let's talk about coffee, part II - roasting

[Prickly007]

This will be my last comment. It is in no way shape or form, 'exactly the same thing'. Sample roasters, and likely cheap options like the Hottop/Bullet/etc, are purpose built, highly engineered machines, whereas BBQ drums are macgyver'd. BBQ drums will have absolutely zero consistency between batches (of the same bean), which might be fine if you were just making coffee for personal consumption. But a small business whose product varies wildly from one batch to the next, does that really sound like a good idea?*

* A variable, of course, is the sophistication/palate of the local population. Maybe they would not even notice the inconsistencies.

big thing is not enough heat or too much heat,

Not exactly, the issue is actually airflow. All modern roasters are dependent on using/controlling airflow throughout the phases of roasting. BBQ drums have none, without additional macgyver'ing.

Chaff collection is another issue, while serious roasters also monitor BT & use Artisan to improve batch consistency, so... more macgyvering. There's a reason I did not mention r/roasting. On second thought, the best starting point is probably Scott Rao' The Coffee Roaster's Companion.

 

[Marzipan]

I'm happy to ejumicated, if the BBQ method is so wrong...as for chaff collection, it's done during the cooling cycle via a cooling device that's available.

and that book is on my list..just gotta find the $60 to buy it

 

[Prickly007]

as for chaff collection, it's done during the cooling cycle...

A chaff fire would happen during the roast, but you know best. Now, I am done.

 

[Marzipan]

well, after reading and talking with others, the BBQ system is really good, once you have the variables tuned. one reseller actually commented the hottop's burn out after 6 or 7 years of use and they're always replacing them. however...I would suspect after 6 or 7 years, you'd have to replace your BBQ as well, especially if you didn't buy one of quality. which is funny, as their recommended model is the Dyna-glo DGB495SDP-D. 48K BTU that is $370 most everywhere, but Walmart, who's got it for $312.00.

I learned chaff fires are possible, but not an issue. they flare out so fast it's inconsequential to the roast cycle.

if there are batch inconsistencies, it's for one of two reasons:
1) the barrel isn't level, so one side is sloughing more beans resulting in a different roast finish than the side with fewer beans
2) the burners are providing an uneven heat

ensuring the barrel is level isn't hard...use a level and mark the locations on the rotisserie mounting hardware for next time you mount the barrel.

if the burner heat are uneven, you put a a metal plate down as a heat spreader / diffuser, problem solved.

as with everything, you've got to gain experience and tune / dial it in.

RKDrums has articles and FAQ's that work on fixing all these variables. I'm quite impressed with how fleshed out their solution is and the level of support they give to work through issues. it seems their product is also quite popular...20 - 60 systems a month.

 

[Marzipan]

for those who love coffee and enjoy 3D printing, check out this espresso maker:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Coffee/comments/mv68gv