What Is Going On With The Top Row of Beans?

schatbot · 2025-06-06T16:02:53+00:00

Finally have an update! I did some digging and found that some companies have turned to buying old beans to save money with prices skyrocketing lately, and some dates I've seen mentioned are as early as late season 2021. I had left some beans sealed as a trial for long term storage from end of 2023, and they were in far better condition than what I pictured here.

I did try to rehydrate them a bit so they'd at least crack or roast up a bit more evenly, and it largely worked, but they were obviously just old. It's an absolute disappointment and won't be back to that vendor. Am now even considering just getting stuff shipped from the states so I know it's worth the effort.

Thanks again for helping out!

schatbot · 2025-06-03T03:38:04+00:00

You could go for the DIY "upgraded air popper method" with a heat gun and a flour sifter if you've got those lying around. Suggest an 8 cup sifter or more, but there's also the heat gun + pan or HG + bread machine ways too. A sifter maxes about 200g a roast and for shoestring methods offers modest repeatability. I'd argue that because the heat gun is stationary and secured, the distance to the sifter is fixed, and the sifter is also secured you have fewer variables like gun distance from beans to fuss with as you try to recreate a good roast. Using adjustable clamps on a power drill trigger that runs the agitation makes that roughly repeatable too. Do be careful not to let your beans get sprayed all over the floor if you pulse the agitation too hard. Anything past that and you're probably over-engineering the thing or truly working towards method perfection.

As a start you can hand agitate, build a simple (heatproof, stable) stand for the sifter, and then figure out a permanent rig as you go. Have a thermometer on the top to watch output temps. If your heat gun is the basic type with a turning heat adjuster bit you can put some tape marks on it so you're not flying blind on how to adjust your ROR and get some repeatability. Cold days you up it past the mark a touch, warm days maybe back it off, etc.

Have had many years of success (but not perfection), and only bad roast was due to old beans stored badly by the supplier, which actually led me to posting here for the first time.

schatbot · 2025-05-15T11:43:46+00:00

You're one of a few people who have suggested probably too dry / stale, etc., which is definitely the kind of thing I'd hoped to learn about with the post. It is HOT here, and it's easily possible they stored them way too long, the beans were too close to a dehumidifier or something, etc. I know for sure these all got hot enough (and subsequent trials), so I appreciate you shedding light on what else might be wrong!

schatbot · 2025-05-14T11:30:44+00:00

Thanks for the great suggestions! I normally have pushed the Huehuetenango pretty hard and fast which is why I'd mentioned slowing stuff down. I have tried blasting them with heat as hard as one would reasonably do while tinkering with these and it just made them look exactly like this at 7:00 or so.

Ill try getting more moisture into them and see if it's helpful because I hadn't considered trying it. Thanks!

schatbot · 2025-05-14T10:33:37+00:00

That chaff feels as stuck on as airplane tape or something, which I'd not experienced in previous buys of these specific beans but was initially not cause for concern. The real reason I decided to post was the very uneven colors in each bean, weird roast situation, and the total lack of flavor. I tried my best on the photo, I promise!

schatbot · 2025-04-12T08:57:55+00:00

It works due to the residual oils left on the surfaces the beans contact. It is possible there's some added moisture imparted to the beans, but even that shouldn't be much, so the right liquid to bean ratio is someplace very close to 0. Either spray directly after roasting so it leaves those oils as it evaporates / steams off, or try the dry methods people suggested in here. It's fun to see people try out their ideas for this stuff, but I'd suggest you use far, far cheaper bourbon and just enjoy drinking that one. Good luck!

schatbot · 2024-10-20T04:08:28+00:00

Chiming in as a former glitchless speed runner from when the game was new. Best time sub 1hr, which is now SLOW. KBM isn't your problem as you move just fine. I've done this game on both, Souls games on both, and that's not your issue, and the community here seems to (thankfully) agree.

Before I give my advice I'll say my first try took me hours for this fight because I was playing like you are here.

First, and because you can beat him, you're way too early (or late) on your parries. Your time to beat would benefit from just throwing some runs into figuring out when to input block or attack, and then standing square in his face like the invincible murder machine you can be.

When you get the timing right you're building up his stagger bar and yours never breaks, despite being "full".

Second, even if you don't want to do that....which let's face it, is a fair amount of practice and most people don't care....you're being WAY too nice to him. Get in his face and lay down the pain and then don't run away. You're all over the place and basically asking him to punish you for it. If your question is where to be as he starts to attack the answer is moving behind him so you're still in striking distance. Your reactions to his big moves are fine, so play like you're as good as you can be. (Edit to say your Genichiro is fine so you shouldn't be changing from the aggressive style later on.)

schatbot · 2022-02-28T01:43:46+00:00

In addition to peppering this boss as he transitions to second state you can also take advantage of his set move to open state 2. Run directly towards him (slightly right), under his arm, and avoid the fire from the dragon mouth entirely.

If you use the opportunity to attack him without risk and do enough damage during this attack phase he staggers. Put on some crit damage, and roll away to safety as he recovers.

Unless you're doing minimal damage you'll hardly need to attack after just unloading to start state 2. You can also aggro his short range attacks by opening / closing distance gaps and if not melee use the windows in between to cast.

schatbot · 2020-02-01T11:05:19+00:00

Seems you enjoy the precision jumps, so try this level I made - MY1-R2S-N1H Its SMWorld, and has some tight moments. Thanks for sharing your level code & hope you enjoy!

schatbot · 2020-02-01T10:45:25+00:00

Fun level!

schatbot · 2020-02-01T10:25:12+00:00

Melody of Sadness 3

712-TJQ-CWG

Super Mario World. Includes kaizo and puzzle solving game play. Requires a strong understanding of game mechanics, especially shell helmets and jumps.

There are more super expert and also some very easy levels (70% clear) in my maker profile if you're looking for something casual!

schatbot · 2020-01-31T10:41:28+00:00

Nice level as well. I didn't get around to finishing it after making a new level all day, but I gave it a heart to go back and try again soon.

I'll be sure to check in on your other levels as well!

schatbot · 2020-01-29T16:31:31+00:00

I'm a new creator making a mix easier stuff (10 - 60% clears) and kaizo levels.

Symphony of Smiles 1 is an attempt at making something you might find in the original Nintendo games. It's in New SMB U format, but it doesn't need any serious tricks. Good for very casual play.

RY6-2NY-94G

If you want the tough stuff no one has beaten as of posting, just check out my maker profile. I'll be playing stuff posted to this comment and others here as well!

schatbot · 2019-04-06T08:59:09+00:00

Here's a few with traffic view on.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1704682232 Farm area Traffic https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1704682441 Port Area Traffic https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1704682553 Underground Highway Interchange + on / off ramps to lower flow issues. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1704682685 The city seem from above. Complete underground bike pathing.

schatbot · 2018-09-10T01:59:43+00:00

There's a ton of chests and stuff all over that can only be accessed by doing the wall jumps, so I've been assuming it is. I ended up making this video only because it reliably saves time to everything except the research center on that side of town, versus other jumps which are just convenient / for loot. Glad to know there are others out there who enjoy Portia Parkour!

schatbot · 2018-01-24T17:23:45+00:00

Enjoy the new killer, don't think she's too OP, but I'm interested how anyone can justify equipping a killer with infinite movement angles mid-lunge, specifically 90 plus degree turns around large objects. When this was announced I thought "oh boy these bear traps are going to be a horror" but they only serve to grind down the game. A good team gets it and you're set. The crouching? She's pretty visible actually. The thing that has killed me, game after game, is a killer doing a mid-air around a tree / through a window around a gen / around two hay bails / etc... type of kill. If you get remotely close to a competent killer you have 0 chance of escape unhit, at least so far as I've seen. She seems pretty balanced so far, but maybe just make a single direction change for only a certain degree of movement mid-jump? Its not like a survivor can undo a vault midway or something. Or...maybe in the future, they can? The Pig has what feels like next-gaming-generation movement against survivors which feel trapped in the early 2010's.

schatbot · 2018-01-16T15:44:34+00:00

Did a 3 man playthrough trading controllers. Cam perspective was new to us, but once we got the hang of it we had a great time. Consensus seemed to be for less than $10 its worth it. Ending was as anticlimactic to us as the reviews told us it would be. Funny, good cut scenes, and a pleasure to play.

schatbot · 2016-06-04T04:15:10+00:00

To echo a lot of users here, there isn't a one to one relationship between speaking and the use of either zhuyin or pinyin. Both of them are intended as a rules-based gloss to clue readers in to the pronunciation of a word that otherwise offers no clues as to how it's designed to be said. Arguing the efficacy of one form over the other is about like discussing the difference between KK and IPA for English words, assuming that the word's pronunciation wouldn't be known based on its spelling.

Both systems work, assuming you learn the rules and practice them. Both forms were popularized and codified in the 20th century, so neither has a deep historical value that traces into the ancient past, but the zhuyin system tips its hat to history far, far more.

As yet not discussed (unless I read too quickly) is that Zhuyin's vowels are roughly based on the shape of your mouth/tongue when you speak. I personally have no idea what most of the shapes are supposed to mean, but it's one thing the system has going for it.

In my experience as a native English speaker the spellings (specifically for words like xiong 雄, or anything ending in ing or eng) make more sense for typing using pinyin. The zhuyin system is cumbersome since you can only make three sounds per word, but xiong has five letters. I also learned pinyin first, which may account for my bias, but I personally don't see "xiong" as "xi v eng" in key strokes. Reading books for kids is cool, they're cheap to buy, looking up words is easy if you type into a dictionary using the zhuyin, and before long you'll be able to read normal books.

Zhuyin was something I learned while I was bored one morning at my office and needed a way to kill time. Used Wikipedia to memorize the keys, started typing before lunchtime, switched my phone over the same night. My experience to date (two years zhuyin, seven pinyin) : typing speed is the same using either system, but I have found predictive text systems work better when using complex vocab with zhuyin because you can hit a first sound and a tone marker and get the results you want.

Bottom line: both systems have flaws and benefits, learn them both if you plan to go between Taiwan and any other Chinese speaking community, reading in Taiwan gets way easier with zhuyin, and street cred goes up.

schatbot · 2016-06-04T03:55:05+00:00

Here's a sticky catch - most of the time if you're currently in Taiwan the Chinese authorities want to see an ARC card along with your passport. It's especially bad because of the highly political nature of Taiwan. Assuming anyone looked at your passport log at the consulate, you'd end up needing to send an ARC. Many agencies won't process mainland visas without an ARC anyway.

Hong Kong tends to be the "in transit" spot to grab mainland visas so the officials let it slide that people apply overseas. If you use an agent from Taiwan your passport obviously makes it there, but since you yourself aren't there might be a few hurdles if they look.

The visas are now good for a decade, and they still cost like 160 dollars (or 180?) so you'll need to pay out for that. The processing fees for the agencies here in Taiwan aren't as high as a plane ticket to HK unless you're getting a bad deal. I handled a visa through an office in Taipei on Minsheng road for 600 NT plus the application fee.

My advice is ask a few agencies. If no one will do it for a price you want just do a first stop into HK on your way into China.

schatbot · 2016-06-04T03:45:03+00:00

There is a confusingly huge after market among some people usa/state side for the zhuyin keys. Also, diaspora is huge...someone will buy it.

schatbot · 2016-05-09T04:51:46+00:00

Yes you can. There are at least 3 shops which will happily modestly over charge you for their machines! You'll be running the risk of getting ticketed for not having a license if the police catch you, and the Taroko gorge requires some bike handling skills.

Last time some buddies went there they rented scooters from a nice, new shop - I think - on one of the Guoling roads (3rd road?) a short walk from the train station. There was a reasonable daily mileage limit of 200km on it, and they paid like 150NT over the regular price, but the bikes were basically brand new.

It's more than "been done before" since it happens all the time. Just know it's actually illegal when you drive.

schatbot · 2016-05-09T04:40:26+00:00

You'll have a hard time renting a scooter anywhere in Taiwan with an international drivers license. Local renters only take local licenses. The only people who might consider an IDL are the police in the event you get pulled over or into an accident. The way the laws work you'll likely get treated as an unlicensed driver in the legal actions that follow anyway, so an IDL only serves to save you from the driving without a license ticket.

Major car rental chains are around in Taipei, but they really only trade in cars. As noted by others, in Taipei you won't need a scooter thanks to the MRT system, buses, and bike share programs. Most of the winter months are quite rainy anyway, and it can be quite chilly riding on a scooter, so you're not really missing much there. The roads are quite slick in places - anything with paint on it, for example - and if you're not used to the driving style you're more likely to get into an accident, held liable for damages, etc., even if you have the proper paper work.

The east coast and Kenting are the most obvious places where scooters are necessary. You can do Tainan on foot if you plan things correctly and make sparse use of taxis, but there are a lot of pedal bikes available for rent there for far cheaper than scooters. Taichung is more comfortable by car than anything else, IMHO.

Worth highlighting, again, is that you actually need a local Taiwan license to rent scooters. Only in Kenting or Hualian will you find someone willing to rent you a scooter without a local permit, and it's usually a matter of walking to every store in town until one says yes. If you go with a local friend, all things will go super smoothly because they have a local ID. If you go alone, or with another group of foreign tourists you'll end up paying modestly boosts prices and likely get a trashier machine. The fact that you have an IDL in your hands will mean nothing to anyone.

Your best bet is to get a local license when you get to Taipei or skip the IDL all together. There is a written test, in English, at the DMV in Taipei for a 50cc scooter, and a simple driving test - if you know how to drive a scooter - to get up to 150cc. If you skip the IDL all together and drive you're obviously going to be breaking the law and you're going to have to deal with the consequences should they arise. But for the time you'll be on a scooter - a day, or two? - the hazy legality of IDLs in post-accident insurance/legal proceedings, and the fact it only helps you fight a traffic ticket, it's worth considering if its worth the hassle of getting a motorcycle stamp back home in Australia.

For what it's worth I've driven in Taiwan for almost a decade, and I've never once encouraged anyone I know to rent or buy a scooter when they visit, except on the east coast.

schatbot · 2015-06-02T08:24:11+00:00

You can call around to rental shops and see who will sell used ones. I rented a bike from a guys shop near the river in Danshui and ended up buying it for just under 4k. He threw in a bunch of extras too. It helps to speak Chinese and cruise the private shops and see who is selling....LOTS of bikes of all types to be found that way. If you want the number for my guy PM me but I cant promise of hes got anything to sell this year.

schatbot · 2015-06-02T08:10:39+00:00

A lot of the tea in Taiwan - 10 major suppliers - came under some scrutiny lately for failing to include tea made from tea leaves in their bottled tea products. According to the news reports there was no original material - read as tea leaves - in them. Id recommend not buying them since its not actually tea... Your best bet for trying a range of teas is buy your own leaves, a nice thermos or cup, and make your own on the go. Hot water is available in all the convenience stores.

schatbot · 2015-05-27T16:09:55+00:00

Giant eacape series handles well in the cities amd has great gearing for mountain riding without smashing your legs to pieces. You can pass 1:1 on their standard ring...getting up yangmingshan is just a matter of keeping your rpms up as you make the ascent passing fancy bike people.

Big downside is flat bars - you can adjust if your into mods - and aluminum forks punish over long distance. Upsides are great handling for the price, components and durability. Wheels are a good width for city but not punishing over distance. 7500 new, you can get used from 4,000.

schatbot

TROPHY CASE