Coffee talk

[troutpocket]

Let’s get a thread going for coffee nerds. In my case, I’ve been roasting my own beans for five years. A coworker who always made himself an after-lunch coffee using an Aeropress turned me on to the process. I use a popcorn air-popper like this.

Depending on the beans and roast level, my roast times are 9-15 minutes for my 1/4 pound batches. Shorter time for delicate beans, like East African varieties. Longer for robust blends intended for espresso. I make about a 1/2 pound a week. There are others on the forum who roast at home. @Matt B @Buzzy @mtskibum16 ? You guys wanna talk about your process?

For Central American beans, I found a great source through Costco online. They offer Mayorga Honduras green beans in 5 pound bags. Good stuff!


And for a change up I’m really looking forward to trying these beans from the Big Island. I’m waiting until the weather improves before I start working with these. Ambient temperature around or below freezing isn’t conducive to a good roast.


Anyone else out there taking matters into their own hands?

 

[wanderingrichard]

I don't go quite that far. I like the San Francisco Coffee Roasters brand from costco.. my daily is a Cuisinart Grind and Brew on a timer for 430 am so when I get up, its already brewing.

On weekends, i use that same bag of coffee but do a finer grind with a home grinder and then do a pour over with a device i got from a Starbucks closeout sale. It was marked down to 50% off so , yeah ok I grabbed it.,

If you want great coffee when camping or whatever outdoor sport you enjoy, and cant lug all that gear, look for Kuju brand pour over bags. Theyre individual servings , but darn expensive .

 

[Matt B]

Kawwfee, Douawgs, Douawtuhs, let’s talk!

I guess I've been roasting coffee about 4 or 5 years too. I have never upgraded past the Harbor Freight heat gun, a metal bowl, and a wooden stirrer. I do a half pound at a time. It take me about twenty or twenty-five minutes and gives me an excuse to go out to the garage by myself and listen to a podcast, or my thoughts. That amount will usually last me about 2 weeks or so. I only drink one big cup a day. Every now and then another half cup or so if I need another boost. Any more than that and things get a little weird.
One of these days I'll get a popcorn maker set up. Probably when the heat gun dies, lol.
I really like fruitier coffees and tend to keep the roast light. Usually never past Full City and I like city or city+ usually. I can hardly even stand the smell of my wife’s charbucks Italian roast, blech. I’ve never done the full on cupping thing with different roasts of the same varietal but it would be fun sometime.
Until I come back with more details, talk amongst yourselves. I’ll give you a topic. Dubstep music is neither dub nor step nor musical. Discuss.

 

[iveofione]

It will be interesting to see where this thread goes. Back when I owned a new Lance travel trailer I joined the Lance owners club and got the news letter. One day a guy started a thread similar to this and it grew like mold on a dead salmon. The involved and elaborate rituals that some used to make coffee were amazing as was the seriousness of their endeavors. I have camped and fished with some that were equally as devout about their coffee. For years I drank coffee myself but always had bouts of prostatitis that were extremely painful and needed antibiotics to combat. About 20 years ago I got a new doctor and explained the situation to him and he immediately asked me if I drank coffee. At that point he told me to never drink caffeinated coffee again or any other drink or food that might contain caffeine. I took his advice and haven't had a problem since.

Nowadays I still have morning coffee but it is decaf bought in a big green tub at Costco and processed through a $13 Mr Coffee maker. I can't even remember what real coffee taste like but I can remember how painful it was for me to drink. Some people are allergic to peanut butter, I'm allergic to real coffee.

 

[Ceviche]

I don't own a roasting machine but have done it in a skillet. That happened because my wife sent me to Diva Espresso's roasting plant to score some burlap bags. Yup, there were enough stray beans found to justify the experiment. The beans ended up just shy of a Full
City roast. Quite the tasty brew. My only complaint was the chaff that covered the kitchen. Anyone use a system that does good chaff management?

I've seen these manual cranked stove-top roasters online. They look like they process only enough for a pot or a half-pot of joe. Looked cool, but I can see myself becoming a morning wreck having to wait that much longer to get my first cup of coffee.

 

[Buzzy]

I don't go quite that far. I like the San Francisco Coffee Roasters brand from costco.. my daily is a Cuisinart Grind and Brew on a timer for 430 am so when I get up, its already brewing.

On weekends, i use that same bag of coffee but do a finer grind with a home grinder and then do a pour over with a device i got from a Starbucks closeout sale. It was marked down to 50% off so , yeah ok I grabbed it.,

If you want great coffee when camping or whatever outdoor sport you enjoy, and cant lug all that gear, look for Kuju brand pour over bags. Theyre individual servings , but darn expensive .

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:


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.) ;-)

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.

 

[Matt B]

The involved and elaborate rituals that some used to make coffee were amazing as was the seriousness of their endeavors.

Yeah it’s one of those things. The same could be said about scotch, beer, bread, home-tied flies, etc.

 

[troutpocket]

My chaf management strategy is roasting outside

 

[Ceviche]

BTW, for those living near Federal Way, Caffé de Arte's roasting plant is located north of S 348th and 9th Ave S. 1lb bag of beans for $10.00 wholesale price. Open to the public. I always stop by if I'm in the area.

 

[troutpocket]

It will be interesting to see where this thread goes. Back when I owned a new Lance travel trailer I joined the Lance owners club and got the news letter. One day a guy started a thread similar to this and it grew like mold on a dead salmon. The involved and elaborate rituals that some used to make coffee were amazing as was the seriousness of their endeavors. I have camped and fished with some that were equally as devout about their coffee. For years I drank coffee myself but always had bouts of prostatitis that were extremely painful and needed antibiotics to combat. About 20 years ago I got a new doctor and explained the situation to him and he immediately asked me if I drank coffee. At that point he told me to never drink caffeinated coffee again or any other drink or food that might contain caffeine. I took his advice and haven't had a problem since.

Nowadays I still have morning coffee but it is decaf bought in a big green tub at Costco and processed through a $13 Mr Coffee maker. I can't even remember what real coffee taste like but I can remember how painful it was for me to drink. Some people are allergic to peanut butter, I'm allergic to real coffee.

It’s something how people get so involved with something like biscuits or pizza crust, right? We’re all fly fishers to begin with. Pretty wierd!

 

[Tom Butler]

My favorite setup, doesn't matter what you roast or put into it, it tastes like shit by the time it's ready. But it's about where you are and I like coffee.

 

[Tom Butler]

No, seriously, great thread. I drink coffee all day, but I'm not a connoisseur. Been using the krups for like 20 years. Equal parts steamed milk and coffee. Look forward to following this.

 

[Matt B]

Some people drink K-cups every day! There’s no accounting for taste.

That said, my caffeine habit is such that I’ll drink from a <shudder> Keurig if that’s what’s available. Any port in a storm.

 

[TicTokCroc]

I do pour over with mountain spring water collected at the site (Hwy 26 spring, coast range). We have a few good local roasters, I prefer whole bean and grind before brewing. At this point, I only drink 1 maybe 2 cups a day. I sold my 3 grouphead espresso machine, that was a sad day. But when your surounded by no less then 16 retail coffee joints I couldnt make it pencil out. I'm guessing my next step will be to roast my own, I'll keep an eye on this.

 

[Matt B]

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:

View attachment 868
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.) ;-)
View attachment 869
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.

What’s the box for?

 

[BriGuy]

It will be interesting to see where this thread goes. Back when I owned a new Lance travel trailer I joined the Lance owners club and got the news letter. One day a guy started a thread similar to this and it grew like mold on a dead salmon. The involved and elaborate rituals that some used to make coffee were amazing as was the seriousness of their endeavors. I have camped and fished with some that were equally as devout about their coffee. For years I drank coffee myself but always had bouts of prostatitis that were extremely painful and needed antibiotics to combat. About 20 years ago I got a new doctor and explained the situation to him and he immediately asked me if I drank coffee. At that point he told me to never drink caffeinated coffee again or any other drink or food that might contain caffeine. I took his advice and haven't had a problem since.

Nowadays I still have morning coffee but it is decaf bought in a big green tub at Costco and processed through a $13 Mr Coffee maker. I can't even remember what real coffee taste like but I can remember how painful it was for me to drink. Some people are allergic to peanut butter, I'm allergic to real coffee.

Boy, is Ive right about going off the deep end in search of esoteric coffee goodness. Like fly fishing, there are lots of forums, resources and enthusiasts. You can get in really deep if you wish. Need an example, just view some of James Hoffman's Youtube videos for some good tech talks.

Before you do, let me say that many of us in the fly fishing community roll the same way. We lust after expensive rods, geek out over bamboo and old reels, like good whisk(e)y and beer, tie the most elaborate flies, hunt unicorns (steelhead) and are ever searching for the perfect fishing outing. Anal-retentiveness runs deep in our collective DNA. Be forewarned if you go down this path.

Here's my latest affliction. My SIL gave me her old espresso machine. I started trying to get it to brew shots as good or better than I can get at a cafe. I've upgraded the filter basket and have now performed what is known as the "dimmer mod" to reduce/control the pressure it uses to brew. Note the dimmer switch on top of the machine that is wired in series with the pump in the following photo:



It's on my workbench because it's just a little sketchy and dangerous. Don't tell OSHA.

I'm still searching for that perfect shot. Next up is an expensive grinder because more, and better gear fixes everything.

God, please help me...

 

[iveofione]

Boy, is Ive right about going off the deep end in search of esoteric coffee goodness. Like fly fishing, there are lots of forums, resources and enthusiasts. You can get in really deep if you wish. Need an example, just view some of James Hoffman's Youtube videos for some good tech talks.

Before you do, let me say that many of us in the fly fishing community roll the same way. We lust after expensive rods, geek out over bamboo and old reels, like good whisk(e)y and beer, tie the most elaborate flies, hunt unicorns (steelhead) and are ever searching for the perfect fishing outing. Anal-retentiveness runs deep in our collective DNA. Be forewarned if you go down this path.

Here's my latest affliction. My SIL gave me her old espresso machine. I started trying to get it to brew shots as good or better than I can get at a cafe. I've upgraded the filter basket and have now performed what is known as the "dimmer mod" to reduce/control the pressure it uses to brew. Note the dimmer switch on top of the machine that is wired in series with the pump in the following photo:

View attachment 888

It's on my workbench because it's just a little sketchy and dangerous. Don't tell OSHA.

I'm still searching for that perfect shot. Next up is an expensive grinder because more, and better gear fixes everything.

God, please help me...

Man, I love this kind of tinkering! NEVER leave well enough alone....

 

[Ceviche]

Green coffee beans can be had at Good Coffee Company, Downtown over on Post Alley between Marion and Colombia.

Be forewarned that the owner is this really old guy and is really close to being stone-cold deaf. Come to think of it, I wonder if he's still alive.

 

[Buzzy]

What’s the box for?

The box contains the boards and bowl and provides some insulation if there's any wind.

 

[TicTokCroc]

Making coffee right now.... You all check your water temp right?