Coffee - do you and how do you consume it?

[pierre]

That was likely a smoky mess! Probably didn't smell like you expected either...

I use one like @pierre showed in his post:

https://www.audiosciencereview.com/...ow-do-you-consume-it.17476/page-5#post-566909

I've had it for probably 20 years or so. I started with a popcorn popper style roaster, hated that, looked into it a little and found the Hottop Roaster which I've used regularly ever since.

It is not that difficult to roast coffee, but it is easier to get it if someone can show you. After that it is question of taste and luck.
You have a few parameters to set for a roast and it is bit dark magic. there is a nice software (artisan) that can help to make it more reproducible.

Roasting has a few phases: you can regulate time, temperature and cooling so there are many possible variations. A classical roast on a hottop is easy to set up: you biggest decision is when to stop. You should wait after first crack (you hear the coffee 'pop', with audiophile training that's easy). Then depending on how you like your coffee (from light to dark) you have to stop either before second crack (second set of pops, lighter and faster than the first).

Then you just need to wait 10 days or so. Coffee is ready.

 

[bluefuzz]

It is not that difficult to roast coffee, but it is easier to get it if someone can show you. After that it is question of taste and luck.

I almost put money into the IKAWA roaster when it was on Kickstarter, but I decided it was probably yet another rabbit hole I would be better off not diving into ... I do still rather like the look of it but one of the more fugly devices like the Gene or Hottop are probably as good if not better.

 

[BDWoody]

I almost put money into the IKAWA roaster when it was on Kickstarter, but I decided it was probably yet another rabbit hole I would be better off not diving into ... I do still rather like the look of it but one of the more fugly devices like the Gene or Hottop are probably as good if not better.

I didn't like the results I got with the air-bed/popcorn popper style roaster. I've never regretted paying for the Hottop, and at a savings of $8-10lb on green vs roasted Coffee, it pays for itself in a few years depending on how much you drink, although that's not really my motivation.

 

[pierre]

I didn't like the results I got with the air-bed/popcorn popper style roaster. I've never regretted paying for the Hottop, and at a savings of $8-10lb on green vs roasted Coffee, it pays for itself in a few years depending on how much you drink, although that's not really my motivation.

My only gripe with the Hottop is the 250g per batch limit. I really would like a 1kg roaster and roast a few kilos every 3 weeks. That would be perfect. Need to find one which is not too expensive but didn't succeed yet.

 

[daftcombo]

When I wake up, the first thing I do is going to the kitchen and make me a coffee.

Then I go to the small living-room where I turn on the JBL 305p MK2, push Play on the CD player and listen to the CD I prepared the evening before.

 

[mansr]

Hmm, I wonder if a solder reflow oven could be repurposed for coffee roasting.

 

[BDWoody]

My only gripe with the Hottop is the 250g per batch limit. I really would like a 1kg roaster and roast a few kilos every 3 weeks. That would be perfect. Need to find one which is not too expensive but didn't succeed yet.

I agree. The jump to the small batch commercial units is pretty substantial in terms of cost though it seems.

Hmm, I wonder if a solder reflow oven could be repurposed for coffee roasting.

The Hottop warms up to 162F, then beeps to let you know it's time to put in beans. There is an internal horizontal rotating mesh basket, and a heating element that continues to raise the temp over about 18 minutes to around 380F, where you start to get first Crack. The reaction at this point becomes exothermic, exhaust fan speed increases , temp continues to rise through the start of second crack at around 400F, and then up from there.
Dump beans whenever they match your desired roast within that process.
Dump onto a tray that allows for rapid cooling to arrest the process.

Customize to suit what you've got on hand. I'm sure you could rig something up.

 

[mansr]

Customize to suit what you've got on hand. I'm sure you could rig something up.

Oh, I don't have one. It was just a thought inspired by people turning kitchen appliances into cheap reflow ovens.

 

[A Surfer]

My favourite of late has been a Burmese bean roasted locally. Just wonderful with either V60 or espresso. Think they ship internationally if anyone's interested.

Sounds nice, but pretty darn spendy, $23US for less than half a pound, plus shipping. Maybe as a real treat.

 

[Trouble Maker]

It definitely sounds like you got around a lot during 'only' a 6 week stay, that's awesome!

Oh man, I miss that part of Kyoto, so much stuff crammed into such a tiny street. Not completely crammed in like Golden Gai in Shinjuku; as a foreigner, it felt a lot more welcoming and chill.

Shinjuku and Golden Gai are still some of my favorite areas in Tokyo, busier, dirtier and seeder than most of the rest, it felt more real.

Most business travelers there end up around Tokyo station. My suggestions now are to go out to Shibua/Shinjuku area, that area is more like what I imagined Tokyo to be like. The no foreigners signs on some doors in Golden Gai did feel strange. I did the good old おすすめは (what's your recommendation) in a bar in Golden Gai and we settled on a gin for his home town up in Sapporo.

I liked it so much that on our trip to Hokkaido, while we were in Sapporo, we went out to the distillery. I got 4 different bottles and brought them back here. https://goo.gl/maps/FqdRN8UoAuFPmZzo8

That said, I had similar experiences with some of the smaller stops I madei; I stayed in Noboribetsu in Hokkaido for a night, and despite it being a somewhat touristy "onsen town", the tourists they're expecting are Japanese travelers who aren't looking for many amenities outside their ryokan.

Yeah, the areas that are thick with nice ryokans sometimes don't have much outside of them, the are basically all inclusive. We ferried out to Sado and stayed in an amazing one there.

But venturing around the island during the day it was not easy to even find open restaurants.

Similarly, a day trip I made out of Sendai to Yamadera (amazing view once you've climbed to the top, maybe not so much fun climbing up), even with Tendo being right there, it seemed like the moment you left greater Sendai you were... very far from urban comfort. I loved it, but not so great if you just want a modern coffee shop with all the amenities to relax in for a little while.

With Senda only being about an hour north by train from Utsunomiya and the access it gives to a few other amazing palces, it's one of my new top recommendations to people for a weekend trip. This would even work from Tokyo, it's only 1.5 hours by train due to the Hayabusa connecting the two.
Friday - Grab ekiben, beer/wine/sake, get on train, go to Sendai. Check into hotel, drop off bags, go out to second dinner and/or bars.
Saturday day - Go out to Matsushima. Make sure to go to
Godaido of Zuiganji Temple,

Fukurajima Island,

and especially the walk back to Zuiganji Temple

Saturday Night - Dinner and drinks around Sendai again. If interested in trying Sake I highly suggest going to Hatago, https://g.page/hatago?share
It was one of my favorite dinner and sake experiences in Japan.

Sunday - Check out, Most stations have lockers, so leave your bags in Sendai station if coming back through, or in the station you will go to. Head over to Yamadera to take the one thousand steps hike up to Risshaku Temple, the one you were talking about. This is one of my favorite combinations of history, culture, nature and hiking that we did our entire time in Japan. There are dozens of temples to stop at one the way up. Yes, it's definitely off the beaten path, but at least the train to there takes IC card.

Thanks for the walk down memory lane, hopefully it sparked some more memories for you too.

 

[Ilkless]

Sounds nice, but pretty darn spendy, $23US for less than half a pound, plus shipping. Maybe as a real treat.

It's the local dollar, which converts to 17USD. Still not cheap, of course, but far from the craziest price I've ever seen for beans, for the Geisha stuff. Can't see myself ever buying those.

 

[bogart]

It's the local dollar, which converts to 17USD. Still not cheap, of course, but far from the craziest price I've ever seen for beans, for the Geisha stuff. Can't see myself ever buying those.

My problem has always been that I can buy awesome beans, but if I don't brew them very well, they still taste crummy! I keep my bean cost close to $1/25g/cup to manage my risk. No Geisha or legit Jamaican blue mountain that budget!

 

[A Surfer]

My problem has always been that I can buy awesome beans, but if I don't brew them very well, they still taste crummy! I keep my bean cost close to $1/25g/cup to manage my risk. No Geisha or legit Jamaican blue mountain that budget!

I could kick myself, back in the early 2000s there was a little artisanal coffee shop in the Glebe, a little neighbourhood in Ottawa and they actually put in quite a bit of effort to source the real deal Blue Mountain beans. Even then they were expensive and like a fool not realizing how dear they would become I only bought half a pound and gave them to my brother for a Christmas gift. He doesn't even really appreciate coffee much and I never thought to get any for myself. Now when I see the prices for real Blue Mountain beans it is bananas for sure. So to this day I have never enjoyed a mug of true Blue Mountain. So sad, but when I do I want to make sure it is so well brewed.

 

[A Surfer]

It's the local dollar, which converts to 17USD. Still not cheap, of course, but far from the craziest price I've ever seen for beans, for the Geisha stuff. Can't see myself ever buying those.

Not out of this world expensive, but sadly the cost of shipping added would make it a hard sell, especially given how much quality roasting is now done throughout North America giving us so much variety and quality already. Still, I may yet do it as I do enjoy trying offerings that are exotic.

 

[Ilkless]

Not out of this world expensive, but sadly the cost of shipping added would make it a hard sell, especially given how much quality roasting is now done throughout North America giving us so much variety and quality already. Still, I may yet do it as I do enjoy trying offerings that are exotic.

Yeah, I don't doubt that.

Pretty sure there has to be someone in NA roasting this Burmese stuff anyway, it's such a huge market there I doubt there is much, if any gap if one looks hard enough.

 

[bluefuzz]

My only gripe with the Hottop is the 250g per batch limit. I really would like a 1kg roaster and roast a few kilos every 3 weeks.

I'm in the opposite camp. 250 g is way too much to roast at a time for me. It would get stale before I get to use it. This is what attracted me to the Ikawa which only does 60g at a time.

 

[MrPotatoHead]

Who knew?

 

[Count Arthur]

Who knew?

View attachment 93375

Check out some cycling forums, coffee is almost a religion.

 

[Frank Dernie]

I occasionally have a double expresso after lunch or dinner at a restaurant.
I rarely drink coffee at home but when I do my preference is for a vacuum type

 

[Count Arthur]

Expresso!?