Roaster Kat
Which cupping bowl is best? Testing 14 coffee cupping bowls back to back
updated
The first video about Yeast Inoculation lays a good foundation for understanding what happens in this video, so if you haven't seen it - watch it here first: youtu.be/QlxmEc4zf14?si=aMgTeS_zXWBoGOSe
1:10 Floating and Sorting Coffee Cherries
2:07 Pulping the Coffee
2:59 Lactic Process Explanation
6:01 Lactic Process Demo
8:19 Fermentation Time: 6 Hours
9:16 Fermentation Time: 20 Hours
9:29 Fermentation Time: 44 Hours
9:47 Fermentation Time: 68 Hours
10:00 Washing and Drying Coffee
Note: This video is descriptive of what we did, not prescriptive or intended as a guide. There was way more than I can accurately cover in a short YouTube video, so if you want to learn these processes in more detail, I recommend attending Lucia Solis’ Fermentation Training Camp yourself. AND listening to her podcast.
"Making Coffee with Lucia Solis" podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-coffee-with-lucia-solis/id1481293001
Lucia's website (and info on Fermentation Training Camps): https://www.luxia.coffee/
Lucia on Instagram: instagram.com/lluciasolis
"Making Coffee with Lucia Solis" on Patreon: patreon.com/makingcoffee
If you haven't watched the first video about Yeast Inoculation, watch it here - youtu.be/QlxmEc4zf14 It goes into more depth with the pulping, sorting, measurements, etc and sets a good foundation for this video.
The next video in this series will be about a LACTIC PROCESS - and it doesn't involve milk or yogurt;)
1:02 Floating and Sorting Cherries
2:07 Pulping the Coffee
2:27 Citric Process Explanation
4:40 Cofermentation
5:38 Limón Mandarina and Citric Acid Demos
6:29 Brix
7:26 Washing and Drying Coffee
Note: This video is descriptive of what we did, not prescriptive or intended as a guide. There was way more information than I can accurately cover in a short YouTube video, so if you want to learn these processes and implement them, I recommend attending Lucia Solis’ Fermentation Training Camp yourself. AND listening to her podcast.
"Making Coffee with Lucia Solis" podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-coffee-with-lucia-solis/id1481293001
Lucia's website (and info on Fermentation Training Camps): https://www.luxia.coffee/
Lucia on Instagram: instagram.com/lluciasolis
"Making Coffee with Lucia Solis" on Patreon: patreon.com/makingcoffee
Yeast innoculated coffee processing... what does that mean? On a basic level, it is utilizing yeast and bacteria in coffee fermentation to go from coffee cherry to dry coffee parchment (which a producer can sell or further process). It can allow a producer to conserve water, as well as get consistent results batch to batch and/or year to year.
I learned all about this process in a week-long Fermentation Training Camp run by Lucia Solis. Lucia comes from the wine world, but switched gears and became a coffee processing specialist. She works with coffee producers around the world to create efficient systems, streamline their processing, and create consistency in their coffees. She is also the producer of "Making Coffee with Lucia Solis," a podcast I highly recommend if you're curious about coffee processing and fermentation (linked below).
In this video I show you each part of the YEAST INNOCULATION process we did during the camp - from receiving the coffee cherries, pulping the coffee, the 3-day fermentation, and drying the coffee. Timestamps below.
We did two other processes - CITRIC and LACTIC. I will be uploading those videos in the near future, so subscribe and keep and eye out for those!
01:51 Receiving and Floating Coffee Cherries
03:22 Maturity Table
05:15 Brix Measurement
06:00 Pulping the Coffee
06:48 Yeast Explanation & Demo
10:58 Fermentation Time: 1 Hour
11:52 Fermentation Time: 6 Hours
12:29 Fermentation Time: 22 Hours
13:19 Fermentation Time: 24 Hours
13:39 Fermentation Time: 46 Hours
14:54 Washing and Drying Coffee
Note: This video is descriptive of what we did, not prescriptive or intended as a guide. There was way more information than I can accurately cover in a short YouTube video, so if you want to learn these processes and implement them, I recommend attending Lucia Solis’ Fermentation Training Camp yourself. AND listening to her podcast.
"Making Coffee with Lucia Solis" podcast: podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/making-coffee-with-lucia-solis/id1481293001
Lucia's website (and info on Fermentation Training Camps): https://www.luxia.coffee/
Lucia on Instagram: instagram.com/lluciasolis
"Making Coffee with Lucia Solis" on Patreon: patreon.com/makingcoffee
0:46 Turning on the machines
1:11 Brewing the first pot of coffee
3:02 Starting to roast
9:02 Sending coffee through the color sorter
10:14 Production cupping
12:11 Lunchtime
12:16 Packaging and shipping
13:10 Cleaning up
I know this video makes it seem like I'm working alone, but there are over a dozen other people that make the Black & White roastery machine operate - other roasters, production folks, marketing, management, etc. Shout out to my coworkers who keep this place running!
(Filmed Sept 18, 2023)
0:59 Kevin Mejia introduction
1:40 Deadlift
4:35 Loaded Squat
6:40 Pushing/Pulling Exercises
- - -
Check out the previous videos in this series -
Shoulder Mobility: youtu.be/-3C_O84sNrA?si=SMLUXnNJF9GJlJfK
Hip Mobility: youtu.be/7r4CxUjGAOY?si=_5O8nFwI2plxdSxO
Stability Exercises: youtu.be/PpSlcPSZ9As?si=Qovzb3zPFL3Mbt1T
- - -
These movements come from Kevin's article in Coffee People Zine / Issue 21 / FIRE, titled "Functional Movement for Roasters: Exercises to Stretch and Strengthen the Muscles Coffee Roasters Use Every Day."
Get the zine here: coffeepeople.org/collections/issue-21
Make sure to check with a personal trainer or physical therapist if you have questions or feel discomfort with any of these movements. And STOP if anything hurts. You want to strengthen, not injure yourself. *You're responsible to keep yourself safe and free from injury.*
0:58 Kevin Mejia introduction
1:40 Hollow Hold
4:27 Bird Dogs
6:51 Side Planks/Loaded Carry
- - -
Check out the other videos in this series -
Shoulder Mobility: youtu.be/-3C_O84sNrA?si=SMLUXnNJF9GJlJfK
Hip Mobility: youtu.be/7r4CxUjGAOY?si=_5O8nFwI2plxdSxO
- - -
These movements come from Kevin's article in Coffee People Zine / Issue 21 / FIRE, titled "Functional Movement for Roasters: Exercises to Stretch and Strengthen the Muscles Coffee Roasters Use Every Day."
Get the zine here: coffeepeople.org/collections/issue-21
Make sure to check with a personal trainer or physical therapist if you have questions or feel discomfort with any of these movements. And STOP if anything hurts. You want to strengthen, not injure yourself. *You're responsible to keep yourself safe and free from injury.*
1:07 Kevin Mejia introduction
1:47 Glute Bridge
3:21 Couch Stretch
6:25 Deep Squats
- - -
Check out the first video in this series -
Shoulder Mobility: youtu.be/-3C_O84sNrA?si=SMLUXnNJF9GJlJfK
- - -
These movements come from Kevin's article in Coffee People Zine / Issue 21 / FIRE, titled "Functional Movement for Roasters: Exercises to Stretch and Strengthen the Muscles Coffee Roasters Use Every Day."
Get the zine here: coffeepeople.org/collections/issue-21
Make sure to check with a personal trainer or physical therapist if you have questions or feel discomfort with any of these movements. And STOP if anything hurts. You want to strengthen, not injure yourself. *You're responsible to keep yourself safe and free from injury.*
0:59 Kevin Mejia introduction
2:00 Shoulder CARs (Controlled Articulated Rotation)
3:32 Reverse Fly / Banded Pull-Apart
5:51 Shoulder Blade Pull-Up or Push-Up (plus modified movements)
- - -
These movements come from Kevin's article in Coffee People Zine / Issue 21 / FIRE, titled "Functional Movement for Roasters: Exercises to Stretch and Strengthen the Muscles Coffee Roasters Use Every Day."
Get the zine here: coffeepeople.org/collections/issue-21
Make sure to check with a personal trainer or physical therapist if you have questions or feel discomfort with any of these movements. And STOP if anything hurts. You want to strengthen, not injure yourself. *You're responsible to keep yourself safe and free from injury.*
In this video I talk with Bill Kennedy, owner of the San Franciscan Roasting Company. Bill comes from the manufacturing side, as well as being an experienced roaster himself. This interview is the most technical and physics-heavy, but Bill has the ability to break complex concepts down into easily understandable ideas and practical applications. The main takeaways I got from this interview include finding a batch size that allows you to achieve the roast profile you want (curve shape, roast time, etc), an explanation of the physics behind convective and conductive heat transfer, roast consistency and heat diffusion (especially based on roasting drum material), and so much more.
Put your favorite takeaway below, or commend any questions you still have.
Like, subscribe, and hit the notification bell - you'll be the first to know the next time I drop a video.
Also I'd love to know if you liked this series of interviews, and if you want to see more content like this. I'm not sure what my next video will be so feel free to give me feedback and ideas!
Other Videos in this Series:
Part 1 with Shelby Williamson of Huckleberry Roasters: youtu.be/XhV-Z7ZUvqk
Part 2 with Scott Rao of Prodigal Coffee: youtu.be/B3kxtZanANY
Part 3 with Cameron Heath of Counter Culture Coffee: youtu.be/QXtuAEURqFQ
Thanks for watching, and happy roasting!
Check the 1st interview with Shelby Williamson of Huckleberry Roasters here: youtu.be/XhV-Z7ZUvqk
And the 2nd interview with Scott Rao of Prodigal Coffee here: youtu.be/B3kxtZanANY
This conversation is with Cameron Heath of Counter Culture Coffee. Cameron uses two large machines at CCC - a 70kg Loring and a 90kg Probat. He also has extensive experience on smaller roasters, and speaks about batch size across various machines from a production perspective. Cameron’s key insights in this interview include a focus on production volume, using batch size to manage conductive versus convective heat transfer, how he approaches roasting single origin coffees versus blends, and so much more.
Like, comment, subscribe, and hit that notification bell for more coffee roasting content.
And check out Roast Magazine's Sept/Oct 2023 issue for the full article.
Other Videos in the Series:
Part 1 w/ Shelby Williamson: youtu.be/XhV-Z7ZUvqk
Part 2 w/ Scott Rao of Prodigal Coffee: youtu.be/B3kxtZanANY
Part 4 w/ Bill Kennedy of The San Franciscan Roasting Company: youtu.be/xxzw3Dls5l0
Thanks for watching!
Roaster Kat
This second video is an interview with Scott Rao - roaster, writer, consultant, educator. Scott is a well-established voice in the coffee industry, has a wealth of experience on many machines, and is behind many often-cited frameworks and concepts within the roasting space. In this interview, Scott shares key batch size insights, including a formula for calculating maximum batch size based on a machine's BTU, tips for between batch protocol (BBP) for varying batch sizes, differences between traditional drum roasters (Probat, Geisen, etc) and air roasters (Loring, IMF, etc), and more.
Put your batch size questions in the comments below.
Like, comment, subscribe, and hit that notification bell for more coffee roasting content.
Other Videos in the Series:
Part 1 w/ Shelby Williamson: youtu.be/XhV-Z7ZUvqk
Part 3 w/ Cameron Heath of Counter Culture: youtu.be/QXtuAEURqFQ
Part 4 w/ Bill Kennedy of The San Franciscan Roasting Company: youtu.be/xxzw3Dls5l0
Thanks for watching!
Roaster Kat
I wrote an article about batch size for Roast Magazine’s September/October 2023 issue, and these interviews were research for that article.
In this first video, I interview Shelby Williamson (2019 US Roasting Champion and head roaster at Huckleberry Roasters in Denver, CO). Shelby roasts on two machines - a 15kg Giesen and a 70kg Loring roaster. I love this interview because she’s a working roaster and talks about the practicalities about batch size as it pertains to production roasting, rather than getting in the weeds about theory. Shelby gives key insights into batch size, including adjusting roast weight as a way to control roast time (aka: hitting her marks), determining batch size based on inventory management needs (ie: basing batch sizes on bag weights), and much more.
Like, comment, subscribe, and hit that notification bell for more coffee roasting content.
Other Videos in this Series:
Part 2 w/ Scott Rao of Prodigal Coffee: youtu.be/B3kxtZanANY
Part 3 w/ Cameron Heath of Counter Culture: youtu.be/QXtuAEURqFQ
Part 4 w/ Bill Kennedy of The San Franciscan Roasting Company: youtu.be/xxzw3Dls5l0
Thanks for watching!
Roaster Kat
I was surprised to hear about Pack's story of being a tech startup founder-turned-coffee enthusiast, and everything he discovered about coffee in Thailand. I learned so much I never knew before.
Key takeaways include: an intimate and well-connected supply chain, a domestic consuming culture, all the new varieties and processing methods being used in Thailand today, the impact of COVID-19 on home brewing, and so much more.
Let me know what you think about this interview, and what you learned about Thai coffee. The Coffee T&I article should be out soon, so keep an eye out for that. And thanks for watching!
In this video I'm roasting a big batch of decaf coffee. It is an EA (or ethyl acetate) decaf, also known as Sugarcane Decaf. Ethyl Acetate is made from a natural byproduct of sugar production. Coffee is placed in water, then ethyl acetate is circulated throughout, and it naturally binds to the caffeine molecules and pulls them out, leaving behind all the tasty stuff. It's the best decaf I have had the pleasure to drink (or roast)!
The goal is to get enough development to mitigate any "decaf" flavors (can be grassy, medicinal, chemically) but still light enough to preserve the intrinsically delicious flavors of these beans.
It's a 66lb batch on the 35kg Loring roaster, which isn't the largest batch size I do but is a larger batch than I usually roast.
*NOTE: This video is relatively advanced, assuming previous knowledge of coffee roasting language and concepts. If you're a coffee roaster, I hope this video will be interesting or useful to you. If you are not a coffee roaster, well, I'm sorry if it's confusing or boring.
Questions or comments about decaf? Other videos you'd like to see?
Comment below!
Thanks for watching. And happy roasting!
It's a 65lb batch on the 35kg Loring roaster.
*NOTE: This video is relatively advanced, assuming previous knowledge of coffee roasting language and concepts. If you're a coffee roaster, I hope this video will be interesting or useful to you. If you are not a coffee roaster, well, I'm sorry if it's confusing or boring.
Questions about this roast or this machine? Adjustments you would have made? Other videos you'd like to see?
Comment below!
Thanks for watching. And happy roasting!


