Mocca Java Blend: second attempt

At 6 pm, I wanted an espresso. Checking the cupboard I saw a sight that made me gasp stronger than the year every person in a haunted house was calling me out by name as I walked through.   An empty mason jar where the decaf should have been.

Looking out at the setting sun I thought, There is enough light.

No. There wasn't.
Not even with the pumpkins glowing near by, the deck lights on and a nearly full moon on the rise.

I thought, It's not too cold outside

Yes. It was cold.

I thought, I can get a Mocca Java blend roasted and some decaf Lagniappe roasted before my husband and son finish grocery shopping.

I was ambitious.

What I learned that night was that it takes significantly longer for beans to reach a first crack (and second) in Midwest autumn night time chill.

Roasting Notes:
Mocca Java Blend

2 ounces Java Ciwidey and 2 ounces Yemen Mocca Matari roasted together.

3 minutes on medium heat with medium-high fan. Then high heat for 14 additional minutes.

The first crack occurred 12 minutes into the roast with the second in the last minute. 

For notes on Lagniappe decaf refer to a previous post on this roast.

My nose was cold.My toes were cold.
The gap between my sweatshirt and jeans was frostbit.

The temperature wasn't the biggest challenge to overcome.
I could see the timer clearly, but not the beans as they roasted. This was a handicap I had never experienced while roasting before.

I used my sense of smell and hearing to finish the roasts.

I genuinely don't now whether it was the struggle of sensory deprivation or the longer roasting time needed because of the cold weather, but this Mocca Java blend was far superior to my first attempt.

My husband came out on to the deck when he got home. I was still roasting.

My breath was visible in the moonlight. I was still hunched over the roaster for warmth,  turning my head occasionally for fresh air to prevent asphyxiation.

He laughed when he say me and told me I looked like an addict.

I have standards for what I consume. If the means roasting in the dark, in the cold for a good cup of coffee during the day and at night, then am I not ashamed to declare I am a coffee addict.

I will be found in my back yard next week, and the ones to follow, with my dog on one side and the roaster on the other keeping me company and warm during the fall and winter months.

Happy Halloween and Roasting to All!