So I finally got my Grindmaster(Rossi) RR45 grinder, it's a big bastard. lol  I am pleasantly surprised that it has what look like brand new Burrs(Yes!), and is fairly clean for a commercial grinder. Must have been serviced not to long ago. The hopper didn't make it through shipping, not really that surprised. But I really don't need it as the throat of the grinder is big enough to hold a couple days of coffee beans for me. I'll just do as others have and keep a 50mm tamper on top of the beans to keep them from shooting out. lol

Oh yea, and what are you other java junkies using to clean your burr grinders? I have heard Simple Green works, and is non-toxic, but am looking for other suggestions.

Quote from: LowThudd on July 18, 2013, 12:21:15 PM
Oh yea, and what are you other java junkies using to clean your burr grinders? I have heard Simple Green works, and is non-toxic, but am looking for other suggestions.

What part of the grinder?

I just wash the plastic parts that come off the body of the grinder in dish soap (cuts the oils off the beans) and use various brushes, qtips to clean out the actual grinding parts with no water/cleaner.

I actually read and tried running rice through it to clean out all the oils, but it didn't really do anything except make a huge mess and waste the first couple of grinds of coffee to clear out any remaining rice.

Not much plastic on this, it's a commercial grinder. Mainly I want to get all the oils out of the nooks and crannies of the grinder throat. I am able to scrape most of it off, but would like to get rid of the old coffee shop oils off the surfaces. I am about to get out some dental tools and brushes, maybe I'll run some 'Grindz' cleaner through it. I have heard the stuff works OK.

Hmm... I don't trust anything soap-like near my coffee, so I always just go crazy with the paper towels and Q-tips to thoroughly wipe the surfaces off.  At most I'll use damp paper towels.

I took the doser apart and cleaned it with soap and water, damp paper towel in the housing on the machine. It came out spotless. Should have cleaned the grind chamber first though, 'cuz now all that grung is gonna run through spotless doser(duh). At this point, now that I have inspected it more closely, it looks like it has been serviced fairly recently, and just needs some scraping. Maybe the 'Grindz' cleaner, or some minute rice(converted rice). Then I'll just run 8oz of cheap azz beans through it and toss the coffee($4 a pound at a local market). I am super happy, though this thing is HUGE! Weighs 23 pounds, and even without the hopper is about a foot and a half high. But, for my small time usage, this thing should easily outlive me. lol

Went at the machine with picks and screwdrivers and scrapers. You would not BELIEVE how much gunk hides in even a fairly clean commercial espresso grinder. Man what a mess. At some point I needed to stop and let it go, as my super oily home roasted coffee will undoubtedly oil it back up shortly. 

I'd believe it.  I've tried detail-cleaning my residential grade burr grinder a few times... that thing gets gunk built up everywhere.

First grind. All I can say is AMAZING! It easily produces turkish coffee dust, espresso, drip and even press pot grind with a simple flick of the dial. I am truly impressed. I have heard others comment that this machine is mainly good for espresso, but IMO it is good for anything I need it for. They must be REALLY picky, because the grind is consistent and FAST. I am really glad I got a commercial grinder instead of spending MORE on a residential. Now, what to do with half a pound of mixed grind coffee that I really don't want to consume. lol Suggestions?

If you don't want to drink it, coffee grounds make great fertilizer/compost. 

Quote from: duc_fan on July 19, 2013, 09:45:22 AM
If you don't want to drink it, coffee grounds make great fertilizer/compost. 

Very true. I am debating giving the coffee to someone who lives here in my building, with full disclosure of course. Lot's of people likely would not turn their nose up at a 1/2 pound of free decent coffee.

So, after cleaning and running @ 1 pound of cheap beans through it, the monster is chewing some fine fresh roasted beans. And doing a fine job. Told my neighbor what I used the beans for, and he had no issue taking the grinds off my hands. The burrs were not quite broken in yet, but they are now. With me grinding only about 3oz a day, that set of burrs should last me like 10-20 years. lol This thing grinds much more consistently than the store grinder, and a lot less stale flavors as well. it is really a treat to be able to grind and dose only what I need for a brew. Now I need to put a new pump in my capresso and get back to doing shots.

Back to the OT, I played around with the Tanzania Ruvuma Peaberry which I had previously french roasted, and loved for espresso. It is much more flavorful just below full city roast. I just roasted some up med, and the bean itself tastes fantastic! Can't wait to brew it!

BTW, I would like to thank Spolic for getting me started with great advice in home roasting. I am glad I went with a cheap popcorn popper, which so far is all I need.

Very cool.

Yes, having a burr grinder on-site is nice.  I just have a residential-grade Cuisinart grinder... but the cutting surfaces are metal, and it gives me a reasonably consistent grind.  Like you, it's nice to have it at home where I can keep it clean, and not get stale flavors mixed in.  I've been grinding beans only as-needed for a few years now, and it makes a big difference in the flavor.

The thing I want to try (but have too many other hobbies) is roasting.  Using an air popper, how much time do you have to devote to the process?  How much do you roast at a time?

I'm working on getting some Hineleban beans brought to the US unroasted for personal use... but it's kind of a pain, because it has to go through Agriculture.    Thankfully I'm not the only one... a family friend has been tapped to pursue US distribution for Hineleban coffee, so he's looking into getting commercial quantities shipped to the US to be roasted stateside.  If he can get that up and running, I'll have a domestic supplier!

With my popper, a Salton which others have had good success with as well. It takes around 5 minutes. It is very quick, but does need constant attention. After the first crack, you really need to watch it, as it goes from light/med to med to full city all in less than a minute. It can only do around 3 OZ at a time(if that), but it doesn't take much time. The beans then need to rest for at least four hours. Some beans actually improve after a couple days. It's all trial and error. But fun!

There is this http://www.ebay.com/itm/251308303196?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 I have been considering that. Cheap, but it is well used. A bit big for my purposes, as I am the only coffee drinker in the household.

Then there is this rotisserie http://www.ebay.com/itm/300802292904?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649 which will work with this basket http://www.ebay.com/itm/181139975304?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649. Perfect size for most households.

Just so you know, most people don't do air popper or adapted rotisserie roasting in doors. It makes a fair amount of smoke, and does "test" the smoke detectors. lol Makes the house smell great though.  There are smokeless roasters with temp and timer control, but they are far to pricey for me.

Good to know on the smoke.  I have a barn and a nice garage that are both spouse-approved project locations... my wife isn't a coffee drinker, and I doubt she'd appreciate me smoking up the house.    The barn has an industrial rooftop exhaust fan, and the garage has plenty of windows for ventilation.

3oz of beans is probably plenty for me at one time.  After going through chemo last year, I'm not drinking coffee nearly as often... but I still appreciate a nicely-done cup a few times a week.  It's becoming more of a craft thing.

Is there a site or web resource you found particularly helpful for guiding your experiments in roasting?