It's roasting in Benson...

 ... literally.

I've blogged about the temps. Which are pretty much like any other year down here in this southeast corner of Arizona called Cochise County. We have a pretty clear idea what to expect in a normal year. But it's an American tradition to whine about the weather whether hot or cold. I refuse to give up my civil right as an American citizen by not doing my part to complain. It's the American way.

But 'roasting in Benson' can be a double entendre. In this case I'm also roasting coffee. No, not cuz the air temp is that hot! I'm using my trusty Aillio Bullet roaster to get the job done. It's the same one I bought from Sweet Maria's in Jan 2019... 5-1/2 years as of this post. Works a treat and reliably turns out a few pounds of roasted coffee every week for us and a few friends.

Aillio Bullet R2. Mine was an R1.5 which has been upgraded to kind of an R2

A few years ago I became disenchanted with Sweet Maria's Coffee in Oakland. No issue with the beans they sell. Rather the issue was they would no longer ship beans in a resealable container, i.e. no more zip lock bags. Had to be a cloth sack which offers no protection against moisture loss. I got pissed and went looking for an alternate supplier.

I came across a green bean supplier named Coffee Bean Corral in Jackson, Mississippi. Among their offerings are greens grown in Mexico in the state of Chiapas. When I get everything right, i.e. roast and brew, these greens yield a really nice morning cuppa with a chocolatey finish.

Our current hot weather makes for a bit of a rush on Wednesday mornings when I roast. The roaster has a safety setting which shuts down the roaster when component temps reach a critical point. That equates to a room temperature of about 86°-88°F in the shop maximum. Generally it's not an issue unless I get too casual about getting my butt in gear. 

I roast about a pound every other week for us plus a few pounds for other folks in the park. That works out to about 3-5 batches of 550 gm of greens each. 550 gm of greens yields about 450 gm of roasted coffee. The difference is weight loss from water mostly plus a little from other volatiles in the greens

And of course there's a lot to complain about in politics too. It's an election year after all. We have to make a choice this year though I have a pretty clear idea where the little oval dot I fill in will be located on the ballot. So it's not all fun and games here in Benson.

And then there's the bloody air conditioners! Next blog about that fiasco.