Coffee Roasters.

[Arthur J Cummings]

About home coffee roasters. Advice please.I use a coffee press, Rancilio grinder, and have been buying the freshest roast beans I can get from a coupla local coffee shops who are happy to sell me their beans. I know their roasting schedules etc. and well, you know the rest.Sweet Maria's is great and I'm using their roasted beans as well. I also don't store them, and grind them daily . I use them up in a week ( Max) or less.
You members, gave me good advice on Shaving the wet, DE way , as well as good advise on Coffee My.Shaving is now excellent in every respect!I'm enjoying the ritual of the process,although my wife insists that my playing of Handel's Water Music" loudly at 6.A.m as part of the ritual ranks right up there near the top ,in terms of irreconcilable differences.
So Home roasting- How? Which method? Equipment? Sweet Maria's has some suggestions, but I would like to get you Girls/ Guys ideas.
The scope of member's interest and expertise really astounds me.Looking forward to being reastounded .
:confused: :confused: :confused: :001_smile Connman= Art Cummings

[Straight Arrow]

I have had good results using the hot-air popcorn popper method. If you do a search you will find a lot of posts on this subject here on B&B. It's great fun to roast your own!

[JeffNYC]

I use a Stir Crazy/Convection Oven (SC/TO), a.k.a. Turbo Crazy. You should look at CoffeeGeek.com, if you haven't already.

[HlSheppard]

I started about 10 years ago with a Hearthware Precision that is still functioning to this day (unlike many of them). In addition to that I have the now renamed "Zach and Danny's" roaster as well as the newer Hearthware product, the I-Roast (the first version). I've also owned an Alpenroast for a while.

They all have things that they do better than others, etc. But, in my opinion - I love fluid bed roasting the most (i.e. air).

[sphughes]

Arthur,

My $.02 fwiw.

I second the advice to check out www.coffeegeek.com as well as search here on this forum. There are many pieces of advice and invaluable comments based on people's experience. If you have reached the point where you are considering roasting your own, I am very excited for you. You are going to enjoy the ride and the quality of your coffee will improve exponentially IMO.

On to equipment.........I use a Gene Cafe and I LOVE it. It gives me complete control over the roasting process and most importantly to me, it allows me the ability to duplicate the roast. While I enjoy almost every roast I do, some are complete home runs. I keep good notes on what I do so I can easily find the sweet spot again.

The important thing to remember is that each machine/method has it's own nuances or characteristics and you need to be aware of them. For example - Some will criticize the Gene Cafe for a cooling cycle that is too extended that allows the bean to 'bake' as it cools. Knowing your machine allows you to:

a.) Adjust your roast profile to account for the cooling cycle.
b.) Remove the beans immediately and transfer to an environment for quicker cooling.
c.) Do nothing and let the machine do it's thing and still get GREAT beans.

My point is getting to understand whatever you select. I could go on and on, but I will instead offer to answer any questions you may want to ask me. You will enjoy the experience!!!!

-Scott
(I write this as I drink a moka java I blended and roasted 72 hours ago)

[Scotto]

As usual, the answer depends on how much you want to spend versus how much convenience you want, amount of coffee you drink, etc. I started with an iRoast2, which worked well, but I found myself roasting way too often due to the relatively small batch size. I like to keep regular and decaf versions of both drip and espresso beans on hand, so it became a hassle. Recently I upgraded to a Gene Cafe, and the improvement in quality is astonishing, plus you can do larger batches as well as back-to-back roasts. No matter what method you use, the end result (and variety) is light years beyond anything you can buy.

If you want to tinker around for small initial investment, you can always do it in a pan, popcorn popper, etc.

[JeffNYC]

When I started getting into this, I found anything able to roast more than 1/2 a pound was pretty expensive. That's why I went with the Turbo Crazy. It's like a McGuiver project, and cost less than $100 to put together for me:

http://homeroast.pbwiki.com/SCTO

Most would recommend starting with a popcorn popper as the investment is minor, until you are determined to go into it. The Turbo Crazy has quite a following on CoffeeGeek.com, and I would argue one of the most used home roaster outfits (skim around and look at people's equipment profile).

Until I found that site, I was pretty ignorant regarding coffee and espresso. Not unlike how I was until I found this site and SMF!

Jeff

[BroJohn]

Most would recommend starting with a popcorn popper as the investment is minor, until you are determined to go into it. The Turbo Crazy has quite a following on CoffeeGeek.com, and I would argue one of the most used home roaster outfits (skim around and look at people's equipment profile).

Jeff

Like Jeff says, I thought I'd start with a Air-pop type popcorn popper to get my feet wet, then migrate to the purpose-built coffee roaster.

Once I learned to roast coffee in the popcorn thingy, I just never made the migration. There are some wonderful coffee roasters available, and I should probably make the move, I just never did. Maybe when my current popper burns out in another year or so, I'll make the move --dunno. As Jeff indicates, the investment in an air popper is minor and it's easy to get started.

-- John Gehman

[Padron]

I bought a basket that goes on my propane BBQ rotiserie, it holds a maximum of 1 pound.

I have only used it a couple times so far but it seems to work well, it cost about $60 delivered. I found it on e-bay...

[azguy]

If you know the roasting schedules of several local purveyors and consume what you buy in a week or less, why in the world would you want to roast your own coffee? Roasting equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars will most certainly outmatch any $100 or so investment you're thinking of making--and I'm assuming your roasting proficiency is equal to someone doing this for a living on a daily basis, which is unlikely. It would be like entering a cooking competition with an Easy Bake oven up against a Viking range.
As Don Corleone once stated in another context, "is this necessary?"

[BroJohn]

If you know the roasting schedules of several local purveyors and consume what you buy in a week or less, why in the world would you want to roast your own coffee? Roasting equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars will most certainly outmatch any $100 or so investment you're thinking of making--and I'm assuming your roasting proficiency is equal to someone doing this for a living on a daily basis, which is unlikely. It would be like entering a cooking competition with an Easy Bake oven up against a Viking range.
As Don Corleone once stated in another context, "is this necessary?"

Yes, it *is* necessary. I buy the green beans that I favor for far less than I can buy roasted coffee. I roast it to my desired result. Sorry, but most places over-roast coffee. They just seem to roast the hell out of the beans, and burn all the subtle flavors out of it.

I, for one, am not convinced that some of these coffee shops know all that much about coffee anyway. Most of them are in the steamed-milk business.

-- John Gehman

[ouch]

If you know the roasting schedules of several local purveyors and consume what you buy in a week or less, why in the world would you want to roast your own coffee? Roasting equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars will most certainly outmatch any $100 or so investment you're thinking of making--and I'm assuming your roasting proficiency is equal to someone doing this for a living on a daily basis, which is unlikely. It would be like entering a cooking competition with an Easy Bake oven up against a Viking range.
As Don Corleone once stated in another context, "is this necessary?"

I used to buy my coffee from Zabar's, which I believe has the highest turnover of any retailer in the country. It was all crap.

As for the expertise of the giant conglomerates, I hold Starbucks responsible for the over-roasting of a good percentage of the world's beans, and my branch features a barrista who bears an uncanny resemblance to the guy who works in the shoe department at Macy's.

If you want something done right, do it yourself. And if you don't think a person armed with a Viking range and high end knives and pans can be outcooked by someone with an Easy Bake oven, you haven't met my wife. :lol:

[JBHoren]

Like Jeff says, I thought I'd start with a Air-pop type popcorn popper to get my feet wet, then migrate to the purpose-built coffee roaster.

Once I learned to roast coffee in the popcorn thingy, I just never made the migration. There are some wonderful coffee roasters available, and I should probably make the move, I just never did. Maybe when my current popper burns out in another year or so, I'll make the move --dunno. As Jeff indicates, the investment in an air popper is minor and it's easy to get started.

What a surprise, finding this thread on B&B! Just yesterday I bought a brand-new West Bend Poppery II on eBay for all of $27.15, including S/H. I'm excited about using it to home-roast coffee, and found lots of How-To information about doing so on the Sweet Maria website.

I am attracted to the DIY aspects of home-roasting coffee, both in terms of becoming knowledgeable-about and skilled-in the "art", as well as the personal and palatal enjoyment of drinking coffee which I've roasted, ground, and brewed on my own.

As with wetshaving, I admire everyone who has the "vision" (or whatever is needed) to reject being a passive consumer, and embraces a more "get-involved" direction in his/her own life. I can only hope that my "coffee rotation" will be substantially less than that of my razors, soaps, creams, and EDTs. :rolleyes:

NB: In his 1980s book Future Shock, Alvin Toffler used the phrase "High-Tech, High-Touch" -- the more we are involved with high-tech devices in our daily lives, the more we need a correspondingly increased amount of quality contact with people. Wetshaving, and the decidedly "low-tech" approach of re-inventing a popcorn-popper as a coffee-bean home-roaster, then hand-grinding what I need at the moment and brewing it in a French press, appeal to me and enhance the "high-touch" content of my life.

[BroJohn]

What a surprise, finding this thread on B&B! Just yesterday I bought a brand-new West Bend Poppery II on eBay for all of $27.15, including S/H. I'm excited about using it to home-roast coffee, and found lots of How-To information about doing so on the Sweet Maria website.

I am attracted to the DIY aspects of home-roasting coffee, both in terms of becoming knowledgeable-about and skilled-in the "art", as well as the personal and palatal enjoyment of drinking coffee which I've roasted, ground, and brewed on my own.

As with wetshaving, I admire everyone who has the "vision" (or whatever is needed) to reject being a passive consumer, and embraces a more "get-involved" direction in his/her own life. I can only hope that my "coffee rotation" will be substantially less than that of my razors, soaps, creams, and EDTs. :rolleyes:


JB --

When my last air popper gave out, I managed to replace it with an eBay purchase that was under $4 plus $5 or so s/h. :w00t:

There have been a quite a number of good threads on coffee here at B&B, with a *lot* of good info. Do an advanced search of the 'Speakeasy' forum for all threads with 'coffee' in the title. There's a number of good threads on roasting using the air poppers, as well as a lot of info on beans, grinding, making coffee with different types of makers/brewers, etc. A couple of B&B'ers are in the coffee business, and some are long standing enthusiasts with good depth of knowledge.

-- John Gehman

[JeffNYC]

If you know the roasting schedules of several local purveyors and consume what you buy in a week or less, why in the world would you want to roast your own coffee? Roasting equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars will most certainly outmatch any $100 or so investment you're thinking of making--and I'm assuming your roasting proficiency is equal to someone doing this for a living on a daily basis, which is unlikely. It would be like entering a cooking competition with an Easy Bake oven up against a Viking range.
As Don Corleone once stated in another context, "is this necessary?"

I agree that if you have easy local access, are happy with the roast profile, know when it was roasted, like the variety, and are happy with the price, you take away a lot of the incentives to home roasting. That is, unless you are the DIY-type that enjoy being involved in the process. For me, it is a great hobby that has taught me a lot about how little I knew about coffee and espresso.

It hasn't been my experience that home roasting is to Easy Bake as professional roasting is to a Viking range. It's more like a homemade burger on the grill vs. McDonald's (or even the best local burger place)... Which is better to you?

And as to "is this necessary"..not sure that makes a lot of sense in a forum dedicated to shaving!

[Scotto]

If you know the roasting schedules of several local purveyors and consume what you buy in a week or less, why in the world would you want to roast your own coffee? Roasting equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars will most certainly outmatch any $100 or so investment you're thinking of making--and I'm assuming your roasting proficiency is equal to someone doing this for a living on a daily basis, which is unlikely. It would be like entering a cooking competition with an Easy Bake oven up against a Viking range.
As Don Corleone once stated in another context, "is this necessary?"

I'll disagree with the notion that a super-expensive industrial roaster will produce a better product than a $500 home roaster- they are built for different purposes. Anyway, the other major reason is variety. I have at least 30 different varieties of green beans in my stash, ready to be brought out depending on my whim. Each of those can be roasted to many distinct levels, making the number of flavor permutations huge. Compare that to the few varieties you will be able to get from a local roaster and the difference is obvious.

[Xert]

Scotto, is it possible to manually program the cycles on the Gene Cafe, as you can do on the iRoast?

[Scotto]

The Gene Cafe has much more control - the time and temperature can be changed on the fly by turning a knob. The control over temperature has much finer granularity than the iRoast as well.

[ouch]

I'll disagree with the notion that a super-expensive industrial roaster will produce a better product than a $500 home roaster- they are built for different purposes. Anyway, the other major reason is variety. I have at least 30 different varieties of green beans in my stash, ready to be brought out depending on my whim. Each of those can be roasted to many distinct levels, making the number of flavor permutations huge. Compare that to the few varieties you will be able to get from a local roaster and the difference is obvious.

30 already? You,ve got it bad. :lol:

[Arthur J Cummings]

If you know the roasting schedules of several local purveyors and consume what you buy in a week or less, why in the world would you want to roast your own coffee? Roasting equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars will most certainly outmatch any $100 or so investment you're thinking of making--and I'm assuming your roasting proficiency is equal to someone doing this for a living on a daily basis, which is unlikely. It would be like entering a cooking competition with an Easy Bake oven up against a Viking range.
As Don Corleone once stated in another context, "is this necessary?"

There is a keypoint here I would like to insert.I started this thread, since I found that one of the local purveyors I trusted had several " master Roasters". There was a distinct difference in the quality of the roasts over a 2 month period. Same Coffee Beans-different people roastings equals the " Tower of Babel" I guess. I RETURNED one batch which was plainly "Baked" not roasted. My daughter had the first cup from this batch, and asked if it was a 'different coffee bean." I had brewed it in a coffee press, same amount ( measured etc>that I always di. it was burndt
The dealer replaced the coffee N/C no questions asked, leaving me to believe he might have ahead other complaints.Also' you are correct in that " "it is not necessary" But If there is a better way , I'm going to try it.

Connman

[Arthur J Cummings]

I use a Stir Crazy/Convection Oven (SC/TO), a.k.a. Turbo Crazy. You should look at CoffeeGeek.com, if you haven't already.

Thanks- good site- I joined their group as well.But you know something, I think the B/B site is the one I'm most comfortable with.
After we're not addicted to shaving like those crazy coffee guys are to coffee! (ahem)


Connman

[Arthur J Cummings]

Arthur,

My $.02 fwiw.

I second the advice to check out www.coffeegeek.com as well as search here on this forum. There are many pieces of advice and invaluable comments based on people's experience. If you have reached the point where you are considering roasting your own, I am very excited for you. You are going to enjoy the ride and the quality of your coffee will improve exponentially IMO.

On to equipment.........I use a Gene Cafe and I LOVE it. It gives me complete control over the roasting process and most importantly to me, it allows me the ability to duplicate the roast. While I enjoy almost every roast I do, some are complete home runs. I keep good notes on what I do so I can easily find the sweet spot again.

The important thing to remember is that each machine/method has it's own nuances or characteristics and you need to be aware of them. For example - Some will criticize the Gene Cafe for a cooling cycle that is too extended that allows the bean to 'bake' as it cools. Knowing your machine allows you to:

a.) Adjust your roast profile to account for the cooling cycle.
b.) Remove the beans immediately and transfer to an environment for quicker cooling.
c.) Do nothing and let the machine do it's thing and still get GREAT beans.

My point is getting to understand whatever you select. I could go on and on, but I will instead offer to answer any questions you may want to ask me. You will enjoy the experience!!!!

-Scott
(I write this as I drink a moka java I blended and roasted 72 hours ago)
Thanks- makes sense to me. Am probably going to go with the Gene Cafe as well.

Have done a lot of research and have followed you fellows' advise and research suggestions. Boy did this save me a lot of time.
Art-connman

[Arthur J Cummings]

JB --

When my last air popper gave out, I managed to replace it with an eBay purchase that was under $4 plus $5 or so s/h. :w00t:

There have been a quite a number of good threads on coffee here at B&B, with a *lot* of good info. Do an advanced search of the 'Speakeasy' forum for all threads with 'coffee' in the title. There's a number of good threads on roasting using the air poppers, as well as a lot of info on beans, grinding, making coffee with different types of makers/brewers, etc. A couple of B&B'ers are in the coffee business, and some are long standing enthusiasts with good depth of knowledge.

-- John Gehman
Thanks John . I owe you - good advise.Art= connman

[ouch]

Thanks- good site- I joined their group as well.But you know something, I think the B/B site is the one I'm most comfortable with.
After we're not addicted to shaving like those crazy coffee guys are to coffee! (ahem)


Connman

What I like about B&B is that it's not only your one stop, finger popping, 24 hour shopping* place for shaving, but it's probably the best place to ask for advice on anything. From bicycles to booze, cameras to coffee, the depth and breadth of the expertise of our membership is nothing short of amazing. Ask a question about anything and it will get answered. :ouch1:


*guess the reference.

[Arthur J Cummings]

Yes, it *is* necessary. I buy the green beans that I favor for far less than I can buy roasted coffee. I roast it to my desired result. Sorry, but most places over-roast coffee. They just seem to roast the hell out of the beans, and burn all the subtle flavors out of it.

I, for one, am not convinced that some of these coffee shops know all that much about coffee anyway. Most of them are in the steamed-milk business.

-- John Gehman

aAs usual. wwell conceived advice based on experience. Thanks for sharing your (learning curve with me" (us)!

Connman= Art Cummings

[Limey]

What I like about B&B is that it's not only your one stop, finger popping, 24 hour shopping* place for shaving, but it's probably the best place to ask for advice on anything. From bicycles to booze, cameras to coffee, the depth and breadth of the expertise of our membership is nothing short of amazing. Ask a question about anything and it will get answered. :ouch1:

I wish I would have written that and very non-sarcastic from Ouch none the less!

:a14::a14::a14::a14:

[Arthur J Cummings]

Arthur,

My $.02 fwiw.

I second the advice to check out www.coffeegeek.com as well as search here on this forum. There are many pieces of advice and invaluable comments based on people's experience. If you have reached the point where you are considering roasting your own, I am very excited for you. You are going to enjoy the ride and the quality of your coffee will improve exponentially IMO.

On to equipment.........I use a Gene Cafe and I LOVE it. It gives me complete control over the roasting process and most importantly to me, it allows me the ability to duplicate the roast. While I enjoy almost every roast I do, some are complete home runs. I keep good notes on what I do so I can easily find the sweet spot again.

The important thing to remember is that each machine/method has it's own nuances or characteristics and you need to be aware of them. For example - Some will criticize the Gene Cafe for a cooling cycle that is too extended that allows the bean to 'bake' as it cools. Knowing your machine allows you to:

a.) Adjust your roast profile to account for the cooling cycle.
b.) Remove the beans immediately and transfer to an environment for quicker cooling.
c.) Do nothing and let the machine do it's thing and still get GREAT beans.

My point is getting to understand whatever you select. I could go on and on, but I will instead offer to answer any questions you may want to ask me. You will enjoy the experience!!!!

-Scott
(I write this as I drink a moka java I blended and roasted 72 hours ago)
I'm goimg to order the " Gene Machine
You have been a big help believe me ( You haven't heard the last of me yet!).
One thing I've learned that was unexpected. Some of the Companies locally, that brag about " fresh roasted beans " for sale, have seriously untrained help doing the roasting! I have been getting marginal results from some of them, and the owners just shrug etc. I love to keep vcoffee on hand all day and will love the flexibility that "roasting your own " affords!

Connman

[Arthur J Cummings]

What I like about B&B is that it's not only your one stop, finger popping, 24 hour shopping* place for shaving, but it's probably the best place to ask for advice on anything. From bicycles to booze, cameras to coffee, the depth and breadth of the expertise of our membership is nothing short of amazing. Ask a question about anything and it will get answered. :ouch1:


*guess the reference.
You are entirely correct on this; Great advice on Shaving, coffee, cars, Women, ( no I retract that) booze ( which regrettably I had to give up. Last time I drank, some SOB stepped on my knuckles) and also, I'm sure the word Divorce ( or threat thereof) and the fear of losing income to Spousal and child support, instead of being able to buy Razors and Brushes, and all the other accoutramonts, plus buy and roast good coffee at my whim ( Coffee at AA meetings sucks) straightened me right out. I am amazed at the breath of knowledge of our members, and more importantly; their willingness to share it!!
Connman- "Dry but safe") Art Cummings

[azguy]

I'm certainly not here to criticize anyone who roasts coffee beans for a hobby or feels that the selection offered of green beans far exceeds the choices available in roasted beans. I agree totally about beans being severely over roasted by Starbucks and their ilk. Any nuanced flavors or characteristics of high quality coffee beans are eclipsed once they're French or Italian roasted. They're fine if your pulling shots or making a caffe` latte or cappuccino but disastrous if you're making American style drip coffee. I guess a good analogy would be going out to dinner and ordering a Kobe beef tenderloin well done.
If you enjoy what's normally called "city roast" or medium roast beans for breakfast coffee and don't have the time or inclination to roast your own, I've had good luck with Lavazza Pienaroma and Lavazza oro beans. Coming from Italy, they certainly weren't roasted a few days ago but have always garnered admiring inquiries when served. I work in finance and have no vested interest in promoting Lavazza, I just enjoy bringing back a suitcase full of their beans when visiting Italy.
For you "do-it-yourselfers" out there, what commercially available beans have you had luck with when you don't have time to roast your own?

[BroJohn]

+1 on the Lavazza, although I haven't bought any of it in a few years.

When I run short of home roast, I just buy a small bag of 8 O'clock whole bean coffee from the grocery store. <shrug>

-- John Gehman

[ouch]

You are entirely correct on this; Great advice on Shaving, coffee, cars, Women, ( no I retract that) booze ( which regrettably I had to give up. Last time I drank, some SOB stepped on my knuckles) and also, I'm sure the word Divorce ( or threat thereof) and the fear of losing income to Spousal and child support, instead of being able to buy Razors and Brushes, and all the other accoutramonts, plus buy and roast good coffee at my whim ( Coffee at AA meetings sucks) straightened me right out. I am amazed at the breath of knowledge of our members, and more importantly; their willingness to share it!!
Connman- "Dry but safe") Art Cummings

Why retract that. It's one of our specialties, and has helped to make us world famous.

[JBHoren]

Well, it all came together about half-an-hour ago. I positioned my Poppery II right next to the sink, so that the chaff would blow out-and-into it, then plugged-it-in and let it pre-heat for 45 seconds. Then I poured-in 2/3 C of Sweet Maria's Moka Kadir Blend, put on the plastic cover, and hit the timer button.

What a blast! Yes, the Poppery II is noisy, and now I understand why/how some folks might miss hearing the first and second cracks. The exhaust chute on the plastic cover did an admirable job of directing where the chaff went -- all of it flew straight into the wet sink, where it then sat quietly.

From the moment I added the coffee beans, they began to swirl energetically. As I watched and listened, I saw them increase in size, and wondered if, with all the activity, the beans wouldn't fly out with the chaff. But not to worry.

At 2:50 I heard the beginning of the first crack, which continued until 4:00, then the beans were silent for :40, when I began hearing that Rice Krispies-like "snap, crackle, and pop" signaling second crack. At 5:00 I unplugged it, removed the plastic cover (with gloved hands), and poured the now-roasted coffee beans into a waiting aluminum colander.

I swished the hot beans around with one hand for about two minutes, then popped one roasted bean into my mouth and chewed it up. Delicious!

The newly-roasted coffee beans are now resting on the counter-top in an empty Cafe Pilon (instant) jar, with the lid sitting on top, but not tightened. It will be difficult to let them lie for 12-24 hours while they out-gas the CO2, but I'll be patient.

My hand-crank coffee grinder, Bodum Ibis kettle and French press are at-the-ready and, come Friday morning, it'll be party time!

Thanks to everyone, espicially Straight Arrow, for taking the time to compose interesting and informative posts on this thread.

[Scotto]

Moka Kadir is one of my favorite blends; in fact, several pounds of it just showed up at my door yesterday. :cool: It is one of my go-to espresso blends - a truly special, pungent shot.

[JBHoren]

Just a brief note, to say that I am enjoying every moment of home-roasting green coffee beans in my West Bend Poppery II. It handles 2/3 of a cup of beans with ease -- I could probably process more, but at 2/3 C I already get two or three beans "popping" out, together with the chafff; any more quantity, and I'd lose too many for my liking. So, I do back-to-back batches.

I've found that positioning the Poppery II on a wooden cutting-board, to the left of the kitchen sink, and placing a few sheets of damp paper towel into the basin, help me control any chaff. Smoke can be an issue, but having a fragrant apartment (I live alone) is worth it.

About an hour ago, I roasted two batches of Sweet Maria's Moka-Kadir Blend up-to-and-into second crack, before pouring the beans into an aluminum colander to cool. What a pleasure, and I will enjoy my morning coffee tomorrow.

I see no reason to implement any of the many modifications which are possible with this unit -- "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" But I do envy people with balconies, backyards, or decks. Nevertheless, DIY is ever-so satisfying. I'm also reading a "previously-owned" copy of Kenneth Davids' "Home Coffee Roasting", and find it informative and motivating.

Many thanks to Arthur J. Cummings for starting this thread!

[Shave Ice]

If you know the roasting schedules of several local purveyors and consume what you buy in a week or less, why in the world would you want to roast your own coffee? Roasting equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars will most certainly outmatch any $100 or so investment you're thinking of making--and I'm assuming your roasting proficiency is equal to someone doing this for a living on a daily basis, which is unlikely. It would be like entering a cooking competition with an Easy Bake oven up against a Viking range.
As Don Corleone once stated in another context, "is this necessary?"

A good friend of mine who is a home roaster proved it to me with a batch of his fresh roasted coffee. I could taste chocolate and a mild sweetness from his beautiful brew. This sup of liquid goodness showed me how good fresh roasted is. Its like the difference between drinking $20 Pinot Noir versus an first growth Burgundy. Both can be good but the first grwoth has much more character and nuances of flavor.

Having said that, I am too lazy to roast my own. As such I have found that its better to get fresh roast from a decent local roaster than pay big bucks for a big name producer mail order. Freshness is the key (its better to get a fresher roast of a mediocre coffee than am old roast from a better coffee).The key is to ask the local roaster when the coffee was roasted. I understand its at it peak of flavor one to two days after roasting.

How can you tell how fresh the roast was? The fresher the roast the larger the bloom (the volume of dross that floats on the top when you make it frech press style.)

[Arthur J Cummings]

Just a brief note, to say that I am enjoying every moment of home-roasting green coffee beans in my West Bend Poppery II. It handles 2/3 of a cup of beans with ease -- I could probably process more, but at 2/3 C I already get two or three beans "popping" out, together with the chafff; any more quantity, and I'd lose too many for my liking. So, I do back-to-back batches.

I've found that positioning the Poppery II on a wooden cutting-board, to the left of the kitchen sink, and placing a few sheets of damp paper towel into the basin, help me control any chaff. Smoke can be an issue, but having a fragrant apartment (I live alone) is worth it.

About an hour ago, I roasted two batches of Sweet Maria's Moka-Kadir Blend up-to-and-into second crack, before pouring the beans into an aluminum colander to cool. What a pleasure, and I will enjoy my morning coffee tomorrow.

I see no reason to implement any of the many modifications which are possible with this unit -- "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" But I do envy people with balconies, backyards, or decks. Nevertheless, DIY is ever-so satisfying. I'm also reading a "previously-owned" copy of Kenneth Davids' "Home Coffee Roasting", and find it informative and motivating.

Many thanks to Arthur J. Cummings for starting this thread!
Why , thank you! Accept my belated thank you. Connman Art Cummings:s::smile: :smile: :smile:

[BroJohn]

Arthur --

Nice to see you stopping back in here from time to time.

-- John Gehman