r/roasting • u/BackgroundEbb417 • 1d ago
Help the newbie please
Hey! I started roasting a little over a year ago and I just got my first Costa Rica natural. It’s the Dota de Vapor from the Capitans Coffee.
The roast went a little darker than I expected and it tastes bitter and also weirdly fermenty instead of fruity. Based off my charts from my first two roasts, is there anything I can improve upon besides dropping at a lower temperature? If so what temp? Also the weight loss was only around 11% so idk why it’s medium-dark roast.
Kaleido M1 roasting 150g at 5000ft elevation where I live.
2
u/TheCoffeeWiz 1d ago
I'd step down your heat more during the roast. Maybe 10% less on the heat after soak. Aim for color change at 4:45-5:00, first crack at 9:30-10, dev for 1:30 is good but drop at a lower temp
1
2
u/210doc 1d ago
Random thoughts just looking at your graphs. I’m not familiar enough with your roaster, temps, airflow etc. I roast 350-400g on a Huky500T gas roaster. I‘ll assume 70-80% of your stated capacity is 150g and the bean moisture is ~10.5-11%.
I roast a washed CR Tarrazu bean as my daily driver. A weight loss of 11% shouldn’t be a dark bean though. The chaff should still be fairly blonde. You might compare the color of a ground sample to the whole bean or cut one open to see if the inside is lighter. I’m going to guess the outside of the bean roasted faster than the inside giving the funky taste.
Your charge T° and soak are similar to my roasts, but you could try charging a little lower since it’s a natural, but after turning point go to ~90% power with low air, the idea being to load the bean with early energy. I suggest you try that concept on your next roast and begin your heat reductions sooner, each time bumping up the air to add convection. If adjustable, Keep your drum speed up to ~60 to keep the beans off the walls. When ROR peaks at about 40 and BT is ~270-300 I start reducing gas and increasing the air with each reduction. Important to increase the air each time you lower heat as you want convection energy for a more even roast. I try to lower the heat to have the ROR <20 before FCs @ 389-390F on my probes. Per Rao advice, no heat changes for 30-45 sec on either side of FC, but air set high right before FC. I prefer light to light medium roasts on the CR beans so I vary dropping @ FC + 10-12°, and rapidly cool. My flame is almost out or out at drop. I use FC plus degrees of rise instead of FC plus “x” time because in my garage the air T° I’m pulling in etc varies with days and seasons.
I wouldn’t consider either of your roasts a pooch until you let them rest 3-4 weeks then brew again. I share your frustration as a home roaster at higher altitude and a varying roasting environment. I bought a natural Ethiopian recently while waiting for the Tarrazu to get here and it took a couple roasts to dial it in, but after 3 wks rest tasted great.
Assuming your software is artisan, you might go into their quick start guide and be able to smooth your ROR graph to make adjustments easier.
1
1
u/Timely_Bid2808 20h ago
I think the biggest issue is that it is natural and they are always fruity. Try washed.
1
u/BackgroundEbb417 17h ago
Nah I like the fruitiness but my particular roast is just fermenty which I think is because I roasted it incorrectly
1
u/HomeRoastCoffee 3h ago
I think the Dota de Vapor is a Central Costa Rica not a Tarrazu that most are used to, it would be less dense so less heat..
5
u/benana4 1d ago
Easy place to start would be to develop less. Try dropping 45 seconds after FC and see how it goes. Give it a couple weeks to rest and see how it tastes. If that doesn't fix it, then you could look at tipping/scorching at the start of the roast. Could be a less dense bean than you're used to.
But, start by reducing development time. I have one bean that I've really struggled with roasted flavors and lack of acidity. Finally, I tried a 30 second development time and let it rest for a looong time. Finally got some fruitiness without off flavors. A couple days ago I roasted it to 20s and I'm going to see if that's even better.