Blog Posts

using my alpha roaster

28/7/2017

I thought I would write a quick post giving an overview of how I roast a batch of Kenya AA green beans on my Alpha roaster.

First I turn the power on to start rotating the drum and then I light the gas. I turn the gas level up so that I can just hear it start to rush, a bit like a mini jet engine! It's also near the point that the flame turns from looking sharply defined to being blurred.
I check the oven temperature and allow it to rise to 230C.
At this point I add 125 grams of green beans.
I monitor the roast whilst the bean temperature increases, and usually reach first crack at around 12 minutes.
I keep a careful eye on the roast now taking regular samples and using my sense of smell to achieve my desired roasting level. I prefer to roast to the onset of second crack which is usually 3 minutes with these beans.
I turn on my bean cooler and tip my hot beans in, before replacing the roaster on its base and turning off its gas and electricity.
Occasionally stirring the beans I cool them to room temperature before sealing them in an airtight container for storage.