Coffee talk

Buzzy said:
A friend of mine turned me onto roasting green coffee beans - James uses an air popper similar to @troutpocket's. When James ground the beans and pressed them for me that afternoon, I knew I had to get into the game. For me, there's nothing like fresh roasted coffee, freshly ground. The freshness is unmistakable. I no longer buy coffee in cans or bags from the store.

My method is like @Matt B's. A heatgun, a bamboo spoon, a stainless steel mixing bowl. I rest the bowl on 1X mahogany boards set in a cardboard box:

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Check out the patina in the bowl! I stir the green beans constantly with the bamboo spoon while keeping the heat gun about a half inch above the beans. I'm a city roast guy - I don't like my beans burnt (Italian or French roast are too done for my liking) but with Columbian beans I will take them slightly into the second crack.

Oh the smells that come off green beans during the roast. I love it. My clothes get that roasted coffee smell (Matt - I do it at the garage door. When it's really cold or really windy I lower the garage door about halfway down to keep me from freezing.) ;-)
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The mixing bowl gets hot, very hot so I don't let the chaff build up in the box. I roast my batches in 1 cup increments to speed the process up. Usually Sunday mornings I roast three or four cups and that lasts a week to a week plus.

For me, roasting coffee is a joyous time. My wife loves the smells from roasting coffee and truly enjoys the product. I buy green beans in 5# bags from morecoffee.com.
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Wow, that's dedication to your cup🙂.
I literally just don't have the time in the mornings to go through all the steps. That's why I do the pour over on the weekend or days off.

Thanks for the references to the coffee sites.

For those who do their own roasts, does the amount of CO2 given off when roasting concern you at all ??
 
wanderingrichard said:
For those who do their own roasts, does the amount of CO2 given off when roasting concern you at all ??
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I roast at the garage door opening (with the door open) so no, I don't worry about CO2. You should see the gas release when you pour your 195F water over freshly ground (Baratza burr grinder) beans, some pretty nifty action with all the bubbling.
 
Roper said:
I guess I’m the outsider here. For a while I’ve had a mocha concoction from Costco for my morning drink. But lately I’ve gone back to tea, light and sweet. That means, black tea, honey, and a dribble of whole milk.
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Reminds me of how my Indian coworkers in Kuwait drank theirs... but use Nestle Full Sweet Cream instead of milk.
 
I’ve been roasting for 4 years or so. I’ve lost track at this point. I’ve done a couple hundred pounds by now. I have converted an old bread maker as my bean chamber and agitator. Use a harbor freight heat gun that I run through a router controller for a bit of adjustment for the heat. Added a thermocouple probe and reader to get bean temp. Then use a metal colander in a box with airflow from a shop vac providing fresh air over the beans. Works great. I do 13 ounces in a batch. Usually two roasts a week.

Not sure why these are uploading sideways. You get the idea though.

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Jerry Daschofsky said:
You can find the manual grinders, but the electric are almost same price.

BTW I love tea as well. Living in Europe, and spending a lot of time in the UK, I have a love for it. Have a glass tea pot plus the tea baskets for single cups. Really fell in love with the Irish breakfast teas last trip I did to Ireland. So now keep a bag of it on hand.
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I use this manual burr grinder: Hario Ceramic Coffee Mill - 'Skerton Plus' Manual Coffee Grinder 100g Coffee Capacity https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01LXZACFB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apan_glt_i_042RRKMXMV6SADH681J4 , when travelling. Otherwise I just use a cheap electric coffee and spice grinder I picked up for @ $12 at wally world almost 20 years ago.
 
FontinalisFin said:
I have this pre 2000 La Pavoni. A friend refurbished all the electrical with manufacturer parts. Evidently all the club's like this machine, has to be pre 2000 for the quality machine. Maybe I'll throw it up in the classified if that gets going here. View attachment 922
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I've been looking for one of those for quite a long time. Quite a long time. These are the Zen-manual-technique-machines of espresso. They will break your heart ten thousand times before you attain coffee Nirvana.

PM me when you're ready to sell.

--Dave E.
aka Ceviche
 
BriGuy said:
She doesn't like coffee, unfortunately. I used to brew espresso when she was pregnant with morning sickness. I saw the look of imminent doom in her eyes. :mad:
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I got that look for making toast that she asked for…
 
Ceviche said:
I've been looking for one of those for quite a long time. Quite a long time. These are the Zen-manual-technique-machines of espresso. They will break your heart ten thousand times before you attain coffee Nirvana.

PM me when you're ready to sell.

--Dave E.
aka Ceviche
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Oh yes... I never quite figured it out, and it quickly got retired to its home on the shelf when I realized it was not practical in a retail setting.
 
Russell said:
A little bit of a coffee geek but not roasting my own yet.
Some great small local roasters down here like chocolate fish that I buy from. Much better roasts than the Seattle big name stuff I grew up drinking.
My favorite tasting coffee comes from the mocamaster and the hario drip.
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I never found the love for our MocaMaster. It’s currently on the shelf and we’re using a clever dripper for our daily coffee. If anyone is unfamiliar think French press but with a filter. Makes a great easy cup.
 
I’m the only coffee drinker at my house. My daily cup is from an Aeropress. I like my Bialetti Moka Pot sometimes but it’s a finicky device. Worked great over the weekend though.

I use a French press to make a larger quantity and also for making cold brew in the summer.

Man, cold brew with a good city roast Ethiopian is special! It’s my summer go-to.
 
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troutpocket said:
I’m the only coffee drinker at my house. My daily cup is from an Aeropress. I like my Bialetti Moka Pot sometimes but it’s a finicky device. Worked great over the weekend though.

I use a French press to make a larger quantity and also for making cold brew in the summer.

Man, cold brew with a good city roast Ethiopian is special! It’s my summer go-to.
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I ordered the Nostalgia electric popcorn popper from Sweet Maria's. It looks similar to what you showed you use. Is it the same? Any tips for using it? How much do you roast at a time?
www.sweetmarias.com

Nostalgia Electric Popcorn Popper

Electric popcorn poppers are a fun and easy way to get started roasting with little investment. Choose one of our 4lb or 8lb green coffee samplers from the menu below and you will be roasting in no time. Since you will be using it to roast coffee, a purpose other than what it was designed for...
www.sweetmarias.com www.sweetmarias.com
 
Matt B said:
I ordered the Nostalgia electric popcorn popper from Sweet Maria's. It looks similar to what you showed you use. Is it the same? Any tips for using it? How much do you roast at a time?
www.sweetmarias.com

Nostalgia Electric Popcorn Popper

Electric popcorn poppers are a fun and easy way to get started roasting with little investment. Choose one of our 4lb or 8lb green coffee samplers from the menu below and you will be roasting in no time. Since you will be using it to roast coffee, a purpose other than what it was designed for...
www.sweetmarias.com www.sweetmarias.com
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Yes same one! I’m on my second popper; first one fizzled after 4.5 years and 100+ pounds of beans.

I use a kitchen scale to weigh out 4 oz batches. During roasting I use a 50’ extension cord to provide some extra electrical resistance. Supposed to be a good thing to slow down the roast. The popper gets hot! I gently shake the popper during the entire roast to avoid burning beans.

I recommend working outside. The chaf goes everywhere and the aroma is intense. I gauge doneness on time, color, and smell. Since you like light roasts, you’ll hear the first crack progress and see the color changes. I usually get the start of first crack at 3-5 minutes and it lasts until 6-8 minutes. You could be done at that point. Fine tune from there. 30 seconds makes a difference.

Ambient temperature also makes a difference. In general, I get a good roast at anything above 40F. Wind can be an issue for me but probably less so for you?
 
Did you get the popper with the 4lb beans assortment? The popper is free if you buy the beans. Pretty low risk investment!
 
troutpocket said:
1. 30 seconds makes a difference.

2. Ambient temperature also makes a difference. In general, I get a good roast at anything above 40F. Wind can be an issue for me but probably less so for you?
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1. Yup - I dump my beans from the big stirring pot into a stainless steel colander and transfer back and forth into a strainer to cool the beans as quickly as possible.

2. They sure do roast faster in the summer than in the winter ;-)
 
troutpocket said:
Did you get the popper with the 4lb beans assortment? The popper is free if you buy the beans. Pretty low risk investment!
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Yes, I needed to re-order beans anyway and took a look at what they had for “roasters” and figured it’s a no-brainer when it comes with 4 lbs of beans. I ordered 5 more lbs on top of that which will last me several months.
I roast in my detached garage so messiness and wind aren’t issues. I also use a cooling colander. Agitation in the colander helps loosen any remaining chaf, too.

That’s a fast roast, much faster than I ever get with my heat gun method, which I suspect is so much slower due to it being in an open top container during the roast. But, I also have been roasting ~8 oz at a time (Half a 1-lb. bag). Supposedly you want your roast to be not too fast/not too slow. And yeah when it is freezing temps out there it seems to add 5-8 minutes to my roast time over roasts during 60 or 70 degree temps.
 
Matt B said:
Yes, I needed to re-order beans anyway and took a look at what they had for “roasters” and figured it’s a no-brainer when it comes with 4 lbs of beans. I ordered 5 more lbs on top of that which will last me several months.
I roast in my detached garage so messiness and wind aren’t issues. I also use a cooling colander. Agitation in the colander helps loosen any remaining chaf, too.

That’s a fast roast, much faster than I ever get with my heat gun method, which I suspect is so much slower due to it being in an open top container during the roast. But, I also have been roasting ~8 oz at a time (Half a 1-lb. bag). Supposedly you want your roast to be not too fast/not too slow. And yeah when it is freezing temps out there it seems to add 5-8 minutes to my roast time over roasts during 60 or 70 degree temps.
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You’ll get it dialed quick. One other comment- I don’t bother with the plastic cap on the roaster. There’s plenty of heat without it.
 
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