Blogs • Posted by Charlotte Dibble • 30th November 2023
Roast your own Coffee in our new workshop!
Calling all coffee fanatics- ever wanted to roast your very own brew? At Two Chimps, you can!
You read that right: you can roast your own coffee at Two Chimps! With our new roaster’s exciting arrival, you can take it for a spin on our latest course, launching in 2024! Did New Year’s just get even better? We think so! Our new roaster is small but mighty, preparing 1 kg of beans in less than 12 minutes. Even in this short time, it can create the uber-beautiful speciality coffee we love.
Over the years, our courses and workshops have expanded, offering create-your-own blend, barista basics and cupping sessions. We are always seeking new ways to share our love and knowledge of coffee with you, our Two Chimps Troop! We know you love this awesome beverage as much as we do (possibly even more!) If you have always wanted to see the process, science, and even smells behind roasting beans, then this is the workshop for you.
What is this new roaster?
As people become more fascinated with coffee, everyone is eager to try roasting it themselves. With this, the rise of the small-capacity 1kg roasters began. Although these are the perfect machines for personal use, these roasters are also used commercially. They are a more cost-effective way of sample roasting. When we receive our shipment of green coffee beans, we test roasting them in various ways to extract the flavour notes we want. With this new roaster, we can trial small quantities of beans. This will be more efficient and produce less waste concerning our bean stock! So, what made us pick this one in particular? We saw the Aillio Bullet R1 as the best roaster for many reasons.
*Just a heads up, we are about to go into full geek mode, so be ready!*
The Aillio Bullet R1 is an induction-powered drum coffee roaster designed in Denmark. It is 75% more efficient than any other roaster in its league. This is primarily due to its induction-powered design, which directly heats the drum. In contrast, other electric roasters use inefficient heating elements such as gas. By using this process, this results in a whopping 97% heating efficiency. The R1’s hourly consumption is 3.8 MJ/HR compared to a Gas Roaster, which is 16MJ/HR/. Here at Two Chimps, we are a proud carbon-neutral roastery aiming to minimise waste and energy use. Therefore, this aspect of this roaster was a big thumbs up during our decision-making process!
This roaster is small, but you wouldn’t know that from its power! It has 12 fan speeds, 9 drum speeds, 9 power levels, and a preheat range from 160 oC to 310 oC! Blimey. All these factors allow complete control of the roasting process; the fate of the beans is up to you! This device also has an Infrared Bean Temperature Sensor (IBTS). So what does that mean? Well, this effectively is the solution to dodgy bean temperature data. Typically, roasters use a bean probe to read the levels of the beans, but the problem with these is that they are inconsistent and react slowly to bean temperature changes. The IBTS solves this problem by placing infrared sensors inside the drum, allowing for precise, consistent roasting. There’ll be no burnt beans around here, folks!
What happens in the workshop?
This session will include an introduction to coffee, discussing what speciality coffee is, the different types of beans, the roasting process and of course, how to roast your own coffee. As this is a hands-on learning environment, we want to ensure everyone gets equal time to speak to our team, ask any questions you want, and get time to use the roaster! Therefore, these workshops will have a maximum of 4 people, from 1:30 pm to 4:30 (approx.). They will likely be 2.5 to 3.5 hours. You will walk away with two 500g bags of speciality coffee you have roasted yourself! (as whole beans or ground to whatever preference), and a whole new outlook on the world of coffee! Now, who wants to tick a roasting experience off their bucket list? Book your workshop here!
This would make an awesome Christmas Gift! You can select a Gift Voucher option, which allows someone to book a date that works for them. Arriving instantly in your inbox, this is perfect for those last-minute (definitely not forgotten) presents!
Meet the chimp behind this article!
Charlotte joined Two Chimps after completing her BA Hons in Graphic Communication and Illustration at Loughborough University. She also earned two diplomas: Art and Design Foundation and Professional Studies.
What Charlotte does outside of the treehouse:
In her spare time, Charlotte is a keen baker and loves to bring delicious treats for the team to enjoy during their Monday tea break. Charlotte likes to practice her drawing and painting skills to relax, usually with one of her cats sitting on her lap to keep her company!
Charlotte says…
“I’m thrilled to join the Two Chimps Troop after five years of studying. I get to write blogs, design, manage social media, and connect with our amazing customers every day. It’s always exciting, and I learn something new every day!”
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