Upshot... a question from the peanut gallery, if you'll indulge me...
What do you hope to gain from knowing the moisture content of your green coffee?
Hi Peter,
What I "hope" to get, and what I expect to get are two different things. What I expect to get is quantitative information regarding a variable that contributes to the final result of what is in the beverage. As with any agricultural food commodity, proper management of moisture content along the supply chain is critical to ensure quality, and having quantifiable information regarding it is never a bad thing. Even if all one ever sees is that every potential purchase made is from a selection of beans whose moisture content falls within the acceptable range. This is called accountability, and also peace of mind.
What I "hope" to get is a correlation between bean mass density, moisture content, and roast profile that results in the fewest possible surprises. I do not know if that will happen or not, but willing to explore.
I like that you, earlier in this thread, proposed measuring the volume of a sample of beans and establishing a correlation between weight / volume and moisture content. My method is a derivative of this, but one in which moisture content is known, so that a correlation coefficient will be established for any bean type. Again, this is my hope. I am not naive to think this is a given, but again...willing to go down this road because this is how one perfects one's craft. I am not a follower, so I have to endure repeating things that perhaps others take for granted based on trusting what they are told. I am also not a whiner. If things go badly, I own up, and because the former characteristic, I can blame no one but myself.
upshot,
Take the greens to your local grain elevator that buys grain from farmers. All grain must be the proper moisture before storing in the elevator so to not spoil. My guess is they would test the greens as a favor and no cost. I grew up in the ag business.
That's an excellent idea. I don't live very close to any grain elevators, but a short day trip would put me in the heart of California's central valley where grain elevators are as common as gas stations! Thanks again for the suggestion!
Thanks again to you too Peter
Kindly,
Upshot