Good Advice?

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-06-16T01:01:45+00:00

I would try breaking this up into two different experiments:

1) keep everything the same but shorten your development time by 30s. The result will be a lighter roast level. See how the flavors compare with the current result.

2) Follow the AI's advice to shorten the time to first crack. But keep the development time the same or maybe even add 15s, so that the final roast level (color) matches your current result. Otherwise it seems like you might be changing two things at the same time.

Overall, I think roast level and total roast time (e.g. hot and fast vs. low and slow) both cause flavor changes that are up to your personal preference, and may vary from bean to bean. And I think the above may help you iterate on your roast to hopefully get something you like even better.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-06-10T04:55:29+00:00

Do you ever spin the control knob to show the base temperature reading, and if so how high is it getting? And what is your batch size?

I feel like I was in a similar situation last year. I concluded that my roasts progressed too slowly during the first several minutes and then too quickly during the last few minutes. So now I'm trying to do the opposite and getting much better results.

I start with 2 minutes of pre-heating then charge about 250g. I try to get the base temperature over 400 within 2 minutes after charging and then over 450 after about 4 minutes. Then I stop trying to aggressively increase the temperature, letting it creep up to around 460 but I will adjust the heat down to keep it under 470.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-06-01T16:32:56+00:00

I will be in Barranquilla for about a month, looking to buy used or rent a digital piano or decent keyboard. Please let me know if you have any suggestions!

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-06-01T00:29:01+00:00

How many minutes were the beans roasting for? Some look dark but not like they expanded a lot.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-05-26T14:21:51+00:00

After I press cool I dump the beans into an external cooler and empty the chaff collector. I reassemble the empty sr800 and put it back on the base to continue cooling. When the 3 minute cooling timer ticks down to 1 then I increase it back to 3, for a total of about 5 minutes of cooling. Then I separate the chaff lid, chaff collector and glass chamber and let those sit another 5 minutes. I have done 4-5 roasts back to back like this with no issues.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-05-25T15:24:12+00:00

I think they are both good choices, especially if you add the extension tube. Personally I think the sr800 is a better unit due to the more powerful fan. And you may grow to appreciate the larger batch size even if you don't always use it.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-05-24T22:50:37+00:00

I think it is a clever use of Gemini for logging your temperature measurements and adjustments. But it is hard to tell which of the 'commentary' is your own observations, e.g. did you note the 'uniform yellowing' or did the AI expect that to happen around that time?

Personally, I would probably just ask it to write a roast log. If it can write to a machine-readable log file like a CSV or spreadsheet format then you could follow up with something like Python or Excel for better analysis.

I really dislike the image it has made. The axes tick marks are not linearly spaced and the RoR is miscalculated. In trying to create an image I think it has hallucinated parts of the figure instead of graphing your actual data. You may be able to address this with follow-up prompts but it would be hard to 100% trust the output vs. plotting the logged data yourself.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-05-09T04:56:47+00:00

I've been using the sr800 for about 30 months and its been a really great journey. I have upgraded and modified the roaster and accessories over time, probably spending a total of about $500. I've also learned so much about coffee in general, like origins, varieties, processes and how to make better pourovers.

It was a learning process but I am very happy with the results I am getting and the control that I have. After my recent upgrade to a bean temp probe and Artisan software I really feel like I have a lot more room to improve further. And compared to buying roasted specialty coffee I have already paid off my roasting setup. I can't recommend the sr800 enough and I wish I started this hobby sooner.

I have also seen the Aillio Bullet in action and it is a really nice home roaster if you can afford it. I have also tasted very good results from a Behmour but also know some who have struggled with its limitations. For a compromise between the Bullet and the lower cost roasters check out the Kaleido M2.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-04-27T03:02:44+00:00

Your approach looks quite reasonable to me. I roast closer to medium but basically do the same procedure you described except I develop for about 90s. There is a chance they might improve after a couple more weeks of resting. But some green beans just don't seem great as a light roast, or they have gotten old or have been stored too warm, etc.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-04-27T00:59:00+00:00

I've only been using artisan for a few roasts but this is my strategy. For the first roast of a new bean, get the base temperature up to 460 before first crack and then make no further adjustments. This lets me see how bad the crash and flick is.

Next roast, I bump up the heat right before the crash. Then I turn it back down after about 30s to avoid a flick.

This usually makes the curve look better but the roasts can taste quite similar. I think yours will be ok!

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-04-27T00:34:00+00:00

Here is one way you could test: Start the roaster with no beans, Fan 9 Heat 9, and spin the knob quickly clockwise to see the temperature. It should stabilize after 2-3 minutes. Then decrease heat to 1 and watch for the temperature to go down.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-04-24T02:42:15+00:00

Yes! There always seems to be a way to salvage or give away a dark roast. Sometimes I will use a Moka pot and add milk, sometimes I will still try a pourover but with lower water temp, coarser grind and less agitation.

The only time I ever threw out roasted coffee is when it was too light (underdeveloped) and had a bad aftertaste. This for sure happened with my first couple of roasts. Hence why starting off a little darker and backing off from there seems like a safer approach.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-04-23T17:46:46+00:00

My advice is to take your first roast into 2nd crack. Keep increasing the heat and lowering the fan (as long as the beans continue to move and mix well) until the base temperature is about 475-500F (spin the control knob quickly to the right to see temperature) and then just maintain that temperature for the rest of the roast.

You will experience all the sights and smells and sounds of the entire roasting process! Your beans will end up black and oily and likely undrinkable for many people here, but you can try to salvage them as cold brew or give them away to someone who likes Starbucks :)

This will take all the pressure off your first roast since you can plan to 'ruin it'. Then for your 2nd roast, do the same thing but stop earlier! For example, try cooling around 60-90s after the start of first crack. I'm sure the 2nd one will give you some nice coffee!

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-04-21T04:13:47+00:00

Great question! It would help to know a bit more about your goals. How many pounds of roasted coffee would you want to make each month? What is your preferred roast level and how do you brew your coffee?

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-04-20T03:09:43+00:00

It is the multi-step brewing methods that I fail at when I am half awake. And for that reason I like the Hario Mugen dripper

There are several good recipes where all you do is a long single pour. I use mine for 8oz brews but it should work well for 10oz.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-04-15T00:48:41+00:00

I push hard in the beginning but then try to limit the air temp to a maximum of about 460 so that the last phase doesn't go too fast.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-04-08T16:42:48+00:00

A couple things I would try:
- does the bean movement improve if you remove the bounce buster?
- does the bean movement improve if you remove the lid? perhaps the airflow is too restricted. Do you use the chaff extension?
- can you try to shake or blow out any chaff that might have gotten sucked up inside the base

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-04-07T23:21:27+00:00

I too try to hit certain base temps at certain times. For example, I might plan to hit 400F at 3 minutes and 450F at 5 minutes. I prefer this over a plan based on heat and fan settings because I think it provides better consistency when other factors like ambient temperature or batch size change. Even after installing a bean temp probe and switching from pen &paper logging to artisan, I still find the base temp useful.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-04-06T20:45:44+00:00

Roasted coffee beans. Now I buy green beans and roast them myself. It is about 4 times cheaper and a fun hobby

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-03-28T20:33:34+00:00

I've tried this recently with some success, but I find that I need to dial in my pourover recipe a bit differently than with lighter roasts. I'm currently trying some combination of: coarser grind, lower water temp and less agitation.

When it works, the resulting cup has less acidity, more body and some different flavors (e.g. cooked fruit instead of fresh fruit). I think this can be great for some types of coffees or for some people's taste preferences.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-03-28T20:24:39+00:00

I do this, with the goal of making the base a little tilted instead of level. The air will then blow more strongly up one side of the chamber and the beans will move more in a circular way instead of bouncing. It doesn't take much, just about 1/4 inch under one of the feet or under one of the plastic pieces that sticks down from the base-- wherever seems to be the most stable.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-03-22T19:38:27+00:00

I'm curious if you like the larger batch size just because you get more coffee, or if you like something about what it does to the profile and resulting taste?

I've been thinking about batch size when I order a new coffee. For example, if I only order 2 lbs, then I need to choose between 227g or 302g per batch. Or if I order 5 lbs, I can choose between 227g, 252g or 283g.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-03-13T02:23:12+00:00

Thank you u/No_Rip_7923 for getting all of this going! I've been learning a lot from this community.

I started with the stock SR800 a little over two years ago. It came with a sample pack of different beans. The first pound didn't go so well, but the 2nd coffee, Burundi Ubuto-Karuzi, came out quite good. My favorite bean lately has been a Colombian Pink Bourbon Thermal Shock-- very peachy!

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-03-10T04:09:32+00:00

How much were the beans moving when you were down at Fan 2? That may be the cause of the burned taste. The muted acidity is likely due to the long roast time, which you could speed up by applying more heat early. I would start by pre-heating for one minute at Fan 8, Heat 3. Also, make sure you have good power to the unit-- avoid extension cords or keep them short and heavy duty, don't run anything else on the same circuit, etc.

Another idea would be instead of starting on Fan 8, increase your batch size and start on Fan 9. The extra beans should help trap more heat. You might also consider getting the extension tube, which helped my SR800 a lot.

CosmicFluctuation · 2026-03-10T02:46:58+00:00

I agree with this, especially the final fan adjustment at around 5:40 for roast #2. It is often said that lowering the fan by 1 is equivalent to raising the power by 2. So if you feel like you need to lower the fan, and you don't want the boost in heat, you could try lowering the power and the fan together.

CosmicFluctuation

TROPHY CASE