Roaster got a new gas jet

It smells pretty good to me at just about any stage of the roast... but the aromas of offgassing from about

+1 hr to about +48 hrs post roast just can't be beat. Nothing in the world smells better than that!

I even roasted in a cast iron frying pan for several days. It was very labor intensive, but the coffee was quite good... of course, just about any coffee is "quite good" when it's drunk outside a cabin on a lake with birds chirping, the sun shining, and a cool breeze blowing. ;-)

If you haven't already seen it, "Why Roast your own?" and links to using a popcorn popper:

It may depend on the time of day, a quick google search for 'douwe egbert utrecht' turned up many hits but all seemed to be in dutch, one link led to an english page in wiki

. Maybe the problem with MH being the coffee, I recall the US being up for coffee when I lived there but the coffee in europe seems so much better, or just read stronger depending on your tastes. Reminds me of a story a UK guy told me, he was coming back from a stay in the US on a Lufthansa flight and the first thing most germans did when entering the plane was to ask the steward for some decent coffee, all down to what you are used too I suppose. I don't drink that much coffee in the UK these days, but when in europe I drink mostly coffee as the tea is nowhere near as good as what we get in the UK.

RCM only

On Thu, 7 Jun 2007 16:48:46 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, Steve Ackman quickly quoth:

If that unexpected notice from USPS is any indication, I'll soon know. Thankee, Sir. As of 6am this morning, I'm looking for a surplus air popcorn popper, too.

On Thu, 7 Jun 2007 17:19:29 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, Steve Ackman quickly quoth:

Thanks. How long do the green cherries survive in captivity?

That thar's a high-falutin' roaster, sir.

- Metaphors Be With You -

Best thing to learn coffee tastes is to have a variety of coffees in front of you and compare them to each other. All the "rules" of coffee characteristics have more exceptions than English grammar.

As a very rough and general guide, Africans tend toward a fruity acidity due the higher concentrations of phosphoric acid. Central and South Americans tend more toward a crisp acidity due to higher amounts of citric acid. Indonesians tend toward more body and less acidity. though the Papua New Guineas often resemble Central American coffees more than Indonesians.

Given what you've said above, you'll probably also like just about anything from Sulawesi and some of the Javas. Indian coffees might suit your taste as well.

In a word... yes. ;-)

Green beans have been said to last anywhere from "indefinitely" to "about a year." It depends mostly on the mostly on storage conditions, and some greens "age gracefully" while others just sort of lose their liveliness. Not so far as bland, but tending in that direction.

That's the field expedient 5 minute roaster. ;-) Well... maybe 10 minutes if you haven't done it before.

Hmmm.. Unexpected to me too. I didn't think that was supposed to happen. (too accustomed to FedEx, I guess)

On Thu, 7 Jun 2007 20:02:24 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, Steve Ackman quickly quoth:

page is what I was referring to; understanding what was meant by acidity, body, etc.

I'm pretty sure you're right there. I love a strong aroma, a good body (women and coffee, and I like my women like my coffee: hot, sweet, and creamy.) and a long finish. Lookit all dem similarities, will ya?

- Metaphors Be With You -

Ok, that's a pretty good start. I have a couple nits I'd pick with some of that, but it's not a bad start. ;-)

On Sat, 9 Jun 2007 18:10:43 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, Steve Ackman quickly quoth:

I received a USPSPM package today which smelled heavenly. The green cherries look almost like soybeans before they're roasted, don't they?

Thank you for the interesting diversion today. These beans are 33% sweeter than my commercial Sumatrans but don't have nearly the body. Interesting. So...what are they?

The aroma is better in the bean than in the cup, and that surprised me. (Alas, I blade-ground and Mr. Coffeed them, but I won a DeLonghi burr grinder for $17 today.)

----- = Dain Bramaged...but having lots of fun! =

The cherries are just what they sound like; the red fruit of the coffee tree. Inside each cherry are two seeds, though there is a sort of random occurance of a rounder smaller single seed commondly called "peaberry."

Why these seeds end up being called "beans" is anyone's guess... but probably just because they do resemble *some* kind of bean.

33% sweeter? Measured by your calibrated taste buds? :-) Wet processed bean, so certainly there is less body.

Colombian Supremo Huila. (Country, size, region)

I was going to send along the importer's notes, but we've been offline all morning. No telling when this will show up.

DeLonghi + French press ought to make for plenty of chewy in the cup. Don't drink that last swallow. ;-)

For comparison with your own impressions, the importer's notes:

Taste profile: Aroma: Very Intense Acidity: High - Pronounced Brightness Body: Dense, round Flavor: Berries, Caramel, Very Sweet Aftertaste: Very pleasant Screen size: 18/19

Nah, I never agree 100% with 'em either. ;-)

On Sun, 10 Jun 2007 12:51:56 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, Steve Ackman quickly quoth:

Excuuuuuse me. "Peaberries".

I used my normal 3 packets of saccharine in the first pot, then two on the next. Two was just about right, hence the 33% sweeter. It was off by 0.3%, as you saw.

More like Folgers plain as compared to my fave beans.

I'm switching hosts for my web design site and my entire email system is down right now, damnit.

Don't diss my coffee, boy. I rest my spoon vertically in that.

Understatement. I _think_ I noticed the acidity but didn't really have any comment on it. Aftertaste was "mild old sock", Aroma was "old coffee grounds", Body was "light, commercial coffeeish".

To make my half-caf, I use Walmart (arabica) decaf, so I'm not entirely a snob when it comes to coffee. But a highly flavored main bean is absolutely necessary.

Metalworking subthread: I fixed my mower this morning. It turns out that there was a bent bracket under the plastic housing. A branch on my Forsythia must have nailed it the last time I used it. Anywho, when I removed the housing, there was a bent piece. I straightened it and moved the bracket, allowing the governor to allow juuuuuuust a bit more RPM. While I was at it, I replaced the fuel line, a 5-year-hard chunk of coal. The old Murray runs like a top, er, like an old B&S again, complete with the old bent-crankshaft shimmy.

- Metaphors Be With You -

Sorry. I wasn't clear. Each cherry normally contains two "normal" coffee beans face to face... except when it doesn't. ;-)

Ah. Ok. I never use any sweeteners, so was at a loss for how you were quantifying sweetness. Now that you put it that way, it makes sense.

Hmmm... except that Folgers is the F word of the specialty coffee world. That's pretty much the worst judgement you can render.

Acidity is retained more at lighter roast levels. Full City leaves some, but is also overshadowing the acidity with the roasty flavors.

Ouch.

Colombians tend to be a bit light in the body department, but that's what you expect from them. Then again, if you were using a Mr. Coffee, the water was likely not hot enough to bring out its full potential.

I would certainly think so!

I have a B&S 4 HP on a 20" Murray mulching mower that's over 8 years old now. I'ver never done anything more than change the oil once... maybe twice, and clean the air cleaner a couple of times (and naturally sharpen the blade several times).

What I hate is these stupid new B&S torque ratings. I recently bought a front tine tiller with an "8.25 torque rating (190cc)," which is being touted as "more accurate than the old HP ratings."... except that it isn't. 8.25 what? (ok, so we assume it's lb-ft... probably) At what rpm? Argh. If we *assume* 3600 rpm, that would be 9 hp. No way. It must not be turning

3600 rpm then. Not to even mention the quality of B&S seems to be going downhill. I put fuel in the tank, and it started running out the float bowl. Had to take the bowl off and beat it silly with ball pein hammer inside out to make it act right. Once it felt the bruising blows I could deliver, it dared not leek again! (Hmmm... leeks might go nicely in the garden)

Some idiot at the factory had torqued the bolt down so hard that the bottom of the bowl was concave. The corners of the hex were bearing on the bottom of the bowl leaving the gasket uncompressed! (Are B&S engines made in China these days?)

I left a review on the product page but sears has yet to publish it...

"Front tine tiller???" you may be thinking. "I have a garden tractor that could use an attachment," might be the reply. ;-)

On Tue, 12 Jun 2007 22:14:17 -0400, with neither quill nor qualm, Steve Ackman quickly quoth:

Rightio!

I astonish people when I make coffee. I put water in the top, put in a drip paper in the filter cone and add the right amount of ground coffee, and then I add a cup of milk to the bottom of the urn before I turn the Mr. Coffee on. Sweetener is added afterward to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the urn. I've figured out how much water, coffee, and sweetener it takes to make a pot and that keeps every cup at the same sweetness and strength. Since I can't drink as much coffee as I used to, I like it all good. It's good iced, too.

To me, it's either excellent coffee or "it's just Folgers."

Yeah, I daresay it wasn't a favorite of mine, and I usually -like- the Colombian coffees. The Millstone Sumatra Mandheling I got the other day is somewhat bitter. Darn!

195ish is what the thermometer says.

Yeah, here, too. Mine's a 6hp (peak, on steroids with some Octane 104 in the tank, maybe.)

I saw those listed the other day and wondered WTF that was. More Searz horsies, eh?

...but gasoline not on the table.

Isn't EVERYTHING?

It's a bassackwards tiller. I much prefer the rear tine unless it's a Mantis. Those little beasties are wonderful. My neighbor has one.

When it comes to Searz, JUST SAY NO!

- Metaphors Be With You -

Oh, hell yes, love my Mantis. For such a light machine it digs like it means it. Even cuts through sod, which for any tiller can be a bit of a problem.

If it ain't (the right) green, you won't find it in my shed.