Coffee roasting

[mealstrom]

So does anyone here roast their own coffee? I got into the hobby a few years ago and have been addicted ever since. And you can't beat the price either. I get my coffee for roughly $7/lb (including S&H). Since we're obviously guys who like doing things the hard way in hopes of churning out something better than store bought, I figured there might be other guys on here who roast too.

There's nothing like turning some of this:

Into some of this!

[blind drunk]

Think about it all the time. There's so much artisanal roasting where I live it's hard to justify another recreational activity ...

[whiskeytripping]

I never have but always wanted to, last time I looked into it you had to buy one of the old fashioned popcorn makers for your stove top. Just never got around to it. Where do you get your beans?

[blind drunk]

In a previous life, I came across this guy who used to sell "cowboy" coffee from a a little cart. He told me he roasted the beans in a cast iron pan

[whiskeytripping]

Really, I collect cast iron, I might need to check into this one. I LOVE coffee. Thanks BD

[mealstrom]

I started doing mine in a regular old pan, and still do when the outside weather isn't cooperating (it's a pretty tight temperature range to get good roasted coffee). I also use a Poppery II when I'm just interested in getting it all done.

The pan is great because you are an active part of the process. It lets you really develop different characteristics in your coffee. You can do some a little lighter, some a littler darker, and you can see the beans pass from stage to stage. It's a lot of fun.

The Poppery is great for when you just want to get a bunch roasted, and you're not so concerned about playing around with the flavors. You have to get one that has a circulating airflow though - not one of the ones with just a heater sitting on the bottom. Popcorn poppers work great and take all the work out of it, but you can't really play around.

[blind drunk]

Do you make espresso blend?

[mealstrom]

Think about it all the time. There's so much artisanal roasting where I live it's hard to justify another recreational activity ...

You'd be surprised at how much more you like your own. First, those artisanal coffees are so expensive. The ones around here go anywhere from $9/lb - $14/lb. I roast my own for about $7/lb (and this includes the $11 priority shipping), and I usually like it MUCH better than anything I buy. When they roast the ones for store bought ones they do it in huge roasters for huge batches. Not always bad, but it tends to dry a lot of the oils out of the beans. So what you get always tastes a little bitter, a little burnt, and doesn't have any real depth.


The first time I brought some home roasted coffee to work my boss came in, shoved his coffee cup in my face and said "What in the hell is this?" I thought he hated it, but before I could say anything he said "This is like the first time I ever tried 20-year old whiskey!". lol

I was never really a coffee fan until I started roasting my own. Now I'll never go back.

[whiskeytripping]

So where do you get your beans for those kinda deals? And do they store well in their "green" stage, so you can buy plenty or do they have a short shelf life?

[mealstrom]

Do you make espresso blend?

I usually keep one regular blend, one espresso, and one decaf roasted at all times. Sometimes I'll feel froggy and do a Turkish roast, which is like tar but will keep you wired until your next birthday.


If anyone is interested, there are plenty of good sites around to get beans. My favorite is Sweet Marias though. They have great prices, and there's a lot of good info on the site. Plus you can just get one of their sampler packs. The first time I got one I thought it would be junk, but it's a mix of great stuff, and different each time. You'll even occasionally get the rare peaberries. I've probably gotten 50lbs of coffee from them over the years, and have never been disappointed.

This here is a GREAT guide, no matter where you get your beans from. I know some markets will sell green beans:
https://www.sweetmarias.com/library/con ... gree-roast

[mealstrom]

So where do you get your beans for those kinda deals? And do they store well in their "green" stage, so you can buy plenty or do they have a short shelf life?

It really depends on how much you buy. Some of my friends never have under 50lbs at a time on hand, so they have to take a lot of factors into account. But they come in nicely sealed bags, so as long as you keep them in a cool, dry place (not the fridge or freezer! You'll kill all the oils in the beans) they'll last at least 6 - 12 months. I generally get two 8-lb sampler packs of regular and two 4-lb sampler packs of decaf each year, but I've had bags of beans that I discovered sitting at the bottom of a box longer than a year. No problems with them tasting stale or old.

Beans don't really get stale - they get musty from over exposure to moisture, or they get too dry from being stored in overly-cold temps. If you can keep them between 60 - 85 degrees and 50 - 75% humidity for most of the year you're fine. I've never had any issue, and I started roasting in the swamps of Georgia (Kingsland/St. Marys), then moved all the way up to Wisconsin.

[mealstrom]

If anyone is interested in trying it out let me know. There's some safety tips to take into account, and a few techniques that'll make your life easier and your coffee better.

Really though, it's a pretty easy hobby. Once you discover what you like it almost become routine - but the fun kind. And home roasted coffee is different than anything store bought. It's smooth, has a slight oiliness to it, and you get MUCH more caffeine for your buck, despite it not tasting any stronger than regular.

Every year a group of buddies and I go to CigarFest and we always roast up our own coffee, make a coffee concentrate out of it, then bring along a couple of 21oz bottles with it. You can add a few drops of that into a cup of hot water and you'll still be glad you never went to Starbucks.

[whiskeytripping]

That's awesome, this could give people something to do while making a long distilling run, I will start checking into these. Have you ever had any of the Jamaican blue mountain red beans? I've had some of it already roasted and it was really nice. Very pricey though but nice

[mealstrom]

I've heard great things about it, but it's always been beyond my budget!

[maheel]

I do

I roast about 2kg (600g green per roast = 500g roasted) a week for myself my sister and the odd mate who take their coffee seriously

i use a breadmaker roaster, this is not mine but i use the same setup with a different bean cooling setup
i even use a beer capper and zip ties like this but just replaced my ryobi after about 5 years of roasting


google bread maker coffee roaster or "Corretto roaster"

another option is the "turbo oven" roaster


plenty of you tube vids around as well

[whiskeytripping]

Looks like a pretty elaborate coffee roasting system maheel

[maheel]

lol you know what hobbies are like.....

popcorn makers roast about 120G per batch
bread makers about 500 -> 800g (maybe more with more mods)
turbo ovens -> 1000g (maybe more)

this is in my kitchen.. (now plumbed in properly)



and this is another bit of copper / brass "brewing" machine in the shed sort of being worked on... been a bit lazy with this one...
it's a 1960's La dorio

[whiskeytripping]

These hobbies get out of hand sometimes, sometimes my wife thinks I'm crazy but it keeps me busy

[mealstrom]

Holy crap, that is a big ol boy! That thing must smoke like a campfire though. Where do you live? Is the weather conducive to you roasting all throughout the year? Ironically when I lived in Georgia I had to do all my roasting inside - the weather just got too hot. The beans would get oily and burnt before the inside were done. I'd hit second crack long after they'd already been to City Roast.

Up here in Wisconsin if it's between 45 - 75 degrees I just bring the Poppery outside. It's easy, hands-off, and lets all the chaff blow into the wind. Any colder or warmer and I do it inside, then just swirl them around in a colander for a bit to get rid of the chaff.

[mealstrom]

When I first discovered coffee I thought "Great, another expensive hobby to get into."

But my total investment has been $8 for the poppery, and the beans. I usually get the 8lb sampler for $40 (it was nice when it was only $30!) and a 4lb decaff or espresso sampler for $20. Shipping is the $11 priority shipping, so I end up with 12lbs for $70 or so. That leaves you at about $5.83/lb! Not bad at all. The ratio is a little higher if you don't get the second sampler, or if you get so much they split it into 2 boxes, but 12lbs fits nicely into one box.

So as for all my hobbies (pipes, cigars, photography, and hopefully distilling), coffee turns out to be the cheapest! Which is great, since it's also the one I partake in the most.

[blind drunk]

So how many grams can be done in a twelve inch cast iron pan? Roughly?

[mealstrom]

I tend to go by cups more than weight. If you're roasting indoors you never want to do more than a 1/2 cup - 1 cup at a time. Otherwise you end up with so much smoke you look like your house is on fire.

If you're roasting outside, I'd probably recommend staying under 2 cups. I've roasted big batches before, and they just never come out even. There's nothing wrong with them being a little uneven - that adds to the character, but once you get too big you end up with burnt beans and green beans mixed together, and the whole range between.

[Washashore]

Very cool. I looked into roasting my own last year but never bit the bullet. I'm a wicked coffee snob and will like to take on the task some day of roasting my own.

[qball]

Just roasted about 12 ounces in my Ronco Rotisserie with a Coffee Roaster's Club wire coffee roasting basket. Worked great! Although I went about 3 minutes too long. Hope it's not too bitter!

[blind drunk]

Thanks mealstrom. If I do it, it will be in the proverbial shed

[maheel]

Holy crap, that is a big ol boy! That thing must smoke like a campfire though. Where do you live? Is the weather conducive to you roasting all throughout the year? Ironically when I lived in Georgia I had to do all my roasting inside - the weather just got too hot. The beans would get oily and burnt before the inside were done. I'd hit second crack long after they'd already been to City Roast.

Up here in Wisconsin if it's between 45 - 75 degrees I just bring the Poppery outside. It's easy, hands-off, and lets all the chaff blow into the wind. Any colder or warmer and I do it inside, then just swirl them around in a colander for a bit to get rid of the chaff.

yeah you get a bit of smoke, i do it mostly in my driveway and use a pedestal fan to blow it out onto the street

here in Brisbane Australia you pretty much can roast outside all year as long as it's not raining (no snow here...)

many who use poppers mod them a little (or a lot)

have a look at Google images for the google search "popper mods coffee"

So how many grams can be done in a twelve inch cast iron pan? Roughly?

i would give 200grams a go, you might want a lid to get the internal temp to the 200 ->210 degrees C you need for second crack

if you have the heat gun you could do this, lots of stirring but

[whiskeytripping]

I cannot wait to try this myself, I love strong coffee, so If I get it a little too dark it will still be good tasting for me, I looked around, and I'm going to look more, but it looked like there was some deals on Ebay. I also found a http://www.coffeebeandirect.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;" rel="nofollow
They look promising as well, I will be doing the cast iron pan roasting myself (to save money, I don't know if my wife can handle me taking on another hobby)

[blind drunk]

Well, I put in an order. He said he'll bring me some green beans, hopefully next week. Shake, rattle and roll. Gotta study up on the cracks. Thanks maheel, 200 grams sounds doable.

[Prairiepiss]

I've been avoiding this thread like the plague. And I just read it. I hate you guys. Like I need another hobby. Maybe I can get my wife into it. After all she is the real coffee freak of the house.

[blind drunk]

Plagues are contagious. You're in!