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Date: 05 Jun 2006 08:18:59
From: Danny
Subject: Coffee Question
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I've noticed when roasting African coffees, in this case Harrars, that about
ten to fifteen percent of the beans remain light while the others come to
the desired roast, usually a city or full city. If I roast longer the
lighter beans eventually darken but so do the rest. Is this a problem of
moisture in the beans or the beans being greener when picked? The Central
American/South American beans seem to be consistent in the roasting process
but the African coffees that are probably closer to the wild original
coffees aren't. They taste good and I usually cull the light beans out. I'm
roasting in Popperies with a Variac. Should I change the roasting profile
for the African coffees? I could probably find the answer by doing a little
more research but I thought the answer might be of benefit to all in the
group.
Danny O'Keefe
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Date: 05 Jun 2006 10:06:49
From: Ken Fox
Subject: Re: Coffee Question
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"Danny" <oksongbird@centurytel.net > wrote in message
news:c-ednVGR4d_v1hnZnZ2dnUVZ_vadnZ2d@centurytel.net...
> I've noticed when roasting African coffees, in this case Harrars, that
> about ten to fifteen percent of the beans remain light while the others
> come to the desired roast, usually a city or full city. If I roast longer
> the lighter beans eventually darken but so do the rest. Is this a problem
> of moisture in the beans or the beans being greener when picked? The
> Central American/South American beans seem to be consistent in the
> roasting process but the African coffees that are probably closer to the
> wild original coffees aren't. They taste good and I usually cull the light
> beans out. I'm roasting in Popperies with a Variac. Should I change the
> roasting profile for the African coffees? I could probably find the answer
> by doing a little more research but I thought the answer might be of
> benefit to all in the group.
>
> Danny O'Keefe
>
Dry processed coffees such as these roast unevenly; I don't cull out the
lighter beans
ken
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Date: 05 Jun 2006 13:37:47
From: Tom
Subject: Re: Coffee Question
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I have settled on Ethiopian Y now and I see very little of what you
describe. I'm like Ken, in that I don't cull any out. No other resemblence
claimed... :o)
Tom
"Ken Fox" <morceaudemerde@snipThisPleaseHotmail.com > wrote in message
news:4ej34pF1e6gi2U1@individual.net...
> "Danny" <oksongbird@centurytel.net> wrote in message
> news:c-ednVGR4d_v1hnZnZ2dnUVZ_vadnZ2d@centurytel.net...
>> I've noticed when roasting African coffees, in this case Harrars, that
>> about ten to fifteen percent of the beans remain light while the others
>> come to the desired roast, usually a city or full city. If I roast longer
>> the lighter beans eventually darken but so do the rest. Is this a problem
>> of moisture in the beans or the beans being greener when picked? The
>> Central American/South American beans seem to be consistent in the
>> roasting process but the African coffees that are probably closer to the
>> wild original coffees aren't. They taste good and I usually cull the
>> light beans out. I'm roasting in Popperies with a Variac. Should I change
>> the roasting profile for the African coffees? I could probably find the
>> answer by doing a little more research but I thought the answer might be
>> of benefit to all in the group.
>>
>> Danny O'Keefe
>>
>
> Dry processed coffees such as these roast unevenly; I don't cull out the
> lighter beans
>
> ken
>
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Date: 05 Jun 2006 20:44:43
From: R@L
Subject: Re: Coffee Question
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"Tom" <tjwitman@bellsouth.net > wrote in message
news:JUZgg.76868$iB2.48531@bignews4.bellsouth.net...
>I have settled on Ethiopian Y now and I see very little of what you
>describe. I'm like Ken, in that I don't cull any out. No other
>resemblence claimed... :o)
>
> Tom
> "Ken Fox" <morceaudemerde@snipThisPleaseHotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:4ej34pF1e6gi2U1@individual.net...
>> "Danny" <oksongbird@centurytel.net> wrote in message
>> news:c-ednVGR4d_v1hnZnZ2dnUVZ_vadnZ2d@centurytel.net...
>>> I've noticed when roasting African coffees, in this case Harrars, that
>>> about ten to fifteen percent of the beans remain light while the others
>>> come to the desired roast, usually a city or full city. If I roast
>>> longer the lighter beans eventually darken but so do the rest. Is this a
>>> problem of moisture in the beans or the beans being greener when picked?
>>> The Central American/South American beans seem to be consistent in the
>>> roasting process but the African coffees that are probably closer to the
>>> wild original coffees aren't. They taste good and I usually cull the
>>> light beans out. I'm roasting in Popperies with a Variac. Should I
>>> change the roasting profile for the African coffees? I could probably
>>> find the answer by doing a little more research but I thought the answer
>>> might be of benefit to all in the group.
>>>
>>> Danny O'Keefe
>>>
>>
>> Dry processed coffees such as these roast unevenly; I don't cull out the
>> lighter beans
>>
>> ken
>>
>
I know no better than Harrar always looks like a mess. Tastes very good
though.
Ronald
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Date: 06 Jun 2006 10:01:02
From: Ivo van der Putten
Subject: Re: Coffee Question
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"Ken Fox" <morceaudemerde@snipThisPleaseHotmail.com > schreef in bericht
news:4ej34pF1e6gi2U1@individual.net...
> "Danny" <oksongbird@centurytel.net> wrote in message
> news:c-ednVGR4d_v1hnZnZ2dnUVZ_vadnZ2d@centurytel.net...
>> I've noticed when roasting African coffees, in this case Harrars, that
>> about ten to fifteen percent of the beans remain light while the others
>> come to the desired roast, usually a city or full city. If I roast longer
>> the lighter beans eventually darken but so do the rest. Is this a problem
>> of moisture in the beans or the beans being greener when picked? The
>> Central American/South American beans seem to be consistent in the
>> roasting process but the African coffees that are probably closer to the
>> wild original coffees aren't. They taste good and I usually cull the
>> light beans out. I'm roasting in Popperies with a Variac. Should I change
>> the roasting profile for the African coffees? I could probably find the
>> answer by doing a little more research but I thought the answer might be
>> of benefit to all in the group.
>>
>> Danny O'Keefe
>>
>
> Dry processed coffees such as these roast unevenly; I don't cull out the
> lighter beans
>
> ken
>
Dry processed is not the cause for uneven roasts: easiest beans to roast
i.e. are the dry processed Brazils . . .
Some Harrars are maybe not so well prepared as other, some unripe beans . .
.
I get best results for Harrar with a slightly prolonged roasting time.
Ivo
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Date: 05 Jun 2006 21:33:25
From: Ed Needham
Subject: Re: Coffee Question
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I know that beans picked too green will not roast as dark as fully ripe
beans. The mill should sort out the greenies, but some of the mills in the
poorer countries are not as sophisticated as those in more developed areas
and might not do as well on the prep. I don't know if that's your problem
or not, but it's at least one possible problem.
Dry prep beans frequently roast unevenly, but still taste good.
Which roasting method are you using?
--
*********************
Ed Needham®
"to absurdity and beyond!"
ed at homeroaster dot com
(include [FRIEND] in subject line to get through my SPAM filters)
*********************
"Danny" <oksongbird@centurytel.net > wrote in message
news:c-ednVGR4d_v1hnZnZ2dnUVZ_vadnZ2d@centurytel.net...
> I've noticed when roasting African coffees, in this case Harrars, that
> about ten to fifteen percent of the beans remain light while the others
> come to the desired roast, usually a city or full city. If I roast longer
> the lighter beans eventually darken but so do the rest. Is this a problem
> of moisture in the beans or the beans being greener when picked? The
> Central American/South American beans seem to be consistent in the
> roasting process but the African coffees that are probably closer to the
> wild original coffees aren't. They taste good and I usually cull the light
> beans out. I'm roasting in Popperies with a Variac. Should I change the
> roasting profile for the African coffees? I could probably find the answer
> by doing a little more research but I thought the answer might be of
> benefit to all in the group.
>
> Danny O'Keefe
>
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Date: 05 Jun 2006 13:28:56
From: Johnny
Subject: Re: Coffee Question
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"Danny" <oksongbird@centurytel.net > wrote in message
news:c-ednVGR4d_v1hnZnZ2dnUVZ_vadnZ2d@centurytel.net...
> I've noticed when roasting African coffees, in this case Harrars, that
about
> ten to fifteen percent of the beans remain light while the others come to
> the desired roast, usually a city or full city. If I roast longer the
> lighter beans eventually darken but so do the rest. Is this a problem of
> moisture in the beans or the beans being greener when picked? The Central
> American/South American beans seem to be consistent in the roasting
process
> but the African coffees that are probably closer to the wild original
> coffees aren't. They taste good and I usually cull the light beans out.
I'm
> roasting in Popperies with a Variac. Should I change the roasting profile
> for the African coffees? I could probably find the answer by doing a
little
> more research but I thought the answer might be of benefit to all in the
> group.
>
> Danny O'Keefe
>
I get that in some batches of some beans.
Never noticed it in particular with Africans but as Ken says with
dry-processed it is quite common.
Currently I see a few that way with some Mexican Altura Pluma, but even with
those light ones left in it's still a great cup.
I put it down to grading of the beans.
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Date: 06 Jun 2006 06:10:52
From: Donn Cave
Subject: Re: Coffee Question
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Quoth "Danny" <oksongbird@centurytel.net >:
...
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Date: 06 Jun 2006 09:02:11
From: Danny
Subject: Re: Coffee Question
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Thanks for all the comments. I suspect that ripeness plays the biggest part
as these are crops that get picked all at once and in the event that more
monies are paid for ripe cherries the overall quality will improve, although
in general the quality is pretty great. I'll try sorting out the lighter
beans and see how they cup.
When I was in the hospital a little while back an Ethiopean man was taking
my blood and we got talking about coffee. He said his family had a small
plot out in the country when he was a kid and when it was ripe they went out
and picked it and brought it in and sold it. Probably picked everything all
at once. Sounded like they didn't do too much cultivation with it and picked
it the way their families had always picked it. It wasn't their mainstay
income but it certainly made a difference. An anecdote for what it's worth.
His preference was for the coffees from Kaffa.
D. O'Keefe
"Donn Cave" <donn@drizzle.com > wrote in message
news:1149574252.665831@bubbleator.drizzle.com...
> Quoth "Danny" <oksongbird@centurytel.net>:
> ...
>
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Date: 06 Jun 2006 10:25:23
From: Ken Fox
Subject: Re: Coffee Question
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"Danny" <oksongbird@tcenturytel.net > wrote in message
news:y7OdnTQLEYKAOhjZnZ2dnUVZ_r-dnZ2d@centurytel.net...
> Probably picked everything all at once. Sounded like they didn't do too
> much cultivation with it and picked it the way their families had always
> picked it.> D. O'Keefe
>
>
But that is not the end of what happens to the better coffees before they
arrive on your doorstep in a UPS box.
The coffee beans are hand sorted and graded. If you are buying from a good
quality exporter presumably all the beans or nearly all of them are good
quality. The uneveness in roasting of something like a Harrar Horse is not
because they failed to remove the bad beans; it is the nature of this sort
of coffee to roast that way. I think that removing lighter beans would
diminish the overall taste, the complexity, in the cup, that makes this
coffee what it is.
ken
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Date: 06 Jun 2006 09:42:55
From:
Subject: Re: Coffee Question
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On Tue, 6 Jun 2006 09:02:11 -0700, "Danny"
<oksongbird@tcenturytel.net > wrote:
>Thanks for all the comments. I suspect that ripeness plays the
biggest part
>as these are crops that get picked all at once and in the event that
more
>monies are paid for ripe cherries the overall quality will improve,
although
>in general the quality is pretty great. I'll try sorting out the
lighter
>beans and see how they cup.
>
>When I was in the hospital a little while back an Ethiopean man was
taking
>my blood and we got talking about coffee. He said his family had a
small
>plot out in the country when he was a kid and when it was ripe they
went out
>and picked it and brought it in and sold it. Probably picked
everything all
>at once. Sounded like they didn't do too much cultivation with it and
picked
>it the way their families had always picked it. It wasn't their
mainstay
>income but it certainly made a difference. An anecdote for what it's
worth.
>His preference was for the coffees from Kaffa.
>
>D. O'Keefe
>
>
>
Danny hope you are feeling better, firstly.
I think you are absolutely correct on picking the ripe beans only. We
think it is very important and strive to do that and that takes
soemtimes up to 7 visits to each coffee tree between September and
February. The flowers come randomly and so there fore we have to pick
randomly.
That's the problem, IMHO, when you have mechanized picking which seem
areas of Hawaii employ. The shaker machine shakes the whole coffee
tree and everything possible falls in and is then processed as one
batch. I just can't believe the quality could possibly be the same as
selecting the ripe red beans only. For example on one tree right
outside this window, I can see we have some burgeoning green beans and
some flowers, and some flowers not even ready to bloom. They will not
all be fat ripe beans at the same time.
take care.
with aloha,
Cea
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Date: 07 Jun 2006 10:19:28
From: Ivo van der Putten
Subject: Re: Coffee Question
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<beans@smithfarms.com > schreef in bericht
news:1bmb82l8m3aja68nuil7v8682hfs23tlgs@4ax.com...
> On Tue, 6 Jun 2006 09:02:11 -0700, "Danny"
> Danny hope you are feeling better, firstly.
>
> I think you are absolutely correct on picking the ripe beans only. We
> think it is very important and strive to do that and that takes
> soemtimes up to 7 visits to each coffee tree between September and
> February. The flowers come randomly and so there fore we have to pick
> randomly.
>
> That's the problem, IMHO, when you have mechanized picking which seem
> areas of Hawaii employ. The shaker machine shakes the whole coffee
> tree and everything possible falls in and is then processed as one
> batch. I just can't believe the quality could possibly be the same as
> selecting the ripe red beans only. For example on one tree right
> outside this window, I can see we have some burgeoning green beans and
> some flowers, and some flowers not even ready to bloom. They will not
> all be fat ripe beans at the same time.
>
> take care.
>
> with aloha,
> Cea
Danny's Ethiopian blood collector said clearly . picking ripe cherries . .
Picking red/ripe cherries is of great importance for the end quality of the
coffee beans.
Going 7 times into the garden to pick the last ripe cherry is fine for
expensive coffees.
But if you only get 30 cents or so for your beans . . . .
When I visit farmers in Indonesia, I tell them 1000 times: pick only red
cherries!
Well, you know low prices, labor cost, it is not always possible . . .
2 years ago only 2 rounds of picking was affordable (in Indonesia) , now it
is again 3 maybe 4 rounds.
Ivo
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