This is a blow by blow account with actions
shots!
Timings and temperature were recorded through
the roast as I was attempting to photograph it
The setup:
Popper in background (220v Prima) - Toy
scales in front with beans at the ready!
Digital temperature display (black box on
left), probe to left of scales
Watch at the ready, pen and paper at the
ready.
(All of this was just for temperature research
for Goldbean - Essential items are only: popper, beans, colander!)
I generally weigh approximately 85-100 grammes
of green beans, having arrived at this number by seeing how many
beans I can fit in the popper and still
see them slowly rotating. The smaller the batch size the longer the
roast will be!
(sounds strange I know, but true - If I
roast 60 grammes it will take about 7 minutes, 100 grammes takes less than
5 minutes)
I tip the popper slightly backwards so that
any beans that jump out during roasting have a greater chance of staying
in the
roast chamber - (hint from HV)
Digital temperature readout - right hand
display operational - 24C ambient
(and advert for Sweetmarias - well, I like
them)
together with the remains of my salad!
Temperature is on the way up (right pic
taken at 30 seconds into roast)
position of probe in beans (roasting underway)
- it's not very clear
but the probe is in the centre of the slowly
swirling mass of beans
Mid 1st crack (3:21) ---------mid 2nd crack (4:16)
Start to listen for the beginning of 1st
crack - this can be anywhere from 3-7 minutes depending on popper
and ambient air temperature. 1st crack
sounds like a "pop", starting with the odd noise, then more pops as
the beans all start 1st crack. This
continues for approx 15-45 seconds in my popper
and then there is a small gap between end
of 1st crack and beginning of 2nd crack,
but this depends on the beans being roasted,
and whether they are a blend (I pre-blend before roasting).
2nd crack is a much tighter, almost static
electricity sound to my ears. Depending on your preference, you will
want to stop the roast at any point after
2nd crack has started. The longest I have left mine is 30-45 seconds
into 2nd crack, as I don't favour a very
dark roast.
Action shot of beans jumping!-----------------Colander
ready!
As soon as you are happy with the roast (and
you have to be quick deciding, as each second means a darker roast from
now)
turn off the popper and quickly transfer
the beans to your waiting colander (if you remembered the colander(s)!)
The cooling method I use is just to throw
the beans from one colander to another until all the cracks have stopped
and the beans are a little cooler, although
some prefer to completely cool the beans ASAP, and even use ice and stuff.
(Not directly on the beans, of course -
using a double saucepan arrangement with ice/water in one, and the other,
smaller
pan with the roasted beans in placed on
the first pan to cool the outside of the pan)
My only concern is to stop the beans from
roasting anymore, after that I let them cool on their own.
Whoops - look a little overdone for my taste---------that's
better, not a bad colour after all!
There weren't any underoasted beans in this
batch - the variance is due to my pre-roast blending.
Slight oily sheen visible (I usually roast
so that a few beans have a drop of oil present on the surface)
You may want to remove any chaff that is
left, together with any lighter coloured beans that didn't
roast completely.
(Beans removed at 4:45)
I now leave them in a loose lidded container
to degas overnight, then either seal the container
or more likely throw them in the grinder
and start using them! People recommend degassing for 48 hours or
so.