Coffee: drip vs percolate vs...

[LuxLuthor]

I'll hold out to see what Tom says about the new FreshRoast models. I'm hooked on the programmability of the iRoast2. I set the main roasting stage longer than I need it and see what time it needs, then reprogram and keep that cycle for the whole bag of 5-10 pounds.

I don't like to stand there watching the roast and smelling the smoke if I know a setting to have it turn out. I don't know if these new models have that, or how well they do City+, but I agree it looks promising.

 

[kwkarth]

I'll hold out to see what Tom says about the new FreshRoast models. I'm hooked on the programmability of the iRoast2. I set the main roasting stage longer than I need it and see what time it needs, then reprogram and keep that cycle for the whole bag of 5-10 pounds.

I don't like to stand there watching the roast and smelling the smoke if I know a setting to have it turn out. I don't know if these new models have that, or how well they do City+, but I agree it looks promising.

Hi Lux,
I'm sure you're aware that the suitability of stage and roast time programs vary considerably with changes in ambient humidity and temperature, not to mention varietal differences in beans. So even if you roast the same bean from day to day, if the humidity or temperature differs from day to day, your roast profiles will need to be different to produce exactly the same roast.

Since I've never actually seen the new FreshRoast products, I can't know for sure, but I've had a couple of the FreshRoast 8's for years and they will do a darker roast than the i-Roast will. So I'm not too concerned about that. Anyway, I'm just offering the info for interest's sake. Caught my interest anyway!
Cheers,
Kevin

 

[DoctaDink]

:naughty:Whatever you do, do NOT read the knife threads or the watch threads or the car threads. Psst: [You want a FreshRoast 500]

LOL! Its TOO late, I'm already an evolving knife nut, and could easily get into watches if I'd let myself. I love well crafted, precision tools/items. Especially where form and function are both expertly applied. Eg: firearms, bicycles, photographic equip., etc.
And, Yes...I DO want a FreshRoast 500! As I get older, and my ability to taste and smell diminishes, I need an extra boost in flavor.But, I'm not sure I have what it takes to recognize the subtleties of coffee that y'all describe. I think that I am in pursuit of the rich smooth flavor that I once enjoyed in cup of coffee that I had at a seaside cantina in Mexico. It was only one cup, and wasn't even repeated at the same place the next day...but I still remember it after ~25 years.

 

[ryball]

STOP IT, you guys! You are making my mouth water, and are going to end up costing me more money than I have to spend on such things.
Just when I was starting to enjoy my bag of pre-ground StarBucks in my French Press...Now I'm never going to be satisfied until I try roasting and grinding my own...and using an Aeropress. I guess it's kinda like enjoying the wonders of a mini- MagLite....until you get a NiteCore EX10.
Sheesh....another obsession with which to struggle.

Seriously, your first cup of home roasted, freshly ground, properly prepared coffee will be a life changing experience.

 

[kwkarth]

Seriously, your first cup of home roasted, freshly ground, properly prepared coffee will be a life changing experience.

+2!!

 

[ryball]

It's funny, this brings me back to the first SUPER heavily bodied African I roasted myself. It was like drinking Guinness for the first time after drinking nothing but light beer my whole life.

me: "OH, that's what they mean by body."

 

[DoctaDink]

I was watching some of the SweetMaria videos, and saw him using an U.V. light to test the coffee. What is he looking for? Is more fluorescence good or bad? Does it have anything to do with Aflatoxin contamination of the beans or just what?

 

[kwkarth]

This is a new one to me, but Sweet Maria's says;

RE: Rwanda Kinunu Bourbon
UV also detects any potato-taste in coffee, a problem that can sometimes occur in Rwanda lots.

 

[saabluster]

OK, the Costa Rica roasted today went out by Priority Mail. It is a so called "City+" roast, and in a one-way vent bag so the CO2 can escape. Hopefully the USPS won't suspect it is hiding drugs and rip it open, as it emits a most delectable aroma as it is evolving. I use my old Foodsaver to make a heatseal above the ziplock. This is the contents of two batches from my iRoast, about 3 Cups of roasted beans, enough to last several days.

I never use a fresh roasted coffee until it has sit and developed for at least 3-4 days. You will probably get it on Wed/Thursday and will be perfect for use then.

Like me, most people will assume *real* coffee like this is stronger, and that they must use less. Do NOT follow that thought. Real coffee is not bitter or negative even if made stronger. It does not have more caffeine either. If you are used to typical ground/canned coffee, use a little bit more so you don't have a watered down flavor.

If you can use some bottled spring water, and either pour when you first see/hear the start of an early boil, or after a rolling tea kettle whistle, let water cool down for a few mins. Too hot of water (rolling boil is 212° F) can burn coffee. Perfect temp is 200° F. :thumbsup:

Enjoy. I warn you however, this experience will have a downside when you go back to what you previously thought was coffee.

Well I received it yesterday and had it brewing in about 5 minutes. It was very professionally packed. I just couldn't help myself Lux. I knew it was supposed to rest longer but I am a weak weak man. I took great pains to see that it was prepared properly. I am going to keep my initial thoughts to myself until I try it two more times. I want to see how the flavor evolves. I also want my pallet to adjust to it. Thanks again Lux!

 

[LuxLuthor]

Cool! So you got it on Wed which is only 2 days after I roasted (fast USPS!), and tried some Wed? I won't use it until 3rd, and usually 4th day. I keep rotating a set of 5 numbered small round plastic containers, and always know the day it was roasted.

You can make it weaker if you normally make yours that way. It would be interesting to see what you perceive as taste changes over next couple days. Smell the beans and you can tell differences also. Have others give their opinions at home.

 

[da.gee]

Thanks for all the great info here. You've probably cost many of us hundreds of dollars.

As payback I thought y'all might enjoy an original watercolor/ink drawing I just purchased. I like to support local artists and recently found this piece. Excuse the rapid scan and no mounting.

Sorry about the gesture. In the context of art I hope it will fly here.

It is titled: "Coffee vs. Tea".

 

[saabluster]

Cool! So you got it on Wed which is only 2 days after I roasted (fast USPS!), and tried some Wed? I won't use it until 3rd, and usually 4th day. I keep rotating a set of 5 numbered small round plastic containers, and always know the day it was roasted.

You can make it weaker if you normally make yours that way. It would be interesting to see what you perceive as taste changes over next couple days. Smell the beans and you can tell differences also. Have others give their opinions at home.

Well I'm sick as dog today and don't have the energy to do much of anything but need to report back on my findings. First off a huge thank you! to LuxLuthor for sending me my first bag of freshly roasted coffee.

Received one bag of "Costa Rica Lourdes de Naranjo Herbazu" on Wednesday the 18th. It was roasted on Monday the 16th and packed in a sealed one-way valve bag that has a clear front to let you see the beautiful beans. Lux's suggestion was to wait 3-4 days before brewing. I am not strong enough to hold myself back so had some brewing a few minutes after it came in the mail on the second day. To be honest I'm am surprised it ever made it to my house because the box it came in emanated the most wondrous smell that I would have thought for sure one of the postal workers would have had an "accident" in transit so they could steal some of the precious cargo.

My coffee background is based on buying whole beans at Starbucks. Specifically my two favorites are the Ethiopian Sadamo and Sumatra. I am not one who likes all or even most of Starbucks stuff. I am quite picky. I tend to like a medium strength brew. Starbucks in my opinion brews it way too strong. Note that I am not referring to the roast level but the concentration of coffee to water. When brewing the Lux brand coffee I changed nothing about the way I brew other than the recent changes in method suggested here such as pulsing the grinder which I had already begun to incorporate. This was a city+ roast if I remember right and is darker than most anything else I have ever had.

Day 2 after roast- My first thoughts on opening the box were that it had an incredible aroma. The strange thing is that when I opened the bag I noticed a second very distinct odor coming from the beans. It was an oily/smoky smell that stood apart from the normal sweet coffee smell most everyone experiences when entering a coffee shop. It was not a bad smell at all just something I had never experienced before. On brewing I found it to have a very smoky flavor with little body. What flavor was there was good but I kept saying to myself that it seemed like there was only one low note being played with none of the higher or mid notes I have experienced from other coffees. I kept in mind that my palet may not have been used to that kind of roast and that I had not let it rest as long as I was told to. My sister and I tested it together every day and came to the same conclusion. It was good, very good in fact, but not as good as our Starbucks favorite. The Ethiopian Sadamo is a 9 whereas the Lux on day 2 was maybe an 8.

Day three post-roast- Day three showed a marked improvement in the flavor of the coffee. I realized then Lux might have known what he was talking about when he said to rest the coffee. Still no high notes to the coffee but some more in the middle. I noticed a reduction in the two different smells I had experienced the day before with the sweet smell starting to dominate. Starbucks 9 Lux 9

Day four- Even better still. Lux was right to let this coffee rest this long. The separate smell in the bag was virtually gone now replaced by just the sweet smells of fresh coffee. Very nice in the bag. I started to notice a buttery taste that was wonderful. Still no high notes such as the citrus I taste in my other coffee but the other flavors were so smooth and rich that it made for an unusual experience. I have never had a cup like this one before. Starbucks9 Luxorific brand 9.3

Day five- Due my normal hectic Saturday schedule I was unable to try it.

Day six- The coffee had definitely started heading down hill. It started to have that "old" taste to it. Although I was not able to have it on the prior day judging by the sixth day it would seem it peeked on day four. Lux you couldn't have been more right. To those who espouse a different rest time may I say that at least for that coffee roasted that way four days was spot on.

Day seven- Well since the coffee was not at its peak any longer I decided to experiment. I mixed the Lux brand with a Starbucks "Thanksgiving" which I got since they had it marked down. Both the Starbucks and the Lux were past their prime. The result of the mix was amazing. They seemed to compliment one another very well. This ended my experience with the Lux coffee as I was now out of beans.

In the end I suppose I was a little let down as I was expecting to have a flavor orgasm with the fresh roasted coffee when "all" I got was the best cup of coffee I had ever had. It was very good and a learning experience that could never be had at a Starbucks. Thank you so much for you generosity and for the experience Lux!

 

[kwkarth]

Seems like what might be a good experience for you would be a lighter roast of a Central/South American bean. I will pick something along that line and roast some up for you. Can you PM me your address please?

 

[kwkarth]

Thanks for all the great info here. You've probably cost many of us hundreds of dollars.

As payback I thought y'all might enjoy an original watercolor/ink drawing I just purchased. I like to support local artists and recently found this piece. Excuse the rapid scan and no mounting.

Sorry about the gesture. In the context of art I hope it will fly here.

It is titled: "Coffee vs. Tea".

This is a great picture!
Thanks!

 

[saabluster]

Seems like what might be a good experience for you would be a lighter roast of a Central/South American bean. I will pick something along that line and roast some up for you. Can you PM me your address please?

Well I don't know what I ever did to deserve all this coffee but I will PM you in a sec. :thanks:

 

[LuxLuthor]

Thanks for taking the time to write your feedback.

This is how it goes with coffee.

Different continents, different countries, different locations within a country, different farms within that location, different years for a farm, different lots within a year all have effects on the variety and complexity of the different notes.

Then there is the quality and age of the green bean source you get, the changing conditions of your environmental conditions/temps when you roast from one day to the next, then your preference with dark, medium, light roasts, resting time after roasting, grind method, brewing method, etc. Fortunately, Tom at SweetMarias gives pretty good guidelines on how to roast a given coffee.

Eventually over many months/years, most people will migrate to a few continents/countries for most of their purchases. I've been in a Central American groove for last few years. If you blend combinations of beans together, then all the deck of cards are tossed in the air, but it can be very pleasing.

There are so many variables, in some ways it is like creating a work of art every day you make it. For this Costa Rican (& most Central Americans), I use my 4-5 small tupperware containers with numbered lids just resting loosely on top for breathing, so I am always drinking in that peak 4-5 day post-roasting.

One of the reasons I personally buy at least 5 pounds at a time is it takes a number of batches to find the "zone" for any one bean.

If you can repeat the same process with kwkarth's beans, I'm sure it will be a whole other experience.

 

[kwkarth]

Thanks for taking the time to write your feedback.

This is how it goes with coffee.

Different continents, different countries, different locations within a country, different farms within that location, different years for a farm, different lots within a year all have effects on the variety and complexity of the different notes.

Then there is the quality and age of the green bean source you get, the changing conditions of your environmental conditions/temps when you roast from one day to the next, then your preference with dark, medium, light roasts, resting time after roasting, grind method, brewing method, etc. Fortunately, Tom at SweetMarias gives pretty good guidelines on how to roast a given coffee.

Eventually over many months/years, most people will migrate to a few continents/countries for most of their purchases. I've been in a Central American groove for last few years. If you blend combinations of beans together, then all the deck of cards are tossed in the air, but it can be very pleasing.

There are so many variables, in some ways it is like creating a work of art every day you make it. For this Costa Rican (& most Central Americans), I use my 4-5 small tupperware containers with numbered lids just resting loosely on top for breathing, so I am always drinking in that peak 4-5 day post-roasting.

One of the reasons I personally buy at least 5 pounds at a time is it takes a number of batches to find the "zone" for any one bean.

If you can repeat the same process with kwkarth's beans, I'm sure it will be a whole other experience.

Well said! So true, variety is the spice of life. Just about the time I find my favorite variety of coffee, it the end of the crop year, and the crop from the following year sucks and I have to start my search all over again!! :twothumbs I rarely buy more than 5 lbs. at a time for the same reasons.

 

[LuxLuthor]

I'm relying on Tom's reviews and scores more and more, but occasionally I'll try a new one, like it so much....and quickly order 20 pounds before it runs out. With proper storage, they say green beans can last for several years. I think the longest I went so far is about 18 months. I transfer them to the Sweet Maria's cotton bags that hold 5 pounds.

 

[kwkarth]

I'm relying on Tom's reviews and scores more and more, but occasionally I'll try a new one, like it so much....and quickly order 20 pounds before it runs out. With proper storage, they say green beans can last for several years. I think the longest I went so far is about 18 months. I transfer them to the Sweet Maria's cotton bags that hold 5 pounds.

I've kept stock for about 4-5 years, no problem. I keep the coffee in whatever bags it comes in, burlap, poly, etc. The room stays 60-70 year around, and on rare occasions drops to 40F at the coldest in winter. The coffee is still great when roasted up!

 

[saabluster]

I'm curious if either of you know why it lasts so long pre-roasting but after roast it declines so quickly. Very strange that.:thinking: