RK, I just did the first roast in the drum roaster.
I used 2 pounds of
Guatemala Huehuetenanga. An outstandingly even roast
first time out.
But there is a couple of hitches in my gameplan. Seems I
didn't account for
being at 6,000 feet which speeds up the crack process,
SSSOOOOO what I
thought was the first crack was actually the second
crack. I was all set to
see a beautiful full city roast and boy was I surprised.
Fortunately this
particular Guat. holds up damn well when stressed to the
max. It makes an
interesting Italian bordering on charcoal profile but I
can still
taste some fruitiness in all that blackness.
Oh well, such is life. The drum worked beautifully and I
will get the
times down. Thanks again for a great product.
I threw all the timings out the window and did the
next round of roasts
using the old school method of roasting by
sight-color of smoke;
sound-cracks and pops; and by smell-the changing
aromas of the roast. Didn't
look at the stop watch at all but did use your tip
about decreasing the
temp and letting the roast cruise through the
cracking stages. Worked
beautifully.
Worked so well in fact half the neighborhood just
signed on as clients.
They were the ones that live down wind of the
roasting area.
Only problem I have encountered in the past 10
roasts (yes, I have been
busy) is trying to get the door open using a pair
of pliers while wearing
gloves.
It looks like I will be buying the 18 inch model
before long as well as a
couple of motors.
Thanks again for such a KISS device and technique.
