Coffee Roasters

[Straight Arrow]

I know some of you roast and grind your own coffee. How about sharing some experiences, successes, failures, etc. I've been roasting for a couple of years using a hot-air popcorn popper. Great fun and great coffee!

[_JP_]

The History Channel just had a show on tonight about coffee! Part of the show dealt with the roasting process, as well as other details about coffee.

[doctorsimon]

www.coffeegeek.com

I don't roast myself -- leave that to the professional roasters.

I do have a Mazzer grinder (not cheap) -- the same manufacturer that used to supply Starbucks before they downgraded all their machines. It is brilliant, does the job perfectly. It is a grinder for life, built like a tank. I will probably need to replace the burrs after about 20 years of domestic service!

[rikrdo]

Ya might want to talk to Dinder.
Apparently he knows a little something about coffee. :a4:

www.ristrettoroasters.com
Ethiopian Harrar is yummmmmmmmmmmmmy !

[ouch]

The History Channel just had a show on tonight about coffee! Part of the show dealt with the roasting process, as well as other details about coffee.

Caught it. Excellent show. Fell asleep when they mentioned a very expensive coffee made from beans crapped out of some exotic animal. Thought I was hallucinating. Was I? :confused:

[doctorsimon]

No you can get that stuff. I turned down a cup when I was in Milan, well actually SWMBO threated to divorce me if I had some....

It is a weasel, comes from Vietnam, and you can even get the stuff on amazon these days. Just search for weasel coffee through your favourite search engine:

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en-us&q=weasel+coffee&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

[ouch]

What's next? Recycled beer? :lol:



Does anyone use a vacuum brewer for their coffee? I'm interesting in trying one out.

[Limey]

I enjoy roasting coffee on a little Fresh Roast 8 which is a hot air roaster. Its a neat little machine kind of like a hot air popcorn popper. It does a great job roasting small batches of coffee. I like to make espresso and cappucino on the weekends. Plus buying green coffee beans is cheap like DE blades vs. cartridges and the green beans keep for a long time.

[Straight Arrow]

I enjoy roasting coffee on a little Fresh Roast 8 which is a hot air roaster. Its a neat little machine kind of like a hot air popcorn popper. It does a great job roasting small batches of coffee. I like to make espresso and cappucino on the weekends. Plus buying green coffee beans is cheap like DE blades vs. cartridges and the green beans keep for a long time.
Tell me a little more about the Fresh Roast 8. How many watts? The Poppery II machine I'm using is rated at 1200 watts but seems to take way too long to complete the roast. Where did you get your roaster? Do you buy beans online?

[TraderJoe]

Ya might want to talk to Dinder.
Apparently he knows a little something about coffee. :a4:

www.ristrettoroasters.com (http://www.ristrettoroasters.com)
Ethiopian Harrar is yummmmmmmmmmmmmy !

:yesnod:

:thumbup: the best!

[doctorsimon]

What's next? Recycled beer? :lol:



Does anyone use a vacuum brewer for their coffee? I'm interesting in trying one out.

I thought about it, but they are expensive and fragile. The coffee brewed is probably very good and I'm sure it'd look good brewing on the dinner table infront of guests. <dreaming> one day... </dreaming>

[BroJohn]

Does anyone use a vacuum brewer for their coffee? I'm interesting in trying one out.

Yes. Vac Pots make the best brewed coffee by far. I've got all the stuff, gadgets and what-not, but vacuum pots are the best. They are also the most inconvenient and require a lot of effort in use, cleaning, etc. I find it worth the trouble. I'm at work, but at home I'll post a link to one of the best values in a good quality modest priced vac pot.

for a lot of info and good products, check sweetmarias. (http://www.sweetmarias.com/)

I buy green beans in bulk for roasting here. (http://www.ccmcoffee.com/)

It took me a while to learn coffee roasting with an air-popper, but I'm now spoiled --and I get cranky if I run low on fresh roast.

-- John Gehman

[Limey]

Sweet Marias http://www.sweetmarias.com/ is where I have purchased green beans. They have a large variety and very good descriptions and information on each bean. They also sell the Fresh Roast 8 http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.freshroast.shtml and provide some good information. When I roast beans it generally takes about 6-7 minutes for a cycle which includes a cool down. I like to let the beans 'rest' for 12-24 hours before grinding and brewing them. However, you can do that right away.

[doctorsimon]

STOP.

I'm in danger of developing coffee making apparatus AD again.

I already have six creams, one soap (and another gift to be received in a few weeks...), three brushes, three moisturisers, and six types of DE blade. I do not need another AD.

I don't want a roaster nor a vac pot.






Or maybe I do.


NO. I don't. Stop it all of you. EVIL.EVIL.EVIL. I must control myself.....

[Limey]

If you like the smell of freshly ground or brewed coffee well....fresh roasted bean smell even better. I even like the smell of the smoke when the beans are roasting!

[ouch]

Just took a gander over at coffeegeek, and I must say that those guys appear to be every bit as nutty as we are.:out:

I'm starting to get that trembly feeling that happens right before I dive head first into yet another ridiculous hobby.

Thanks for all the great tips!

One of the best cups of coffee I ever had was from this ancient, filthy little dive in Chinatown where they use what appears to be a very cheap stovetop vacuum brewer. Any ideas?

[doctorsimon]

Yep, I'm a coffeegeek member too.

Their forums aren't as mad as this place though. (That's a compliment.)

[fuerein]

I'm not a huge fan of coffee, but I like it, escpecially in winter. I can't drink too much at once though or it gives me headaches. Tea works better for me in that respect. But in any case, I'll stick to brewing my coffee in my relatively cheap, easy to use, and generally well regarded French Press.

[Dinder1]

Home roasting is a great way to learn about coffee, but the problems with the small air driven machines are:
6-8 min. roast= way toooo fast a roast with little to no control of the roast profile you are trying to achieve.

Small capacity= 3-4oz. per batch, and remember that coffee will lose 15-20% of its weight by way of roasting.

Loud= you need to hear, see, and have control over the coffee at critical moment of the roasting process.

All this being said, a small air roaster is a great way to get a taste of what roasting, and what drinking truly fresh coffee is all about.

Now if you want to spend say $500-700 you can get a a small drum roaster called a Hottop roaster, which will roast about 10oz. of coffee
in the 16-20 min. range. This type of roaster will give you a much better taste of what coffee roasting is all about, and give you a little more control over your roast.
Happy roasting, DJ.

[ouch]

Okay. Would someone do me a favor and just put a bullet in my head right now?

I can see exactly where this is leading................:w00t:

[Limey]

DJ - I agree with you about the hot air roasters. The flavor does not have the full body it could and the roast is difficult to repeat. However, the freshness and the control to roast at home I believe cancel out those shortcomings. A HotTop would be my next pick up but $500-$700 is steep and I keep spending on razors, creams, balms and brushes!

[Dinder1]

Okay. Would someone do me a favor and just put a bullet in my head right now?

I can see exactly where this is leading................:w00t:

Believe me, coffee can be much more expensive than shaving AD's:lol:
Cheers, DJ.

[ponyplayer]

For those of you who are handy with the tools "Make:" magazine has a project to make your own coffee roaster.

http://makezine.com/08/coffeeroaster/

Have fun.

Patrick

http://makezine.com/08/coffeeroaster/

[Dinder1]

DJ - I agree with you about the hot air roasters. The flavor does not have the full body it could and the roast is difficult to repeat. However, the freshness and the control to roast at home I believe cancel out those shortcomings. A HotTop would be my next pick up but $500-$700 is steep and I keep spending on razors, creams, balms and brushes!

Also remember that heavily roasted coffees (very dark and oily) actually lose body. Body has to do with mouth feel and texture...how heavy does the coffee feel on your tongue? Smokey or charred tastes from a french roast do not = body.
Cheers, DJ.

[rikrdo]

:death: :death:
Okay. Would someone do me a favor and just put a bullet in my head right now?

I can see exactly where this is leading................:w00t:

Howz about a blade ?:death:

[ouch]

Why not? This isn't badger and gun, after all. :001_cool:

[rtaylor61]

Why not? This isn't badger and gun, after all. :001_cool:

That's only because Nick did not get his way...

:001_rolle

Randy

[Straight Arrow]

I'm not a huge fan of coffee, but I like it, escpecially in winter. I can't drink too much at once though or it gives me headaches. Tea works better for me in that respect. But in any case, I'll stick to brewing my coffee in my relatively cheap, easy to use, and generally well regarded French Press.
I agree with you about the french press method. I use a 2-cup Bodum and it's just enough for a good sized mug on Saturday morning. I love the last sip containing fine particles of coffee grounds. It's like an exclamation point!

[SofaKing]

What's next? Recycled beer? :lol:



Does anyone use a vacuum brewer for their coffee? I'm interesting in trying one out.

Just bought a Yama from Northwestglass.com. Am still adjusting the amount of coffe to be used, but so far I am really pleased with the results.

It does add a little time to my mornings but like shaving correctly is well worth it.

After roasting coffe this summer over an open fire in Ecuador I am desperate to try roasting my own. Air poppers anyone?

[ouch]

I know a bit about tea-- mountains, elevations, oxidation-- but all I really know about coffee is that I like it. Is the Kona coffee from Hawaii good? It always seems to be the most expensive.

[Dennis]

Coffee is not exactly my thing, but I remember an interview on The Splendid Table a bit ago with a guy who wrote a/the book on home coffee roasting. Interview was Sept 16 (scroll down):
http://splendidtable.publicradio.org/listings/shows06_09.html

There are some misc links to what was talked about and you can listen to the segment there as well.

Dennis

[BroJohn]

Just bought a Yama from Norwestglass.com (http://www.northwestglass.com/coffee-siphon-vacuum-c-49.html?osCsid=9db3f8014a295dc659cf165276228cae).

That's the link I was going to post. The Yama is the best contemporary stovetop Vac Pot available; and I've used the others. Yama is produced in 5-cup and 8-cup versions, and are cheap -- $25~$35 plus shipping. Buy extra cloth filters when you order.



I know a bit about tea-- mountains, elevations, oxidation-- but all I really know about coffee is that I like it. Is the Kona coffee from Hawaii good? It always seems to be the most expensive.

Kona is special and very delicate --most don't roast it worth a damn, and few people make a decent cup of it, IMO. I can't/don't. I have had superb Kona (and Jamaica Blue Mountain, too), but I consider it a wasteful extravagance. There are many rich coffees that are wonderful at a fraction of the price of these.

-- John Gehman

[rjv71]

www.smithfarms.com has excellent roasted.... and green Kona coffee for a reasonable price.... :a50:

Check out the website, it looks to me like 2 people having a 5 acre farm on Hawaii... living the good life and selling coffee....

[Nick]

That's only because Nick did not get his way...

:001_rolle

Randy

Good one weisenheimer. :a49:

:biggrin:

I'll say this much, when it comes to coffee, I'm in the Ouch camp. I know what I like, but that's about it. When at John's place, he brewed up a pot of DJ's coffee, and it was fantastic.

-Nick

[_JP_]

Okay. Would someone do me a favor and just put a bullet in my head right now?

I can see exactly where this is leading................:w00t:

Watch out for CAD (Coffee Acquisition Disorder) which is also a part of MAD. :laugh:

About that animal that the coffee beans passes through. It's a cat called a civet, which is found in the Philippines and perhaps other places. The cat doesn't digest them, but it does improve the flavor of the roasted bean. I don't know if they just follow the civets around the jungle, train the to use a litter box, or what to collect the beans after the civet swallowed them. :blink:

[Dinder1]

[QUOTE=_JP_;122480]Watch out for CAD (Coffee Acquisition Disorder) which is also a part of MAD. :laugh:

About that animal that the coffee beans passes through. It's a cat called a civet, which is found in the Philippines and perhaps other places. The cat doesn't digest them, but it does improve the flavor of the roasted bean. I don't know if they just follow the civets around the jungle, train the to use a litter box, or what to collect the beans after the civet swallowed them. :blink:[/QUOT
Edit: OOps... I thought you meant coffee from Vietnam/ So these poor little critters are eating crappy coffee, then crapping coffee, and then some poor sole is drinking crappy coffee that costs $300.00 a pound!:eek: :lol:
Cheers, DJ.

[sputnick]

I just started roasting in a salton ufo with a countertop convection oven top. Works a treat and i can roast a pound of beans at a time any way i want. all for $80. I drink about a pound of roasted beans a week from a quick mill andreja and rocky doserless.

spent more on coffee beans and hardware than i could imagine spending on shaving equipment.

[Nick]

Watch out for CAD (Coffee Acquisition Disorder) which is also a part of MAD. :laugh:

About that animal that the coffee beans passes through. It's a cat called a civet, which is found in the Philippines and perhaps other places. The cat doesn't digest them, but it does improve the flavor of the roasted bean. I don't know if they just follow the civets around the jungle, train the to use a litter box, or what to collect the beans after the civet swallowed them. :blink:

I received a bag of Kopi Luwak a while ago. I made a post on it some time back. The name of the palm civet that poops out the cherries is the Luwak. My Kopi came right before the tsunami, and was either from Java or Sumatra (I don't remember). Before the tsunami, Kopi Luwak primarily came from Indonesia (I believe).

And yes, it was pretty darn good tasting crappy coffee. :biggrin:

-Nick

[ouch]

Watch out for CAD (Coffee Acquisition Disorder) which is also a part of MAD. :laugh:

About that animal that the coffee beans passes through. It's a cat called a civet, which is found in the Philippines and perhaps other places. The cat doesn't digest them, but it does improve the flavor of the roasted bean. I don't know if they just follow the civets around the jungle, train the to use a litter box, or what to collect the beans after the civet swallowed them. :blink:

Let me state this for the record (and this goes for you, too, Nick, based on your post):

I'm never eating meatballs at your house.:eek:

[_JP_]

It's not the meatballs that you have to watch out for. I have a great Roadkill Chili recipe and then there's also the Whatchagot Stew. Each one has a common first ingredient, which is whatever meat I have on hand when I make it.

[BroJohn]

spent more on coffee beans and hardware than i could imagine spending on shaving equipment.

Yeah, and if you really get into Cigars, it'll make the coffee stuff look cheap. I have more money wrapped up in high grade humidors (and their contents) than I could possibly spend in a lifetime of shaving AD's.

-- John Gehman

[ouch]

Yeah, and if you really get into Cigars, it'll make the coffee stuff look cheap. I have more money wrapped up in high grade humidors (and their contents) than I could possibly spend in a lifetime of shaving AD's.

-- John Gehman

Sounds as if someone needs to take up pipes. Then again, have you priced S. Bangs lately?:blink:

[sphughes]

I pulled the trigger and ordered myself a Gene Cafe Roaster. It's scheduled to arrive on Friday. I figure that since I have absolutely no will power when it comes to xAD's, why not. It was either conquer the world of home roasting or buy another Maestro.......

I justified this one to the SWMBO by telling her it will be a Christmas present to me from whomever. This way I won't need to use the 30 rule and I can jump right into a roast Christmas morning prior to taking my sons to see the premiere of Rocky VI later in the day.

Hello GCB(Green Coffee Bean)AD. I have 27#'s of various beans in transit to me already.......D'OH......

[ouch]

Cool. Have a link to the roaster?

[sphughes]

Here you go.

http://www.burmancoffee.com/equipment/gene-cafe-roaster.html

The price is set by the manufacturer so there is very little wiggle room on it. I chose these guys because of the solid reviews on their service and the free shipping. Sweet Maries shipping would have been almost $25 to our part of the world. The 5#'s of free coffee included seems to be pretty standard give or take a pound between dealers but the free shipping is nice. This is 20+ pounds.

I had a 15+ minute conversation with Jon, one of the brothers, about the pluses and minuses of the various roasters. The Gene Cafe really had the upper hand I felt based on features and functionality. I liked the Bravi, but the window on the GC and other features really sealed the deal for me.

-Scott-

[ouch]

Thanks, Scott. Looks like a lot of fun.

I was hoping you'd get the Aeropress- I really wanted to read a review of that.:lol:

[sphughes]

I thought about the Aeropress briefly, but I asked my inlaws to get me a Bodum Santos Vacuum Press Maker (stovetop) for Christmas. There would be no way the SWMBO would sanction 2 new things on the counter so I went with the beans.

I'll send you some once I roast a few batches that pass muster.

-Scott-

[ouch]

:thumbup: I come from a long line of guinea pigs.

[Dinder1]

I thought about the Aeropress briefly, but I asked my inlaws to get me a Bodum Santos Vacuum Press Maker (stovetop) for Christmas. There would be no way the SWMBO would sanction 2 new things on the counter so I went with the beans.

I'll send you some once I roast a few batches that pass muster.

-Scott-

Scott, congrats on the new roaster! Please keep us posted, I would love to hear your opinion of this machine. I must say that the Aeropress makes a pretty darn good cup of coffee..probably 90% as good as the $8000.00 automated Clover machine. Enjoy that vac pot, they make great coffee.
Cheers, DJ.

[HlSheppard]

I have had a lot of first-hand experience with the Clover...

All I have to say is WOW!!! I knew it was expensive - but still, it was damned amazing. :eek: :tongue_sm

[ouch]

Scott, congrats on the new roaster! Please keep us posted, I would love to hear your opinion of this machine. I must say that the Aeropress makes a pretty darn good cup of coffee..probably 90% as good as the $8000.00 automated Clover machine. Enjoy that vac pot, they make great coffee.
Cheers, DJ.

Well, that's all I had to hear. I will go directly to Zabar's this afternoon.:lol:

[dangert]

Does anyone use a vacuum brewer for their coffee? I'm interesting in trying one out.

I do sometimes. I have a one-cup Hario DA-1 brewer that I bought during a trip to Japan. I should say it is the best non-espresso coffee method. The ritual is also nice with those brewers using fuel burners.

[TickTock]

I use a heat gun (they look like an oversized hair dryer and are usually used for stripping paint--cost about $30 at your local Home Depot-type place) and a big stainless steel bowl. I can do a good pound at a time in about 20 minutes.

I put the bowl on a gas grill side burner (to add some bottom heat), point the heat gun at the beans, and stir like mad.

You get covered with chaff and smell like your pants are on fire, but it is quick, easy, and very hands on. Go to coffeegeek.com and search for "heat gun" and you will have more information than you ever thought possible.

There are several internet green coffee co-ops and I get fabulously good beans for less than $5 a pound shipped. Green beans last for a year or two with no problems but roasted coffee is good for about 10 days maximum.

Once you have fresh coffee you will never be satisfied with store or Starbucks or 99% of coffeeshop coffee ever again.

If I needed more than a pound a week I'd probably upgrade to a drum roaster made from a gas grill.

Then of course there is home espresso machine acquisition disorder. There is some seriously big money to be spent there!

Just what you needed--another obsessive hobby!

[dangert]

Then of course there is home espresso machine acquisition disorder. There is some seriously big money to be spent there!


Fortunately espresso machines are big, and building a collection (like brushes or razors) sounds to me like something having extremely low WAF :). In coffee world people much more suffer from upgraditis than RAD :).

[sphughes]

Well.........I sit here sipping a Single Origin Rwanda Migongo Bourbon that I roasted into one fine batch that I used for my first espresso attempt. I am almost through the 1/2# of the beans already. YUM!!! The crema is outstanding and the taste stays in the mouth for about 15 minutes. I roasted it to a maximum temp of about 455 (about 20 minutes total time for roast) and would categorize it as a fine Italian Roast. (But what do I know...Total noob here).

I have now roasted 7 batches and I am loving every minute of it. I will take some pictures soon once the thrill wears off (but that could take a few more weeks). I find myself mesmerized watching the drum turn and seeing the beans transform from these blah little green pea sized things to real coffee beans in front of my eyes. I am also amazed that by varying the time of the roast, I get the beans to finish off differently. Pretty cool indeed though I am definitely keeping good notes and experimenting with the published guides.

So far: Roast #1 - Bolivian Cumbre AA, City Roast +. Roast #2 - El Salvador Blue Bell, Full City Roast+. Roast #3 - Rwanda Migongo Bourbon, Italian Roast. Roast #4 - Mexican Malinal, Full City Roast. Roast #5 - El Salvador Blue Bell, City + Roast. Roast #6 - Bolivian Cumbre AA, Full City Roast. Roast #7 - El Salvador Blue Bell, Full City Roast.

I still have beans to try out for the first time yet. I am down under 25#'s of green stock......I have been doing 227 g (8 ounces) @ a time for batch control and accurate notes on results. It looks like roasting twice a week will keep me supplied with fresh coffee all the time for the espresso machine, the drip maker and the vacuum pot.

Ouch - pm me your thoughts on what you like.

-Scott-

[letterk]

Scott, any photos of the roaster in action?

[sphughes]

I'll try to take a few pics tomorrow if I get a chance. I'll be working from home (*wink, wink).

-Scott-

[ouch]

+1 on posting pics. I've just got to see this in action.

The only thing keeping from turning into a full fledged coffee junkie is the over the top, pseudo-scientific, pedantic techno speak. I know I'll wind up spending a fortune on this stuff in the near future, but I can assure you I'll never order a drink that takes longer to pronounce than to make.

[TheYoshi]

We order a lot of coffee from here: http://www.roastmaster.com/

They ship you coffee that was roasted the day you order. I've been to their shop many times as well, great people.

[Woknblues]

first, for the espresso on a budget crowd, go for a moka (http://coffeetea.about.com/cs/espressoequipment/gr/bialettimoka.htm)pot like one of these. Terrific espresso machine for about $20 bucks, and very authentic in terms of use in Italy.... You will get back your investment in a month vs. years.

I am fortunate enough to live in the coffee capital of the Philippines. I get all kinds of great coffee, and have access to the civet coffee (cat poop coffee) locally called Alamid. Haven't tried it yet, going to go buy some tomorrow. I will post my results and pics this weekend, stay tuned!!!:biggrin1:

[ouch]

In order to authenticate your experience, you'll have to post pics of the cat.

[Woknblues]

the recommendation on the label at the market for the civet coffee that I go to said to use a French press. Since I don't have one, I am reluctant to buy a 100 g. jar for 15 bucks, so I will hold off on that purchase for now..:wink: however, at $68.10 per pound, thats less than 1/4th the cost of the list pricing I have seen in articles....

[bbqncigars]

Even at less than $70/lb, still too pricey compared to other beans I love. There are some other rare beans that are held in very high regard at cg, but I think you have to be a 'super taster' to appreciated them. FWIW: I have two different Moka pots and two different french press pots, but the Aeropress has put them into storage.



Wayne

[Woknblues]

yeah, that seems a bit steep compared with the great coffee i can get here for a couple bucks a kilo.... I need to try that aeropress..

[Straight Arrow]

Just found another almost new West Bend Hot Air Popper while thrift store spelunking yesterday. Took it home and loaded it up with some Kenya AA beans. Evidently it runs much hotter than my older West Bend popper because within 5 minutes it reached second crack and was putting out enough smoke to set off the alarms and the toy fox terrier! I shut it down and cooled the beans as quickly as possible. I prefer a Full City roast but I popped one of these oily dark beans into my mouth to test it and it tasted rich and flavorful, a nice dark French roast. This morning I will grind some up and put it in the French press. Maybe I will become a dark roast enthusiast.

[Smedley]

I've just been roasting beans in my oven in a glass Pyrex dish.

450 F, let them go for 10 minutes, give them a stir, then watch them carefully after that.

Not the most controlled heat environment, but the end product still tastes better than the store-bought stuff.

Mind you, if I wanted to get fancy, I would go here (http://www.merchantsofgreencoffee.com/contact_us.html).

[sphughes]

Here are a few pictures of the roast I did today.

I chose this Mexican Single Origin because SWMBO likes it, so........

This roast will be a Full City with a 19 minute time and the maximum temperature will reach 471 degrees.

-Scott-

[sphughes]

Here is how the story ended this afternoon. My garage now smells real nice...

Feel free to PM any questions.

-Scott-

[rikrdo]

Just found another almost new West Bend Hot Air Popper while thrift store spelunking yesterday. Took it home and loaded it up with some Kenya AA beans. Evidently it runs much hotter than my older West Bend popper because within 5 minutes it reached second crack and was putting out enough smoke to set off the alarms and the toy fox terrier! I shut it down and cooled the beans as quickly as possible. I prefer a Full City roast but I popped one of these oily dark beans into my mouth to test it and it tasted rich and flavorful, a nice dark French roast. This morning I will grind some up and put it in the French press. Maybe I will become a dark roast enthusiast.

Hot Air popper....
tell me more.
Vurra interesting :cool:

[Straight Arrow]

Here is the popper
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/165/358132746_380bf0ef18.jpg?v=0
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/136/358132747_4fecad66f9.jpg?v=0

Looking down into the roasting chamber
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/130/358132748_f4311ad28c.jpg?v=0

Notice that the hot air vents are around the lower sides of the chamber. VERY IMPORTANT!! If you use the kind with the hot air vent coming up directly from the bottom center of the chamber, you will destroy every roast you attempt!

Put in about a half-cup of green beans, no more than that. Depending on the type of beans, first crack should occur at about 2 minutes. Then watch the roast and shut it off when you reach your preferred darkness. Full city roast at about one and a half minutes after first crack and a dark roast at about two to three minutes after first crack, again depending on the beans. Get the roasted beans outta there as quickly as possible and cool them. I use a colander and a wooden spoon and go out on the back porch where it's cold. I keep stirring them until I can comfortably scoop up and squeeze a handful.
The more I experiment the better I get. The best part...the popper cost me five bucks at a thrift store!

[rikrdo]

:cool: Hey Rich..
did some research on the hot air "roasters"....
Have you modified yours in any way?
or do you use it "as-is"?
Some of the creations I ran into were VERY complex.
Not sure I'm ready to go that far.
Cool idea .....if I can just buy one and start roasting. :cool:

[Straight Arrow]

:cool: Hey Rich..
did some research on the hot air "roasters"....
Have you modified yours in any way?
or do you use it "as-is"?
Some of the creations I ran into were VERY complex.
Not sure I'm ready to go that far.
Cool idea if I can just but one and start roasting. :cool:
I haven't modified the popper at all. I have two of them. The one pictured runs hotter than my first and roasts the beans about twice as fast. If you decide to try one of these machines you'll obviously need to experiment with roasting times.

[BroJohn]

I use a similar 1200watt popper, and early on discovered that if I turned it on and let it go 'until done' it would do a very poor job. I ruined a fair amount of coffee until I learned to slow down the roasting process.

I turn it on, 45sec, off 15sec for the first two minutes. Then on 30sec, off 30 sec. I stir frequently. A half-cup batch of green beans takes 7 to 8 minutes to city roast, (past first crack and not to second) depending on bean type. The results are much more satisfactory. I don't roast very dark; the lighter roast that results is much more flavorful. Of course everyone's milage varies. :sleep:

I found that if I was just pouring the heat to the beans, they could turn to 'over-done' very rapidly. So I adopted the on/off routine above.

-- John Gehman

[Straight Arrow]

I use a similar 1200watt popper, and early on discovered that if I turned it on and let it go 'until done' it would do a very poor job. I ruined a fair amount of coffee until I learned to slow down the roasting process.

I turn it on, 45sec, off 15sec for the first two minutes. Then on 30sec, off 30 sec. I stir frequently. A half-cup batch of green beans takes 7 to 8 minutes to city roast, (past first crack and not to second) depending on bean type. The results are much more satisfactory. I don't roast very dark; the lighter roast that results is much more flavorful. Of course everyone's milage varies. :sleep:

I found that if I was just pouring the heat to the beans, they could turn to 'over-done' very rapidly. So I adopted the on/off routine above.

-- John Gehman
Thanks for the tip John. I'm definitely going to experiment with the on/off idea.
Does your popper have the side airvents like the West Bend that I'm using?

[rikrdo]

Thanks John !!
I am starting my quest for a popper this week.
Any vendor you would recommend to buy GREEN beans from ??
I checked out Sweet Maria's website......there is A LOT of info there !!

[BroJohn]

Thanks for the tip John. I'm definitely going to experiment with the on/off idea.
Does your popper have the side airvents like the West Bend that I'm using?

Yes.


Thanks John !!
I am starting my quest for a popper this week.
Any vendor you would recommend to buy GREEN beans from ??
I checked out Sweet Maria's website......there is A LOT of info there !!

Sweet Maria's is a good vendor, their website is a great resource of info. I've bought beans from them in the past, but not recently. Recently I've been buying beans from this place (http://www.ccmcoffee.com/).

If you order from ccm, don't order through the web interface, as it is screwed up. Always call the order in. There is a nice Latina who answers and she has been batting 1000 on my orders.

-- John Gehman

[bandg]

John/Rich: I am intrigued by hot air roasting as well. There was only one popper at my local wal-mart. The side air vent is the key, not the brand? Also, the batch size should be 1/2 cup with quite a bit of experimentation with respect to time etc. for the raost. Do certain types of beans work better for this method than others? I prefer med. roasts and look forwared to using my aeropress when it arrives. Thanks in advance for the help and or suggestions. Cordially, Bradley I plan on saving alot of money, just like my DE shaving.:biggrin:

[BroJohn]

There was only one popper at my local wal-mart. The side air vent is the key, not the brand?

Yes, that's right.



Also, the batch size should be 1/2 cup with quite a bit of experimentation with respect to time etc. for the raost.

With popcorn poppers, restrict batch to 1/2 cup of green beans. As they roast, the beans shed moisture, become lighter in weight, and expand in size. Don't cheat and use a 'heaping' 1/2 cup. 1/2 cup of green coffee beans will expand by 2/3rds in size, and end up slightly over 3/4 cup in volume after roasting.



Do certain types of beans work better for this method than others?

I don't know if some are better than others, but the hot air popcorn 'roaster' is suitable for roasting any coffee.



Cordially, Bradley I plan on saving alot of money, just like my DE shaving

Riiiiiiiiiight. :wink2:

-- John Gehman

[bandg]

John: Thanks for the helpful advice. I look forward to giving it a try. Bradley

[rikrdo]

WellWellWell....
Tried my hand at roasting this morning.
I must say it was, a disaster.
Bought a brand new Toastmaster hot air popper and my green beans arrived yesterday.
Today I loaded up the popper with 2/3 cup of beans and went to town.
I tried the 45 sec. on / 15 sec. off technique.
After a cuppa minutes, smoke started filling up the house ( yes, I had the hood on)....chaff was flying everywhere and my coffee....my coffee was roasted at about 5 different levels.
Oh yeah.....now my popper wont turn on. I think I killed it.
:confused:
Help please.

[Straight Arrow]

Rick,
I'm sorry about your disaster. First of all I am unfamiliar with the Toastmaster popper. Does it have side hot air vents in the roasting chamber? If the hot air comes from the bottom center of the chamber that's a problem. How many watts is it? if it's much more than 1200 you will be roasting too hot. One more thing. 2/3 cup of green beans is too much. The beans may not be able to circulate properly within the roasting chamber producing an uneven roast. Stick with 1/2 cup or less. As for the chaff--yeah it's a mess!

[bandg]

Thanks to the advice here I have had a pretty good roasting experience. Purchased a side vent popper at Target and some beans from CCM. Did my 1st roast inside and worked pretty well, but now do this outside and place a box to catch the chaff. A 1/4 cup seems to work well and I stop and stir quite frequently. I am starting to get a better feel for when the coffee is done. Thanks for the help in getting me started guys. Some things are neat to try and do yourself. Cordially, Bradley Also, gives me something to do while waiting for my brush and razor.:biggrin:

[rikrdo]

OK.
I'm gonna go old school on this.
I was very upset with my experience this morning so I decided to take the beans to an old fry pan.
ReRoasted this 1st batch....since 1/2 of them werent even to 1st crack....and then did 1 full cup of green beans.
I heated the pan before putting the beans in and then left the burner on about 3/4 high for the roast.
At around 3 minutes I got 1st crack and at 6 minutes the beans looked like a FullCity or FC+ so I took em off.
Coooled down and containerized for consumption tomorrow.
I am actually enjoying an Aeropressed cup of the 1st batch right now. Pretty tasty but not great. We'll see how it is tomorrow.

[Straight Arrow]

Rick,
Keep trying. Don't give up! Like shaving, there's a learning curve. Let us know how the frypan batch turned out. We are crazy aren't we? All these funny little hobbies we develop. My best friend's wife calls me eccentric. I told her, "Thanks for the compliment".

[netsurfr]

www.sweetmarias.com (http://www.sweetmarias.com) is also my vendor of choice for green coffee beans. My coffee roaster is swiss (can't remember the name at the moment) but it takes about 20 minutes and uses a rotary drum. If anyone is interested, I will go check the manufacturer.

[Woknblues]

[QUOTE=_JP_;122480]Watch out for CAD (Coffee Acquisition Disorder) which is also a part of MAD. :laugh:

About that animal that the coffee beans passes through. It's a cat called a civet, which is found in the Philippines and perhaps other places. The cat doesn't digest them, but it does improve the flavor of the roasted bean. I don't know if they just follow the civets around the jungle, train the to use a litter box, or what to collect the beans after the civet swallowed them. :blink:[/QUOT
Edit: OOps... I thought you meant coffee from Vietnam/ So these poor little critters are eating crappy coffee, then crapping coffee, and then some poor sole is drinking crappy coffee that costs $300.00 a pound!:eek: :lol:
Cheers, DJ.

FWIW, I live in the Philippines. I can get this coffee for about $80 dollars a pound (significantly less than pricing I see online and quoted elsewhere). I was going to try a 150 grams just to see what the hoo-haa is all about, but they recommend a french press, and since I haven't one, I wont waste 20 bucks on two small pots of coffee. I am shocked at the almost 300% markup though. I am thinking about getting into the civet business though. :001_tt2:

[BroJohn]

WellWellWell....
Tried my hand at roasting this morning.
I must say it was, a disaster.
Bought a brand new Toastmaster hot air popper and my green beans arrived yesterday.
Today I loaded up the popper with 2/3 cup of beans and went to town.
I tried the 45 sec. on / 15 sec. off technique.
After a cuppa minutes, smoke started filling up the house ( yes, I had the hood on)....chaff was flying everywhere and my coffee....my coffee was roasted at about 5 different levels.
Oh yeah.....now my popper wont turn on. I think I killed it.
:confused:
Help please.

Rikrdo --

My first go around was a memorable disaster, just like yours... <chuckle>
I use a Toastmaster and it works fine. Like I said, use 1/2cup of green beans and no more. I'm surprised that you guys are roasting in the house, and it occurs to me that I never mentioned that I roast outside on the patio. Honestly, I never thought to mention it. So here goes --Due to the smoke and flying chaf that roasting in a popcorn popper generates, roast outside! :laugh: :lol:

Rikrdo, 2/3rds of a cup is too much in that roaster. Remove the top with the chute and set it aside, IOW, don't use it. For the first two cycles, add beans, then 45 sec on, and 15 sec off. Don't fudge on this. Stir frequently when the roaster is on, once halfway thru the rest period. Then roast 30sec on, 30 sec off. Stirring as above. Depending on the beans, the total time will be between 6.5 and 8 minutes or so. Dump immediately into a hand held collinder and stir for about 3 minutes until cool enough that you can lightly hold a small handful without burning yourself. Dump into an open container, cover when cool (eg, roomtemp) and allow the beans to 'outgas' for 12-24 hrs. They're then ready.

Learning to roast coffee is like learning to shave with a DE, you make mistakes at first, then get comfortable with it.

Hope this Helps.

-- John Gehman

[rikrdo]

Well.
Its official.
My popper is DEAD. :mad:
My batch from the fry pan came out just fine. :biggrin:
The smoke was dispatched easily by the hood over the oven.
Because I kept a lid on the pan, all of the chaff stayed in the pan until I dumped out the beans.
And I did a full cup of beans at 1 time.
My learning curve is going to be with the skillet.
No more popper for me.

[BroJohn]

Well.
Its official.
My popper is DEAD. :mad:

:crying:


My batch from the fry pan came out just fine. :biggrin:
The smoke was dispatched easily by the hood over the oven.
Because I kept a lid on the pan, all of the chaff stayed in the pan until I dumped out the beans.
And I did a full cup of beans at 1 time.
My learning curve is going to be with the skillet.

:w00t:


No more popper for me.

4914

Good show, Rick!

-- John Gehman

[Straight Arrow]

Rick,

Keep us informed with details about the frypan roasts. I may be trying it but I'll let you do the testing first!

[rikrdo]

Had some more of my "1st" attempt today.
Gotta say it is really pretty good.
I am going to experiment this week with my technique and update periodically.
This is fun !! :thumbup1:

[Straight Arrow]

I use a similar 1200watt popper, and early on discovered that if I turned it on and let it go 'until done' it would do a very poor job. I ruined a fair amount of coffee until I learned to slow down the roasting process.

I turn it on, 45sec, off 15sec for the first two minutes. Then on 30sec, off 30 sec. I stir frequently. A half-cup batch of green beans takes 7 to 8 minutes to city roast, (past first crack and not to second) depending on bean type. The results are much more satisfactory. I don't roast very dark; the lighter roast that results is much more flavorful. Of course everyone's milage varies. :sleep:

I found that if I was just pouring the heat to the beans, they could turn to 'over-done' very rapidly. So I adopted the on/off routine above.

-- John Gehman
I tried John's on-again/off-again method with my West Bend popper and am right now enjoying the best cup of coffee I've had since I started roasting my own. Thanks John!

[bbqncigars]

I followed the coffeegeeks thread on WB Poppery mods and did a separate control of both fan and heat. The fan part takes a variac, whilst the heat control takes a tiny bit more. I haven't modded my Popperys to the extent that some people have, but they still roast over a cup of green beans at a time.



Wayne

[Straight Arrow]

Excellent Wayne!:thumbup: I don't trust myself fooling around with appliance modifications. Scared I'll go up in flames!!! Good coffee...good shaving...what a good morning!:biggrin: