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Date: 08 Aug 2006 12:08:00
From: rasqual
Subject: Chicago area roast-off: official announcement
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Announcing the first annual Open Sky Roast-off on Saturday, August 26,
at the North Riverside Farmer's Market just west of Chicago (map:
http://snurl.com/sleg ), between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm. This is a coming
out party for the Open Sky roaster -- a unique prototype designed for
farmer's market use.
Amateur coffee roasters are invited to bring their own greens to roast
in the machine (3 or 4 lb batches). Swap beans with other roasters,
answer questions from inquisitive coffee lovers, trade tips, make
friends, and enjoy several varieties of coffee (freshly brewed and free
during the event). You can bring your own rested roasts for brewing as
well.
Rain or shine!
What to expect: This is a small farmer's market (no huge crowds), so
think of this as a roasting meet-up but with interested civilians on
hand to learn from you. :-)
RSVP helpful, but not necessary.
[Here's the announcement for local publicity to the general public --
by which I mean non-roasters:]
New to the North Riverside Farmer's Market this year, Open Sky Coffee
will be holding its first annual Open Sky Roast-off on Saturday, August
26, between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm. During the event, all varieties of
brewed coffee on hand will be served free of charge. Several talented
amateur coffee roasters will be roasting their own coffees during the
event. Coffee lovers will have a lot to converse about with new
friends. A delicious learning experience for all! Rain or shine. For
directions: http://snurl.com/sleg
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Date: 08 Aug 2006 21:12:16
From: rasqual
Subject: Re: Chicago area roast-off: official announcement
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Andy Schecter wrote:
> Way cool, Scott. Wish I could attend.
Hey, there he is!
Heck, I was going to serve a Thai Iced if you showed up. ;-)
--
Scott
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Date: 09 Aug 2006 08:22:50
From: Andy Schecter
Subject: Re: Chicago area roast-off: official announcement
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rasqual wrote:
> Heck, I was going to serve a Thai Iced if you showed up. ;-)
Damn, I had forgotten about that coffee, and now you done reminded me. :-)
What grade of rotten Robusta you servin? I just might make the trip. :-)
--
-Andy S.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andy_s/sets/
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Date: 08 Aug 2006 23:39:51
From: Andy Schecter
Subject: Re: Chicago area roast-off: official announcement
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rasqual wrote:
> Announcing the first annual Open Sky Roast-off on Saturday, August 26,
> at the North Riverside Farmer's Market just west of Chicago (map:
> http://snurl.com/sleg ), between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm. This is a coming
> out party for the Open Sky roaster -- a unique prototype designed for
> farmer's market use.
>
> Amateur coffee roasters are invited to bring their own greens to roast
> in the machine (3 or 4 lb batches).
Way cool, Scott. Wish I could attend.
--
-Andy S.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/andy_s/sets/
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Date: 14 Aug 2006 07:05:18
From: Simpson
Subject: Re: Chicago area roast-off: official announcement
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In article <1155064080.333112.184990@b28g2000cwb.googlegroups.com >,
scott.marquardt@gmail.com says...
snip
> This is a coming
> out party for the Open Sky roaster -- a unique prototype designed for
> farmer's market use.
snip
Pictures! We want pictures!
Ted
--
email me at:
tee en jay ess eye em pee ess oh en one-the-number (at) cee oh em cee a
ess tee (dot) en ee tee
ANY other email addie will probably mean I spam-killed your message
unread, by accident, really.
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Date: 14 Aug 2006 21:29:55
From: rasqual
Subject: Re: Chicago area roast-off: official announcement
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Simpson wrote:
> Pictures! We want pictures!
Johnny informed you truly:
http://scott.marquardt.googlepages.com/openskyroaster
And I have to say, it's looking as if attendance will be pretty good.
This may be a coming out party for the roaster, but as host I'm just
hoping it's a fun time for everyone in attendance.
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Date: 20 Aug 2006 03:03:59
From: JavaGonzo
Subject: Re: Chicago area roast-off: official announcement
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So, if it were actually possible, would anyone want me to bring my 4lb
Ambex?
Gonzo
"rasqual" <scott.marquardt@gmail.com > wrote in message
news:1155616195.693768.78720@m73g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
> Simpson wrote:
>
> > Pictures! We want pictures!
>
>
> Johnny informed you truly:
> http://scott.marquardt.googlepages.com/openskyroaster
>
> And I have to say, it's looking as if attendance will be pretty good.
>
> This may be a coming out party for the roaster, but as host I'm just
> hoping it's a fun time for everyone in attendance.
>
>
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Date: 19 Aug 2006 23:06:37
From: rasqual
Subject: Re: Chicago area roast-off: official announcement
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JavaGonzo wrote:
> So, if it were actually possible, would anyone want me to bring my 4lb
> Ambex?
No, that'd be a bit of a faux pas since it's a coming out party for a
much humbler roaster.
- Scott
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Date: 24 Aug 2006 22:42:04
From: rasqual
Subject: Chicago area roast-off: countdown
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OK, last note just as a reminder to anyone who missed it.
The farmer's market scene is new to me this year, and hosting something
I'm calling the "first annual" is, too. I figure I'll doubtless get
nervous and leave something at home -- like the propane. ;-)
See you locals there!
- Scott
rasqual wrote:
> Announcing the first annual Open Sky Roast-off on Saturday, August 26,
> at the North Riverside Farmer's Market just west of Chicago (map:
> http://snurl.com/sleg ), between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm. This is a coming
> out party for the Open Sky roaster -- a unique prototype designed for
> farmer's market use.
>
> Amateur coffee roasters are invited to bring their own greens to roast
> in the machine (3 or 4 lb batches). Swap beans with other roasters,
> answer questions from inquisitive coffee lovers, trade tips, make
> friends, and enjoy several varieties of coffee (freshly brewed and free
> during the event). You can bring your own rested roasts for brewing as
> well.
>
> Rain or shine!
>
> What to expect: This is a small farmer's market (no huge crowds), so
> think of this as a roasting meet-up but with interested civilians on
> hand to learn from you. :-)
>
> RSVP helpful, but not necessary.
>
> [Here's the announcement for local publicity to the general public --
> by which I mean non-roasters:]
>
> New to the North Riverside Farmer's Market this year, Open Sky Coffee
> will be holding its first annual Open Sky Roast-off on Saturday, August
> 26, between 8:00 am and 1:00 pm. During the event, all varieties of
> brewed coffee on hand will be served free of charge. Several talented
> amateur coffee roasters will be roasting their own coffees during the
> event. Coffee lovers will have a lot to converse about with new
> friends. A delicious learning experience for all! Rain or shine. For
> directions: http://snurl.com/sleg
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Date: 26 Aug 2006 18:03:29
From: jim schulman
Subject: Re: Chicago area roast-off: countdown
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On 24 Aug 2006 22:42:04 -0700, "rasqual" <scott.marquardt@gmail.com >
wrote:
>OK, last note just as a reminder to anyone who missed it.
>
>The farmer's market scene is new to me this year, and hosting something
>I'm calling the "first annual" is, too. I figure I'll doubtless get
>nervous and leave something at home -- like the propane. ;-)
>
- Scott
>
Quite a nice turnout of roasters. Unfortunately for the market, I
think we outnumbered the customers!
Scott's version of the BBQ drum is extremely sweet:
-- It's mounted in a dual burner, propane fed Webber grill
-- The drum is fixed, SS screen.
-- The bean agitation is done by two sets of paddles at the left and
right ends of the drum, mounted on a single motor driven axle, that
push the beans towards the center of the drum, where they pile up and
fall outwards again.
-- The fixed drum design allows for a pour-in hole center-top, and a
pour-out hole, center bottom, both with closures. A bean mass TC is
mounted half way up the center line, and is a tube into the bean mass.
There's a second, unimplemented TC near the top for future air
measures. There is no tryer hole or window, but given the fixed drum
design, it would be easy to add these.
- The cooling tray slides under the drum and out, like a shelf. It's a
screen with a squirrel cage draw through fan underneath. The beans
cool in about 2 minutes, and look extremely pretty spread out like
that..
Roasts take around 15 minutes, 5 from dropin to 300, 5 from 300 to
first crack, 5 to finish. For an unventilated drum, the profile looks
very good. However, the current setup is vulnerable to wind, which
will slow the roast down dramatically.
There's no smoke control; it seeps out around the grill's lid. This is
a good thing. I did three roasts, and the slowly seeping smoke allowed
one to smell the bean aromas (as opposed to the acrid smoke) very
clearly. I managed to stop the roasts just where I wanted, by using
the aroma to judge the degree of caramelization and origin flavor
development (no guarantee, of course, that my judgment is any good).
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Date: 26 Aug 2006 20:14:29
From: rasqual
Subject: Re: Chicago area roast-off: countdown
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jim schulman wrote:
> Quite a nice turnout of roasters. Unfortunately for the market, I
> think we outnumbered the customers!
Ah, you missed the early run. My son was handling the brewing during
that period, while I was distracting myself fraternizing. But yeah,
we're a small market. The key thing today is that we had folks in that
sit-down tent. That was new last week; I brought it so folks would get
a feel for what the market would be like with somewhere to relax and
nibble and sip, instead of just buying and leaving right away. It was
so cool to hear Sandy and Greg jamming with the dulcimer and guitars,
too. Market customers seemed disoriented in a giddy way by some of the
chatter and commotion. Good vibes for all.
BTW, the last five minutes of the market saw the roaster doing the
almonds. Drop temp. was 342, right into a wok of just-boiled syrup
(honey-roast recipe). Some simmering later and poured into a pan, they
were delicious. Gave samples and told folks they'd be a weekly thing
starting in three weeks.
BTW, Cameron (my 13 year old) is an awesome kid, indispensible to the
effort. I couldn't ask for a more helpful partner in all this. He got
all the tips today (the tip jar is new, too).
> [...] There is no tryer hole or window, but given the fixed drum
> design, it would be easy to add these.
Yes. I'll be implementing it about the same time I do the roast-cam --
and that's no kidding. In fact, if anyone knows of any great, tiny
video units (preferably color and cheap), I'd like to field candidate
cams.
I've often felt the need of a tryer.
> [...] There's no smoke control; it seeps out around the grill's lid. This is
> a good thing. I did three roasts, and the slowly seeping smoke allowed
> one to smell the bean aromas (as opposed to the acrid smoke) very
> clearly.
Although, frankly, I'm sometimes concerned that my lack of good chaff
control ends up with some of those smells being slowly oxidizing chaff
where it accumulates in the nooks and crannies of the roaster's
interior. Any units subsequent to this prototype will need to address
that, IMO.
Gotta tell you Jim, your Harrar freaked out customers. What happened
after you left was that I had little roast of my own to sell as usual,
but they wanted beans. So of course I offered halfsies of that Harrar.
Folks were slack-jawed when I told them it would be free, and then when
I mentioned WHY it was free, folks were pretty fascinated by the notion
of a guy roasting beans, leaving them there to give away, and not being
around to receive the thanks. ;-) The last roasters to leave took
some too, so you may get reports back on it.
It strikes me, sir, that your knack for hospitality endures even after
you've departed from a place. That's quite a gift!
:-)
I'll go ahead and say it -- with homage to this new roaster now behind
us, next year's roast-off will be a bit different. There's no way I can
predict the details, but what I'd LIKE to do is rent a generator and
open things up so anyone can bring their roasters. The focus was mostly
on the Open Sky roaster this year -- which was kind of the point but I
think it'd be great for the public to see just how accessible this
craft is by witnessing a plethora of various machines, each
well-understood by its owner.
Something like that. And yeah -- we need to have a one-legged
coffee-sack race on the asphalt parking lot; sorry I didn't have that
in play this year. ;-)
- Scott
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Date: 26 Aug 2006 22:39:49
From: jim schulman
Subject: Re: Chicago area roast-off: countdown
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On 26 Aug 2006 20:14:29 -0700, "rasqual" <scott.marquardt@gmail.com >
wrote:
>I'll go ahead and say it -- with homage to this new roaster now behind
>us, next year's roast-off will be a bit different. There's no way I can
>predict the details, but what I'd LIKE to do is rent a generator and
>open things up so anyone can bring their roasters. The focus was mostly
>on the Open Sky roaster this year -- which was kind of the point but I
>think it'd be great for the public to see just how accessible this
>craft is by witnessing a plethora of various machines, each
>well-understood by its owner.
The great thing about any BBQ roaster is that it does 1 to 5 pounds,
depending on design, just fueled by propane. In an outdoor setting, it
makes those 1000 watt plus do-hickies doing 4 to 6 ounces look plain
silly. I'd really love to have a roaster like that; but I've already
had to tweak the P1s to cut the load size, in order to accomodate all
the different coffees I roast along with the low demand for them (i.e.
just me).
I hope the Brazil found a good, espresso loving home too.
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Date: 27 Aug 2006 09:33:57
From: AyTee
Subject: Re: Chicago area roast-off: countdown
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rasqual wrote:
> jim schulman wrote:
> > Quite a nice turnout of roasters. Unfortunately for the market, I
> > think we outnumbered the customers!
>
...etc.
Sounds like a great event. Did anyone take pictures?
Andy
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Date: 26 Aug 2006 20:56:56
From: rasqual
Subject: Re: Chicago area roast-off: countdown
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jim schulman wrote:
> [...] I've already
> had to tweak the P1s to cut the load size, in order to accomodate all
> the different coffees I roast along with the low demand for them (i.e.
> just me).
I know the feeling!
> I hope the Brazil found a good, espresso loving home too.
Aaack! I have it!
Yeah, if that's not ironic. ;-)
A couple of the CG esspresso heads drop into the market now and then. A
couple live nearby. If they're not on hand next week to receive it to
their surprise, I'll hand deliver it to one of 'em.
- S
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Date: 27 Aug 2006 19:40:05
From: rasqual
Subject: Re: Chicago area roast-off: countdown
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AyTee wrote:
> rasqual wrote:
> > jim schulman wrote:
> > > Quite a nice turnout of roasters. Unfortunately for the market, I
> > > think we outnumbered the customers!
> >
> ...etc.
>
> Sounds like a great event. Did anyone take pictures?
Yah. I never know what's a faux pas with that, though. Do I blur
people's faces?
I mean, in the pictures -- not for real.
;-)
- Scott
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