I recently took a trip back to the midwest, taking my new Master Appliance Corp. HG-751 B Heat Gun with me. This heat gun is a BEAST! I don't know much about electricity, but I roasted while visiting at a friends house and he pointed out that the heat gun draws 14.5 amps, and he said most household circuits are 15 amps. We blew his breaker 3 times (but that didn't happen at all at the other two places I roasted). And it is HEAVY! I also brought along a mixing bowl about 8.5 inches in diameter and quite deep, and a sieve that fits neatly into it, both purchased at Target about 2 years ago. I used this set-up for all three roasts. In order to get the beans .75 - 1.00 inch deep, which I wanted to do in order to have enough bean mass, it was necessary to roast a pound at a time. This was accomplished without difficulty, using only the heat gun as a heat source. "Blow back" heat returning from the bowl made it necessary to hold the heat gun handle near the bottom of the handle - it was just too hot holding the handle in the "normal" way. That, and that the heat gun is so heavy, almost made roasting a 2-person job, because I had to hold the heat gun with two hands while someone else stirred. It took about 15-18 mins to get to City/City+. I think I will take a page out of Ann's book and try to suspend the heat gun on a cord or very light chain. I roast on my screen porch, so it should be simple to insert a hook into the ceiling above my roasting spot, though the outlet is exactly even with the ceiling fan, so I'm hoping I can suspend the heat gun close enough to the outlet to not need an extension cord, while still missing the fan. (I would rather not have to climb on a stool and hook up the cord through the fan blades each time.) The first batch was a Central American (sorry, can't remember which one) that I had been roasting in the popper for the previous two weeks, 115 g each roast. The character of this variety was greatly enhanced by the heat gun roasting with the mass of 1 #, and the flavors after 2 days rest were far superior to what I had been getting from the popper. I use only half a pound of beans/week, so I don't want to roast a pound at a time. Last night I found a sieve with a handle that is quite narrow on the bottom and fits nicely into my mixing bowl, and I'm hoping that half a pound will be about an inch deep in the bottom of the sieve. During my travels I roasted with three different people, and two of them are interested in HG/DB roasting. There have been several suggestions on the list of heat guns that work well, but let me ask this: Are there any heat guns that WOULDN'T work ok for HG/DB roasting? Brian |
Modern wiring code has 20amps on kitchen circuits, window AC, and the like, 15A on lighting circuits. You should not use a 14.5A appliance on a 15A circuit -- it should be loaded to a max of 13A. Find a 20A circuit. A true 20A outlet will have a T-shaped slot and a straight slot (plus the ground). Seehttp://www.leviton.com/sections/techsupp/nema.htmfor pictures. On 8/9/06, Brian Kamnetz wrote: <Snip> -- =Spencer in Ann Arbor My Unitarian Jihad http://tinyurl.com/6valr)Name is: Sibling Dagger of Mild Reason What are you?http://homepage.mac.com/whump/ujname.html |
"During my travels I roasted with three different people, and two of them are interested in HG/DB roasting." Brian, maybe I need to try doing that? I'd like very much to get one of my friends interested in roasting so that I could have someone local to compare notes. They've all shown very little interest (in doing it themselves) so far, though they are very interested in trying all the coffees I give them. Perhaps if I took my "stuff" over to their house to roast and they saw how easy it is I'd have more luck. It's worth a try, anyway. Gerald |
Gerald, you hit the nail on the head- "...they are very interested in trying all the coffees I give them." Add me to your distribution list. You want to get somebody interested in roasting for themselves? So as not to waste expensive beans, go through the offering list and get some of the cheapest educational beans you can. Take them to Spanish ++ . When you deliver them to your Sponge/ Mooch/ Leech/ Scrounge/ Barnacle friends, 'splain how they might roast to suit themselves. "Your big new roaster can't handle the small batches as well..." Cheers -RayO, aka Opa! Where's the Coffee? On 8/9/06, Gerald and Beth Newsom wrote: <Snip> -- "When the theme hits the bass, I dance the Jig!" - -Virgil Fox at the Wichita WurliTzer |
This is a multi-part message in MIME format. Hmmmm, that might work, Ray. And I've added you to my distribution list. Spanish ++, you say? :-) |
Yes, it's fun to get someone started on roasting coffee ... especially when they don't expect it . I had surgery a couple months back and roasting, or doing anything, was out of the question for a while. A friend offered to help me "with whatever I needed." Oh boy, did I catch her off guard! cheers, ScoTTT Gerald and Beth Newsom wrote: <Snip> |
Gerald, I often take roasting equipment and some greens with me when I visit friends, and ask if they are interested in seeing the roasting process. In my experience, most are. Then I put the roasted beans into a glass jar and set it near us, for example, on the table while we are eating, and occasionally remove the lid and sniff the freshly-roasted beans. Many times, that is all it takes, though some people just aren't interested, of course. But when it "takes", those friends and I have a whole new dimension of commonality and things to talk about! In a couple instances I have left the new enthusiasts with a few greens and a popper. If I bring an untried popper, I use that to try to roast, but also bring my old stand-by, just in case. Brian On 8/9/06, Gerald and Beth Newsom wrote: <Snip> |
On 8/9/06, Gerald and Beth Newsom wrote: <Snip> Incidentally, the one that wasn't interested in roasting (it's the house where we blew the breakers 3 times) was all het up about buying Tom's roasted coffee. I suggested she try Tom's subscription service and showed her that page on Tom's site. I haven't talked to her since, so don't know if she actually followed through or not. Brian |
Thanks, Brian. I AM going to give it a try. I know that several of my friends already have heat guns so it wouldn't take much at all to get them started. I think if more people saw that it is not exactly rocket science and that it is not too much trouble (a common objection), they might be inclined to give it a try. Gerald |
On 8/9/06, Brian Kamnetz wrote:
<Snip>
Sounds like you found at least one. Actually, just about any HG will work
"OK" because it's always possible to modify technique to match the other
variables. Wimpy, econo HGs are not nearly as flexible and satisfying.
Some people have sought out very high cfm (above 17 ?) on the premise that
HG roasting is similar to fluid bed in that the air flow should itself
agitate the beans. That's a mistake, IMO.
--
Martin
Heat + Beans
all the rest is commentary
|
On 8/9/06, Heat + Beans --all the rest is commentary wrote: <Snip> Seems like you hit the nail on the head, Martin. That's the advice I will give to my friends who are interested in HG/DB roasting. Brian |
At 03:16 PM 8/9/2006, Martin commented: > Some people have sought out very high cfm (above 17 ?) on the premise that HG roasting is similar >to fluid bed in that the air flow should itself agitate the beans. That's a mistake, IMO. <Snip> === I sorta resemble that remark and since the shoe fits nicely, I'll continue to wear it. I don't truly disagree with Martin, but there is another factor that is worth mentioning, IMO. I regularly roast 2 pounds of greens with my Wagner 775 heatgun and no other source of heat. So, I know that the HG limit is well above the 1 pound or so that is often suggested. The difference is in the method of agitating the beans. Using a 3-qt saucepan to hold the greens, the bean mass is about 1.5 inches deep, increasing to about 2.5 inches by the end of the roast. A bread machine modified to stir the beans via the bottom of the saucepan gives very vigorous agitation and helps in developing a very even roast. In this application the stirring arm does loft the beans somewhat and they look like a small stadium with its occupants "doing the wave." The higher cfm does move the beans mass somewhat and clearly helps to penetrate the loosely-packed swirling mass to good effect. I like it. OTOH, I don't disagree at all that the extra cfm makes very little difference with batches smaller than a pound or so, as the airflow alone is not sufficient to adequately agitate the beans. David Yeager "Heat + Beans + Agitation" Mistaken and Unrepentant, in Atlanta |
All the talk of larger than 10 oz roasts with a heat gun got me out into the garage yesterday to try a couple of 16 oz roasts. Other than taking about six minutes longer than my usual 8 oz roast, it seemed to go okay. At least it did for the Guatemalan Coban. The dry process Yirgacheffe might have gotten a little too close to 2nd crack because for some reason it was more difficult to distinguish the cracks with the Ethiopian beans. Will know for sure Sunday morning. Am only going by the way the beans tasted after roasting right now (Something else this list has gotten me to try!) :-) Gerald . <Snip> |
I look forward to your report, Gerald! Brian On 8/10/06, Gerald and Beth Newsom wrote: <Snip> |
On 8/10/06, Gerald and Beth Newsom wrote: <Snip> That tracks my experiences with larger batches. I normally roast 240 gr at a batch. Larger batches (have done up to a pound before) just take a little longer. I stick to the smaller batch because I just get bored and tired of holding the heat gun that long with the 1# size. And, I have a lightweight heat gun, too. Safe Journeys and Sweet Music Justin Marquez (Snyder, TX) |
Hey, Atlanta- This here is a capitulation: "Heat + Beans + Agitation: Mistaken and Unrepentant, in Atlanta" Could be- "Heat + Beans + Agitation: Misunderstood Unrepentant Miscreant..." Any mistake lies elsewhere. I've got one of the DAK bread machines that looks like a glass-domed UFO, and it's just begging for some roasting duty. So's the RK Drum... The PSC motor can drive the paddle easily for several pounds of beans. The project is to mount a perforated S/S cone down the center to conduct the hot air for a 2 - 3 # batch, if the roast wouldn't overflow the pan. At the roast conclusion, I'd just upend the whole thing to dump the roast into The Cooler. Or maybe there's some way to utilize the built-in cooling blower Plus, the PSC motor can be slowed down if the 170 RPM paddle speed gets out of hand and tosses beans out. I'll have to study just how to implement the speed redux. Ceiling fans do it, but they're low power and in a constant air stream. PSC motors are powerful and make heat. They don't like 100% duty cycles when they're making a lot of torque. Cheers -RayO, aka Opa! Where's the Coffee Beans? On 8/10/06, David Yeager wrote: <Snip> |
You might try a stainless steel chinois Various images here:http://tinyurl.com/qfbznVicki On 8/10/06, raymanowen wrote: <Snip> |
Great. Just what I need. To be tempted to buy yet another kitchen item JUST because it looks way too cool. Thanks a lot. Lynne (no place left to store it, no place left to store it - wait! That'll double as a hat. I'll put it on my head...) Vicki Smith wrote: <Snip> |
I looked at those yesterday - too small. I finally built a new bean cooler... a 5 Gallon hard-plastic white painter's bucket from Loweshttp://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productIdC770-000001152-6002034&lpage=none I drilled six 3" cirles in the sides of the bucket around the base = Air Intake a small circular desk fan - from Lowes about 2" above the bottom of the bucket and blows air "UP" a domed splatter screen from BB&B sits inverted in the top of the bucket... holds lots of beans...http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/product.asp?order_num=-1&SKU733724&RNu5I'll do pix later this weekend... Brett On 8/10/06, Lynne wrote: <Snip> -- Regards, Brett Mason HomeRoast Zassman |
On 8/10/06, Brett Mason wrote: <Snip> How fast does it cool the beans? Which fan did you use? Safe Journeys and Sweet Music Justin Marquez (Snyder, TX) |
my fan is a cheap $9 fan, may be too slow - will need to test. Am likely to disassemble another fan and make my own if this proves too small... Anything 10" or smaller should do... On 8/10/06, Justin Marquez wrote: <Snip> -- Regards, Brett Mason HomeRoast Zassman |
At 02:20 PM 8/10/2006, you wrote: <Snip> Those little R2D2 units are Way Kewl. I took one apart; and now I have two unfinished projects. Since the motor is *below* the bread loaf pan (most have the motor beside the loaf pan), it lends itself to a wider sauce pan or deep skillet - read "larger capacity". Suitable for a convention oven heater or even a nice SS drum, perhaps tilted to a 45-degree angle. Heatgun, insulated box, the mind boggles. The hinged glass dome on the empty bread machine carcass is destined to be a viewing dome for an upwards-airflow, tumbling-action turbo-cooler of some kind. Attached to a smallish leaf blower, it would make quite a show. Agitatin' (and instigatin') in Atlanta, David Y |
David, Ray, Justin, Brett, Gerald, et al - - -
The impetus for HG/DB roasting was simply a way of doubling or tripling the
output of a popper while adding a sizable amount of control (sans modded
electronics). In no way is it a "mistake" to use the HG as the roasting
engine for any of countless inventions past and future; it is only a
mistake , IMO, if you want to preserve the original values of HG/DB: Modest
sized roasts of 8-14 oz (IMO); instant adjustments of stirring and heat in
response to sensory data; minimum number of implements and utensils, and
more.
I'm amazed and admiring of the human drive exhibited here to make things
bigger and more complex and even, on occasion, better.
-
Martin
"Originality = a new idea that makes us wonder how we ever missed it.
Novelty = a new idea that makes us wonder by what perversity it was ever
found."
(credit to Richard Armour -- a dead poet)
On 8/12/06, David Yeager wrote:
<Snip>
|
At 05:05 PM 8/13/2006, you wrote: <Snip> Oh, My, Martin. My hat is off to you as one of the pioneers, but... "Preserve the original values of HG/DB" "By what perversity it was ever found." I didn't realize that there was such a heavy flywheel of momentum behind the HG/DB roasting tradition. I had just thought some of the old-timers had some "hardening of the categories." Living outside-the-box, in Atlanta, David Y "There is no graver threat to the process of discovery than that dread disease, 'hardening of the categories'." --- Bob Miller, Science Artist, SFO |
"Flywheel of momentum" Nice, but I'm not sure I follow the physics or the
metaphor. By"original value" I had in mind only the non-sectarian
"simplicity" of a hand-held machine that doesn't require a laptop or the
untimely disection of a bread machine, pressure cooker, or VW Van. And
yes, "simple" is a category of sorts (or value). Add a bunch of parts and
purposes and you may wind up with a very fine roaster, but it would be in a
different (and likely non-replicable for most people) category. Good luck
on all your discoveries in categories both new and old.
--
Martin
Heat + Beans
all the rest is commentary
On 8/13/06, David Yeager wrote:
<Snip>
|
At 12:32 AM 8/14/2006, you wrote: <Snip> You are quite right, Martin, it is not very replicable for most people. (OTOH, the dissection of the bread machine probably was timely, as its better days had passed.) Using the machine addresses one of the most often cited complains about HG/DB - sore wrists. New quote: "Laziness Motivates Efficiency" or alternatively, "Efficiency is intelligent laziness." – David Dunham David Y PS> Here's the original quote about the flywheel: Habit is thus the enormous flywheel of society, its most precious conservative agent. ~William James, The Principles of Psychology (1890) |
On 8/14/06, David Yeager wrote: <Snip> Or: Habit is thus the enormous flywheel of society, its most PRECOCIOUS conservative agent. ~Adapted from William James, The Principles of Psychology (1890) Brian |
At 11:08 AM 8/14/2006, you wrote: >On 8/14/06, David Yeager wrote: >> >> > >> Habit is thus the enormous flywheel of society, its most precious >> conservative agent. ~William James, The Principles of Psychology (1890) > >Or: > >Habit is thus the enormous flywheel of society, its most PRECOCIOUS >conservative agent. ~Adapted from William James, The Principles of >Psychology (1890) > >Brian Hi Brian, If you are conservative and rich, you'll like the full quote: Habit is thus the enormous flywheel of society, its most precious conservative agent. It alone is what keeps us all within the bounds of ordinance, and saves the children of fortune from the envious uprisings of the poor. ~William James, The Principles of Psychology David Y unrepentant, precocious, and tempted to envious uprising, ;^) in Atlanta |
Talk about blending of disciplines - psychology, economics, sociology/social psychology, and political science, all in one fell swoop! Brian On 8/14/06, David Yeager wrote: <Snip> |
I haven't tried that blend. Do you suppose that if I added 5 oz of 202 F
water to one fell swoop, I could get a decent cup of coffee?
Martin
On 8/14/06, Brian Kamnetz wrote:
<Snip>
--
Martin
Heat + Beans
all the rest is commentary
|
I haven't tried that blend. Do you suppose that if I added 5 oz of 202 F water to one fell swoop, I could get a decent cup of coffee? Martin Dunno. Maybe, but it sounds like it might come dangerously to the perversion of "novelty". Glad you have a sense of humor, Martin. ;^) David |
I cooled 2lb of beans in 5 minutes with it - turns out the fan is just strong enough. I stirred the beans at first to help some heat escape, while they rested in the wire mesh bowl and the fan blowing... The fan is a "Feature Comforts FB18-5Q Desk Fan" from Lowe's, and puts out only a nominal breeze. I have also taken a sheet of galvanized steel, folded up the edges all around, and created a chute at one side. I pull it out and place it on my counter, holds about 3lb beans, and lets me slide the beans into bags / jars for loading or keeping. Easy rinse and stores alongside my Coffee Bar. And my counter is now cleaned up easily. I use this after cooling, just as a simple means of loading bagging... I am getting closer to a system that works! Brett On 8/10/06, Justin Marquez wrote: <Snip> -- Regards, Brett Mason HomeRoast Zassman |
I tried the hg/db today, for the first time and I do believe I love it!!!!! I was able to ramp the beans and everything. I was able to roast 5oz. instead of just the 3 i was getting out of my air popper. Now if someone will be kind enough to share some of there knowledge about this great new way with me I would greatly appreciate it. thanks scjgb3 |
--Apple-Mail-1-567067547 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset O-8859-1; delsp=yes; format=flowed Joel, Living in Northern Illinois, I roast in my garage and usually roast 9oz - 11oz at a time. I use a 5qt SS bowl and keep the beans moving with a sautéing action, alternating a swirling motion with sautéing....I do not have a stir stick, I use welders gloves and keep = the bowl moving. This really has built up my forearm muscles. I have = a stool to sit on and a metal container that I rest the SS bowl on when roasting back to back. I have a 5qt SS strainer that I use to pour the beans back and forth to begin to cool them down. I found some perforated SS office trays that I will dump the beans on to to finish their cooling. The only draw back is the chaff, but this is just swept up an placed in the compost bin. I am interested in the possiblilty of a drum style set-up that would use the HG as the heat source, since I do not have a grill. This is in the early stages, but I've thought about it a couple of times. Hope this helps... Thbull 'HG/DBing in Northern Illinois' On Nov 14, 2006, at 4:27 PM, Scjgb3 wrote: I tried the hg/db today, for the first time and I do believe I love it!!!!! I was able to ramp the beans and everything. I was able to roast 5oz. instead of just the 3 i was getting out of my air popper. Now if someone will be kind enough to share some of there knowledge about this great new way with me I would greatly appreciate it. thanks scjgb3 --Apple-Mail-1-567067547 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset O-8859-1 Joel, |
--Apple-Mail-1-606169310 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/plain; charset NDOWS-1252; delsp=yes; format=flowed I searched my mail and found that Scott M. had a thread on his radiant roaster. I'll re-read these and visit his site. Thanks, Thbull On Nov 15, 2006, at 2:41 PM, True, Dennis W. FC1 (CVN69) wrote: Some one on here developed a Lamp heated drum you may be able to use there design with some mods for your set up Any help on who had the design on that? Dennis AKA FC1(SW) Dennis W. True CS/CS-5 USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) FPO AE 09532-2830 Man of many hats! HG/DB and Z&D roasting in the Indian Ocean “On station and on point 170 and counting down…" ”Direct support for troops on the ground is only a call away!"= --Apple-Mail-1-606169310 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset NDOWS-1252 I searched my mail and found = that Scott M. had a thread on his radiant roaster. I'll re-read these = and visit his site. |
This is a multi-part message in MIME format. Some one on here developed a Lamp heated drum you may be able to use = there design with some mods for your set up Any help on who had the design on that? Dennis AKA FC1(SW) Dennis W. True CS/CS-5 USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) FPO AE 09532-2830 Man of many hats! HG/DB and Z&D roasting in the Indian Ocean "On station and on point 170 and counting down..." "Direct support for troops on the ground is only a call away!" |
This is a multi-part message in MIME format. That would be the one!!!! I knew I had seen it not sure what mods you would need to make if it rotates and you can point a gun at it I would think that by adjusting the distance the gun is either in the drum or close to the opening would adjust the heat applied to the beans one thought you may need to put a few holes in the drum to vent some of the hot air to avoid over heating the gun it just might work. One more thought not sure but you may want to consider a rod or a gear set up for it a belt may heat up too much and burn a belt I forget how scott had his set up was it wheels or a belt either way just watch what is touching the outside if it is not insulated... Ok my thoughts until I see the prototype! I would love to hear/see what you come up with. Dennis AKA FC1(SW) Dennis W. True CS/CS-5 USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) FPO AE 09532-2830 Man of many hats! HG/DB and Z&D roasting in the Indian Ocean "On station and on point 170 and counting down..." "Direct support for troops on the ground is only a call away!" |