(Part 4) Top products from r/roasting

I'm very skeptical that microwaving coffee causes chemical changes in the coffee. I'm pretty sure that is incorrect.

Oxidation does cause changes in the chemistry of coffee, but not microwaves from the oven in your kitchen. I have microwaved cold extracted coffee for years, and it definitely can compete with hot-brewed coffee for flavor. It's just as enjoyable.

Cold extracted coffee does have less acid than hot-brewed coffee, and it can help when someone is dealing with GERD. It has less caffeine, as well. For some reason, some folks seem to like brewing cold-extracted coffee in a concentrate form, but I've always brewed mine at regular strength, and it tastes great hot (after being microwaved) or cold, straight up, no cream or sugar. And if it is kept sealed in the refrigerator, oxidation can be slowed, but not really prevented.

Cold extracted coffee has a different flavor profile than hot-brewed coffee; in particular, since there is less acid, other flavors come through, and you might find that a coffee which tastes great in a cold extraction is not as good when hot-brewed, and vice-versa. Typically, a lighter roast which might be quite lovely when hot-brewed may not be as good when cold extracted, and conversely, something roasted too dark for hot brewing may be quite lovely when extracted cold.

Regarding the OP's ideas, for the quantity of coffee he is seeking, I would suggest that most commercially-available toddy systems that I am aware of (Ronco, Coffee Toddy) are too small for producing the quantity he seeks in a single batch. He might want to consider a food-grade bucket with a lid and a pillowcase or muslin sack. I know of one local roaster who prepares their coffee toddy in that way, and it tastes fine.

I modded my popper by splitting the heating and fan elements and putting the fan on a dimmer. I also made a DIY sous vide setup with a PID of sorts that I already had. And I know only enough about electricity to keep myself from getting electrocuted. So it can be done. Here's my two cents based on my experience (bear in mind I may very well get some terminology wrong):

• First of all, I can't recommend a PID because what I'm using is a relatively expensive controller designed for controlling the temp on a smoker (a BBQ guru). I already owned it but there's probably better ones for your purposes.
  
  
• From what I've read, putting the heating element on anything more complicated than an on/off circuit would require a relatively expensive component because of the amount of current. So you're probably going to have your PID toggle the heating element to control the temperature.
  
  
• One component you may need is a relay like this. It allows a signal on one side of 3-32V (sent from your PID) to toggle a switch carrying household current on the other side. It's what I use in my sous vide setup.
  
  
• Someone else mentioned the fact that the fan runs on a different voltage than the heating element, and that the popper uses a secondary heating element to "step down" the voltage. The other way you can do that is with a transformer. Per info I found online I used a Radio Shack Model: 273-1512 Transformer to do this. It gets warm when it runs so it may not be the perfect component, but it doesn't get hot enough to melt anything.
  
  
• I put the fan on a dimmer switch as another way to control temperature, the thought being I could slow down the fan to raise temp. This was not worth it. My 1100 watt popper gets plenty hot so I only run the fan at full speed both during roasting and cooling. A regular switch would have been plenty.
  
  
• I drilled a hole through the side of my popper for a temperature probe, because I replaced the plastic hood with a glass chimney. The plastic would have melted by now, plus the chimney is see-through, creates better air flow, and looks cool. Though you have to throw it in the dishwasher every few roasts for it to remain see-through.
  
  
• Finally -- before doing the PID part I'd try just splitting the fan and heating elements first and put them both on switches. You can always add the PID later, but by starting manually you'll have a better idea of whether your setup is even capable of turning out consistent roasts before you go all crazy.
  
  Good luck!

It really depends on the brand of roaster and how much you want to invest to automate it. Automation will mean a loss of control and due to that loss of adjustable variables, you will be shoehorned into whatever roast it wants to give you (within certain limitations). This could be a good thing for beginners, shops who want repeatability, and operations where you want to be able to do other things (sales, etc) while the machine is roasting, or have an employee with little to no roasting background operate the machine.

If you buy a roaster with all of the automation already implemented, your training could be rather simplistic and you could turn out reasonable coffee quickly. To make extraordinary coffee, you need that minute control over every possible variable. We have found that a difference of one degree at a critical changing point in our profile is tasteable in the cup. I have an engineering background and immediately wanted greater control over the basic homeroaster because I understood things about profile roasting which I could not implement on the basic system.

Your other option is to find a used commercial drum and implement your own control/automation system. If you have any electrical or systems engineering background (or know anyone who does) this is not really complicated, just time consuming. There is a lot of software available for roast monitoring & control. If you don't have some sort of automation (PID gas valve control, computer monitoring and profile control) you won't have the precise repeatability to produce a similar product every time. Sure, you don't have one hand on a damper and the other on a gas valve, but there is still plenty of 'artisan' factor in crafting a great roast on any system which isn't fully automated!

If you want to get started on a smaller homeroasting level, [Kenneth Davids book] (http://www.amazon.com/Coffee-Roasting-Revised-Updated-Edition/dp/0312312199) gives a broad overview of coffee and has homeroasting techniques and insights. [Blue Bottle] (http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Bottle-Craft-Coffee-Roasting/dp/1607741180/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409583577&sr=1-1&keywords=blue+bottle+craft+of+coffee+by+james+freeman) is an entertaining read about James Freeman starting into roasting, his travels, a little bit about roasting, and a lot about prep methods. Definitely use the Sweet Marias web library! Also you might check out: homeroasters.org home-barista.com greencoffee.coop coffeegeek.com and I'm sure there are some I've missed. If you get the chance to attend a CoffeeFest, they are pretty inexpensive and there are roasting courses (basic, but nice intros to professional machines), you can meet plenty of green bean importers, and you can drink all the free coffees you can handle!

Hope my rambling answered your questions and I didn't bore you to death!

> If you're like me, the main reason I roast my coffee is because it's the most cost effective way to get your daily dose of caffeine.

Okay, then I'm not like you, but lets continue...

> My goal is to save 15 minutes/day by cold brewing instead of my typical "hot brew" methods with aero press, percolator, drip brew etc.

Interesting idea, I have one on the way too and I feel you. But I'd rather sacrifice a morning shower than a good HOT coffee.

My solution? I have a semi cheap Grind-and-Brew Cuisinart drip coffee maker. I can program it the night before if I know time is limited, or if somebody is going to wake up before me (but who wakes up before 6:00am?). Not this exact one but close: https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DGB-550BK-Automatic-Coffeemaker-Grind/dp/B000VTP45Q

> Instead, i'll be able to simply poor the cold brew in to a cup & microwave

Yeah... you lost me here. I'll take my decent grinder and drip over microwaved coffee. Making the big cold brew batch also takes up precious fridge space (all the new baby foods).

So I use this large sieve...
https://www.amazon.com/Winco-SIV-14-Sieves-14-Inch/dp/B003YOXD1W

And this fan...
https://www.amazon.com/Vornado-CR1-0121-06-Large-Whole-Circulator/dp/B0025QKUE8

I have a HG/BM setup and just dump the beans into the sieve then hold the sieve over the fan which I have pointing straight up from the ground. Gently swirling the beans around cools the beans to room temperature in less than a minute. I normally roast 1/2 lb at a time, but I've done up to a lb and the setup still works well. I pretty much have to use it on the back porch or the garage because any chaff that's still with beans will get blown out almost immediately.

You could definitely get away with a less expensive fan, but I found it on sale for $50 and I use around the house for other things when I'm not roasting so win-win.

I use a https://www.amazon.com/IRWINQUICK-GRIPOne-Handed-Mini-Bar-Clamp-1964742/dp/B00002244S/ref=sr_1_6?crid=29OSKUC6N2YQ3&keywords=irwin%2Bquick%2Bgrip%2Bclamp%2B6%2Binch&qid=1559108566&s=gateway&sprefix=irwin%2Bquick%2Bgrip%2Bclamp%2B*%22%2Caps%2C210&sr=8-6&th=1 It provides perfect variability :)

I like this book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1592535631/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_iN7IDbKP3JR86

Here's a couple of scientific papers that might interest you:

• Variations in caffeine and chlorogenic acid contents of coffees: what are we drinking? - https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2014/fo/c4fo00290c
  
• The Effect of Time, Roasting Temperature, and Grind Size on Caffeine and Chlorogenic Acid Concentrations in Cold Brew Coffee - https://jdc.jefferson.edu/jchsfp/2/

Great work! You could rig up a hood for you shop vac using something like this and make a stand for it or suspend it over the popper so you don't have to hold the hose.

Option 1: Use a rubber stamp and stamp the bags. Tons of coffee shops do this on their cups for the same reason: it's cheap and easy.

Ink pads are widely available in craft stores like Michael's in a dizzying array of colours to support crafty scrabooker types. I'm sure you can find one in a shade to match your logo. Custom rubber stamps are just a Google search away. Hell, you could get a self-inking stamp that's probably in the right shade.

Option 2: Just print 'em on an inkjet or colour laser printer. Lots of label sizes and options available. This will cost more than option 1.

The only difference between LP and NG orifices is the hole size. However, you cannot tell the difference with the naked eye as the difference is pretty small. But if they did give you the wrong jets, it would explain everything. You can check the orifice diameter by getting a wire gauge drill bit set (like this) and checking for yourself.

NG doesn't use a regulator, at least not one near your roaster, as the pressure is dictated by what comes into your building and what the local gas company has set the pressure to. Since you are getting 11 inches, that ought to be enough, but maybe not. You should get a good variable pressure regulator (like this) and dial it up to 22 inches. A bbq regulator may provide the pressure but it's got a small diaphragm regulator that might freeze up under high flow conditions.

Also, what does your flame look like? Check the flame color charts to make sure it's right. (Google it.)

It looks like you want model 82306... I've started seeing more of model 82505 which is NOT the correct one.

they're talking about this type of container, it helps coffee stay fresher longer by protecting it from light and oxygen.

So for home guys and even most places doing it to the standard shouldn't be the first goal. Having consistent internal protocols is more important. Here's what I would recommend :

Buy a set or 2 of these or something similar: https://www.amazon.com/Anchor-Hocking-80381L11-Custard-ounces/dp/B001HIAD2Y/ref=sr_1_5

Weight out the beans to maybe between 8-10g, put 3 cups per roast, grind to the same setting, and pour water to approximately the same point (these have a little ridge that starts a few cm before the top)

Break at a consistent time and just taste at like 12 minutes if you are heat sensitive.

No need to cleanse palate except between roasts if you want, but not really needed.

I know of people who have used this model, available from Amazon UK. I think it is made in Germany, so may well be available from other European Amazon sites too.

How about a history of coffee?

Uncommon Grounds is an excellent book about the history of coffee, including the spread of the trees, the foundation of the major companies, the economic impact of beans flooding the market, slaves, corrupt officials and roasting history.

Link to the Amazon page

Edit - I added a word.

http://www.amazon.com/1682-Heat-Resistant-Fireplace-Barbecue/dp/B000JFCEDM

This is the one I'm using

I️ just got into doing the HG/DB method from researching this sub. Can’t tell you how my roasts have turned out as today was the first batch, but here’s my set up. The slow feeder bowl is supposed to distribute the heat better. I️ also have an air popper but am not fond of the small batch size.

OurPets DuraPet Slow Feed Premium Stainless Steel Dog Bowl https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001NJ4PVW/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4fMbAb2RD4M8H

Wagner Power Products 503008 HT 1000 1,200-Watt Heat Gun https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004TUCV/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_KhMbAb9GGK7NX

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000XATJ6I?pc_redir=1408882502&robot_redir=1

Set up 3 tables. The center for pouring and a sugar/milk area on either side.
Send someone with a sanitized rag to clean and re-shine things every 15 minutes.
You are essentially a drug dealer and 5,000 junkies are showing up. If you don't constantly clean then that place will look like war torn hell within an hour