Since we have a lot of DIYers here, and also a lot who seem to enjoy “Gourmet” foods, I thought I might share something. One of my many other vices is that I roast my own coffee. :oops:
It is pretty easy, and you can try it / start without much of a $$$ investment at all. Even your bad batches will be a lot better than most anything you’ve drank before. There’s the hook (trust me).
So, if you’re interested, read further.
I am willing to tutor/coach anyone here wanting to give this a try. You get to consume your results, and you can save money. Just like any other addiction, I mean, habit, I mean, hobby, you can also go overboard and spend the savings on equipment.
So, speak up, and let’s see if this is worth the time and bb space.
Hmm, I just realized there’s no option on here for a poll. Too bad. The options were going to be:
Great! Sign me up!
Curiously interested.
Roast my own coffee? Why? What’s wrong with Folgers?
I’ll wait and watch from the sidelines to see how this one evolves. I have enough vises & vices right now to keep me going. Maybe in the winter I’ll swap some bread for some fresh grind.
Good Luck. There are now FAOL Bread Addicts thanks to me, so maybe you can get some coffee addicts as well. I’ll bet your coffee would go great with some of my bread. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm… Sounds like the makings of a “What’s Cooking” article for LF.
I have been roasting my own for a couple of years now. I first used an electric popcorn popper and now use an old hand crank popper heated by my propane camp stove.
I buy organic coffee from Coasta Rica for $4 per lb. Three of us go thru about 10 lbs. every six weeks.
Hmmmmmmmmmmm COFFEE ROASTING, eh?
Yes, as RARE as it appears to BE, OhioTubers IS right this time! I, do, roast my own coffee and have for over 16 years now. You’re right… “Nothing better” and by far, it’s cheaper way to go if you consume a fair amount of coffee!
I have 3 roasters, a #1, #3 and a #5. I get my coffee, (green beans), luckily, from a local roaster right near my home. so no freight’s involved and that makes it right at $3.95 a pound for beans.
I’ve used the crank style popcorn popper and they DO work pretty well for a very cheap way to roast good coffee! Since I also “roast to sell”, though, I have to have a bit more precise roasts, time after time, so thus my switch to the different roasters I use.
I think the topic’s a good one if it takes off!! Cant’ let all those “Dough God’s” get all the gourmet credit!?!
Wow, 16 years??? :eek: And I thought the 5 years I’ve been roasting at home was a lot! :rolleyes:
I roast in a slightly modified West Bend Poppery I, and get about 1/3# to 1/2# per batch. This has fulfilled my needs so far, and I’ve stuck with this method to keep my investment cost down (except I have about 6 Poppery I’s, and a few original Pumpers). I’ve had the itch to try a couple other methods, but A) haven’t had the time, and B) didn’t want to spend the money. I usually roast once a week, doing about 2-4 batches total (1 or two different coffees for drip/press/vac pot and 1 or 2 batches of an espersso blend), and it takes me about an hour at most.
I can get green locally, but it usually runs about $6/lb, so I get my green from SM most of the time (those of you that stay tuned will find out what those initials mean later). When I lived in TX, my local Costco roasted coffee and I could buy their green for about $4/lb, which wasn’t too bad.
I hope we can enlighten a few folks here!!! :mrgreen:
Glad others roast here. I have an Iroast 2. Been roasting for about two years now. Get my beans from UncleBeans and SweetMarias. nothing like fresh roast to warm up a cool river morning.
Thanks CO. I have been here a little, but have spent a ton of time reading. I got into coffee roasting on a cigar and pipe forum. Nothing in the world like it. look forward to reading, learning, and contributing where I can.
Great!! Now, another “pipe smoker” too!?! Things are looking up!!
(We better be careful, though and not start talking about “tobacco blending”, which I’ve enjoyed doing longer, than even roasting coffee!?).
CO;, when I can’t get certain Ethiopian beans, I may need, or certain Central Americans, I’ve used Sweet M’s too. A very nice site/company, to deal with and have never been disappointed in any of their products.
TB: You made me crawl around, here, in my tying room until I finally found my last purchased hand crank-stove top-popcorn popper! I picked it up at a sale, thinking I’d maybe try using it on some Midnight Malabar beans I had, that I wanted to watch roast very carefully, but never got around to it!! So, if someone’s interested in getting started, roasting in that manner maybe we can work something out, to get them started with this one!?! I don’t think, it’s even been used for popping corn, more than one… maybe, two, times!?!
I would like to roast my own. I would like to turn out something close to Starbucks “Gold Coast” coffee. I like strong rich flavor…stronger than most people…but still not too overboard. When does the tutoring start? So far it’s a thread about doing it. I need to PM you? That’s ok. Just wondering where to go from here.
BTW…what’s wrong with Folgers? YUK! I’m too too old. Have consumed far too much MJB, Maxwell House and Folgers in my time. I absolutely detest Maxwell House. I also do not like Sumatra. Sooooo a good rich homemade coffee would sure be nice for me to accomplish.
Big question though is how and what with…you grind. I had a grinder that you could vary the settings etc. Went belly up. With that much grinding to do…would need to know what grinder to purchase. Not all of them are any good.
I’ve been doing my own for years now. It is easy to get started. You can begin with nothing more than a hot air popcorn popper and some green coffee. It’s quick, easy, and makes vastly superior coffee to anything in the grocery store. Sweet Maria’s is a good source of “how-to” info.
I roasted my first batch, and my wife said we were never buying coffee from the store again. Now I roast to cover home, work, and my parents. I’ve also converted a local group of guys who roast their own, too.
I moved up to the iRoast2 a couple of years ago. It gives more control over your roast. I order beans from coffee bean direct, and am lucky enough to have a local roaster who will sell me green if I want it.
My favorites tend to be central american (columbian, el salvadore, guat, panama and nic), ethiopian (Yirg and Harrar), PNG, and the 6 bean blend from CBD.
I haven’t found a Kenya that I’ve been able to drink at any roast level. To me, it tastes like dirt. For those who like very dark roasts, it might be a good one to try. The indian monsooned and mexicans have never been good for me either.
Gemrod, as far as grinders, you will find a lot of opinions on the subject. I’ve tried several, but still use my cheap whirly grinder. It works great, and I haven’t been able to tell a difference between that and a burr grinder in the pot. I use it for both perk and espresso.
Some side notes for those interested:
The darker you roast, the more caffeine is destroyed. If you want the most kick, keep it to the lighter end of the spectrum. By lighter, I mean full city+ level or less. That is at the very start of 2nd crack. Usually I stay at city roast.
Also, dark roasting will often destroy the regional tastes of your beans. You’ll be amazed at how many flavors kick in from batch to batch. From a blueberry kick in the harrars, to the florals of Yirgacheffes, to the earthy tones of Kenyan. Lighter roasts usually bring out the best in most coffees (but not all). If you love the dark roasts, try roasting the same lot to different levels. If you try it with an open mind (and palette), you are in for a real treat. And you can see where you truly prefer your coffee.
Coffee Bean Direct or sweet marias. If you order 25 lbs, shipping is free. Or find a local commercial coffee roaster and buy beans from them. I recommend trying a sampler to start with. You can try different varieties and see where your tastes lie. Central American is usually a safe starting point also, and usually provides a good clean cup.
As far as how, Normand’s link is it. I started by going to a local thrift store and buying a hot air popper for $3. I think you can buy one new for $15 or so. Read up on the technique, and be prepared to experiment a little.
I roast it dark, well into second crack. Great smooth flavor and light caffeine so you can drink it pretty much anytime. We haven’t got tired of it at all even though it is all we have bought since I started roasting at home.
My coffee drinking started much like my fly fishing. A hacker indeed was I. My wife and I made coffee for the neighbor one day, she came in and looked at the cup of coffee that was more water than coffee and you could see through it more like a green tea than a coffee and said: “I don’t drink coffee that looks like that”. From there we became bean grinders and have went through a number of expresso machines.
These days we buy beans from the store and grind it in the store grinders instead of at home. We are getting lazy I guess.
It could be fun to roast some at home if I could find a local source of beans. I’m open to the idea. Never thought about it before.
