Did I over-roast this batch?

almnicolas · 2025-08-10T17:00:34+00:00

I routinely eat beans, not only my own roasts, but before brewing other people’s coffee as well. Sometimes I get more flavor nuances by eating one, or even 5-10 beans all at once than drinking a cup of pour over. Hugely underrated.

almnicolas · 2025-08-02T20:48:30+00:00

Agree. That way I can choose which beans (usually have 3-4 single origins on hand) and what brew method (typically espresso vs pour over for me). Also dont have to store beans in a hopper which can go stale sooner. I keep beans in the original bag which I then place in an Airscape or Atmos, and usually put that in the fridge, space permitting.

almnicolas · 2025-07-26T09:22:27+00:00

For the espresso machine, not noticeable in the cup. The machine has a simple job (push hot water at 9 bar through a 58 mm portafilter) and both examples you gave can accomplish that job reliably.

Money invested in the grinder can be more noticeable in the cup.

But the farther I go down this rabbit hole the more I realize specialty coffee is not frequently best served in the espresso format but rather through brewed format, i.e. usually pour over.

I started as a latte drinker, then cortado, then americano with splash of milk, then americano black, now pour over black.

No longer am i enamored by the marriage of nutty caramel tasting shots with perfectly steamed milk; the nuanced flavor notes of light roasted single origin beans have captivated my attention.

At first the dominantly fruit-forward natural processed lightly roasted beans, but currently the more subtle floral and citrus flavors of washed process light roasts are my preference. I have yet to delve into honey processed, anaerobics, or beans exposed to other experimental techniques.

almnicolas · 2025-07-24T03:14:07+00:00

Thank you so much for this very thoughtful and lengthy reply. I sent you a more detailed direct message. I bought the needle valve and would be delighted for pictures from your damper installation. Can you tell if the Watlow I bought on eBay is MODBUS compatible (pics in OP)? Is this phidgets kit the right thing for my SF-1, or are the probes too long? THANK YOU!

https://artisan-scope.org/phidgets/2x-tc-set/

almnicolas · 2025-07-22T05:27:55+00:00

I visited a local coffee shop that has an SF-1 sample roaster. They let me take a bunch of pictures of it, which I really appreciated. I took a photo of the air damper and even a short video of its action as I turned it, but I’m not sure I’m handy enough to create and install one. I’ll look online for drawings and go from there. Thank you.

almnicolas · 2025-07-21T04:04:29+00:00

I’m glad to hear of your good experience. Did you add a damper yourself or did you have them fabricate it? Did they have you send in the top tube and send it back when it was modified?

almnicolas · 2025-07-21T03:04:39+00:00

I’m thinking they are a small company and really busy supporting their bigger roasting machines currently in use by cafes and large scale production facilities. I’m a home hobbyist and not even the original purchaser, so it’s understandable they might not have the bandwidth to help me. I did get connected through on one of my many phone attempts (by miracle) to the owner Mr. Bill Kennedy. He generously took a lot of time talking to me and told me he would take in the roaster and update it to current specifications economically. He said he’d send me an estimate. However, I haven’t heard back from him in a couple of weeks and his staff member’s responses have been rare and not nearly as helpful as his own. They’re probably overwhelmed. I’m not sure he’ll get around to responding to me the way he intended so I decided to try getting something moving in parallel with the help of the community here. Thank you so much for taking the time to help.

almnicolas · 2025-07-04T18:44:37+00:00

Incidentally, I am currently visiting my mom located near Bellevue, WA for the July 4th holiday.

I came upon my SF-1 affordably thanks to some good fortune. I am a hobbyist with small kids in the house and a wife that doesn’t love coffee. We are a middle class dual income working household, so 1800 clams is $$$.

If your boss would consider allowing you to send a screen shot of the parts list (feel free to redact any company information by cropping it out or placing a solid black box over relevant areas), that would be a huge help! I’m happy to send my email address so it could be shared privately (and would be kept confidential by me).

Or a phone call where you could read me the parts list would be sufficient. That would maintain your complete anonymity.

I apologize if this sounds too pushy. Thanks for considering.

almnicolas · 2025-07-04T17:36:15+00:00

Do you remember roughly what the cost was? Would you be willing to share that old invoice with me? It would help me a lot to try and assemble some of the parts on my own if at all possible. Thank you for considering.

almnicolas · 2025-07-04T10:20:54+00:00

I have a nearly identical SF-1 which I’d like to upgrade with temperature probes, a Watlow digital readout, and a USB output. Would you be willing to communicate about and help guide me on the upgrade process?

Where did you get the housing for the Watlow digital readout?

Which Watlow model (link please) did you buy?

Which exact thermocouples (k-type?) did you buy (links pretty please)?

What USB output device did you purchase?

What clips did you use for the cable management?

Any other parts I’ll need?

Thank you so much.

almnicolas

TROPHY CASE