Diedrich IR-5 Analysis by Doris Garrido
I have a Sudan Rume Variety from Carmo de Minas Brazil on my roast analysis this week, a cool coffee name for an overly complex coffee. Nevertheless, being a natural process, this coffee lets the flavors of the variety shine without overwhelming the palate. This is a clean and well-processed coffee, and you can taste it in the cup. Since the day I did my roast, I have been drinking this coffee and because of the way I perceive the body from the brew versus on the cupping table, I feel the coffee has achieved another level. This happens with all coffees, but in this one the post-roast aging process is particularly remarkable.
As I was roasting Sudan Rume for the first time, I took into consideration the country of origin, the process, and the green grading. Based on the low-density results I decided to roast as gentile as possible.
The charge temperature for 5.5lbs. on a 5-kilo roaster I chose was 400F, with gas set at the lowest (30%) with no airflow to start.
After charging I waited for the turning point to decide on the next gas application. I did this to observe how fast the coffee absorbs heat based on the temperature reading at the turning point.
At 2 minutes, I started with 70% gas and let it run until 6:09, then lowered it to 30% again. Therefore, the heat power I have applied to the whole roast was enough to allow me to enter the first crack and finish with the development I was looking for, but well measured by keeping an eye on my roasting speed.
On this roast, I used a basic air setting. Started it at 0% at the beginning of the roast and then 50% at 345F (around minute 6:30) then opened to 100% air at 360F. The airflow decisions I made were mainly to help lower the rate of change and to clean as much smoke out of the drum as possible.
This coffee was developed for 1:30 minutes and dropped at 397.6F. Due to the position of the roaster trier and the temperature sensor it is noticeable a bump at the end of the curve; I was trying to go by smell with not much success. At the end I went mostly by looking at the bean.
Among all the flavor notes collected from the cuppings we did, these are the most common: Nectarine, plum, rose, peach, candy, silky strawberries.
I would suggest treating the coffee softly, as much as possible!
