Coffee.

[Ochigal]

Re: Coffee.

Rudemonk...I am soooo thankful for the day you joined this websight....I love your reports. Its been years since I have been up to the Blue Mountains...I forgot just how breath taking the views were...THANKS for the reminder.

[rudemonk]

Re: Coffee.

So now we are basically ready to roast.

This requires a lot of wood, which gets gathered up through the course of the week. I mean, there's always wood to gather, but this fire has to be composed of a special recipe. I wanted to know what it was, but all they would tell me at first was that there was logwood. Suddenly, No Woman No Cry popped into my head and I figured out logwood is really a kind of wood, not a description of the kind of fire Bob was sitting near.

We burned through most of this pile, and we roasted a little over a hundred lbs of coffee.



The green beans, now that they've been cleaned and sorted through, get poured into the roaster. Now, sometimes the roasting gets done in a very old fashioned way, in these big cast iron pots and kettles, but in this case we were trying to beat some rain so we used this old tank that had been refitted.

In go the beans.



Wood is added as needed. The amazing thing with the beans from this guy's farm is that for a JBM, they stand to a dark roast. This fire is getting ready- the beans will be rotated over the flame until such time as the roast color is achieved. It's a careful process.



To concentrate the heat, steel panels are placed around the roaster support. Man, you would not believe the heat this thing throws off. The roaster must be continually kept spinning. It could take anywhere from 30-45 minutes to roast the coffee in the tank.



As these beans are being roasted, the green beans are unbelievably being given ANOTHER going over, lol...here we find a great looking peaberry which we are about to train.

[NapiHead327]

Re: Coffee.

I'll keep that in mind, Monk

[rudemonk]

Re: Coffee.

whoops...what did I do...

[rudemonk]

Re: Coffee.

well I messed up something, lol...well you got the story.

So when the beans are at the desired roast, the whole contraption gets picked up and carried over to a cooling table. Coffee beans go through what are called 'cracks,' first crack, 2nd crack...basically the water in the dried beans is being heated up and the beans are expanding.


The thing is really really really hot. You can see the chaff still burning up, popping out of the roaster.



Since these beans are hand processed and a machine isn't used, there is a lot of remnants on the bean. Some people like that, but a lot of it gets burnt off in the roasting as you can see all the stuff flying out.

A piece of steel bar is used to knock the door latch, and the beans come pouring out. As this one monk once exclaimed, it's like seeing a beautiful woman totally bare!

I can't even begin to describe the aroma.

[djntam]

Re: Coffee.

This is incredible reading! I envy you and your ability to achieve your goals in such a manner, please tell us more.

[rudemonk]

Re: Coffee.

okay I butchered this somehow but I think it is back in shape...although the pee story is gone and the french press...

anyway thanks you guys so let me finish up.

So as the beans spill out, they are still really really hot- in fact, they are still cooking when they hit the burlap.



We were really pushing this roast to see how dark we could go...so we were a little overly cautious, this was the first batch, and it could be economically disastrous, at this point, to lose a batch.

An old machette is put to use to spread the beans out so they can cool.



We managed to get these real dark, almost an espresso roast, which I have personally backed off from- I mean, it's great, but there are some really amazing flavors in this bean that I have really started getting into, so I now go for a roast just after 2nd crack.

The beans are still sizzling and cracking. Like a giant table of Rice Crispies.

Being in the yard like this, it was one of the first times I saw just how deeply imbedded in the conversational language racial references were. I was always referred to as "the white man" by the people working, and there was another guy who everyone kept calling "the Indeeeeaaaaannnn." Eventually, as my friend told the workers more about me my name shifted from 'white man' to 'Shaolin,' which one lady thought my name was "Charlie," or she also called me "Charming," which I didn't mind at all, lol...anyway none of it was derogatory, it just was what it was.

So Indeeeann is chopping the wood, and he's constantly being yelled at, Indeeeeaaaaan this, Indeeeeeaaaannn that...more wood, more fire, chop faster, use the bill not the cutlass. I mean, they are on his back, lol...finally, he tosses down the machette and stands up, he yells out, "Mi no "Indeeeeeaaaaan," mi KYOOOOOOOOOBAAAAAAN!"

For a split second, they're silent. Then, without missing a single beat, they start in, Cuban this, Cuban that....more wood, more fire, lol....



Now, after some time, and while the next batch is roasting, the coffee is scooped off the burlap and then into these handheld screens, where the beans are sort of shuffled about, so that any dirt, small pieces of chaff that collected in the roaster, and other detritus are sifted off the roasted beans.



From there, the beans are put into a bin, taken over to another table, weighed and bagged.

It takes about 1-2 days depending, for the beans to de-gass. During this time they should not be used. After de-gassing though, the beans begin to lose flavor.

One interesting thing I learned, which I was trying to put up for QueenB, is that like you, I became a coffee nut. I know you said you were a purist, but try this- it makes a big difference.

I was told that to bring out all the flavors of the coffee, what you do is add a little, the tiniest pinch, of salt. I'm using a french press, and I even bought a home roaster, lol...but it is not the same as it uses hot air and the coffee doesn't taste as good...but I mean that is being so nitpicky as to make me feel very metrosexual.

It is true though, I am so spoiled right now I can't stand the bastardized coffees a lot of restaurants serve, and it totally kills me to be eating in JA and see nescafe being served, lol...

Norma's in Negril used to put out a french press of JBM for the table if you ordered coffee. This is the method of brewing I have really taken to. They now have these machines that suck, and I can't figure out for the life of me why they stopped doing that.

[Laurel]

Re: Coffee.

[img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

This is all so good!!

'The White Man', 'The Indian', 'The Cuban'

Right on ... 'it just is what it is'.

I get 'The Fat White Lady' [img]/forums/images/graemlins/70365-flirt.gif[/img]

My feelings used to get hurt - but now, 'it just is what it is'...

[Island Girl]

Re: Coffee.

Rudemonk, you write the BEST stories! I especially enjoyed this last post. Thank You for entertaining me this afternoon. IRIE! *IG

[queenb]

Re: Coffee.

This is all so good!!

'The White Man', 'The Indian', 'The Cuban'

Right on ... 'it just is what it is'.

I get 'The Fat White Lady'

My feelings used to get hurt - but now, 'it just is what it is'...

And I used to cringe at "faaateee", but now I just smile because it's usually said in a really salacious way...(Yes, I'm a dirty old lady!) [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

And rudemonk, I've heard about the salt, but high blood pressure makes me not use much salt at all. Great report, BTW!

[Laurel]

Re: Coffee.

Queen ... [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

MI TOO!

[djntam]

Re: Coffee.

LOL - One of my favorite stories is about the time we were walking along the Hip Stip in MoBay and someone called me "Beer Belly"!

[swedishrasta]

Re: Coffee.

(((RM))))



S

[NapiHead327]

Re: Coffee.

When I was there, I always got,

"Hey Rasta!" or "Hey Bob Marley Dawta!" or "Hey Lauryn Hill!"

I just learned to answer to all 3.

[BND1999]

Re: Coffee.

Wonderful!!!

This is my kind of journey.....

I have yet to get up close to any aspect of coffee production... but I've always wanted to...... especially in the thick of the mountains....

I can now appreciate the price of coffee.. seeing how arduous the task...