping notes from SM's:
Quote
I like a bright espresso, and Full City shots are bracing to say the least.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: Gregr on August 26, 2016, 07:34:28 AM
PS- SM's has got to be adding some new beans soon and as soon as they do I'll be ordering a few more pounds of our blend.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: rawman on August 26, 2016, 09:49:47 AM
I wanted to see if I could join this so I ordered some of this last week..  But SMs isn't shipping anything until next week.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: hankua on August 26, 2016, 10:59:51 AM
I'm enjoying it so far, with some milk it's got a "swissmiss" type taste. Also a little underwellming, mostly due to SM over enthusiastic description.

I haven't had a chance to roast more sample, going to try a light roast to see what happens. I want to try a "low and slow" type profile, with a short RD phase.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: JavaBuzz on August 26, 2016, 02:47:59 PM
I wanted to see if I could join this so I ordered some of this last week..  But SMs isn't shipping anything until next week.

Rawman, you should be fine if you still want to join in. I'm guessing we'll still be roasting/discussing this bean at least another 4-6 weeks, possibly longer.

It's kind of nice taking a bit longer time on a bean and having a chance to dig into it more and share findings.

I still haven't tried mine as espresso yet (hopefully this weekend). Brewed some and thought it was good (a "City++" and Full City roast), but nothing really stand-outish when brewed. I think the roasts could taste really good as espresso though (so looking forward to that), and I could possibly roast a bit lighter for brew/filter and get a better brewed cup.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: hankua on August 30, 2016, 02:34:13 PM
I just ran another one today using a "Rao" type declining ROR profile.

Time     Temp    Gas/kPa   Air/volts (variac)
0           150c        .50       25
1:45        92c        3.0       25
5:25      151c        2.0       30
6:36      170c        1.0       30
7:20      180c      0.75       35
8:14      190c      0.50       35
10:33    206c      0.50       45
10:51    207c      0.50       50
11:06    207c      0.50       70
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: JavaBuzz on August 30, 2016, 04:51:19 PM
Here was my first roast attempt (Full City/espresso in mind):
https://www.artisancoffeealliance.com/ACA/view.php?iroast=2-2016083023474501

Turned out pretty tasty for a first attempt. Would maybe take the development a hair longer to try to bring the chocolate notes more forward. I like my espresso shots chocolatey though. :)
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: . on August 30, 2016, 05:50:07 PM
.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: JavaBuzz on August 30, 2016, 06:16:16 PM
Thanks!

I made a bunch of buttons for the fan/power percents to click on when I'm roasting.

The actual "bubble" view is the default (blank) view in Artisan for fan, power, etc. (under Events>Bars dropdown). A lot of people switch that dropdown to Type or Value, but I think it's harder to read. I wish you could do the bubbles in addition to Type or Value.

Does that make sense?
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: . on August 30, 2016, 06:47:22 PM
Yes thank you.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: JavaBuzz on August 31, 2016, 07:22:12 PM
Had the last of the darker espresso (Full City) roast as brewed coffee today. Very enjoyable "comfort" cup. Very full-bodied, with a silky chocolate flavor and what almost seemed like a hint of vanilla in the background/aftertaste (probably the slight lemon and chocolate flavors combining).

I think thusband might be on to something when he said the blend improves with a week or so rest.

Now I have to get my butt moving and roast some more.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: Gregr on September 04, 2016, 09:26:45 AM
I agree with the resting comments- got a slight grassy note on day 3 or so and it was completely gone by day 5.
Anyone with a perforated drum up for a swap with this old school solid drum guy? ;D
I plan on roasting today and will have enough to send to one person or two if they don't mind a smaller amount to test out. So far I've done 2 roasts-- one with 2:30 development time and the other with 3:00. Next up... 2:00 I think, since the brightness wasn't at all overwhelming with the shorter roast.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: kenneroast on September 04, 2016, 06:42:58 PM
Life has thrown me plenty to do in the last couple months. Last week I was finally able to roast this blend. So far it's been excellent. Gregr finally motivated me to work this one into rotation. We did a friendly swap.

Lately I've been really enjoying some light roasted single origin shots. Between knowing Greg's roast would be darker and what I've grown to love, I decided to see how this bean would hold up roasted light. I was aiming to dry at least another 15 seconds longer, and reaching FC a tad quicker. After DE, I attempted to hit the beans with a lot of heat until right before FC.

This roast still turned out really good. It's juicy, fruit flavored, and I think has a fair amount of body.  Haven't had enough of it yet to give a full report, but the first shots of it have been  ;D ;D ;D. I was able to share some of this coffee with my mother. She picked up on the chocolate- something I didn't get out of it.

Looking forward to roasting this one again! It's delicious.

https://www.artisancoffeealliance.com/ACA/view.php?isubmit=View&iroast=7-2016090501332801
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: JavaBuzz on September 07, 2016, 05:18:17 PM
Hankua (and others, feel free to chime in too)...

I think you might have done the most roasts of this blend so far... do you have a favorite roast yet? Around a certain development time (3rd phase) that you think is working best, etc?

Time permitting, thinking I might do another roast of this tomorrow. The 2:45m development roast I did was the best espresso-focused roast of this I've done so far. I did a couple roasts slightly longer than that, but those seemed like too much development. Was thinking I'd try around 2:30m next (and maybe another 2:45'ish roast because I really enjoyed that one).
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: hankua on September 07, 2016, 05:41:19 PM
I liked the full city roast better than the others; one was darker (3:34 RD 224c BT) and my favorite so far was (3:06 RD 220c BT).

Should have enough beans for 2-3 more roasts; going for full city with loads of chocolate and cocoa.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: JavaBuzz on September 07, 2016, 06:34:41 PM
I notice you had a pretty long Phase 1 (5:56) on the 3:06 RD, with I think a pretty gentle RoR decline (little harder to tell when in Celsius). Do you think that somehow contributed to the roast being your favorite?

3:06RD:
https://www.artisancoffeealliance.com/ACA/view.php?iroast=4-2016083102392101
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: hankua on September 08, 2016, 09:41:37 AM
Not sure; the strategy I used was along the lines of "low and slow for spro" and aim for a full city roast just before the onset of 2C. Had a little trouble there at the end and maybe need to keep the gas up longer.

It's still a declining type profile just charged at a lower temp. I also could change the gas setting at the TP to 4kPa instead of 3kPa which should shorten up the first phase.

Let's say for example you charge a roast at 180c and follow a declining type profile. By changing the charge temperature to 150, and following the same routine; the profile is going to automatically stretch out.

Here's one from today



Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: kenneroast on September 08, 2016, 03:23:30 PM
I'm wondering if equipment and brew recipes are a culprit in the mixed reviews at different roast levels. I've been loving my light roast. My aim has been ~2oz out with ~18g in. The last shot I had today took ~25 seconds. The shots are sweet, fruity, and have a fair amount of body. Not sure why I'm missing the chocolate notes when I taste it, but my mother picks up on it.

Gregr's roast was really good too. He went darker with his. I think closer to Full City. A tighter shot better served his. It was ~18g in, ~18g out, in about ~25 seconds.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: JavaBuzz on September 08, 2016, 06:52:06 PM
Might also be preference (why people are roasting darker). I typically prefer a darker roast for espresso and a pretty light roast for brewed coffee (though I'm not opposed to lighter roast espresso). I think some of the others are that way as well.

I've also been trying to use this opportunity to improve my darker roast skills being I rarely roast "dark," and I figured this would be a great opportunity to get a little better at it. Sometimes I think properly roasting dark can be quite a bit more difficult than roasting light.

Thanks for the espresso grams in/out and time info. Actually a great idea to post!
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: easygene on September 10, 2016, 09:56:37 AM
We started out with some killer espresso this morning.  16.9 grams in and 1 1/2 oz out.  Target for my La Spaz is 36 seconds and was within two seconds.  Today is the fifth day post roast and it was sweet with undercurrents of chocolate and fruit.  Got a faint sheen of oil as dumped at very signs of second crack.    Thank you tryer!

Roasted two roasts of this Majirani Monday.  First roast was also 350G and dumped just before end of first crack so its a City roast.  Really good in the Hario as I type this.   Was surprised at the sweetness and faint chocolate.  Not surprised at the faint smell of fruitiness.   It fits all the descriptors.  Not much at cupping and describing but really enjoying reading this thread as it helps to shape understanding and how to develop roasts.  Could kick myself for only ordering 5 pounds.

Roasted a third roast Monday.  Panama Gesha Esmerelda from the Peterson Estate.  A little pricey and only got two pounds in December.  Took 350G right near the end of first crack. 
Had a cup of this one and a cup of the light roasted Majirani yesterday.  Was pleasantly surprised that the Majirani compared favorably.  A little better balance from the gesha and more aroma but still if you compare dollars the Majirani gets a blue ribbon.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: hankua on September 11, 2016, 09:42:23 AM
Awesome!

I think SM goal with this blend was "crowd pleaser". Possible any lots with overpower fruits or acidity were left out. And I suppose they would need to be clean as well without defects.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: korkiley on September 20, 2016, 12:00:45 PM
I wondered if some people are still involved in evaluating this blend. I'm about to order some but I have reservations. First I'm apprehensive about the acidity--I don't like more than a hint of acidity in my espresso although it seems like I generally have to settle for more than that. Second, I'm currently operating on the hypothesis that single origin roasting leads to the best results because of the greater potential for even extractions. At the same time, I want to be open minded. In this case, I think the most important thing I can gain from roasting this bean is to compare my roasting results with others and use other's profiles for guidance, since I am still pretty new to the Huky and only recently learning more about how to manage a roast with some sense of knowing what I am doing. I guess even if you are all done playing with this I can still benefit from the great reporting that many of you have done.

Thanks for all your contributions!
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: Joey on September 20, 2016, 06:37:39 PM
I wondered if some people are still involved in evaluating this blend. I'm about to order some but I have reservations. First I'm apprehensive about the acidity--I don't like more than a hint of acidity in my espresso although it seems like I generally have to settle for more than that. Second, I'm currently operating on the hypothesis that single origin roasting leads to the best results because of the greater potential for even extractions. At the same time, I want to be open minded. In this case, I think the most important thing I can gain from roasting this bean is to compare my roasting results with others and use other's profiles for guidance, since I am still pretty new to the Huky and only recently learning more about how to manage a roast with some sense of knowing what I am doing. I guess even if you are all done playing with this I can still benefit from the great reporting that many of you have done.

Thanks for all your contributions!

I just had a couple pounds of this delivered last week. Looking forward to roasting it soon.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: JavaBuzz on September 20, 2016, 09:22:39 PM
I used up the rest of my 5 lbs a week or so ago. Been debating getting more, but I have a lot of coffee in my backlog to roast too, and I've been trying to avoid the temptation to buy more green coffee.

Korkily, if you want less acidity, you can try roasting darker (possibly as far as the early start of 2nd crack or right before). Giving it 5+ days rest seems to even out the brightness a bit more too. It is a fairly bright coffee, but I've had brighter, and I did enjoy it a lot as espresso when roasted well.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: korkiley on September 21, 2016, 08:20:35 AM
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.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: JavaBuzz on September 21, 2016, 03:02:47 PM
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.

Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: korkiley on September 21, 2016, 03:14:32 PM
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.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: hankua on September 21, 2016, 03:16:12 PM
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.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: JavaBuzz on September 21, 2016, 03:28:23 PM
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). :)
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: Chert on September 21, 2016, 05:45:29 PM
FWIW

2lbs:  109 gm sample roast (that is a fun little sensory challenge)
          400 gm x 2
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: korkiley on September 23, 2016, 06:17:37 PM
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.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: thusband on September 23, 2016, 06:24:52 PM
Open the profile and go to Roast > Temperature > Convert to Fahrenheit.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: korkiley on September 24, 2016, 01:38:38 AM
That was easy. Thank you so much!
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: Joey on September 27, 2016, 04:27:17 PM
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.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: korkiley on October 01, 2016, 10:18:07 AM
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!
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: JavaBuzz on October 01, 2016, 11:54:13 AM
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.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: korkiley on October 01, 2016, 12:25:33 PM
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!
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: SusanJoM on October 01, 2016, 05:39:39 PM

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....

Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: korkiley on October 01, 2016, 06:14:25 PM
Thank you for your input!
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: easygene on October 01, 2016, 11:02:58 PM
Have perforated.   Since last October have opened and closed grate with various combinations.  Great tasting roasts for pour over and espresso.
Starting perhaps a month ago began leaving the grate closed.  So far great tasting roasts both for pour over and espresso.

In a few months plan to leave grate open for a stretch of time and experiment with taste.
I just don't know if you can do a bad roast with the Huky.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: korkiley on October 02, 2016, 07:10:47 AM
I look forward to the results of your continuing experiments.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: korkiley on October 09, 2016, 12:37:06 PM
I roasted 303g of Majirani Espresso Blend. I'm still struggling with controlling my temperature profile with the Huky. This roast ended in a pronounced crash and flick with a final temp a little higher than I would have liked.

I use the Roastmaster roaster app on my iPad which may not be clear to some some since most everyone here seems to use Artisan. To make my attached profile clearer, I annotated the gas and fan settings.

Drying: 4:49 (41.5%)
Ramp: 3:43 (31%)
Development: 3:18 (27.5%)

Charge: 402°
Initial Gas setting: as low as possible, nominally .5 kPa
Initial Fan: 25%, the lowest setting (except for off :)
Maximize gas at 1 minute, I'm trying to hit drying end at 5 minutes
Start increasing fan at drying end and begin lowering gas to keep ramp phase to about 35° of total. I think increasing the fan is maintaining too high a RoR so I probably need to lower gas more aggressively but while still going into 1C at a bit higher rate. I don't usually bump up the gas as I did here. I panicked that I the RoR was going to stall as it did with a previous roast.

I welcome any suggestions for improving my profile. I'll probably try my roast tomorrow morning.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: hankua on October 09, 2016, 12:54:48 PM
I roast on a solid drum; so maybe EasyGene can chime in with tweeks.

One thing that would help, if you could explain how to read the Roastmaster graph; and some of us could learn something new. ;D The Roastmaster integration is really cool.  8)

Based on your total roast time, finish roasting temperature, and roast development time; you should have a nicely developed espresso blend.
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: korkiley on October 09, 2016, 03:20:44 PM
I roast on a solid drum; so maybe EasyGene can chime in with tweeks.

One thing that would help, if you could explain how to read the Roastmaster graph; and some of us could learn something new. ;D The Roastmaster integration is really cool.  8)

Based on your total roast time, finish roasting temperature, and roast development time; you should have a nicely developed espresso blend.

Thanks. I realize that the solid drum practically makes the Huky a different roaster from the perforated version so it's difficult to translate from the solid to the perforated.

I would be happy to explain anything about the Roastmaster display that isn't clear. I can probably achieve a better synchrony between the various display parameters. As it is now, if you highlight the BT as I have in this screen shot, then the Y axis doesn't work for Fan or Power. That's why I specifically labeled Fan and Power--but I won't be doing it again soon--it was way to time consuming : )
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: SusanJoM on October 09, 2016, 03:26:47 PM
the solid drum practically makes the Huky a different roaster from the perforated version so it's difficult to translate from the solid to the perforated.

The understatement of the life span of this forum. ;)
Title: Re: Huky Roast Share & Learn w/ SM's Majirani Espresso Blend
Post by: korkiley on October 16, 2016, 12:43:37 PM
It's been 8 days since I roasted 303g of the Majirani. I posted my profile for that roast a few messages up from here. I've refrained from providing feedback on my "cupping" since I've been really unimpressed and I've been hoping for it to improve with age since that has been the experience of many. That has been my experience too:

Day 2: ** . . . 85.5 -- Pretty bad. No body--very acidic, aroma is weak
Day 4: ** . . . 89.5 -- Better than the first try but still not very good
Day 4: *** . . 95.5 -- My second shot of that day. I seemed to like it a lot better. Almonds consumed while sipping seemed to improve the taste appreciably!
Day 6: *** . . 91.0 -- I didn't seem to like it quite as much that day.
Day 8: **** . 93.0 -- Body is improving markedly. Acidity is borderline for me (I have a low tolerance). Taste was not bad and the Aroma of the freshly pulled shot is improving
Day 8: **** . 93.0 -- My second shot today. I liked it better than the first shot but ended up giving it the same total score. With correction I think I would give it another half to one point.

I would like to another roast soon but I have to wait for the weather to cooperate. I'm roasting outside on my back lawn due to condo restrictions. When the weather is warmer, the wind is stronger which might be more harmful than lower temps.