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Hi! This is an interesting gadget. Have you measured the temperature of the milk after foaming it? Thanks!

Hiroyuki, those beans look great. Job well done! Like Eunny, I really appreciate the time and effort that you spent in posting. I wish I could have a cup of that. Some questions/input. How long did you rest your coffee after roasting? Freshly roasted beans need to 'degas'. I put my beans in a partially covered mason jar, letting it emit its gas for at least 12 hours. After that, I screw the lid down and try not to brew it (if I can) until after around 2 days, where it is at its peak flavor. Anyway, freshly roasted coffee when brewed right away is still superior to any store-bought bean, in my opinion. You can use a cheap candy thermometer, one of those dial types with a metal clip, to monitor your bean temp. I'd get one that measures up to at least 500 degrees F, but these are hard to find. Those that measure up to 400 degrees are more available, and you can use this to measure up to 450 degrees easily by just extrapolating it beyond the 400 degree mark. I am not an expert coffee roaster, just a coffee enthusiast who like you likes to try off beat methods of roasting. I use a West Bend Poppery hot air popcorn popper, the type that you can get at yard sales or thrift shops for a couple of bucks if you're lucky. I made several modifications to it - first I disabled the thermostat so that it will achieve higher temperatures easily. Next I installed a bypass switch to the main heater so that I can control the temperature somewhat. I drilled some holes in the bottom of the plastic housing to promote more airflow. Lastly, I drilled a hole on the top lid to insert my dial thermometer, the tip of which plunges into the half cup of beans that are loaded in the chamber. These mods are not really difficult to make, but as I said, a stock popper will do well. I'll try to post pictures of my popper if I get the time to do it. Finally, have you read the book Home Coffee Roasting by Kenneth Davids? I think you'll like it a lot......

Very interesting! Do you have a dial or IR thermometer to keep track of the roasting temperature? Along with other factors, this will help you in achieving the degree of roast you have and aid you in duplicating your roast in the future. It certainly helps in my roasting (I use a modified popper and have since chucked my FreshRoast). I am intrigued with this milk can method. Will it work with a camping stove that uses white gas, I wonder? By the way, second crack occurs around 415 to 435 degrees F (bean temperature), resulting in a regular city roast. But this depends on a multitude of other factors.

Thanks! I'll try that as soon as I get back from my Labor Day vacation. I guess I better check the scientific supply stores too to see if they have a silicone stopper that might fit the pot. Have a great day folks.

Whenever I make coffee in my vintage Silex vacuum pot, I swear that I can detect a slight rubbery taste in the coffee. It comes from the rubber gasket, it smells like a new automobile tire whenever the pot is action. Have any of you ever had this experience? Should I wash the gasket thoroughly with anything? Though it is in perfect shape, I know it is quite old (around 30 to 40 years old); I am hesitant to clean it thoroughly because it might crack. Thanks!

Hi Kyle! I'm really curious about the taste - just how different is it from the standard portafilter pulled one? Your post now makes me want to chop up my portafilter right now! Anyway, where did the idea come from? What was the inspiration? Thanks....

This cropped up in one of my other coffee forums. Basically this guy Chris Tacy chopped off the bottom part of his portafilter, allowing the espresso to flow directy from the basket. The results (from those who tasted it) were pretty much unanimous - everyone who tatsed the shots from the chopped portafilter pretty much liked it over the ones pulled from a 'crotched' one. Take a look at his blog at http://godshot.blogspot.com/ I'm sure you'll find it interesting. It makes me want to go out and look for a spare portafilter that I can play with for my Gaggia Classic.....

I'll try it and see if it works. Or maybe pour water off the back of a spoon to disperse it.

Seems to be very doable with a Chemex flask. I'd try it right now, but I ran out of Chemex filters, which are being delivered as I type this. So can you use Melitta filters for this? I'll use a spray bottle for proper water dispersion.....

How does the Matsuya filter differ from say, the Melitta or Chemex filters, if at all? Excellent post by the way, very informative.

Thanks, I guess, for putting me in my place. I didn't know bean flour can evoke such passionate reponses! Like I said before, I love to bake (among other stuff) and I am continually trying to improve on it. The bread that I make isn't bad at all but I'll continue to experiment new techniques and ingredients. I'll try bean flour once, see how it is for myself, and chalk it up to experience. Thanks guys.

Thanks for the information. I wonder though how 2 tbls of bean flour can have such a disastrous effect on the end product, especially whenm Shirley Corriher recommends it. Have you tried making it? How does the taste and aroma differ? Does it indeed improve the dough's handling? Do you think it will work for pizza (by making the dough easier to stretch without inadvertently tearing) Sorry for the numerous questions

Thanks for the recommendation, I will read it as soon as I have time. In the meantime, can you enlighten us on why Calvel is adamant against the use of bean flour?

Hey thanks for the warm welcome I have known of Egullet for a long time (some Google searches lead me to very interesting Egullet threads) but the recent Alton Brown Q & A has finally encouraged me to sign up. There sure is a lot of useful stuff in here, more than those in the FN forums. I love to cook and bake and I am continually seeking ways to improve my breads and pizzas. The addition of bean flour looks like something that might be good for pizzas so that they will stretch easier without tearing. Speaking of pizza additives, has anyone here used Dough Easy? I have read about it once, it is stated as a natural by-product of milk processing and consists of whey and L-cycteine. It is said that a small amount will improve the doughs handling. I'd love to try it as soon as I know where to buy some.

Hi, Has anybody here added bean flour to pizza dough to improve its elasticity and dough performance? Thanks!