by BrentR 10 Replies latest social physical
I have been roasting my own coffee for over three years. It is very simple and you probably allready have the utensils needed in your kitchen. You can save at least 50% or more and get much better quality coffee. I never spend more then $4 a lbs on green coffee beans and $3.50 is more often the average cost.
I can post a quickie description of the process w/pics if anyone is interested.
The aroma of baking bread and roasting coffee must be the best things that can fill a house. I never roasted coffee but I experienced the wonderful aroma of the process when walking near shops that do it.
What equipment does one need and which are your favourite coffee beans or mixes of these? It sounds like an interesting idea, much better than instant coffee.
Someone told me once that they had a friend who did his own roasting in a popcorn popper! It was a particular brand that was supposed to roast the beans to perfection. Have any of you heard of that?
Well, I'm not a coffee drinker anymore, but maybe if I could roast the beans to my liking or add my own flavorings, I might be tempted to try it again.
I love the aromas of home made bread, home baked pies and cookies, and home made soup or stew. I'll have to give the coffee bean roasting a try.
I'm interested!
The simplest way is to use a cast iron pot or frying pan over an outdoor hot plate or propane burner. The smoke is pretty obnoxious smelling so don't try it inside. For this demo. I used the side burner on my gas BBQ.
Fill the pot/pan up with 2 +/- cups of green coffee beans. I buy mine from the coffee project in CA. They usually have the lowest prices and a good selection.http://coffeeproject.com
The pot needs to placed on the burner on high to get it up to 375-400 degrees (F). Use a wooden spoon since plastic will melt. Start stirring the beans just like you would with stir frying.
In about 7-10 minutes the beans will start carmelizing and smoking, keep stirring and use a small fan to blow the smoke away. After 10-12 minutes the beans will start making a cracking sound, this is referred to as "first crack" and the beans will be at a light to med roast in color.
Depending on your heat source the beans will continue to roast and get darker. It is important to keep stirring them so the heat is distributed evenly.
I like dark roast which takes 20-25 minutes on a hotplate. When they get to just under your desired color take them off the heat since they will continue to roast. At this point they will begin cracking again which is the second crack.
You should dump them into a stainless steel mixing bowl and spray them with cold water to stop the roast and cool them down now. After the beans have cooled they need to be de-chaffed. I use a small clip-on fan and pour the beans from one container into another one letting the fan blow the light chaff away. This is another good reason to do it outside since the chaff is very messy.
When the beans have been de-chaffed they can be stored in an airtight container at room temp. and are ready to be ground for that first pot of java. The taste and smell is out of this world compared to that old oxidized stuff that has been sitting in the bulk bins at your local grocery stores for god knows how long.
The Coffee project also carries roasters and mylar gas valve bags which are great ways to give fresh roasted beans as gifts or to mail them.
I like to roast two pounds at a time so I built a stainless steel drum that slides onto the rotiserie skewer. It has a chaff window with 1/4" steel mesh on one side and a latching door on the other. It goes onto the skewer and the motor turns it while roasting. The drum can easily be slid off so I can still put a shank of meat on it.
I really like Jamaica Blue MOuntain coffee but it is over $30 a Lbs. If you roast your own the beans are around $25 per Lbs. You also get more choices of beans then most stores offer not to mention getting the exact color of roast you like.
So has anyone tried it yet? It is one of those very rare things that you will very likely get it right on the first try.
I forgot to mention that if it is breezy outside that will also blow the chaff away instead of a fan.
(how come we can't edit a post after 24 hrs?)
Thanks BrentR!
I just read that if you do not buy coffee every day and make your own you will save $1500 a year. Since home roasting cost's less then half of store bought then you could save $3000 per year. That is a worthy hobby to have IMHO.
I takes me 20-25 minutes every two weeks to roast my coffee. During those 25 minutes I can be doing other things while I keep an eye on the beans.
