Hey Guys,
I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and New Year! I’m sure you all received great coffee equipment and were able to brew some mind-blowing coffees!
This month it’s all about a topic that has jumped to the top of my coffee passion list, it’s roasting of course.
A few months back, I wrote a blog about the roasting camp I attended in Estonia. I had an amazing time there and learnt a lot about the roasting sector, including the amazing Ikawa Pro Sample Roaster. I have spent some time with a few roasters in the past and seen the process of sample roasting but it always seemed like a load of bulky equipment for such a small batch. At the same time it was not a mobile device, which kind of limits you to one location to do your sample roasting.
The Ikawa Pro is a compact roaster that has a load of technology crammed into it. The roaster is super sleek, upright standing and it’s super lightweight. An optional protective case can be purchased if you are one to travel a lot. I’ve had the privilege of working on this roaster for a few months and I have introduced it in my SCAE training sessions to show students the process of roasting. It’s a great training tool but most importantly it’s a great roaster.
The roster connects to an Android or IOS device via Bluetooth and works through their app, which can be downloaded through the App Store. There are a variety of roast profiles that are constantly uploaded onto their roast library, which have been created by some high profile roasters and these can be transferred onto the app for you to try out. As roasters, we know that any information during a roast process can guide us in the right direction to make appropriate adjustments to get the most out of it. The app is simple to use and it displays information such as fan speed, roaster temperature, as well as the Rate of Rise. The amazing thing about this roaster is that adjustments can be made live throughout the roast, which is great if you decide to make a last minute change. I have found it a great piece of equipment to explore coffee roasting and making any adjustments is a piece of cake. Ikawa also assured me that if I was not happy with the roaster after 30 days, then I could return it for a full refund… this was obviously not the case for me.
I recently visited the Ikawa head office to see how the production line runs as well as a meet up to talk about their product. They have a great streamlined setup with a lot of technical equipment to test all the roasters to ensure they all pass the threshold tests. All the roasters are made here in London and are hand assembled with a keen eye to detail.
I am very keen to develop new roast profiles and see what amazing coffee can be produced using the Ikawa Pro. I will keep all of you updated on how things go. Until then, keep on exploring the amazing world of coffee.
Next month I talk about a topic, which started the journey for me; what it takes to be a great barista.
Cheers
Dean