I thought I had my HT-P all set up, with good profiles for different beans and roasts, but after I bought a batch of Kona from Lion's Gate, I was very disappointed. After several roasts on my "Kona" profile (slow ramp with a long dehydration around 350F), which BTW works just fine with Purple Mountain and Thunder Mountain, I thought the Lion's Gate was flat and uninteresting. A week ago, I thought, what the heck, I might as well try it with my slightly modified Standard profile and run it into espresso roast. This stuff is REALLY GOOD!!!
So, my dilemma is, I think I no longer know ANYTHING about profiling or roasting! For one thing, programming the HT-P is quite abstract, as the temps one sets are just a general method of turning the heating element on and off, but say nothing about where the roast will be at any point in time. Then, if by chance, I find a profile that seems to bring out the special notes of a bean, which is looking more and more hit-and-miss, I no longer have any idea of how to tweak the profile to make it better.
What methods are others with HT-Ps using to create and modify profiles? Should I bother trying to "theorize" about where to stretch the ramp and where to push it, other than after 1st crack, of course? Or am I just thinking too much, and should just use the stinkin' modified Standard for Lion's Gate, and whatever I have programmed for whatever else I want to roast, because no matter what, it will be a heck of a lot better than if I were using an air popper?