espresso monkey roasting notes

12/13/2008 roasted Sweet Maria's Espresso Monkey blend.

Roasted well over a pound to somewhere between a French and Italian roast using the stovetop popper on a gas burner. This is quite a bit darker than what I think is optimal for this blend. Next time try something lighter.

Outdoor temperature was 46 degrees, no wind. Starting temperature was 550, but I added the beans just as it was reached. Should have let it stabilize first. Low temp was just over 300. Struggled with temperature a bit. I think gas pressure is low, and I was roasting more beans than usual.

First cracklings audible at 2:15. Solidly into first crack at at 5:26. Peak at 6:23. Into second crack at 7:08. Off heat at 7:38. Did not record final temperature, but I think it was approximately 400. Now that I'm keeping track of and thinking about the numbers I realize that my indicated temperature is well below what the internal temperature of the beans must be. I don't think the probe reaches the beans for the quantities I'm roasting, for one thing.

I'm going to experiment with graphing this stuff. Here's one approach:

I see that I need to keep a record of temperature over elapsed time.

Air/mist cooled in colander. This is a lot of beans for that method. Chaff removal is harder with this quantity, too.

12/14 pulled double shots. Nice chocolate aroma when ground. Very smooth as a straight shot, but I suspect that when roasted this dark it has lost most of the interesting characteristics. The roast styles chart in Davids shows all varietal distinction being gone, for example. I enjoyed it more in a latte.