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tips for cold-weather roasting?
tips for cold-weather roasting?
I use a pretty powerful heat-gun for outdoor bean roasting. Now though
we're coming into the coldest months (this weekend reached a max 10
centigrade) and I found it took an inordinate time to get the beans
to a decent brown colour, and I couldn't even hear any cracking. It
took almost an hour whereas I can generally roast about 600 grams in
20 minutes. Coffee tastes just fine though.
Is there a way to accelerate the process? Would it work if I put the
beans in a conventional oven to reach say 80 or 90 C before starting
the heat gun process? I doubt if a smaller quantity would have much
effect as there wouldn't be as great a thermal mass build-up. Advice
will be appreciated -- next month will see temperatures dropping to
only 5 or 6 degrees above zero and I don't want to be sitting outside
for too long! I've tried popcorn popper roasting but find it
infuriating to have to do such small batches...... perhaps that'll
prove the only answer though.
I use a pretty powerful heat-gun for outdoor bean roasting. Now though
we're coming into the coldest months (this weekend reached a max 10
centigrade) and I found it took an inordinate time to get the beans
to a decent brown colour, and I couldn't even hear any cracking. It
took almost an hour whereas I can generally roast about 600 grams in
20 minutes. Coffee tastes just fine though.
Is there a way to accelerate the process? Would it work if I put the
beans in a conventional oven to reach say 80 or 90 C before starting
the heat gun process? I doubt if a smaller quantity would have much
effect as there wouldn't be as great a thermal mass build-up. Advice
will be appreciated -- next month will see temperatures dropping to
only 5 or 6 degrees above zero and I don't want to be sitting outside
for too long! I've tried popcorn popper roasting but find it
infuriating to have to do such small batches...... perhaps that'll
prove the only answer though.
Re: tips for cold-weather roasting?
On Jun 16, 11:15 pm, anthony <anthonyjhcnos...@netscape,net > wrote:
> I use a pretty powerful heat-gun for outdoor bean roasting. Now though
> we're coming into the coldest months (this weekend reached a max 10
> centigrade) and I found it took an inordinate time to get the beans
> to a decent brown colour, and I couldn't even hear any cracking. It
> took almost an hour whereas I can generally roast about 600 grams in
> 20 minutes. Coffee tastes just fine though.
> Is there a way to accelerate the process? Would it work if I put the
> beans in a conventional oven to reach say 80 or 90 C before starting
> the heat gun process? I doubt if a smaller quantity would have much
> effect as there wouldn't be as great a thermal mass build-up. Advice
> will be appreciated -- next month will see temperatures dropping to
> only 5 or 6 degrees above zero and I don't want to be sitting outside
> for too long! I've tried popcorn popper roasting but find it
> infuriating to have to do such small batches...... perhaps that'll
> prove the only answer though.
Are you in the southern hemisphere? It is starting to get warm here
in Minnesota.
Cold weather roasting. I have used a popper outside in the winter.
Putting the popper in a cardboard box to recirculate the head seems to
work.
Larger batches with a heatgun. Have you seen the stuff about the
Corretto roaster? The website Coffee snobs has a bunch of stuff on
it. The breadmachine stirs the beans and the heatgun provides heat.
Find an old bread machine and use that to stir the beans, there is
insulation aroung the baking chamber that should hold in enough heat
to allow roasting in the winter.
I looked at the breadmachine heatgun thing, and I decided I did not
want to tinker building a roaster and ended up buying a Behmor, which
allows roasting indoors in the wintertime.
Shane
On Jun 16, 11:15 pm, anthony <anthonyjhcnos...@netscape,net > wrote:
> I use a pretty powerful heat-gun for outdoor bean roasting. Now though
> we're coming into the coldest months (this weekend reached a max 10
> centigrade) and I found it took an inordinate time to get the beans
> to a decent brown colour, and I couldn't even hear any cracking. It
> took almost an hour whereas I can generally roast about 600 grams in
> 20 minutes. Coffee tastes just fine though.
> Is there a way to accelerate the process? Would it work if I put the
> beans in a conventional oven to reach say 80 or 90 C before starting
> the heat gun process? I doubt if a smaller quantity would have much
> effect as there wouldn't be as great a thermal mass build-up. Advice
> will be appreciated -- next month will see temperatures dropping to
> only 5 or 6 degrees above zero and I don't want to be sitting outside
> for too long! I've tried popcorn popper roasting but find it
> infuriating to have to do such small batches...... perhaps that'll
> prove the only answer though.
Are you in the southern hemisphere? It is starting to get warm here
in Minnesota.
Cold weather roasting. I have used a popper outside in the winter.
Putting the popper in a cardboard box to recirculate the head seems to
work.
Larger batches with a heatgun. Have you seen the stuff about the
Corretto roaster? The website Coffee snobs has a bunch of stuff on
it. The breadmachine stirs the beans and the heatgun provides heat.
Find an old bread machine and use that to stir the beans, there is
insulation aroung the baking chamber that should hold in enough heat
to allow roasting in the winter.
I looked at the breadmachine heatgun thing, and I decided I did not
want to tinker building a roaster and ended up buying a Behmor, which
allows roasting indoors in the wintertime.
Shane
Re: tips for cold-weather roasting?
anthony wrote:
> I use a pretty powerful heat-gun for outdoor bean roasting. Now though
> we're coming into the coldest months (this weekend reached a max 10
> centigrade) and I found it took an inordinate time to get the beans
> to a decent brown colour, and I couldn't even hear any cracking. It
> took almost an hour whereas I can generally roast about 600 grams in
> 20 minutes. Coffee tastes just fine though.
> Is there a way to accelerate the process? Would it work if I put the
> beans in a conventional oven to reach say 80 or 90 C before starting
> the heat gun process? I doubt if a smaller quantity would have much
> effect as there wouldn't be as great a thermal mass build-up. Advice
> will be appreciated -- next month will see temperatures dropping to
> only 5 or 6 degrees above zero and I don't want to be sitting outside
> for too long! I've tried popcorn popper roasting but find it
> infuriating to have to do such small batches...... perhaps that'll
> prove the only answer though.
I roast with the bowl on top of the gas grill. In cold weather I use a
burner on low to raise the ambient air temp around the bowl. Another
option is to insulate the bowl by placing it in a larger bowl stuffed
with insulation. You might also try roasting in a ceramic or other
vessel that retains heat better than stainless steel. Cast iron maybe?
The bread machine setup is intriguing since the motor will do the
stirring for you but I worry that the non-stick surface might
deteriorate with the bean agitation. There's also the concern that the
non-stick surface may give off toxic fumes with the high heat of coffee
roasting.
R "but will read the coffee snob thread" TF
anthony wrote:
> I use a pretty powerful heat-gun for outdoor bean roasting. Now though
> we're coming into the coldest months (this weekend reached a max 10
> centigrade) and I found it took an inordinate time to get the beans
> to a decent brown colour, and I couldn't even hear any cracking. It
> took almost an hour whereas I can generally roast about 600 grams in
> 20 minutes. Coffee tastes just fine though.
> Is there a way to accelerate the process? Would it work if I put the
> beans in a conventional oven to reach say 80 or 90 C before starting
> the heat gun process? I doubt if a smaller quantity would have much
> effect as there wouldn't be as great a thermal mass build-up. Advice
> will be appreciated -- next month will see temperatures dropping to
> only 5 or 6 degrees above zero and I don't want to be sitting outside
> for too long! I've tried popcorn popper roasting but find it
> infuriating to have to do such small batches...... perhaps that'll
> prove the only answer though.
I roast with the bowl on top of the gas grill. In cold weather I use a
burner on low to raise the ambient air temp around the bowl. Another
option is to insulate the bowl by placing it in a larger bowl stuffed
with insulation. You might also try roasting in a ceramic or other
vessel that retains heat better than stainless steel. Cast iron maybe?
The bread machine setup is intriguing since the motor will do the
stirring for you but I worry that the non-stick surface might
deteriorate with the bean agitation. There's also the concern that the
non-stick surface may give off toxic fumes with the high heat of coffee
roasting.
R "but will read the coffee snob thread" TF
Re: tips for cold-weather roasting?
On Jun 17, 10:15 am, Moka Java <rtwatc...@fishyahoo,com > wrote:
> anthony wrote:
> > I use a pretty powerful heat-gun for outdoor bean roasting. Now though
> > we're coming into the coldest months (this weekend reached a max 10
> > centigrade) and I found it took an inordinate time to get the beans
> > to a decent brown colour, and I couldn't even hear any cracking. It
> > took almost an hour whereas I can generally roast about 600 grams in
> > 20 minutes. Coffee tastes just fine though.
> > Is there a way to accelerate the process? Would it work if I put the
> > beans in a conventional oven to reach say 80 or 90 C before starting
> > the heat gun process? I doubt if a smaller quantity would have much
> > effect as there wouldn't be as great a thermal mass build-up. Advice
> > will be appreciated -- next month will see temperatures dropping to
> > only 5 or 6 degrees above zero and I don't want to be sitting outside
> > for too long! I've tried popcorn popper roasting but find it
> > infuriating to have to do such small batches...... perhaps that'll
> > prove the only answer though.
>
> I roast with the bowl on top of the gas grill. In cold weather I use a
> burner on low to raise the ambient air temp around the bowl. Another
> option is to insulate the bowl by placing it in a larger bowl stuffed
> with insulation. You might also try roasting in a ceramic or other
> vessel that retains heat better than stainless steel. Cast iron maybe?
>
> The bread machine setup is intriguing since the motor will do the
> stirring for you but I worry that the non-stick surface might
> deteriorate with the bean agitation. There's also the concern that the
> non-stick surface may give off toxic fumes with the high heat of coffee
> roasting.
>
> R "but will read the coffee snob thread" TF- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
One could just burn off the telfon coating first. That would involve
heating the breadpan up to 900-1000 degrees F, just under where it
would melt. Of course this would need do be done in a place where the
resulting teflon fumes could safely be delt with.
Shane
On Jun 17, 10:15 am, Moka Java <rtwatc...@fishyahoo,com > wrote:
> anthony wrote:
> > I use a pretty powerful heat-gun for outdoor bean roasting. Now though
> > we're coming into the coldest months (this weekend reached a max 10
> > centigrade) and I found it took an inordinate time to get the beans
> > to a decent brown colour, and I couldn't even hear any cracking. It
> > took almost an hour whereas I can generally roast about 600 grams in
> > 20 minutes. Coffee tastes just fine though.
> > Is there a way to accelerate the process? Would it work if I put the
> > beans in a conventional oven to reach say 80 or 90 C before starting
> > the heat gun process? I doubt if a smaller quantity would have much
> > effect as there wouldn't be as great a thermal mass build-up. Advice
> > will be appreciated -- next month will see temperatures dropping to
> > only 5 or 6 degrees above zero and I don't want to be sitting outside
> > for too long! I've tried popcorn popper roasting but find it
> > infuriating to have to do such small batches...... perhaps that'll
> > prove the only answer though.
>
> I roast with the bowl on top of the gas grill. In cold weather I use a
> burner on low to raise the ambient air temp around the bowl. Another
> option is to insulate the bowl by placing it in a larger bowl stuffed
> with insulation. You might also try roasting in a ceramic or other
> vessel that retains heat better than stainless steel. Cast iron maybe?
>
> The bread machine setup is intriguing since the motor will do the
> stirring for you but I worry that the non-stick surface might
> deteriorate with the bean agitation. There's also the concern that the
> non-stick surface may give off toxic fumes with the high heat of coffee
> roasting.
>
> R "but will read the coffee snob thread" TF- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
One could just burn off the telfon coating first. That would involve
heating the breadpan up to 900-1000 degrees F, just under where it
would melt. Of course this would need do be done in a place where the
resulting teflon fumes could safely be delt with.
Shane
Re: tips for cold-weather roasting?
shane wrote:
> On Jun 17, 10:15 am, Moka Java <rtwatc...@fishyahoo,com > wrote:
>> anthony wrote:
>>> I use a pretty powerful heat-gun for outdoor bean roasting. Now though
>>> we're coming into the coldest months (this weekend reached a max 10
>>> centigrade) and I found it took an inordinate time to get the beans
>>> to a decent brown colour, and I couldn't even hear any cracking. It
>>> took almost an hour whereas I can generally roast about 600 grams in
>>> 20 minutes. Coffee tastes just fine though.
>>> Is there a way to accelerate the process? Would it work if I put the
>>> beans in a conventional oven to reach say 80 or 90 C before starting
>>> the heat gun process? I doubt if a smaller quantity would have much
>>> effect as there wouldn't be as great a thermal mass build-up. Advice
>>> will be appreciated -- next month will see temperatures dropping to
>>> only 5 or 6 degrees above zero and I don't want to be sitting outside
>>> for too long! I've tried popcorn popper roasting but find it
>>> infuriating to have to do such small batches...... perhaps that'll
>>> prove the only answer though.
>> I roast with the bowl on top of the gas grill. In cold weather I use a
>> burner on low to raise the ambient air temp around the bowl. Another
>> option is to insulate the bowl by placing it in a larger bowl stuffed
>> with insulation. You might also try roasting in a ceramic or other
>> vessel that retains heat better than stainless steel. Cast iron maybe?
>>
>> The bread machine setup is intriguing since the motor will do the
>> stirring for you but I worry that the non-stick surface might
>> deteriorate with the bean agitation. There's also the concern that the
>> non-stick surface may give off toxic fumes with the high heat of coffee
>> roasting.
>>
>> R "but will read the coffee snob thread" TF- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> One could just burn off the telfon coating first. That would involve
> heating the breadpan up to 900-1000 degrees F, just under where it
> would melt. Of course this would need do be done in a place where the
> resulting teflon fumes could safely be delt with.
>
> Shane
Ive seen setups where the motor and gearing is removed from the bread
machine and the stirrer is rigged up to a steel bowl. It might require
some welding which is beyond my tools, equipment and skills.
shane wrote:
> On Jun 17, 10:15 am, Moka Java <rtwatc...@fishyahoo,com > wrote:
>> anthony wrote:
>>> I use a pretty powerful heat-gun for outdoor bean roasting. Now though
>>> we're coming into the coldest months (this weekend reached a max 10
>>> centigrade) and I found it took an inordinate time to get the beans
>>> to a decent brown colour, and I couldn't even hear any cracking. It
>>> took almost an hour whereas I can generally roast about 600 grams in
>>> 20 minutes. Coffee tastes just fine though.
>>> Is there a way to accelerate the process? Would it work if I put the
>>> beans in a conventional oven to reach say 80 or 90 C before starting
>>> the heat gun process? I doubt if a smaller quantity would have much
>>> effect as there wouldn't be as great a thermal mass build-up. Advice
>>> will be appreciated -- next month will see temperatures dropping to
>>> only 5 or 6 degrees above zero and I don't want to be sitting outside
>>> for too long! I've tried popcorn popper roasting but find it
>>> infuriating to have to do such small batches...... perhaps that'll
>>> prove the only answer though.
>> I roast with the bowl on top of the gas grill. In cold weather I use a
>> burner on low to raise the ambient air temp around the bowl. Another
>> option is to insulate the bowl by placing it in a larger bowl stuffed
>> with insulation. You might also try roasting in a ceramic or other
>> vessel that retains heat better than stainless steel. Cast iron maybe?
>>
>> The bread machine setup is intriguing since the motor will do the
>> stirring for you but I worry that the non-stick surface might
>> deteriorate with the bean agitation. There's also the concern that the
>> non-stick surface may give off toxic fumes with the high heat of coffee
>> roasting.
>>
>> R "but will read the coffee snob thread" TF- Hide quoted text -
>>
>> - Show quoted text -
>
> One could just burn off the telfon coating first. That would involve
> heating the breadpan up to 900-1000 degrees F, just under where it
> would melt. Of course this would need do be done in a place where the
> resulting teflon fumes could safely be delt with.
>
> Shane
Ive seen setups where the motor and gearing is removed from the bread
machine and the stirrer is rigged up to a steel bowl. It might require
some welding which is beyond my tools, equipment and skills.
Re: tips for cold-weather roasting?
> > Shane
>
> Ive seen setups where the motor and gearing is removed from the bread
> machine and the stirrer is rigged up to a steel bowl. It might require
> some welding which is beyond my tools, equipment and skills.
thanks for all the tips -- maybe I'll wait till spring rolls around
again in three months and stick to already-roasted for a time!
> > Shane
>
> Ive seen setups where the motor and gearing is removed from the bread
> machine and the stirrer is rigged up to a steel bowl. It might require
> some welding which is beyond my tools, equipment and skills.
thanks for all the tips -- maybe I'll wait till spring rolls around
again in three months and stick to already-roasted for a time!
Re: tips for cold-weather roasting?
On Jun 17, 12:15 am, anthony <anthonyjhcnos...@netscape,net > wrote:
> I use a pretty powerful heat-gun for outdoor bean roasting. Now though
> we're coming into the coldest months (this weekend reached a max 10
> centigrade) and I found it took an inordinate time to get the beans
> to a decent brown colour, and I couldn't even hear any cracking. It
> took almost an hour whereas I can generally roast about 600 grams in
> 20 minutes. Coffee tastes just fine though.
> Is there a way to accelerate the process? Would it work if I put the
> beans in a conventional oven to reach say 80 or 90 C before starting
> the heat gun process? I doubt if a smaller quantity would have much
> effect as there wouldn't be as great a thermal mass build-up. Advice
> will be appreciated -- next month will see temperatures dropping to
> only 5 or 6 degrees above zero and I don't want to be sitting outside
> for too long! I've tried popcorn popper roasting but find it
> infuriating to have to do such small batches...... perhaps that'll
> prove the only answer though.
A FreshRoast+8 is twice or so the price of a popcorn maker. Takes a
minimum of an hour to get into it, a week's resulting roasted supply
for a pound or more, and pretty well left the aggravation factor after
replacing the timer control with individual element/fan on-off
switches. Simple modification. Except for 'tasting fine without any
crack'... can't say I've ever tried that. A little more "playing
around" I can profile roasts w/ the FR8, although for the most part,
slowing it somewhat when advancing into the first crack, and not much
after for the second suffices for me. Likely 8-10 minutes for around
its standard, half-a-cup of green, for a consistent overall look where
oils present are absorbed back into the bean as they cool. 5, 8,
maybe 10 or more measures between an hour or two, as the mound starts
piling up.
On Jun 17, 12:15 am, anthony <anthonyjhcnos...@netscape,net > wrote:
> I use a pretty powerful heat-gun for outdoor bean roasting. Now though
> we're coming into the coldest months (this weekend reached a max 10
> centigrade) and I found it took an inordinate time to get the beans
> to a decent brown colour, and I couldn't even hear any cracking. It
> took almost an hour whereas I can generally roast about 600 grams in
> 20 minutes. Coffee tastes just fine though.
> Is there a way to accelerate the process? Would it work if I put the
> beans in a conventional oven to reach say 80 or 90 C before starting
> the heat gun process? I doubt if a smaller quantity would have much
> effect as there wouldn't be as great a thermal mass build-up. Advice
> will be appreciated -- next month will see temperatures dropping to
> only 5 or 6 degrees above zero and I don't want to be sitting outside
> for too long! I've tried popcorn popper roasting but find it
> infuriating to have to do such small batches...... perhaps that'll
> prove the only answer though.
A FreshRoast+8 is twice or so the price of a popcorn maker. Takes a
minimum of an hour to get into it, a week's resulting roasted supply
for a pound or more, and pretty well left the aggravation factor after
replacing the timer control with individual element/fan on-off
switches. Simple modification. Except for 'tasting fine without any
crack'... can't say I've ever tried that. A little more "playing
around" I can profile roasts w/ the FR8, although for the most part,
slowing it somewhat when advancing into the first crack, and not much
after for the second suffices for me. Likely 8-10 minutes for around
its standard, half-a-cup of green, for a consistent overall look where
oils present are absorbed back into the bean as they cool. 5, 8,
maybe 10 or more measures between an hour or two, as the mound starts
piling up.
