why (not) roast yer own ?

**Confuzius** · 10-17-2008, 06:43 AM

Anyone tried anything like this? How would it do?
http://www.make-digital.com/make/vol08/?pg=118

**sehrgut** · 10-17-2008, 06:57 AM

You have to make sure your oven vents to the outside, rather than through a charcoal filter and back into the house, or you'll have a house full of coffee smoke that'll smell wonderful for a few hours, and then start going rancid . . .

**expatCanuck** · 10-17-2008, 06:57 AM

Originally Posted by Scotto

... Pretty much any moron can do it. ...

And there typically seems to be an adequate supply.

**Howard Newell** · 10-17-2008, 07:02 AM

Originally Posted by Confuzius

Anyone tried anything like this? How would it do?
http://www.make-digital.com/make/vol08/?pg=118

That's pretty much how I roast. I just use a mesh collander and a camp stove that uses propane, and it works pretty well.

**sehrgut** · 10-17-2008, 07:05 AM

Originally Posted by Confuzius

Anyone tried anything like this? How would it do?
http://www.make-digital.com/make/vol08/?pg=118

How did I not see that?!?!?!?

*digs out old copy of MAKE*

*slavers, drools, and lusts after such a beautiful roaster*

**Confuzius** · 10-17-2008, 07:17 AM

Originally Posted by sehrgut

How did I not see that?!?!?!?

*digs out old copy of MAKE*

*slavers, drools, and lusts after such a beautiful roaster*

I've got all the supplies waiting at my dad's place, as I don't have the facilities to tap aluminum at the appartment.

I'd been putting off making it because the balconies at my appartment are about 25 years old and wooden. I was worried about burning chaff setting the building alight, but they're currently getting replaced with metal ones, it's roasting time.

Make is awesome, although I started my subscription at an odd time, issue 7. So I've got to get the first 2 years, then I'll just have #7 in double.

**Scotto** · 10-17-2008, 08:41 AM

Originally Posted by Confuzius

Anyone tried anything like this? How would it do?
http://www.make-digital.com/make/vol08/?pg=118

Have fun when the chaff starts flying.... Definitely something to use outside.

**Monkeyboy** · 10-18-2008, 09:27 AM

Home roasting is really the only option for me. The few local roasters around me are all lousy and it's impractical for me to drive the 3 hrs round trip to LA biweekly or order beans in the mail that often.

It's luckily warm enough where I'm at to roast outside year round too.

I've been roasting for about 6, 7 years with various types of air roasters. While I know that I definately am not as skilled as a pro with a Probat I don't think my palate is refined enough to detect the subtle differences anyway.

**letterk** · 10-18-2008, 09:34 AM

Monkeyboy, So Cal roast swap?

**ouch** · 10-18-2008, 10:23 AM

It's a beautiful day, so I think I'll try my hand at this once again out on the deck.

I have some green beans generously provided by SPHughes, over a year ago.

They say that green beans may be stored for a very long time, but I'm the kind of guy who just has to see for himself. I'm aiming for a full city, West Village, Washington Square roast.

**expatCanuck** · 10-27-2008, 12:07 PM

Looking at Scott's thread here, I'm now convinced that the (quasi) local roaster is the way to go.

Too much like work.

**43moon** · 10-27-2008, 12:41 PM

I know that I will never do a better job than my guy at Velton's Coffee. I have looked into getting the gear to roast my own, but my current home doesn't have any good locations for me to do it. I don't feel like going the popcorn popper route or any of the other cheap methods. I am waiting for the day when I can do it right with the proper machine in the proper setting.

**JBHoren** · 10-27-2008, 04:25 PM

I'd run out of home-roasted coffee. Zero. Zip. Nada. Bupkis. So I dedicated this afternoon and early evening to replenishing my supply. Below, is a photo of the fruit of my labor, in nicely labeled one-quart Mason jars (widemouth).

On the left is my trusty West Bend "Poppery II" corn popper, which has never as much as tasted a kernel of corn (let alone, popped one), but has done a yeoman's job of coffee roasting for the past year-and-a-half; and, in front, on the right, is my Zassenhaus coffee grinder -- the hopper holds exactly three of those blue SCAA measuring scoops; perfect for my 8-cup Bodum French-press (on the far left, partially obscured by the West Bend unit).

Learning from the Wisdom of Scotto, I now roast my green coffee beans to FC (just a little bit past the end of 1st-crack), or to FC+ (somewhere between 1st- and 2nd-crack). He was right: my real "Mokha Java" is much tastier, with none of the "burnt" component that I was getting when I roasted until/into/through 2nd-crack. Take a bow, Scotto!

Now I'll let the roasted coffee beans "rest" until tomorrow morning. I'm telling you, it's gonna be damn difficult to decide which coffee to grind/brew/drink! Whichever it is, it'll be with some sweetener and Half 'n Half.

**Scotto** · 10-27-2008, 05:26 PM

Nice! I think I have tried pretty much all of those beans. Nice selection!

Have fun with the Anokhi; to me it smells like my son's diaper after he eats a quart of blueberries...

**Dinder1** · 10-27-2008, 05:48 PM

Wow! That is quite the stash.....will that last you through the rest of the week?

Variety is definitely the spice of life.

**JBHoren** · 10-27-2008, 07:22 PM

Originally Posted by Scotto

Nice! I think I have tried pretty much all of those beans. Nice selection!

Have fun with the Anokhi; to me it smells like my son's diaper after he eats a quart of blueberries...

Thanks, Scotto. I buy my green coffee beans from Sweet Maria's, in either 2lb or 5lb bags. Java Monsooned Arabica is always in 5lb bags, because real Mokha Java is 1-part "Mokha" and 2-parts "Java"... and at that ratio, the "Java" goes pretty fast.

Actually, I like the India Anohki more than any other coffee bean -- the pre- and post-roast smell is so aromatic, and the brew!! with a little sweetener and some Half 'n Half, it's a little bit 'o Heaven.

Originally Posted by Dinder1

Wow! That is quite the stash.....will that last you through the rest of the week?

Variety is definitely the spice of life.

Oh, it'll last me a lot longer than that! One of the reasons I use Mason jars is because, with my FoodSaver and its wide-mouth-jar attachment, I can keep roasted coffee beans fresh for quite a long time. In fact, even without using the FoodSaver unit, all I need is the positive seal from the rubber-gasketed-lid and screw-on top to keep the contents from getting stale (you should hear the Pop! each time I open one of 'em).

At 2/3 of a cup of green coffee beans per roast, it took 3 sessions to fill a 1-quart Mason jar; a total of 27 roasting sessions for those nine jars, and two sessions for the "half-pint" jar in the foreground. Allowing for roasting session setup, actual roasting time, post-roast cooling, and "jarring", I spent some six hours preparing the delicious brown beans in that photo.

I can't wait until morning, when I'll

pulverize;
perk;
pour; and
partake!

**Monkeyboy** · 10-28-2008, 11:36 AM

Originally Posted by JBHoren

I'd run out of home-roasted coffee. Zero. Zip. Nada. Bupkis. So I dedicated this afternoon and early evening to replenishing my supply. Below, is a photo of the fruit of my labor, in nicely labeled one-quart Mason jars (widemouth).

Whoah that's a big stash. I just did some of the Yemen Mokha Sana-ani this morning.