Number Nine runs cool when it rains

Number Nine is the roaster, a drum roaster old enough to have a name and a temperament to go with it. She runs hot before noon and she runs cool when it rains, and there is nothing in any manual about either.

A cool drum means a slower roast, and a slower roast on a wet morning tends to land a shade lighter than we planned. We used to fight it. Now we let her. The Yirgacheffe comes out a little brighter on rainy days and nobody has ever complained.

You learn a machine the way you learn weather, by watching it long enough to stop being surprised. Bram is still in the surprised phase. He will get there.