RDC8

Just to add that some beans are more "chaffy" than others - so keep an eye on how quickly it builds up. If you change the origin and/or processing method you may need to change your cleaning routines. I assume the photo was of the chaff under the cooling tray? I vacuumed mine out this week for the first time in about 6 months - surprisingly little buil-up. But the chaff drawer under the cyclone is emptied at the end of each roasting session, sometimes even during the session if I have a large quota to fill!

Was about to PM you then saw your post! ok - so I have done much the same as you ofr the past three years, but for a 5-day event (short days, about 4 hours each) and pulled about 420 shots this year using the Evo 2. Used it with tank - not plumbed in. From my experiences: I started with the double basket in a naked PF but soon switched to the spout as too many people wanted single shots. I would recommend pulling the shot into a shot glass to get a consistent volume rather than directly into the paper cup (also allows you to split the shot easily for those who want singles) An extra pair of hands is useful; keeping the bean hopper full, emptying the ginds box, keeping the milk bottles flowing, and topping up the water tank (as I wasnt plumbed in). Also useful for taking orders and writing them down - easier than you trying to remember everything that was ordered! You will need access to a water boiler (urn) for americanos - dont use the hot water spout on your machine for that Use a milk thermometer - it's gentler than using the palm of your hand Dont forget about other supplies eg sugar, stirrers, cold-milk, chocolate powder for cappa's etc You can steam the milk while running the shot (the boiler wil keep up with the demand!) which means you should manage less than2minutes per drink. Need to get it down to around a minute - if you get 3-4 people in a queue then 5 drinks need to be banged out PDQ - the last person doesnt want to wait 10 minutes for their coffee! Work on the basis of getting 50 shots per kg of beans If I think of anything else I will let you know. Others on the forum may have different experiences to share. Good luck with the fete.

Hi @chofter. Just a few extra thoughts; as you get to know your roaster better as time goes on, keep changing your parameters and experiment to see what happens (but remember to log eveything). From looking at your roast logs, your temp is continuing to increase quite rapidly after FC; which is not generally a good thing. You might want to reduce the temperature setting on the Ewelly controller (the one for Bean Temp) by 5 degrees so that the heating elements cut out sooner. If you haven't read it yet - see if you can get a copy of a book by Scott Rao "The coffee roasters companion". I have found it to be a useful resource. Finally, dont forget that fresh coffee needs time to de-gas (the chemical processes are still creating carbon dioxide) - leave it 5-10 days before drinking (experiment and see what seems best for you) Enjoy the journey and remember to share your journey and ask lots of questions. You will find a ton of helpful advice and information here on the forum.

OK - I will take it at asking. Not going to be at the lever day, but I'm sure we can sort something out. For this, I am happy to travel Just letting you know I am currently travelling, so not sure how frequently I will be able to access internet over then next few days. Anyway - will check my messages as soon as I can.

hi @Hasi Does this come with a warranty? If so, would it be transferable to the UK service agency? (worst-case scenario!!) Cheers

Hi @Hasi All working now - just ordered and paid. Hopefully you will see it come through Cheers

Hi Just wondering if Hasi's website is down. I have clicked on the link provided in the previous post - but get a 404 error Using Chrome - could it be a browser issue?

Order List: 1. lhavelund: 500grm Sigri; 500grm La Berlina 2. Jacko112: 1kg medium 3. christos-geo: 500grm Sigri 4. Junglebert: 500grm Sigri; 500grm La Berlina 5. Coffeechap: 1kg Sigri 6. ashcroc 500grm Sigri; 500g La Berlina 7. jimbojohn55: 1kg Sigri 8. Systemic Kid: 1kg Sigri 9. dfk: 1 kg La Berlina 10. rdc8 1kg Sigri

Hi there @Mr_Binks I too have a la-pav, not the easiest to get to grips with but once you have got it sorted they make a fantastic espresso. What is it exactly that is disastrous? Perhaps you could describe your process for pulling a shot? And perhaps also let us know what coffee and grinder you are using. The more information you can provide, the better the responses are likley to be. Best wishes

Home roasting is a great way to build knowledge about coffee both flavour and coffee preparation. If you like a challenge, and experimentation, then it can be very rewarding. But, be prepared for a fair amount of frustration, disappointment, and above all - don't be tempted to see it as an exercise in money saving! Sure, some greens will work out cheaper, but to push yourself you will soon be wanting to spend more on specialty coffee. You will also make mistakes and will end up throwing away the worst of your roasts (at least with the Gene the batch sizes are relatively small). Actually, have you settled on getting a Gene cafe? There are other alternatives, depending on budget. When I started out home roasting I concentrated on just two or three coffees (for me it was Colombian Supremo, Costa Rica Tarrazu, and a coffee from Papua New Guinea ) and learned how to get the perfect roast from each of them, and also to experiment a little with blending (perfect in the sense that I personally enjoyed the results). Then I branched out and experimented with other origins, processing methods, etc to expand both my roasting skills and my palate. Some were successful (a Brazilian pulped natural), while others not so much (struggled with a Rawandan). But at the end of the day its about being challenged, experimenting, and above all having fun! As soon as it becomes a tedium then its time to move on to something else. To help you in the roasting journey, the internet is a wonderful resource with blogs, facebook groups, you-tube clips (some better than others) and of course, support from other roasters on this forum. Oh - and just to finish, IMHO I dont think you necessarily need to develop barista skills before branching into home roasting. They can be quite complimentary as you can see the relationship between the variables that have gone into your roast, the variables for extraction, and ultimately, and perhaps most importantly - the impact on taste. Wishing you all the best in whatever you decide.

Super big thanks to everyone who has sent a PM. I am working my way through them - rate of reply being limited by the "maximum of two posts per 10 minutes" rule!

I was hoping to find a few volunteers on the forum who would be happy to give me feedback on the first iteration of a website I am putting together for my micro roastery. It's not yet publicly searchable, so could you PM me and I will send you a link. As a thank you for your feedback I would be happy to send you out a free bag of coffee. Regrettably I will need to set a cap on this of 12 volunteers. Thanks in advance - your help will be very much appreciated. And just to confirm that I have had the ok from Glenn to post this request to the forum

Hi All I have been asked by a local school PTA about a suitable B2C machine to use at their fundraising events (eg the school sports day). They want to be able to offer something better than instant, but not brewed coffee. Would probably only get used 15-20 times a year; but might be doing 50-100 drinks each event. A lightweight domestic machine wont be up to the task, but nor do they have unlimited funds to put into a heavy duty commercial machine. Any recommendations on makes/models/ball-park budget would be appreciated. Maybe there are even options to hire such machines. ps - it would also need to be able to produce frothy milk for latte/cappuccino etc. Many thanks in advance

From previous experience, I think Mildred's model is a sensible one to use in order to come up with a maximum your stand can physically produce as there is no point gearing up to sell more than is feasibly possible. How many people will be running your stand? (and can you get extras if needed?) If you underestimate - can you bring in extra supplies at short-notice? Is this a new event or one that is well established? Are the other coffee outlets new or are they likely to have a loyal following from previous years? As GerryM has said, you probably wont know demand until you are actually underway! [it will also be a good idea to have a plan B in case you find the you have wildly under or over estimated your sales!] It would be awesome if you could share your experiences with this venture

The darkness of the roast also has an impact on grind settings. I would go as far as to say that the same batch from the same roaster may need to be tweaked depending on the ambient temperature, relative humidity etc. From experience grinder adjustments are just one of those things you need to accept when preparing espresso. Also remember when adjusting the grind settings to purge the grinder for a couple of seconds to make sure that what goes into the portafilter is at the new grind setting.