Your Home Roasting Style

[novasurf]

So when you home roast for yourself, do you tend to roast light or dark?

I've found that roasting lighter does justice to the subtle flavors in the many of our green coffees. There are flavors that are completely lost when the roast is too dark. Remember coffee's flavor is the result of a large group of complex heat activated reactions that occur during roasting. One main group of reactants is known as volatile aromatic compounds. There are about 850 of these compounds in coffee. So where do you tend to land, light or dark?

[Bigwaved]

Lighter.

[ResIpsa]

It depends on my plan for the bean. I prefer lighter for the reasons you stated if the plan is for french press, pour over, or drip.

But if the plan is to use the bean for espresso, I go darker, but not TOO dark. I've experimented with lighter espresso roasts and don't like the results. Even after adjusting for grind and tamp, lighter roasts always seem to have a sour taste to me when used for espresso.

[iceman95]

So, how light are we talking? Before second crack?

I've only recently begun home roasting, and I think everything seems to be a little on the darker side, so far. I'm using the iRoast-2, and I usually start the cooling cycle during second crack -- I think. It's difficult to tell whether I'm hearing second crack, or just beans bouncing off of the inside of the roast chamber. I try to hit the cool-down button just before seeing oils appear on the beans.

I'm only brewing in an auto-drip machine.

[novasurf]

We are talking before second crack. And man, I wish I had a nickel for everytime someone with an iRoast says they cannot hear the roasting stages. Like trying to land a plane for the first time...blindfolded.

[Bigwaved]

Originally Posted by novasurf

We are talking before second crack. And man, I wish I had a nickel for everytime someone with an iRoast says they cannot hear the roasting stages. Like trying to land a plane for the first time...blindfolded.

I hear dead people...does that count?

[Twill413]

Originally Posted by novasurf

And man, I wish I had a nickel for everytime someone with an iRoast says they cannot hear the roasting stages. Like trying to land a plane for the first time...blindfolded.

I am trying to go a little lighter, since what I have read says that this will help to distinguish the different characteristics of the SO beans. I am in my palate grooming stage so this will be beneficial.

I can't hear much in mine either, but I have heard that if you wrap a towel around the base it can cut some of the extra noise. On the up side, my new iRoast 2 thermo seems to be reading much closer to the desired preset than I have read about. Seems to be 10-20 low, whereas I have read as much as 50-70 degrees.

[hyper_dermic]

really depends on the bean..
but most of the beans ive tried so far taste good at city or just a little past....
FC mutes the flavors of some beans, other times it brings out different flavors.

and for the life of me, i cant hear 2nd crack, ive given up on trying to hear it, i just go by color and my notes now...
sometimes i cant even hear 1st crack... depends on the bean.



-hyp

[novasurf]

I'm not familiar with this roaster. Is there a way to get a visual on the beans as they are roasting?

[ulster]

Depends on the bean for me as well. Sometimes before second crack, sometimes at the start of the second crack, but usually no longer than 10 seconds into the second crack.

Most coffees I have been roasting lately have been roughly halfway between first and second crack.

Anything roasted darker or through the second crack pretty much tastes that same to me....burnt!

[whodat1]

I think everyone starts out roasting a bit on the dark side. You tend to roast by cracks and when you start out, you need to hear that second crack to know where you're at in the roast. As time goes by most roasters go lighter to get the elusive flavors from the SO beans and your roasting skills increase, one generally knows where they are at in a roast by a variety of means. I honestly can't remember the last time I took a roast into second crack.

[Smokey Bob]

Originally Posted by Bigwaved

I hear dead people...does that count?

[Swarth]

I think it really depends on the bean. The more fruity Africans like a lighter roast. I also watch for when first crack just clears and you get a whiff of smoke...time to stop if you want those oils in your roast (City Roast). But if you want to develop a sweeter cup you need to get into the malty, caramel stage and I stop a lot of those right before 2nd crack(Full City territory). Next up as we pass through the flavor profile is chocolate and for some beans (Bolivian Cenaproc for example) they like to go into 2nd crack and I stop them at what I call a Vienna Roast, no oil on the beans but it will form after 3 days or so. Beyond that is French Roast and you can even find beans that will retain some of their character better than others, Ugandan Bugisu comes to mind, although I admit the roast flavor is too strong for my tastes. What amazes me is even when it clears 2nd crack it is still not burnt and thin like crappy starbucks.

[hyper_dermic]

Im glad u mentioned the beans that show oil after 3 days or so....
That would be considered Vienna?
Ive had that happen to me on a couple of my roasts, where i think im at full city because the beans are darker, but with no oils showing, but after doing a 3 day sit, the oils have found their way to the outside of the bean..
now they are never REALLY oily like the charcoal the sell in retail stores, but its there!

Im still unsure of the stages.. i only know what tastes good to me for a certain bean. I try to generalize based on color, relative time in the roaster, and presense/or lack of oils shown after 3 days. I cant really go by 2nd crack, as i cant hear it. (most recently i couldnt even hear 1st crack with some Idido Misty Valley Yirg... but based on color, time in roaster, lack of oil on surface, i say its a city roast) (oh, not to mention taste... the brighter, fruiter flavors were not muted in any way...)

Ive been getting more and more pro roasts to compare to, but alot of the retail places dont say exactly what point they roasted to, so i just compare the beans and try to make a mental map...

-hyp

[BigBasMan]

I use the good old popcorn popper method and stop right before second crack. Usually, I prefer second crack to take place a few seconds after a start cooling them (passing them back and forth between two metal strainers).