An inexpensive way to roast your own coffee

[sphughes]

A number of people have asked how they can roast their own coffee. People do it many different ways and you would be suprised what works. Here is a link to an article that was posted a few days ago on coffeegeek.com that gives a great how-to on using a hot air popcorn machine. http://www.coffeegeek.com/guides/popperroasting .

I personally use a different method but there are a number or B & B members that have great success this way. I am sure that any one of them would be happy to assist a 'noob' if they wanted to give it a try. Feel free to ask any questions you may have and give it a try if you want to enjoy yet another addicting hobby.

-Scott

[BroJohn]

Hi Scott --

Right you are; in the earlier 'Coffee Roasters' thread, the air pop 'roasters' and techniques and practices of participants was discussed. They work well for most of the common coffees. Some coffees take more control of the 'roasting profile' than can be done very well manually with the air popper type set-up. These coffees are better suited for 'real' coffee roasters that are programmable and offer repeatable results.

But air poppers do work well and are worth the effort, and cheap to get into. Another source of info is the SweetMarias.com site --they have good descriptions and a fair amount of info on the process.

edit: here's that original roasting thread Click here (http://www.badgerandblade.com/vb/showthread.php?t=9814)

-- John Gehman

[ouch]

I can't imagine anything being cheaper than roasting it in an old pan; outdoors, of course.

[Shave Ice]

A good friend gave me his re-jiggered air popper-coffee roaster.
I works great!
Nothing beats fresh roasted!
The first cup of fresh roasted coffee I every tasted was a revelation.
I tasted chocolate and winey notes to it. My friend (who roasted and brewed it) assured me that it was all in the bean.

[rikrdo]

I can't imagine anything being cheaper than roasting it in an old pan; outdoors, of course.

That almost how I do it....
Lovie hates me for days after I get done.
I think it adds character to our home !! :thumbup1:
I use either a 12' skillet or a cast iron pot to roast my beans...depends on how much I'm making.

[ouch]

That almost how I do it....
Lovie hates me for days after I get done.
I think it adds character to our home !! :thumbup1:
I use either a 12' skillet or a cast iron pot to roast my beans...depends on how much I'm making.

If you're doing that inside, you're a much braver man than I am. :lol:

[xmemnochx]

If you're doing that inside, you're a much braver man than I am. :lol:

Is this because of the smell? I have never tried to roast my own coffee but it sounds pretty fun, there is a roaster by my work, often times some pretty nasty smells come out of there.

[ouch]

Is this because of the smell? I have never tried to roast my own coffee but it sounds pretty fun, there is a roaster by my work, often times some pretty nasty smells come out of there.

No, it's because of the wife's left hook. Roasting coffee indoors is about as wife friendly an activity as changing the oil on your old Triumph in the living room, then wiping your hands on the curtains.

[xmemnochx]

No, it's because of the wife's left hook. Roasting coffee indoors is about as wife friendly an activity as changing the oil on your old Triumph in the living room, then wiping your hands on the curtains.

LOL, quite the mess eh? Do the beans explode everywhere?

[rikrdo]

Its not so much the chaff flying everywhere....altho it can.
In a cast iron pan, most of it stays in the pan.
Problem is the smoke.
Once you get into the 2nd crack,
its like pouring cold water onto a fire.
Smoke fills every crack of the house.
Cool thing is I usually burn a cigar afterwards....
tell Lovie "It's the coffee, Darling" ! :thumbup1:

[xmemnochx]

Its not so much the chaff flying everywhere....altho it can.
In a cast iron pan, most of it stays in the pan.
Problem is the smoke.
Once you get into the 2nd crack,
its like pouring cold water onto a fire.
Smoke fills every crack of the house.
Cool thing is I usually burn a cigar afterwards....
tell Lovie "It's the coffee, Darling" ! :thumbup1:

What is a good source for good green coffee? Anyone have a link?

[BroJohn]

What is a good source for good green coffee? Anyone have a link?

There are many net sources for green beans. I like this place. (http://www.ccmcoffee.com)

-- John Gehman

[rikrdo]

www.sweetmarias.com

[Ginns]

Yeah, I used to have a hot-air popcorn maker. The West Bend Poppery, it is out of production now. It is the strongest, hottest-output air popper available, 400 watts more than the Poppery II. In my opinion, that is the best way to go. I'd say do NOT buy a commercial machine, as they attempt to cool the beans in the same container, which does not work well. Once roasted, you have to cool them quickly. Shoot them out into a steel caulinder that you have rigged so that a fan draws air down through the holes, and stir them, they will cool in about a minute or so. Makes the best coffee you will EVER taste. Especially if you do a mixed roast blend, like 1/4 dark roast, 3/4 medium roast. Mix them together, and then grind them. Mmmmm. You can buy the poppery on ebay.

DO NOT ROAST INDOORS. The amount of thick, stinky smoke it produces is incredible, and the smell will stay in your house for MORE THAN A WEEK afterwards. Roasting inside is just plain gross, wife or no wife, you still have to smell it. And it is NOT a pleasant bean smell, it is a stinky, rancid coffee bean oil smell, kind of like road tar. Just gross, don't do it.

[TimmyBoston]

I'm going to have to look into home roasting now :redface: :biggrin:

[michaelskar]

I recently won 5 pounds of beans from sphughes, and while I haven't posted about my efforts yet (I'm still trying to get it "right") I have had pretty good success with the hot-air popper method. It took me a while to find the "right" kind of popper (with side vents for the air rather than the mesh on the bottom), then I had some problems with it being too cold outside to reach the temperature.

believe it or not, I actually had pretty good success roasting INDOORS (that's right...INDOORS)...turn all the fans/vents on, open the windows, empty into a steel collandar quickly and RUN outside before too much smoke gets out. It's tricky, but only smelled smoky for a few hours afterwards.

One problem I've been having, I find that my home-roasts can agitate my stomach. At first I thought I was brewing too soon after roasting, but I've since read elsewhere that you can brew immediately after roasting (though most say the beans taste best after about a day or so after roasting).

I must say, for those thinking of trying this, it is really very very easy, and the popper is just about 10 bucks. I can understand, however, why people complain that it is a bit of a challenge achieving consistent roasts (you really need to monitor the whole time, and any difference in amount of beans can have drastic, sometimes counter-intuitive results on roast times) and you are stuck roasting small batches.

in short, I can't wait to order myself some more beans! The taste is truly superior when the coffee is so fresh...

[letterk]

I should be getting the iRoast 2 very very soon...

[sweetzen]

I prefer oven roasting, and it uses things I already have in my kitchen. I started roasting with a small air-roaster, but disliked the fact that it only made enough for one pot. After a year of daily use, the thing died and I had to figure out a different way to do it. Once I started roasting once/week, it became fun again. :001_smile

The smoke has never been that big an issue. Get a nice cross breeze blowing through the house and the smoke is gone in a few minutes. Cooling is the biggest problem. The beans don't get down to room temperature for about 10 minutes after they are done. That's slow, but coffee roasting standards.

[merryjoulton]

www.sweetmarias.com

That site is a tad more expensive than http://www.ccmcoffee.com/index.php?cPath=21 ... do they have better beans or something?

[RoadKing99]

I should be getting the iRoast 2 very very soon...

A very good choice. I should know--on my second iRoast. I actually prefer this machine over the drum roasters that I started with. One feature stands out for me: you can readily determine the color of the beans and use that as a determinate for when to stop the process. It's programmable too (after a fashion).

That business about first and second crack seems hopeless in the presence of so much white noise, so judging by color works well.

[RoadKing99]

That site is a tad more expensive than http://www.ccmcoffee.com/index.php?cPath=21 ... do they have better beans or something?

Sweetmaria's is likely to have better everything as a source of coffee beans and apparatus of all types. I once wrote them a letter of appreciation stating that they have the ideal business model. Customer service is their strongest attribute.

[ouch]

I prefer oven roasting, and it uses things I already have in my kitchen. I started roasting with a small air-roaster, but disliked the fact that it only made enough for one pot. After a year of daily use, the thing died and I had to figure out a different way to do it. Once I started roasting once/week, it became fun again. :001_smile

The smoke has never been that big an issue. Get a nice cross breeze blowing through the house and the smoke is gone in a few minutes. Cooling is the biggest problem. The beans don't get down to room temperature for about 10 minutes after they are done. That's slow, but coffee roasting standards.

When I'm finished roasting I swirl the beans in a big colander until they're cool enough to handle, then spread them on a cookie sheet to finish.


By the way, I've enjoyed reading every one of your posts so far. Hope you stick around. :thumbup1:

[merryjoulton]

Sweetmaria's is likely to have better everything as a source of coffee beans and apparatus of all types. I once wrote them a letter of appreciation stating that they have the ideal business model. Customer service is their strongest attribute.

Good customer service is one thing, but why do they have to charge more for it? It's like they're acting like good people and saying nice things, but then charge you more than they have to...so are they really that great?

[JBHoren]

When I'm finished roasting I swirl the beans in a big colander until they're cool enough to handle, then spread them on a cookie sheet to finish.

I also use a colander, but do so somewhat differently. I keep my aluminum colander in the freezer, and take it out right after I've unplugged my Poppery II. Then I pour the roasted beans into it, swirl them around a few times, and stick the colander+beans back into the freezer. I remove the colander+beans while I'm roasting the next batch of beans, and pour them through a plastic funnel (minus the spout; really the "shoulders" of the funnel) into a jar. Then I return the colander to the freezer. Lather, rinse, repeat...

I need to roast again; perhaps tomorrow.

[sphughes]

I say let's do whatever is necessary to get Tim roasting.

I will donate a few pounds of beans. What else can we enablers send his way?

-Scott

[ouch]

I also use a colander, but do so somewhat differently. I keep my aluminum colander in the freezer, and take it out right after I've unplugged my Poppery II. Then I pour the roasted beans into it, swirl them around a few times, and stick the colander+beans back into the freezer.

The freezer? Sounds like a good idea, but where will I keep my collection of human heads while the beans are cooling?:confused:

[sweetzen]

The freezer? Sounds like a good idea, but where will I keep my collection of human heads while the beans are cooling?:confused:

You'll make more room in your freezer if you just keep the smaller... ah, bits. :wink2:

I use a big pasta strainer (one that fits in a 6 1/2 qt. pot), and remove the chaff in the sink by swirling/stirring the beans. Then the strainer goes on a wire rack and I use a fan set on high to cool the beans (stirring them every couple of minutes). Works well enough, but any chaff left on the beans ends up blowing around the kitchen for a while.

It's nice to see so many home roasters here. :001_smile

[sweetzen]

There are many net sources for green beans. I like this place. (http://www.ccmcoffee.com)

-- John Gehman

John, thanks for the link. If they ship to APO/FPO I'll give Caracolillo Coffee Mill a try.

Paul

[doleeo]

I say let's do whatever is necessary to get Tim roasting.

I will donate a few pounds of beans. What else can we enablers send his way?


I might have an original Poppery he could use. The reason it's a might is because my sisters boyfriend asked for it after I got my new Behmor.

I'll ask him tomorrow if he still wants it.

[waliguy]

good to see the homeroasters on board.

+1 Poppery II. I pick 'em up at thrift stores.

+1 Colander. Neat trick taught to me by another homeroaster. I like the idea of chilling it first...I hadn't thought of that.

[rexj]

I have been using a popper, with good success. I haven't had the 'sack' to do it inside,since my first attempt completely filled the top half of my house. Out to the garage since. I like the idea of keeping a colander in the freezer.I will give it a try. I will have an I-roast2 in a day or two, any tips. I have read what is posted on Sweet Marias, but if anyone can give me a few more tips please let me know.
Thanks

[Scotto]

Some random comments:

I'll kick in green beans to get Tim roasting. No problem. :biggrin:

Even in the iRoast2, the cracks are very easy to hear over the roar. It just takes a few roasts to attune yourself to it. I am on my second machine after the first one broke, but it just sits in the closet since I love my Gene Cafe

Sweet Marias is a bit more expensive than other places, but I can say with authority that their quality is much higher than other places. You are basically paying Tom to be your personal cupper; he is personally rejecting most of what he gets and only bringing in unique micro- (and nano-) lots. Just compare the cupping notes to other sites and you'll see the difference.

Green coffee is dirt cheap anyway - it pays to get the good stuff.