COBoy Senior Member Joined: 24 Nov 2003 Posts: 50 Location: Colorado Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Pavoni Europicolla Grinder: Kitchenaid A9 burr Vac Pot: none Drip: French press Roaster: Heat gun - Milwaukee 1220
Posted Thu Jan 22, 2004, 10:28am Subject: Re: First draft of the heatgun/dogbowl roasting primer
I like the primer, I'm sure I'll refer to it when I try my first few heatgun roasts.
Suggestion: In the equipment section under Heatgun: explain what a heatgun is. I think most people have never heard of one. Maybe write something such as: "A heatgun is a piece of equipment that is basically a very powerful hair dryer capable of temperatures up to 500-1000 degrees F. It is commonly used for stripping paint and a few models can usually be found in the paint department of your local hardware store or online."
RoboCoffee Senior Member Joined: 16 Nov 2003 Posts: 19 Location: Maryland Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Solis Maestro Roaster: FR+, GG/SC, HG/DB
Posted Thu Jan 22, 2004, 5:09pm Subject: Re: First draft of the heatgun/dogbowl roasting primer
I'm glad that my lecture was well received. Now I'll answer questions.
from computerDr
Could you do some back of the envelope calculations for the effect on ambient temperatures?
How about a 'quick and dirty' one - seems appropriate here. Let's say your target temperature is 500 F. Lets compare roasts in Chicago starting at 20 F, versus Tahiti at 80 F. If you happen to be the one in Chicago, you will need to provide more heat to get the air to 500 F by the fraction (80-20) / (500 - 80) = 1/7. So a 1400 watt gun in Tahiti is equivalent to a 1600 watt gun in Chicago. A good reason to move to Tahiti. Perhaps a simpler solution is to cut down the air flow by 1/7th. Reducing the bean quantity will also help, but I think 1/7 may be too little since it this does not have much effect on heat losses through the bowl. When the amount is small enough you will be heating more bowl than bean.
MGLloyd
What is your opinion on the merits of either listing BTUs or selecting a heatgun predicated at least in part on BTUs?
Don't use BTUs. Not because they are not recommended by the Physical Society, but because heating/cooling people use it to mean BTUs PER HOUR. Watts is perfect and very accurate for heating. If you want to cool your beans - well that's another issue. I also like horsepower - just multiply watts by 0.00134. How about a 2 horsepower heat gun (1500 watts)!
You can convert BTUs (per hour) to watts (joules per sec) by multiplying by 0.293. Heat energy can be in joules, calories or BTUs and is related to temperature (energy content). Watts measures energy transferred per unit time, and relates to heating rate.
I assume amps is irrelevant for our purposes
yes, unless you are afraid of blowing a fuse.
I'd like to add that I like the heat gun approach because I like blowing all that smoke.
Posted Fri Jan 23, 2004, 9:31pm Subject: Re: First draft of the heatgun/dogbowl roasting primer
Michael, This is a great piece of work. Between the primer itself, and the thermodynamics lessons and comments that follow, there doesn't seem to be much to add.
I think that one of the greatest strengths of the heatgun/dogbowl method is that it is a very forgiving process, and it gives you tons of feedback. My first roast was terriffic, and I didn't have near this much info going in. If anything, that may be an area to highlight - don't worry about all of the details. If you're willing to risk 1/2 lb of green coffee, just give it a whirl and you'll probably be very pleasantly surprised.
Personally, I've got a popperyII, a whirly pop, and had one of the "beta version" I-Roasts. I don't use anything but the heatgun anymore, because it's just the easiest and best way I've got to get the job done.
Good Stuff, and many thanks for being so helpful with the info...
Posted Fri Jan 23, 2004, 9:43pm Subject: Re: First draft of the heatgun/dogbowl roasting primer
What would actually be great for the primer would be a zippy title. Heatgun/dogbowl roasting 101 is kind of a working title in my mind, and it doesn't have a lot of zing.
What would be a better title? Zen and the art of heatgun roasting? Heatgun/dogbowl for dummies? Surely there must be some ideas out there amongst the brotherhood. And sisterhood.
Heatgunroast Senior Member Joined: 10 Feb 2003 Posts: 357 Location: Los Angeles Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Spaziale Vivaldi II Grinder: Mazzer Mini; Zass Vac Pot: Royal Balance Brewer Drip: Various press and pour-overs Roaster: Heatgun, Dogbowl
Posted Fri Jan 23, 2004, 11:04pm Subject: Re: First draft of the heatgun/dogbowl roasting primer
MGLloyd Said:
What would actually be great for the primer would be a zippy title. Heatgun/dogbowl roasting 101 is kind of a working title in my mind, and it doesn't have a lot of zing.
What would be a better title? Zen and the art of heatgun roasting? Heatgun/dogbowl for dummies? Surely there must be some ideas out there amongst the brotherhood. And sisterhood.
Michael. We may be suffering from a serious case of language habituation. #:o) (Any psychologists on board?) I think we have normalized the expression "Heatgun/Dogbowl" and now it sounds to us like perfectly common everyday language that one might overhear in the grocery or poolhall. Can't imagine anyone would glance twice at hearing otherwise serious grown people talking about how many ounces their dogbowl carries as they blow hot air over coffee beans with their paint melter.
So, for the Primer, I think a simple, dignified, (ahem), "Heatgun/Dogbowl Coffee Roasting: A Primer" probably carries plenty of zip and zing, a little gravitas added by the colon, and maybe a doubletake and a "Whaaaa?!!" IMO, no further embellishment needed.
Posted Fri Jan 23, 2004, 11:40pm Subject: Re: First draft of the heatgun/dogbowl roasting primer
Snap Said:
Can't imagine anyone would glance twice at hearing otherwise serious grown people talking about how many ounces their dogbowl carries as they blow hot air over coffee beans with their paint melter.
I just about blew a triple shot of Liquid Amber over my monitor and keyboard from laughing when I read this. And yet by now, this subject not only sounds normal, but absolutely fascinating. Indeed worthy of study, experimentation and documentation!
I would like Bradley Whitford (Josh Lyman from 'West Wing') to play me in the mockumentary. Or if he is not available, then Eugene Levy. I am visualizing a cross between 'Waiting for Guffman' and 'Best in Show'.
ljguitar Senior Member Joined: 28 Jan 2003 Posts: 2,450 Location: Cheyenne Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Expobar Pulsar Grinder: Mazzer Super Jolly, Solis Drip: Bunn Roaster: iRoast2
Posted Sat Jan 24, 2004, 12:18am Subject: Re: First draft of the heatgun/dogbowl roasting primer
MGLloyd Said:
What would actually be great for the primer would be a zippy title. Heatgun/dogbowl roasting 101 is kind of a working title in my mind, and it doesn't have a lot of zing.
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
= No New Posts since last visit 