Is this roast extra splotchy?

[sam_l]

I'm using the FreshRoast SR540. I ran it on power level 7, and turned the fan down to 3 because that's what Sweet Maria's guide suggested. I had another roast at a higher fan level and it seemed to take much longer for first crack. It looks like some of these are too dark and some too light, and that neither would be producing the best flavor in the same brew.

As for the taste, I think it's not bad. I feel like I'm missing some of the more distinctive flavors I've experienced before on a really fresh, well-roasted bean.

 

[shadow745]

Never used that machine, but just based on color/development it looks as if the agitation was lacking, as in some beans being exposed to too much heat at a given time and others not so much. Do you pay close attention to green batch weight as it can vary coffee-coffee due to density, moisture, etc?

 

[baristaraimo]

It looks like these coffee beans are a mixture of different types. I am curious about how they ended up with different colors!

 

[sam_l]

It looks like these coffee beans are a mixture of different types. I am curious about how they ended up with different colors!

They aren't, they're from the same batch of green beans. I think the roaster didn't roast evenly

 

[sam_l]

Never used that machine, but just based on color/development it looks as if the agitation was lacking, as in some beans being exposed to too much heat at a given time and others not so much. Do you pay close attention to green batch weight as it can vary coffee-coffee due to density, moisture, etc?

What's the significance of green batch weight? I always put the same weight into the roaster, but I haven't compared the density of the green beans I'm starting with.

 

[shadow745]

What's the significance of green batch weight? I always put the same weight into the roaster, but I haven't compared the density of the green beans I'm starting with.

With air doing the agitation more/less weight starting out will affect heat retention and bean movement. Maybe tweak the next batch by going a bit lighter. I am not familiar with that type of roaster, but personally wouldn't pay much attention to 'recommended' settings as there are just too many variables at play.

 

[sam_l]

With air doing the agitation more/less weight starting out will affect heat retention and bean movement. Maybe tweak the next batch by going a bit lighter. I am not familiar with that type of roaster, but personally wouldn't pay much attention to 'recommended' settings as there are just too many variables at play.

The protocol I'm following said to turn the fan down early in the roast process. This definitely reduced the agitation, and I think increased the heat exposure, meaning the beans didn't have as much time to be fully cycled through and receive even heat.

I read some advice about this roaster, and other people use a much higher fan than I'm using, so that could definitely be the issue.

 

[Musicphan]

I agree with Shadow... he is spot on - its an agitation issue. You need to use less or more air.

 

[sam_l]

I agree with Shadow... he is spot on - its an agitation issue. You need to use less or more air.

Since doing that batch I've roasted them slower, keeping the power lower and the fan higher for longer. This seems to give them more time to be evenly exposed to heat and the next few have had a more uniform color.

 

[Musicphan]

What size loads are you using? Less than 100g?

 

[sam_l]

What size loads are you using? Less than 100g?

That roast above was 130g, because I read that was what worked best for that roaster. I believe that having that many beans made them roast faster, due to heat being trapped. That roast lasted less than 6 minutes, also because the instructions I got suggested that was ok?

From reading about it more, I decided to slow it down a lot. I also have been roasting in batches of about 60g just to have more iterations in which I can try things. I think these have roasted more slowly, in part because I've turned the fan up and the power down to start with, but also I would guess because fewer beans means more heat can escape. My last few roasts have been 11-12 minutes. Here's a picture of a more recent one, looks medium to me, and it seems to taste a lot better.

 

[shadow745]

Didn't see it mentioned, but what green is it you've been using?

 

[sam_l]

Didn't see it mentioned, but what green is it you've been using?

I have a variety of Sweet Maria's beans, it's been different ones each time. I think I started out roasting them all really fast. The one in the first picture I was aiming for a light roast so that one was even faster.

 

[Musicphan]

That machine has a manf max of 120g... with more experience, you will find what 'works best' for that machine. It's finding the balance of maximizing your batch size without compromising your roast quality. 11-12 min is generally a better roast time than a fast 6... I would imagine the 130g roast so uneven is the airflow was restricted, very common with the smaller air roasters. So what happens is you 'burn' some beans and some are raw...