using my alpha roaster

​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.
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1. ​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.
2. I check the oven temperature and allow it to rise to 230C.
3. At this point I add 125 grams of green beans.
4. I monitor the roast whilst the bean temperature increases, and usually reach first crack at around 12 minutes.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Occasionally stirring the beans I cool them to room temperature before sealing them in an airtight container for storage.