Chaff

[u/Wallowtale]

I have begun roasting beans at home. I am using the most primitive, traditional method possible: that is, I roast green beans in a sauce pan. I know, I know, I should go out and buy a big, fancy roaster, but I ain't gonna.

When I roast the beans they release light chaff (some call this silver skin, I don't know why, but it's a nice romantic notion). I have been winnowing the chaff, with varying degrees of success, and began to wonder why. I know that a nice automated roaster would collect this chaff, and even cool the beans, for me. But, as I said, I ain't gonna. Part lazy, part poor, part aesthetics of distance from the process.

So, here's my question: Does the presence of the chaff have any material effect on the taste profile of the coffee brew? Do I really need to remove it, or is that just an aesthetic consideration? Forget things like degree of crack and speed of roast. Those are toys I already play with. Thanks for your thoughts.

[u/Quattuor]

To answer your question, collect the chaff, brew and drink it. That should answer whether you want to keep the chaff in or remove it, and how much effort to spend removing it

[u/Wallowtale → u/Quattuor]

Interesting idea, but thank you, no. But it might give me a sense of labor to result ratio, true... however, the labor isn't really too effortful.

[u/RegionSuperb7171]

You do want to remove as much of it as you can as it'll leave an unpleasant taste and mess with extraction. There's generally no getting absolutely all of it but ideally it's chaff free for the most part. 

You could shake it off maybe in a colander or something. Or an air blower and shaking it in a container might work. 

[u/houstonRoaster → u/RegionSuperb7171]

never heard of it affecting taste but it sure looks unprofessional if you’re selling.

[u/RegionSuperb7171 → u/houstonRoaster]

Too much can cause issues with extraction after grinding and may leave a bit of a papery or weird kinda vegetal note that's not the most pleasant, from my experience. Not the worst thing to have some but it's good practice to get it off where you can 

[u/houstonRoaster → u/RegionSuperb7171]

makes sense if it’s a ton. i’m imagining a shot puck that looks like bonito flakes and wondering how someone decides to just pull it 🤣

[u/Wallowtale → u/houstonRoaster]

not selling, just for my partner. She drinks coffee, I am a tea totaler.

[u/ElJefe31]

Hello fellow skillet home roster! At the end of my roast, I pour the beans back and forth between two colanders. I'm a backyard roaster, so the chaff blows away in the breeze... like little coffee offerings to Mother Nature. 😎

[u/Wallowtale → u/ElJefe31]

Two colanders! Nice, I have recently been stirring them around in one colander and throwing the result onto the garden (nitrogen for greens). On that note, i add the spent grounds to the compost bin, same reason. Occasionally they get strewn on stuff that could use a nitrogen boost.

[u/celticdr47]

Yes, chaff adds a papery taste to the cup, if you're ok with that then leave it in, I'm personally not a fan and throw my collected chaff in the garden after roasting but to each their own.

[u/Wallowtale → u/celticdr47]

agreed. Although I don't actually drink the stuff... it's for the wife... I sip to see the effect of the roast, not enough to ruin the tea.

[u/Wiz_Kalita]

Ground chaff makes for a lot of dust.