Home Coffee Roasting

Does anyone roast their own coffee at home? I've recently started doing it and I was surprised at how easy it is and how cheap it can be. It's also the BEST coffee I've ever tasted. I've found the best/cheapest way to get into it is by using an air popcorn popper. You can find them for around $20-30 on eBay and it only takes about 10 minutes to roast 80g of coffee. Check out Sweet Marias website for green coffee beans (Sweet Maria's site).

Here's a video to show you how to roast them in the popper - popcorn popper coffee roasting

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Comments

specialk22tt

Really? Nobody does this? Fine, go on drinking your stale over-roasted coffee covered in rancid oil…

DiggingDogFarm_65362

I do, but I don't use a popcorn popper, just a Lodge cast iron melting pot which I've had for years and a wooden spoon.

~Martin

jeff_51656

I've been home roasting for about 1.5 years now and agree that it is a great alternative to stale, over-roasted coffee and also very fun. I'm in Seattle, so I have access to good coffee, but still enjoy roasting my own for the majority of coffee I drink. I started on a popcorn popper and moved up to the Behmor after I got more into it. http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/coffee-roasters/drum-roasters/behmor.html. I've roasted almost 50 lbs. with the Behmor and considering I pay about $5-8 per pound green roasted and good roasted coffee is easily $15+ per pound, the roaster has paid for itself already.

specialk22tt

@Digging - I haven't seen that method yet. Do you get scorch marks on the beans or do you just stir constantly?

@Jeff, I'm envious that you're near places like Vivance. I still haven't had a God shot, but one day. One day. I totally agree that home roasted coffee tastes significantly superior than pretty much any store bought coffee around and the price point is quite nice as you've said. If things improve, I might get a Behmor. Any complaints about it?

DiggingDogFarm_65362

@Kevin

They must be stirred constantly, no scorching.

~Martin

jeff_51656

@Kevin - The only major issue with the Behmor is roasting very dark causes a lot of smoke and can pose a potential fire hazard. However, that is not an issue for me because I don't usually want to roast very dark. Even at lower roast levels there is a good amount of smoke, so if you are considering it I would make sure you can use it in (a) a garage or outside, (b) near a window, or (c) in combination with a very good kitchen ventilation system that vents to the outside. Otherwise you will have a pretty smokey house and smoke detectors going off constantly. I roast near the window and it doesn't pose a problem other than the fact that I have to disable my smoke detector for a few minutes (though my smoke detector is super sensitive in my current apartment and basically goes off anytime I cook anything).

Johan_Edstrom_5586

DiggingDogFarm @Jeff, now I have a roaster and the Amazen smoker on order

prince_of_porcelain

@Johan - I started trying to convince my wife that roasting our own coffee is a good idea. It's going to take a little more time.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

I asked mine if she didn't want a coffee roaster for Fathers Day.

specialk22tt

@Jeff - Thanks for the info. I'm using the air popper outside because of the smoke and the darn chaff flies everywhere! I'll take a look into the Behmor.

@Brian - If you tell her the initial cost is only $25 with the air popper and the price of coffee is less than a typical cheaper 1lb bag, have her taste the first proper roasted batch and let her decide. That's what I did with my wife and there was no turning back.

@Johan - Do it!

Johan_Edstrom_5586

Guys!

I'm in love!!!!

https://plus.google.com/photos/112827635720941213700/albums/5899792772668965633/5899792772428978914

specialk22tt

@Johan - looks awesome! By the characteristics, I would guess that's a city+ roast = well balanced roast with some retained acidity. Wonderful job. What did you use?

Johan_Edstrom_5586

I got that Behmor 1600, still just playing around, what I really should do is find some logging software for

beans, times and temps. This was 11minutes on the P1+B profile.

specialk22tt

IF you can wait 48-72 hrs, that's the peak of the roast.

I often can't wait that long. Haha.

Did the Behmor put off much smoke?

Johan_Edstrom_5586

To this cycle pretty much none, if you go past 2nd for a really dark roast it'll have some smoke but at that point I think you've really gone too far anyways. I've had a hard time waiting 24h...

specialk22tt

Awesome. Thanks and enjoy!

Johan_Edstrom_5586

@Kevin, no thank you! I needed a kick in the butt to get back on track with this.

I started roasting when I was contracting at Cisco, they have a pretty epic group of

coffee heads in a few of the software departments there and access to great beans,

I'll try and get some of them in here.

dzambrano_72198

I'm getting into roasting but can't find specific info. Does anyone know the temperature ranges the coffee beans should reach in each roasting step? I'm not talking about the temperature at which you set the oven, roaster, etc but the coffee beans themselves. This would help experimenting with different roasting methods and adjusting them with time/temp.

Cheers.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

http://www.sweetmarias.com/roastedcoffee_grindVSsurfacecolor.html

https://www.sweetmarias.com/library/content/using-sight-determine-degree-roast

specialk22tt

@Johan - you're more than welcome my friend. Do you happen to know any good software programmers in St Louis?

Johan_Edstrom_5586

@Kevin, not locally we do travel

Johan_Edstrom_5586

This mornings roast, 16 oz, 20 minutes in a drum roaster. (Behmor 1600), Program p2, B. Two batches.

Ethiopian Gr2 beans.

specialk22tt

@Johan - Looks like a FC+. May be a little dark covering up the beautiful floral notes.

Johan_Edstrom_5586

@Kevin lately my roasts are much lighter, that was pretty bad. Put in context,

specialk22tt

@Johan - Glad to hear they've improved. I recently bought a Behmor 1600 too after exhausting my popcorn popper. SO much more control over the timing and far superior roasts. I love it!

Brandon_Byrd_40557

Anyone tried using a Thermomix to roast beans?

Johan_Edstrom_5586

@Kevin got the same one, Seem to use P1 the most

specialk22tt

@Johan - I as well.