[Silver]

Has anyone ever done this? I finally got around to trying it in a popcorn maker, and it was extremely easy and the beans look nice and even. I'm going to let them rest for a bit, and try some espresso with them...but it's looking like green coffee beans might be the way to go from now on for me.

I'd be interested to hear if any other monkeys have tired this and what they thought.

 

[fonseca]

I used to do that on a daily basis. I used an air popper too, one where the air comes from vents on the sides and not straight up from the bottom; the former does a much better job.

The green coffee beans are also very economical and keep for a long time. I highly recommend Mayorga for both green and roasted beans, they have extremely high quality beans and are great to deal with. I actually visited their facilities a few years back.

I stopped roasting because it eventually grew to be too much trouble, timewise and because of the smoke emitted. I rarely grind my own beans either, even though I own several nice burr grinders. The industrial grinders do a better job IMO, no fine powder like with burr grinders. Burr grinders are still worlds better than the blade models though.

Now I go to Rostov's coffee shop, where they roast daily. I buy in quarter and half pound bags. Or I'll buy online and get whole beans.

 

[Silver]

I was driving to a small coffee shop where they did their own roasting daily, but I like having more control over the whole process. Plus, since the green beans are good for a couple years instead of just a week, the amount of time it takes to roast some beans is trivial for me over the amount of time driving to get good roasted ones....I just did a second batch tonight, and I'm super happy with what I've got.

Plus, it's a lot cheaper. I don't drink a ton of coffee every day, but It'll save me some money in the long run

Thanks for the link, I'll definitely check them out!

 

[EBasil]

We roast our own coffee, using the small FreshRoast air unit which lets us roast in what amounts to one-pot batches if we like. Since several of the coffees we're roasting like to rest for over 24hours after roasting, we sometimes do more than a batch per day, but typically fire off at least one roast under the range-hood extractor fan every night.

Lots of control, lots of different coffees to try at different roasts and blends.

We get our beans from SweetMarias.com, and have found their stock and information to be excellent. They sell roasters bundled with bean selections, and we've used that for very much-appreciated gifts.

 

[fonseca]

Plus, it's a lot cheaper. I don't drink a ton of coffee every day, but It'll save me some money in the long run

That's what I said to my friends too, but it has ways of getting expensive.

Soon you'll need a rotary drum roaster to really get the perfect roast with complete control, and a conical burr grinder to get an even grind and not ruin the flavor with heat like a blade grinder and cheaper burr grinders do. Then, you'll have to get a good coffee/espresso machine to enjoy the end product to its fullest.

I got into beer brewing, which sort of pushed coffee roasting to the side. That also has a way of starting off economical and getting ridiculously expensive. Biking too, for that matter.

 

[Silver]

Oh, I'm already a coffee nut. I have a passable espresso machine, I'm not going to need a drum roaster (apparently a heat gun and a dog bowl work just as well, believe it or not) and I've already gone crazy with the grinder (but I won't need to buy a grinder again, ever.)

One of these is on the way, my Solis wasn't grinding consistent enough for a good shot:

 

[EBasil]

a heat gun and a dog bowl work just as well, believe it or not...

Okay, you are going to have to post a photo of your heat gun in the dog bowl with beans floating around in a swirl. :dancing:

 

[Silver]

Okay, you are going to have to post a photo of your heat gun in the dog bowl with beans floating around in a swirl. :dancing:

I haven't done it yet, but when I do, I'll post some pics of the final result

My neighbours are going to be wondering what all the smoke and chaff is floating around in my back yard...

 

[EBasil]

Just one hour after our latest load of beans arrived from Sweet Maria (2 days, $6 shipping), it looks like we killed our Fresh Roast+...very low air pressure coming out of the blower.

We also have a heat gun...

 

[Silver]

Just one hour after our latest load of beans arrived from Sweet Maria (2 days, $6 shipping), it looks like we killed our Fresh Roast+...very low air pressure coming out of the blower.

We also have a heat gun...

I have six pounds of beans and a heatgun currently on the way

 

[Silver]

Ok, I said I'd post pics when I did it, so here goes:

Getting started:

 

[Silver]

My faithful assistant:

 

[Silver]

And the results. This was after about 12 minutes, approximately 35 seconds into the second crack. I won't know how it tastes until tomorrow, but I'm really happy with the results so far. It was easy, and I did 10 ounces of green beans in 15 minutes total, including prep time.

 

[TN]

I just started roasting a few weeks ago with a toastmaster popper. It it so much fun. I am still learning to identify roasts & have not roasted a bad batch yet. I am really digging the lighter roasts now.