sdmc530

So I have turned into a sort of coffee snob or so my wife says and I have been really interested into roasting. Does anyone do this? If so what roaster do you use and is it as rewarding at I think it might be?

thanks!

skijor

4 years using an air popcorn popper, 5 years on a Behmor. There's no comparison, and no going back. Yes, it's worth it. As hobbies go, it's cheap and worthwhile.

sdmc530

can you tell me about the roaster you use now?
I am looking at getting one but the choices are great I don't feel. I am sure home roasters are a small market but I don't want to get a bad version. I don't even know how much I should be spending to get a good one?!

Confused right now....

hazetguy 

https://www.sweetmarias.com/
https://greencoffeebuyingclub.com/
CoffeeGeek - News, Reviews, Opinion and Community for Coffee and Espresso
plus about a million youtube videos on the subject...

i use a Melitta roaster i found at a thrift store. it gets the job done, but has its limitations. it's not very fine tuneable in terms of heat control.
agreed that once you roast your own, store bought coffee is a huge step backwards.
buy some cheap beans to start with, to get the hang of things, before spending "big" bucks on "fancy" beans.

3alarmer

...
...you can buy a hot air popcorn popper at just about any thrift store pretty cheaply. I don't like the popcorn they make, but with a screen wire on top instead of the popcorn collection bin, you can get a reasonable feel for what it's like roasting your own, and you can vary the roast from light to dark (and everything in between) pretty easily. It helps to have a covered spot outdoors to do it, because it blows a lot of chaff from the outer bean shell as they roast, and that stuff blows up and out of your popper.

I enjoyed doing it, as an addition to the coffee ritual. Also, it smells really nice. I stopped because I got to a point where caffeine is probably not good for me now.

I don't know anything about the various roasters now available, but the hot air popper was a huge step up from oven roasting in a cast iron skillet. (which I have also done.)

Lemond1985

Metal bowl. Heat gun.

sdmc530

I am sure this works fine and the popcorn popper works fine too, but I am looking to get a legit specific machine made for bean roasting.

sdmc530

thanks for the links and advice

skijor

Match your budget to the rate you'll go through beans.
For example, I roast 350g every 10 days or so. That amount fits comfortably in a quart mason jar.
The Behmor can do as much as a full pound per batch. Several other entry level roasters' capacities are half or less. I tired of having to do 4 or more 70g roasts in the air popper every week. It's time consuming.
It's easy to drop a few thousand on a home roaster. Depends on how much control you desire.

sdmc530

yep, my wife said the same thing. Start small and see if its a hobby your really into after I try it.

I found a Nesco basic roaster for about $75 that does 1/3 pound I think at a time. Not many options but its a good starting point. I go though a 1 pound of coffee every 10-14 days but more in the winter so this will be a good start.

Let the adventure begin!

ahsposo 

I miss the old title

sdmc530

yeah I couldn't figure out how to edit that typo...…..

coffeesnob

I have been roasting for about 12+ years. I started with the Fresh Roast which is sorta like a popcorn popper and an excellent way to get started but you can only roast about 1/4 lb at a time ( I think). I use a Behmor 1600 now It is supposed to do a whole pound but it doesn't About 12 ounces is the best. A couple of things, It's messy and it stinks.

coffeesnob

If you are near Midelton there is Burmans coffee traders. Excellent coffee good prices and good man to do business with.

skijor

I'm an hour north of Milwaukee. But I've purchased green beans from Burmans many times. Also bought my Behmor from them.

canklecat

I'm low tech. I learned to roast beans on the cheap from the first, and then only, place in San Diego that sold green coffee beans in the 1970s, an old Israeli fellow. He said just use my wok, it would work fine. I don't have a wok anymore but still occasionally roast beans in a stainless steel skillet. It's still much better than ground coffee and most fresh roasted beans.

skijor

Outside I hope, and with a fan or some such to carry the chaff away while you roast. Some beans have a lot of chaff, others have very little. Either way, that'd leave quite the mess in the house if roasting indoors. I like the smell of roasted beans. But I don't want that smell lingering indoors for days...and it would.

blacknbluebikes 

The Behmor does a good job on smoke and smell, but that's still a factor. I run mine in the basement. have to take the smoke detector batteries out, even though you don't see any smoke. no mess when operating, really. needs a simple-green interior wipedown every 5 runs. this is an art, not a science - you have to learn the "best run" parameters for given beans. 2nd the nomination on Burman, been buying there for years.

skijor

No reason to roast indoors as long as you've got electricity. I've roasted successfully in single digit weather.

RubeRad

I don't know anything about the various roasters now available, but the hot air popper was a huge step up from oven roasting in a cast iron skillet. (which I have also done.)[/QUOTE]
I've been looking in my local Salvation Army, but have never seen one.

Quote:

I'm low tech. I learned to roast beans on the cheap from the first, and then only, place in San Diego that sold green coffee beans in the 1970s, an old Israeli fellow. He said just use my wok, it would work fine. I don't have a wok anymore but still occasionally roast beans in a stainless steel skillet. It's still much better than ground coffee and most fresh roasted beans.

That's what I'm talkin bout! Gimme some more deets on this technique! I even have a propane burner (salvaged from a grill) I could use to do it outside

canklecat

The beans I got were very low in chaff, and I just blew it away. I didn't worry about the rest. It was still better than pre-roasted beans that were sitting around at the store.

I never minded the lingering odor. Smelled good to me. Even coffee pee smells better than regular pee.

canklecat

The reason for the wok, or any tall sided skillet, is to make it easier to flip the beans regularly while roasting. No need for a spatula. Just carefully shake and flip while heating.

It's usually best to stop before it looks roasted to your preference, since it'll continue roasting from retained heat for a minute or two. Pretty much like grilling a steak. After you've done it awhile it's easy.

If the fresh roasting trick seems appealing you might consider an automated doodad. I never use enough to justify another machine in my tiny kitchen. If anything I've eliminated some electric kitchen doodads just to save space on the counter tops and cupboards. The only kitchen doodad I miss is my old Belgian waffle maker, which was 30 years old or more by the time it died. I suppose I could have repaired it but, nah. I might buy another. Hard to duplicate that kind of crunchy texture with anything else. A Belgian waffle maker with bacon strips baked into the waffle is a bit of heaven.

RubeRad

I also have a tiny kitchen, and my wife is anti-coffee. I already don't own a coffee maker, just a melitta cuptop #4 filter-holder, and use that only on weekends. And I am generally predisposed to elbow grease vs spending money.

This looks like a good place for me to get started:

https://sweetmarias.com/skilletmethod.html

blacknbluebikes 

except the one reason... it's friggin cold. <chuckle>

skijor

Just gotta drink your "roasting beer" before it ices over.
#amateursDude