HotTop Insulation for winter roasting

[staylor]

At what temps are you guys finding problems start when roasting with the HT and at what point is it a serious problem?

I've roasted in some insanely cold temps and still got better coffee than the stuff I can buy retail, but I'm liking the GC7 approach of improving the winter results. I'm not sure at what temp things start to slip but there's no doubt super cold temps drag the roast out.

I roasted all last winter on the back deck and mainly I tried to stay away from windy days.

[peter]

I think wind is the main culprit in drawing heat away from the roaster; some light insulation plus a good wind break should do the trick.  That, and maybe a smaller batch?

[GC7]

I agree that wind will draw away heat and affect roasts in lower temperatures.

In the past, when temperatures got to the freezing point and below I needed to alter profiles and use higher power to the heating elements to move things along for reasonable roast times. The trouble I think with that is that you may get local very hot spots that could damage/burn some beans and other cooler spots in the drum.  That's just a theory but my brew roasts especially were never quite as good in winter and especially well below freezing. Hopefully this mod will continue to work as the local temperatures here in NY drop further.

[staylor]

Good call GC7, I should have done this a long time ago.

Here's a quick iPhone shot while the insulated mod did it's thing. From just a couple of roasts today I can see that the roaster is performing differently and I like what I see. Of course the proof is in the pudding, so I'll know on the weekend.

[GC7]

Nce job Sean.

What inslation did you wind up using and did you cover the vents on the side not shown in your photo.  I left them uncovered to try to keep air and heat flow relatively unchanged from the uninsulated roaster.

I think you will find the runup to first crack and subsequent finish of the roast to be most affected/improved by the cold weather mod.

Geoffrey

[staylor]

Nce job Sean.

What inslation did you wind up using and did you cover the vents on the side not shown in your photo.  I left them uncovered to try to keep air and heat flow relatively unchanged from the uninsulated roaster.

I think you will find the runup to first crack and subsequent finish of the roast to be most affected/improved by the cold weather mod.

Geoffrey

I grabbed some stuff from Home Depot, it was flexible aluminum surface on both sides with some dead air space created between the two surface using a honeycomb matrix of rigid plastic. I taped it all in place using the flexible aluminum duct work tape. I covered the vents on the other side with the aluminum tape and then used a sharp knife to slit through it and expose the vents.

So far I'm noticing I can run the roaster at a lower heat setting and stretch out the finish a bit nicer. The beans look good and I'm a bit excited to check them out in a few days. The Kenya Kieni I did a few hours ago will get hit with a pourover in 48hrs, it should be an interesting test. I've got my fingers crossed and the lucky rabbit's foot is in effect.

[John F]

Of course the proof is in the pudding, so I'll know on the weekend.

I have keen interest in what you find in the shots.

Update mandatory.   

[staylor]

You know it.

[staylor]

Had a pourover of the Kenya Kieni at lunchtime, not quite 48hrs post-roast. Gotta say I'm really liking what I tasted in the cup, of course this is not a fair comparison against pre-mod Kieni as I didn't have a side by side pre and post-mod cup at lunchtime. But, based on what I tasted it seems like the cup had more 'transparency', 'clarity' and better stage presence vs. pre-mod.

It's going to take quite a few roasts to nail it down for a definitive opinion but so far so good.

All hail GC7!

[GC7]

All hail GC7!

   Thanks Sean.  I showed that to the wife and she laughed and said that perhaps I should move in with you. 

I continue to be impressed with this mod and the coffee resulting from my roasts. It's getting much colder here by the day so I hope the winter roasts continue with the same quality.

[staylor]

All hail GC7!

   Thanks Sean.  I showed that to the wife and she laughed and said that perhaps I should move in with you. 

I continue to be impressed with this mod and the coffee resulting from my roasts. It's getting much colder here by the day so I hope the winter roasts continue with the same quality.

Haha, bring your grinder and espresso machine. ;-)

[peter]

All hail GC7!

   Thanks Sean.  I showed that to the wife and she laughed and said that perhaps I should move in with you. 

I continue to be impressed with this mod and the coffee resulting from my roasts. It's getting much colder here by the day so I hope the winter roasts continue with the same quality.

Haha, bring your grinder and espresso machine. ;-)

Hey, if that's all it takes, can I move in too?   

[staylor]

All hail GC7!

   Thanks Sean.  I showed that to the wife and she laughed and said that perhaps I should move in with you. 

I continue to be impressed with this mod and the coffee resulting from my roasts. It's getting much colder here by the day so I hope the winter roasts continue with the same quality.

Haha, bring your grinder and espresso machine. ;-)

Hey, if that's all it takes, can I move in too?   

We'll have enough hardware, but if you bring a pound of homeroast you're in. ;-)

[mp]

All hail GC7!

   Thanks Sean.  I showed that to the wife and she laughed and said that perhaps I should move in with you. 

I continue to be impressed with this mod and the coffee resulting from my roasts. It's getting much colder here by the day so I hope the winter roasts continue with the same quality.

Haha, bring your grinder and espresso machine. ;-)

Hey, if that's all it takes, can I move in too?   

We'll have enough hardware, but if you bring a pound of homeroast you're in. ;-)

How about 2 turtle doves?

 

[staylor]

All hail GC7!

   Thanks Sean.  I showed that to the wife and she laughed and said that perhaps I should move in with you. 

I continue to be impressed with this mod and the coffee resulting from my roasts. It's getting much colder here by the day so I hope the winter roasts continue with the same quality.

Haha, bring your grinder and espresso machine. ;-)

Hey, if that's all it takes, can I move in too?   

We'll have enough hardware, but if you bring a pound of homeroast you're in. ;-)

How about 2 turtle doves?

 

It's 2 jugs of milk, get with the program. ;-)