Diedrich IR-5 Analysis by Chris Kornman & Doris Garrido
Not really sure of exactly what to expect with this coffee, I asked Doris to take it through the paces on her choice of machine on our standard pour-over analysis profile, and keep a close eye on any details and/or peculiarities the coffee showed. She chose our 5.5lb profile on the Diedrich IR-5, and made a few notes throughout the roast, outlined here.
With a high density and unique honey processing method, Doris elected to charge at a moderately hot 390F but wait to apply burner power until the coffee reached its turning point (though she did quickly open the airflow to 50%). At the turn, she gave it everything the roaster had, 100% burner power.
Everything seemed to progress pretty normally until about half way through Maillard reactions, when Doris noticed that despite reducing the burner power back to 30% the coffee continued to absorb heat from the four minutes at 100% power. Curiously, despite the quick pace exiting the color change stage, the coffee was quiet at first crack.
With the rate of rise still at 15F per minute at crack, Doris took the only course of action left to slow things down, and cut the burners entirely. The coffee coasted gently for about 90 seconds before dipping slightly into a negative heat delta just as she opened the drum door to end the roast.
Despite her concerns about the coffee’s challenges to control, the cup tasted excellent with lots of clarity, superb sweetness, and pleasant acidity. I noted candied ginger, fresh coriander, molasses, pomegranate, and sweet tea. After our barista team dialed it as a pour-over, we decided we liked it so much we plan to serve it as a light roast batch brew here at The Crown.
