Can I join the club?

[dgold21]

I got a new i-Roast2 for my birthday this last weekend, and a 2lb bag of Sumatra Takengon organic green beans from 7 Bridges...oh, and a home roasting book by Kenneth Davids. I plan to christen the machine this Saturday with my first foray into this new and exciting ritual.

I'll be a much more regular visitor on this board now, and hopefully will be able to contribute as I hone my skills along the way! Any words of wisdom for my first roasting experience would be greatly appreciated!

(first time using this smiley)

[sonic_mike]

good luck on your endeavor.

[Fumioso]

I've been using an IR2 for nearly two years and have found it to be a great learning device. It definitely has its drawbacks (the biggest one is the noise) but it does a great job with lighter roasts. On the other hand, it's a great way to develop a nose for roast levels. Noise bad, nose good!

A couple things that could be helpful if you don't already know: the actual onboard temperature is always less than what is programmed, by about 40 or 50 degrees. So don't be afraid to experiment with temps that seem higher than recommended.

Another thing is that the performance of the machine is greatly affected by ambient temp. The same program setting that was perfect in the winter will scorch a batch in the summer (if you're roasting outdoors or in the garage as I usually do.)

Congrats on your acquisition!

[Mister Moo]

Join!

[NapCat]

[SIZE="4"]Happy Birthday and Welcome to a wonderful "hobby".

Home roasting will add a fascinating facet to your life not unlike wine tasting.

While there are many experts with years (decades) of experience who go to great lengths and detail in their roasting profiles, if your roast ends with a cup that you enjoy, then you have done it right !!

Enjoy and Have fun.[/SIZE]

[floydpink]

keep us posted on the roaster results. I am nearly over the edge and am looking at some....

[novasurf]

a home roasting book by Kenneth Davids

A must have book for home roasters. Take the time to read it cover to cover, hopefully before you start. Good luck.

[dgold21]

Thanks for the tips & comments, I am now sipping on my first cup of coffee from my first batch of home roasted beans...and it is wonderful. I can taste my coffee!

I roasted a batch last night using a profile I found on the interweb, and stopped it at or just past full city, I believe. I was able to hear the cracks, and it smelled fantastic! Cooled the beans down and then let them rest overnight in an empty Illy's can (does anyone know definitively if that is a one-way valve on the bottom of the can?).

I think it was a successful first run, and I fear I have teetered over too far on this new ledge...the quest for the perfect cup begins!

[NapCat]

[SIZE="3"]Congratulations ![/SIZE]

"...I fear I have teetered over too far on this new ledge..."
[SIZE="3"]
JUMP !!
I have more invested in coffee paraphernalia than in my automobile ! HA!
Then again, I enjoy drinking coffee more than driving...

Enjoy the brew and the day !!

'da Cat[/SIZE]

[germantown rob]

Originally Posted by dgold21

I think it was a successful first run, and I fear I have teetered over too far on this new ledge...the quest for the perfect cup begins!

The quest never ends, the bar just gets set higher .

[Mister Moo]

Times change. I guess it isn't actually a club anymore.

Pimp my roaster?

[NapCat]

"...I guess it isn't actually a club anymore..."

[SIZE="3"]A gaggle ? Perhaps ?[/SIZE]

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by NapCat

"...I guess it isn't actually a club anymore..."

[SIZE=3]A gaggle ? Perhaps ?[/SIZE]

This cordial little coffee forum is soon to become an under-the-microscope click-for-profit generator, N'at. I presume, in the long haul, if we can't generate enough clicks over here to carry our weight, we'll be spun off and replaced by an automated link to coffeegeek.com.

So! Lets get busy with some a solid list of reasons to drink Folgers and brew with Mr. Coffee.

[Fumioso]

Originally Posted by Mister Moo

So! Lets get busy with some a solid list of reasons to drink Folgers and brew with Mr. Coffee.

1. "Folgers" is a lot easier to remember than "2008 Rainforest Alliance Organic Natural Sidamo Koratie."
2. There's nothing like that "phfffttt" sound that you get opening a nice 48 oz can of Folgers.
3. No need to explain to house guests why your home roast tastes like lemons, or blueberries, etc. instead of coffee-infused sweat socks.
4. The vastly entertaining "Folgers vs. Maxwell House" argument takes on new relevance.
5. BLACK SILK!!

And if the CS Coffee forums don't meet click production requirements there's always the Wakin' Up Club. I hope they don't mind my cigar.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by Fumioso

And if the CS Coffee forums don't meet click production requirements there's always the Wakin' Up Club. I hope they don't mind my cigar.

Cynic. Good start, though.

6. Mister Coffee now works with bleached OR natural paper filters.
7. Without robusta sales, capitalism in Viet Nam would collapse.
8. Folgers beats KillerBeans and UncleBeanz in a tasteless blind test.
9. 30 million Folgers drinkers can't be wrong.
10. A lot of foreign grown coffee comes from suspicious (probably muslim) nations like Yemen, Ethiopia, Kenya, Indonesia and Guatamala. Folgers, now grown, roasted, ground and canned in the high mountain regions of the Flint Hills of Kansas, is a more patriotic coffee.
11. Mrs. Nelson would not have lied to us. She said Folgers was the best, so it's the best.