why (not) roast yer own ?

[expatCanuck]

Creating a new thread since we sort of strayed from the original ...

...why are you spending fourteen a pound when you could roast your own?!?!

Hmmmmm.

1. I like the coffee I get at our local Peet's. It's convenient. It's predictable. And, for me and SWMBO, it's good enough.
2. I'm pretty sure that I don't want the chronic aroma/scent/smell of roasted coffee in our condo. And lack of venting / adequate ventilation is an issue.
3. One more kitchen gadget might well be the straw that breaks SWMBO's back. Nor do I particularly want something else to clean.
4. Roasting is the thin edge of the wedge -- the enabling drug. Then I'll need a decent grinder. And then I'll want a good espresso machine. And I'll need somewhere to put them.
5. I'm not sufficiently fond of coffee to go to great lengths for the ultimate cup. Seems like a headache to me. To quote Pournelle, 'Better is the enemy of good enough.'.

Ummmm ... well ... that's a start.

That's a disorder easily cured by good coffee. *grinn*

Touché.

No worries . . . it's an outdoor sport.

In Brookline/Boston in the winter?

Even if it only cost eleven dollars

Yep. In this financial climate, the camel's back is exceptionally sensitive. And our kitchen (the largest I've ever owned) is getting a trifle crowded.

You don't have to clean it. Warm-up burns off anything that could cause off flavours.

Got me there.

Shhhhh! I'm not supposed to let you know that!
And actually, for me, the "thin end of the wedge" was the presspot. Then came good coffee, then a good grinder, then espresso, and finally, roasting.

Ah-ha!

- Richard

[sehrgut]

Ah-ha!

I don't like the sound of that "aha" . . .

*pouts*

[letterk]

Why not roast your own? Well, it really depends on what your goal is. If you're looking for fresh coffee that beats the pants off most readily available coffee (Starbucks, Peets, etc...), roast your own! If you're a DIY type of person looking for a fun new hobby, roast your own! BUT, if you're looking for drinking the absolute best, buy from someone that knows what they're doing and has a proven reputation. You may get pretty good, but I think to get to the level of the best of the best, say, Ristretto Roaster, you need to be completely dedicated to roasting and do it for a long time. Bean selection, roast profiles, batch size, even seconds in roast time, all can have very real affects on taste. Additionally, many home roasting (and some may say all) equipment can't match what you can get from the commercial equipment.

Personally, I think I'm starting to get pretty good at it. But, I just returned from vacation, where I visited with DJ and I'm reminded that I still have a long way to go.

[sehrgut]

Granted. However, in my area, there's one roastery of any value, and unfortunately, even my roasts will match theirs regularly, and often surpass them. (I buy greens from them sometimes just to see.) And I don't want to pay shipping for coffee on a regular basis

Now if I lived down the street from Intelligentsia . . .

So, benefits:

1. Quality - second only to good boutique roasters, on par with most boutique roasters
2. Cost - 1/3 or less the cost of the same coffee roasted by the above roasters, and even better savings if you'd need to ship coffee as good
3. Variety - Try keeping ten or twelve varieties of roasted coffee around and not have them go stale.

Drawbacks:

1. Time - It doesn't have to be a hobby, but it does demand at least an hour a week for moderate coffee-drinking.
2. Can't think of any others. It's pretty much the time it takes.

[ouch]

I use a cast iron pan over the Weber's side burner out on the deck. Very low tech and hands on, but it works (sort of).

I know if I buy a $10 roaster, I'll be in for a grand before I know it.

[Dinder1]

I really believe that home roasting coffee is one of the fastest ways of learning about the intricacies and nuances that coffee has to offer. I also think that once one has roasted a fair amount of coffee for oneself, that one will quickly realize what a true art form the process can be.
Timing and feel for the particular coffee that you are roasting is crucial, really, five to ten seconds can make a huge difference in the final cup.

I truly wish that everyone could experience the joy that I get from roasting coffee. I mean think of it as vinting a wine, but you don't need to let it age.

I definitely would encourage everyone to give roasting a try. It can be very rewarding to know that you are drinking a great cup of coffee that you crafted yourself, and just the way you like it!
DJ.

[Sabledog]

Drawbacks:

1. Time - It doesn't have to be a hobby, but it does demand at least an hour a week for moderate coffee-drinking.

I need to look up the original thread, but 20 minutes can get you a pound roasted..... so that's not so much time commitment.

Do I want to stand outside for 20 minutes in a Boston winter? maybe not, though.

My roasting journey all started when i saw a $500 roaster at a gourmet kitchen shop on Cape Cod about 5 years ago. To SWMBO: "Look! I could roast my OWN coffee!" About a year later I found online that all you need is a little popper....Now I need a REAL espresso machine.....Now I need a REAL grinder.... but the coffee is soo much better than ever before!

[Basset]

It's essentially foolproof. Here's a link for the how to.

http://www.homeroaster.com/heatgun.html

[Rorschuck]

Why not roast your own? Well, it really depends on what your goal is. If you're looking for fresh coffee that beats the pants off most readily available coffee (Starbucks, Peets, etc...), roast your own! If you're a DIY type of person looking for a fun new hobby, roast your own! BUT, if you're looking for drinking the absolute best, buy from someone that knows what they're doing and has a proven reputation. You may get pretty good, but I think to get to the level of the best of the best, say, Ristretto Roaster, you need to be completely dedicated to roasting and do it for a long time. Bean selection, roast profiles, batch size, even seconds in roast time, all can have very real affects on taste. Additionally, many home roasting (and some may say all) equipment can't match what you can get from the commercial equipment.

Personally, I think I'm starting to get pretty good at it. But, I just returned from vacation, where I visited with DJ and I'm reminded that I still have a long way to go.

Exceptional points all around, but most especially the one about Ristretto Roasters. Reading Scotto's blog really starts to give you an idea as to the time and effort required to produce truly good coffee, especially if you have high standards and are honest with yourself (as he so obviously does and is).

[Suzuki]

I use a cast iron pan over the Weber's side burner out on the deck. Very low tech and hands on, but it works (sort of).

I know if I buy a $10 roaster, I'll be in for a grand before I know it.

I'm going to try the cast iron pan method just for fun, but I'm in the same boat as you - I'll start with a popcorn maker and quickly convert my basement to my own roasteria and spend my waking hours scouring e-bay for industrial roasters...

What saves me is having access to several shops that sell freshly roasted coffee for very reasonable prices ($10 - $15 per pound).

It's essentially foolproof. Here's a link for the how to.

http://www.homeroaster.com/heatgun.html

You've got to be joking...

Any moron can roast raw beans to the point where they're drinkable, it takes someone who really knows what they're doing to make good coffee. Its part science, part experience and part art - a skilled roaster knows how to get the best of each different coffee.

I've never tried roasting, but I know its a heck of a lot harder than holding a heat gun over a stainless steel dog food bowl for 15 minuts

[sehrgut]

You've got to be joking...

Any moron can roast raw beans to the point where they're drinkable, it takes someone who really knows what they're doing to make good coffee. Its part science, part experience and part art - a skilled roaster knows how to get the best of each different coffee.

I've never tried roasting, but I know its a heck of a lot harder than holding a heat gun over a stainless steel dog food bowl for 15 minuts

Not at all. The process isn't on the face difficult. It's knowing when and how and why to change what you're doing that's difficult. The heat gun/dog bowl method actually gives probably the most intimate control over the final product of any roasting method. Of course, it's enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot . . .

[Blue Moon]

I have the UFO popper mated to the Sunpentown Convection Oven -- Can roast 1/2 pound in 15 minutes. If you love coffee, and are the type of person that has 8 aftershaves, 10 shaving creams, 6 razors, and 8 shaving soaps, homeroasting is for you. You can get a setup like mine for $100 more or less.

[Suzuki]

Not at all. The process isn't on the face difficult. It's knowing when and how and why to change what you're doing that's difficult. The heat gun/dog bowl method actually gives probably the most intimate control over the final product of any roasting method. Of course, it's enough rope to shoot yourself in the foot . . .

I agree that "roasting" isn't a complicated process - but roasting coffee requires more skill than simply applying heat to green beans...

[sehrgut]

I agree that "roasting" isn't a complicated process - but roasting coffee requires more skill than simply applying heat to green beans...

You're overcomplicating it. Like any skill, expertise can be acquired: that's a given. In the case of coffee roasting, the progression from "good coffee" to "really good coffee" is fairly easy, and takes most people a dozen or so batches. It's very hard to create "bad coffee" as a homeroaster.

The progression from "really good coffee" to "coffee par excellence" is a very long, slow journey.

So, yes, getting "really good coffee" (on par with most boutique roasters) really is as simple as coffee in a dog bowl, heat gun in one hand, and a wooden spoon in the other.

RR- or Intelligentsia-grade coffee . . . that'll take a bit longer. But you can definitely pull godshots with heat gun/dog bowl coffee.

(In shaving terms, you wouldn't go back to a barber who didn't give you a BBS shave with a straight, but you'd be pleased with your home DE shaves even if they weren't always BBS. Saying that "shaving isn't that simple" just because it takes some doing to get barbershop shaves would be a specious argument.)

[expatCanuck]

(In shaving terms ... )

What a curious analogy for these parts.

[boboakalfb]

I know if I buy a $10 roaster, I'll be in for a grand before I know it.

And that is just for the sugar and Half & Half you'll need.

[Scotto]

I would argue that it is easy to turn beans brown, and even to make some really decent coffee that will be better than 90% of what is out there. Pretty much any moron can do it. However, there is a big difference between what a home roaster and a really experienced artisanal roaster can do; there is simply no question about that. Of course, there are plenty of really lousy commercial and even local roasters out there, so it becomes a difficult argument.

I have been seriously homeroasting for a while now, and really trying to poke at the parameters. However, I have no illusions that my product is anywhere close to what DJ can do consistently, or Stumptown, or Intelligentsia, etc. In fact, the more I roast, the more I realize how much there is to learn.

[ouch]

And that is just for the sugar and Half & Half you'll need.

Winston Wolfe style for me- lotsa cream, lotsa sugar, Jimmy.

In fact, the more I roast, the more I realize how much there is to learn.

Whether it's obtaining a perfect shave, taking a great picture, getting an ideal edge on a razor or knife, brewing tea, roasting coffee, or any of a host of ideals, it's a journey, not a destination.

[Suzuki]

Winston Wolfe style for me- lotsa cream, lotsa sugar, Jimmy.

Hey, that's my line!

[rikrdo]

Ive been roasting in a cast iron pot for about a year now and have experimented with different variables.
Some times I actually think I know what Im doing but, in reality, its just fun to roast my own and see what happens.

I have seen a method of just pouring green beans onto a baking sheet and putting them into a 450 oven..............anyone here ever tried this technique ??