Who does it? Whatcha think about it? Hows it come out? How easy is it to do? I think I'm going to order a stove top popcorn popper from SMs, an oven thermometer, and a 8lb sample pack. I think its the only affordable way to go because roasting anything less than a half a pound in a sitting is a waste of time. At least that can get me through a few days.
Sounds like a great plan, fresh beans are delicious and make some very nice crema Get some of the vented ziploc bags to keep it fresh and allow for off gassing
Well, I've come to the conclusion that I'm never going to get anything too amazing of a shot from the machine I have. I mean theyre good, but not a ristretto or anything. I think I'll check out the 2 coffee shops around here and see if they can pull a decent shot. I know they can both rock the microfoam and make a great cap, but pulling a great shots a whole nother story. Maybe I'll stop by this weekend while studying.
Stovetop roasting can make a lot of smoke, I would do it outside if possible as it can really smoke your house up........Trust me it's easy to do and doesn't take too long to roast up a batch. Then you'll want to let it off gas for 48-72 hours.....it will also loose some of the green taste than can be experienced if using it right after roasting.
That will work or a Coleman camping stove works nicely and only gets the heat where you need it. You could try a batch prior to buying the gear if you have a cast iron skillet, they work pretty good......you'll just need to keep stirring the beans.....it doesn't provide the most even roast...but works well enough.
I was reading about the cast iron skillet but it looked somewhat difficult. I unfortunately dont have any camping gear and dont want to make a bigger investment than what I'm going to start with. The BBQ at home where I'll be living for a while has 3 zones so I can just turn on the middle and have some control over where the flame is. It should be fun sitting there for 15 minutes stirring it. I'll have to figure out how to mount the thermometer in the popcorn popper to get a half decent temp. reading. This looks like it'll be a bumpy road. I can just give bad coffee to people I dont like.
The pan method really isn't too hard and the coffee you roast from it will still be better than anything you can buy in a grocery store. A handheld pistol grip IR thermometer comes in handy but isn't necessary. For my roasting setup I spent about $30 on equipment - 3qt cast iron pot/pan, dedicated metal whisk, pizza pan (cookie sheet with holes for cooling coffee), and mason jars.
Interesting. I think the poppers going to be the way to go though just because its so easy and cheap. Besides the popper, I'll just need a thermometer.
Lately, Ive been doing mine INSIDE the oven on a baking sheet Much easier than the stovetop method and the smoke is mucho reduced.
I want to try home roasting but my dad thinks I'll burn the house down if I do it inside or set the lawn on fire if I do it outside.
I have an I Roast-2 and it works great especially after I added a probe thermometer so I could get an accurate reading. The on board thermometer is a total joke.
JayKay, Use to spend $5/day at starbucks, then started to roast and grind my own. It's way better and way cheaper. I got a cheap ($4) popcorn popper, opened it and jumped the thermal cut-out switch so it continuosly runs (heats). It's 1200 watts...i think you'd want at least a 1000 watt one. Roast a hopperful each every 1-2 evenings let them sit for a little bit on a flat surface (lets gas escape while cooling) then store them for a bit before using (I pop them in the grinder hopper overnite) Roast outside. Starbucks chills their beans with nitrogen after roasting, I tried to rapid cool in freezer...but Im not sure if it makes much difference. Any way, trick is to get good beans. I buy Kenya AA, Sumatra from Dunn Bros. usually less than $6/lb. You can find deals on web. Best beans ever were some Kenya AAA, but hard to find. Awesome taste. If you buy Caribou or Starbucks coffee for $10/10 oz bags...this is the way to go. Better coffee, way cheaper, and classy The ladies think I am very sophisticated, but it's really just practicality. Does anyone do espresso? I am looking at a Breville 800? Any advice?
Thanks for the advice yodink. Welcome to TSD. I currently buy beans from local roasters for about $11/lb. Its great coffee but I could do it cheaper. I'm going to go with a stove top popcorn popper cause I need to make atleast half a pound at a time. Dont put your beans in the freezer, it just destroys them. Cold fractures the different chemicals in the bean and it ruins the taste of a great fresh roasted coffee. I've never heard of flash freezing coffee but in theory it would work the same way as freeze drying. The flash process should stop the molecules from breaking apart but unless you rapidly defrost the beans they'll become destroyed anyway when ice crystals form inside. Dont waste your money on the Breville 800. If your looking to spend under $500 than the saeco aroma is the best you'll get IMHO. The gaggia baby is another one in a similar price range. I would suggest stepping it up to atleast a rancillo silva if you want to see the same results you'd get at a great cafe. But ontop of that, plan to spend at least a couple hundred on a grinder but probably more.
Welcome to TSD Yodink! A lot of great info there. I have never tried a Breville looks like a nice machine though. I would read some reviews at coffeegeek and maybe look at a few online stores like Wholelattelove Enjoy your stay :happy005
