A skillet is certainly doable and people do it. Just be prepared for inconsistency and acute burns on the beans. After several cast iron roasts, I quickly moved to an air unit and never looked back.
Home Roasting Coffee Beans?
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This is great guidance!I'd suggest a hot air popcorn popper for around $25 to start with, and a sampler of green beans from a supplier. If you want to spend more and get something a bit more substantial, I've had good luck with a Fresh Roast roaster until I wore the 1st one out (10-15 yrs of use) and burned the 2nd one up. They'll set you back about $150 but the popcorn popper get's you past the 1st crack of the roasting beans and into the delicious flavor region (about 400 F) for a lot less money. I've had good service from sweetmarias.com (no affiliation) plus they have a bunch of helpful videos and articles. I keep my roaster on a worktable in the garage and dump the beans in each week, usually about 6 minutes roasting time and then a 3 minute cool down--10 minutes I'm wrapped up & ready for the plunge pot (no filter expense) or La Marzoco Mini the next day for a double shot
kindly
mike
The coffee came out pretty good, but my arms were incredibly tired hahaha. One second too long without movement and the beans get scorched and the taste suffers. I’ve also done it over a campfire...popcorn poppers are much less effort!
Will any popcorn machine do or does it need to have temperature control? The ones I have found so far only have an on/off switch so wouldn't allow you to set the roasting temperature.
I roast all my coffee beans at Maxwell's house.Anyone out there who roasts your own coffee beans? Just wondering how many of us are there
mike
I had a coffee bean plant a few years ago. Took about 3 years for it to reach age for beans then I roasted them in the oven. Made some great coffee....just something I did for fun. If I had 28 plants I would be set!
Check out Sweet Marias website. They have lots of good info on home roasting and sell green coffee too.
I started out with a popcorn popper and moved to the current Behmor 1600. I would like a Hottop but really like doing full 1 pound roasts. I also roast for two of my neighbors, so reducing capacity is not really possible and the next step up is in the thousands of dollars...
I almost went with the Behmor before deciding on the SR800 air roaster. Going to a professional sampling roaster eventually would certainly be great. The SR800 tops out at 8oz and can struggle depending on how much chafe is clogging up the collector. How does the Behmor handle it?
Turns out I have been in Lightmybriars coffee shop many times. Small world...
FYI...BEST Espresso in the City (and I am an espresso hound).
FYI...BEST Espresso in the City (and I am an espresso hound).
It does struggle with darker roasts, but you can do smaller weight in the drum but still run it like a full pound. My only issues have been self induced, not catching the safety shutoff before the time limit, running in manual mode and letting it get too hot, etc. All built-in safety features.
I get very consistent roasts and have been doing it for so long I can pretty accurately reproduce my different roasts (at least to my palate)
How cool is this? Too funny! Very glad you like the espresso, we are very proud of it! Hope the silly decor and unending goofiness of my brothers and me doesn’t detract from the coffee too much ?. Your next espresso is on the house!
<-- As you can tell I am a Deadhead. Saw my first show at Riverfront with Donna in '75. I fit in just fine with your décor. lol
Why not check out some videos at sweetmarias.com or read about it in their onine "library"--very helpful!
I don't need that much for the week so the Quest M3 works for me--plus I think you got a lot more gadgets and gehaws with the Behmor than the Quest (i.e. riding mower vs push mower without a motor
; actually, I think that's the point or purposes for each of them (in my limited informed opinion) . I recall thinking the Behmor just provides a lot more nuanced awareness of what's going in with those beans as they heat. I just listen for the crack--watch the second hand sweep a few more seconds and try not too drink too much liquor or beer in between times! )). REally--that's a big distraction for me since I can lose track of time quite easily when I get into my cups...LOLI love your machine! I too had Fresh Roast machines--2 of 'em. The 1st one died after 10-15 years (closer to 15 I think). The 2nd one melted when I forgot a batch and set it on fire! Happily I got the burning melting goop that used to be the roaster out into the driveway and outside the garage before catching it also on fire!! Note to self--get the timer!
Wish I could come too, where is this place--I'm in a little town in NE Texas? Never a deadhead--always curious and a little in awe--looked like they/you'all know how to enjoy life! Course, in '75 I think I remember some of those GD songs were REALLY long--like some Zappa--and I was too easily distracted before the end of the song as I smoked my pipe
(or someone elses LOL).Espresso, fresh roasted beans, pipes -- refined musical taste -- where is this dang coffee shop? I wanna come, can I go, can I go, huh Huh????? :--)))))
I was a home roast fanatic for years. Started with a popcorn popper, moved to larger home roasting appliances, then built my own gas-fired contraption. It got so bad eventually that I was buying full 60-70 kilo bags directly from importers because of how much coffee I was drinking... I’ve never found a commercial coffee, even the specialty high end roast-in-shop places, that could compete with a good home roast.
I really loved Ethiopian varieties, “raisin” coffees (coffee cherry dried into raisins before normal processing, mostly from Yemen but sometimes Brazil), and Central American bourbons.
I had some medical issues a few years ago that changed my tolerance for strong flavors, and have not had coffee since...
I really loved Ethiopian varieties, “raisin” coffees (coffee cherry dried into raisins before normal processing, mostly from Yemen but sometimes Brazil), and Central American bourbons.
I had some medical issues a few years ago that changed my tolerance for strong flavors, and have not had coffee since...