Breaking into home roasting

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DrunkleJon

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I have been tossing the idea of roasting my own beans around my head for a while now and finally decided to either buy the equipment now, or add it to my birthday/Christmas wish list.

I am a brew a cup at a time coffee drinker and mainly have my morning cup at work. Was a die hard french press user until i threw the glass part against the wall while cleaning it (don't ask, I don't know how it happened). Just replaced it with an Aeropress and am happy with the purchase so far.

What I want to know is from all you coffee roasters is what your thoughts are on what I should start out with equipment-wise. I know with brewing there is contention on extract/biab/traditional brewing and know there are varying opinions with coffee roasting as well. Also, I am going to need a coffee grinder.

Should I go whirleypop manual style roaster, air popcorn popper, or buy some sort of dedicated roaster?
Same deal, but thoughts on a good coffee grinder. I don't want to break the bank but can throw a little money at the hobby as I believe its better to spend a little more initially instead of upgrading constantly and wasting money that way.

Long story short, I need thoughts on which roaster and bean grinder to buy. What did you start out with, and what would you have done otherwise if you had it all to do over again?
 
Heat gun, aluminum dog food bowl, and a couple colanders to toss the roasted beans to get rid of the chaff. Cheap way to try it out. Wooden spoon to stir. Good for about a mason jar at a time. I enjoy the process, but I'm not wowed by fresh roasted coffee enough to get further into roasting. But that's me.
 
Buy a 500# professional drum roaster, only way to go!


.... Wait, this isn't the 'favorite type of poster' thread, is it? Sorry. :D

I use a whirley pop right now. Works pretty well.
 
I started with a thrift store popcorn popper just to see if I'd like it. Since then I've bought a different popper and made a bunch of modifications so that I can control air speed and heat. I've toyed with the idea of ditching the popcorn popper for a Behmor 1600 Plus or similar to increase capacity, as I can currently only roast about 70g batches reliably and repeatedly. Works ok for me now, as I'm the only coffee drinker in the house and only drink about a cup a day. Even then, it's borderline too small.

For grinding I use a Hario hand mill. Works pretty well and is cheap, but requires some manual labor. Again, it works for me solely due to the limited amounts I'm dealing with. If I were making more than a cup or two a day, I'd want a decent electric ceramic burr grinder.
 
I started with an air popper style roaster but it was good only for tiny batches. I moved on to heatgun/dogbowl and while it worked, the results were not as easily controllable and repeatable as I desired. There was also the ambient temperature variable, i.e. easier to get it going in the warmer weather, and I didn't have much luck with larger than 1/2 lb. batches. I finally settled on the stir crazy/sunpentown convection oven contraption (you can google this or go to coffeegeek, etc.) I support the CO on the SC with a springform pan. The combination of the constant movement of the bean mass and the blowing heat from the CO on top tends to make fast, even roasts attainable. I do a lb. of espresso blend in about 12-14 minutes. You need to think about cooling your beans too. I set a collander in a 5 gal bucket and use a shopvac to pull air through the beans. Works great. My roasting session takes about 20 min for a lb. Nothing better than fresh roasted coffee...
 
I have been roasting for a few years and started off using a west bend air crazy. I used it for almost 2 years before I upgraded to a behmor 1600 plus. I got it for $10 on eBay, so definitely got my money's worth. the problem is you can't control the heat rate very well out of the box and it can be a little underpowered to get to darker roasts. Furthermore, it only does like 4oz at a time. So it'll do a morning cuppa for maybe 5 days if you aren't too aggressive with your brew ratio.
I'd recommend something similar for starting out until you can get a feel for color, smell, sight and sound of the roast.
I'd give a read to the articles that tom from sweet Maria's writes. He really knows his stuff. I would buy my beans from him but get the air popper from Walmart.
Sweet Maria's
Seems like they recommend this other brand now since the west bend air poppery is harder to find. they probably both work just as well.
buy here
 
I have been tossing the idea of roasting my own beans around my head for a while now and finally decided to either buy the equipment now, or add it to my birthday/Christmas wish list.

I am a brew a cup at a time coffee drinker and mainly have my morning cup at work. Was a die hard french press user until i threw the glass part against the wall while cleaning it (don't ask, I don't know how it happened). Just replaced it with an Aeropress and am happy with the purchase so far.

What I want to know is from all you coffee roasters is what your thoughts are on what I should start out with equipment-wise. I know with brewing there is contention on extract/biab/traditional brewing and know there are varying opinions with coffee roasting as well. Also, I am going to need a coffee grinder.

I suggest that you start small, get a West Bend Poppery ll, eBay has them for about $25.00 each and have the slits on the bottom sides of the cup like you want.

Should I go whirleypop manual style roaster, air popcorn popper, or buy some sort of dedicated roaster?
Same deal, but thoughts on a good coffee grinder. I don't want to break the bank but can throw a little money at the hobby as I believe its better to spend a little more initially instead of upgrading constantly and wasting money that way.

An electrical burr grinder is the way to go, its slow but does not heat up the beans. Mine is a Cuisinart CBM-18N Programmable Conical Burr Mill


Long story short, I need thoughts on which roaster and bean grinder to buy. What did you start out with, and what would you have done otherwise if you had it all to do over again?
Read this: https://www.sweetmarias.com/

See Above in RED
 
I started with an air popper style roaster but it was good only for tiny batches. I moved on to heatgun/dogbowl and while it worked, the results were not as easily controllable and repeatable as I desired. There was also the ambient temperature variable, i.e. easier to get it going in the warmer weather, and I didn't have much luck with larger than 1/2 lb. batches. I finally settled on the stir crazy/sunpentown convection oven contraption (you can google this or go to coffeegeek, etc.) I support the CO on the SC with a springform pan. The combination of the constant movement of the bean mass and the blowing heat from the CO on top tends to make fast, even roasts attainable. I do a lb. of espresso blend in about 12-14 minutes. You need to think about cooling your beans too. I set a collander in a 5 gal bucket and use a shopvac to pull air through the beans. Works great. My roasting session takes about 20 min for a lb. Nothing better than fresh roasted coffee...

I have this exact setup. 1 lb batches, easy to use and good consistency (as long as you're watching/listening for when to pull). I usually would knock out 2 or 3 lbs on a Sat or Sun morning while having coffee and surfing the web. However, I haven't roasted in just over a year since I found a local roaster that has some great coffee and very well priced.
 
Wow, this thread is starting to take off. I have been doing some research and have not committed to anything yet. Some thoughts with lots of questions.

The Stir Crazy. Everywhere I see it listed on the internet it is always paired with the convection heating cake cover/nuwave/showtime oven thing. Is this necessary or is the stir crazy itself satisfactory for the job without the added help?

Everything I am seeing is that the stovetop/whirlypop is the only real way to get a dark roast. All of the air/drum roasters I have seen seem to say that they aren't real good for dark roasts because they do not cook fast/well enough or something similar. Not that dark roasting is required, I have actually been starting to prefer medium roasts recently.

As for the whirlypop, how bad is the smoking/odor? I have other people in the house and do not want to be too offensive. Since I hear it can be a problem, is there a place/way to ensure that I would be buying the one with the metal rather than plastic gears? Also, I am on one of those stupid glass top electric stoves. Would it be better to use the side burner on my gas grill?

Capacity. I currently only drink a cup of coffee a day brewed in my aeropress. It takes me a while to go through a pound of store-bought coffee currently. As far as I can see I do not really need a high capacity roaster, but it would be nice to not have to roast every week. Unless of course, there is that noticeable of a difference in flavor.

If it helps things along, I have about $250 from birthday money (gift cards, etc) which I would not feel bad investing in my hobbies, so that can be my budget.
 
Drunkle: you need to add heat and close in the top of the stir crazy. That's why the convection oven part is used. As far as a dark roast, the SC/CO method will make it as dark as you want. There is also some adjustability to your roast profile because the CO has a temp selection ( I like to have a 2" rest before hitting second crack). I've been using this setup for years and I don't think I spent over $100 for all components
 
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As for the whirlypop, how bad is the smoking/odor? I have other people in the house and do not want to be too offensive. Since I hear it can be a problem, is there a place/way to ensure that I would be buying the one with the metal rather than plastic gears? Also, I am on one of those stupid glass top electric stoves. Would it be better to use the side burner on my gas grill?

Depending on the volume of beans you are doing, it can be a lot of smoke/odor. I roast outside to keep the wife happy. Roasting on top of your range with a hood that vents outside can help greatly, but if you do one pound batches in a SC/TO, you likely will still want to be outside.
 
Wow, this thread is starting to take off. I have been doing some research and have not committed to anything yet. Some thoughts with lots of questions.

The Stir Crazy. Everywhere I see it listed on the internet it is always paired with the convection heating cake cover/nuwave/showtime oven thing. Is this necessary or is the stir crazy itself satisfactory for the job without the added help?

Everything I am seeing is that the stovetop/whirlypop is the only real way to get a dark roast. All of the air/drum roasters I have seen seem to say that they aren't real good for dark roasts because they do not cook fast/well enough or something similar. Not that dark roasting is required, I have actually been starting to prefer medium roasts recently.

Not at all. The Chefmate PC-31, airpopper will take 3/4 cup of beans all the way to full french and will push off all the chaff while the whirlypop does not get rid of any chaff, smokes like crazy BUT you can do large batches. There are different camps for any roasting appliance, each swear by them so do some independent research and decide for yourself.

As for the whirlypop, how bad is the smoking/odor? I have other people in the house and do not want to be too offensive. Since I hear it can be a problem, is there a place/way to ensure that I would be buying the one with the metal rather than plastic gears? Also, I am on one of those stupid glass top electric stoves. Would it be better to use the side burner on my gas grill?

LOTS of smoke, https://www.sweetmarias.com/product/whirley-pop-6-quart-stainless-steel all metal gears are the way to go. The side burner on my gas grill will not give enough heat with it being outside and definitely not in the winter!

Capacity. I currently only drink a cup of coffee a day brewed in my aeropress. It takes me a while to go through a pound of store-bought coffee currently. As far as I can see I do not really need a high capacity roaster, but it would be nice to not have to roast every week. Unless of course, there is that noticeable of a difference in flavor.

I can't go a month on the same batch, I can tell the difference within a week and I NEVER freeze my beans, green or roasted. I can taste the freezer immediately.

If it helps things along, I have about $250 from birthday money (gift cards, etc) which I would not feel bad investing in my hobbies, so that can be my budget. Your call on the investment but even after 14 years of roasting, I still use the air poppers and make enough for the week. .

Reply above in red
 
I don't roast the beans, but I grind for each pot with a conical burr grinder. I had one by cuisenart, which when it come to grinders I say cuisincrap because it worked good, only until it stopped working in less than a year. I also have a couple hand grinders so that if the electric goes out I can still have my morning brew.
 
Stir Crazy/Convection Oven, SC/CO, Stir Crazy/Turbo Oven, SC/TO are names but can polarize groups so I just use the more generic name and hope for the best, SCCO.

In my opinion, it's the best way to manage a nice sized batch with little smoke (still do it outside unless your roommates like the smell) and hit your times due to the temperature controls. It takes some modifying of the sweeper bar and a good eye (no good place for a probe) as well as a ring with holes to blow out the chaff... as well as some of the heat.
 
I started on the whirlypop and did it for about 5 months, loving the coffee. Only issue was when I used it I had to open windows, and so I had to shut down my operation in November due to cold temps. So I upgraded to the Behmor.

The Behmor is interesting. There are a lot of people out there who are very vocal and passionate about it, and then there are others who like it because it gets the job done. I'm more in the second group, as it definitely has short comings. BUT it's a dang good roaster for the money. I believe it is about $369 and comes with 8lbs of green beans from most places right now.

I can only speak to the Behmor, but here is my opinion. It takes a little time to get the hang of, but once you understand it you can produce very consistent roasts on it, and very good roasts. The instructions out there for it aren't the best, but you can piecemeal it together to come up with best practices for it - this is actually the biggest beef I have with the roaster, that the manual doesn't clearly explain the capabilities of the roaster, which leads to a longer learning curve. I sourced info from a few different blogs and a FB page to figure out all the capabilities and nuances of the roaster. I didn't need to, but I wanted to. On the contrary, many people out there are perfectly happy using the pre-loaded heat curves it comes with.

Dark roasts are certainly possible in both the Behmor and the whirly. I would warn against doing a dark roast indoors in the Whirly though because it is a lot of smoke. The Behmor still produces smoke but it's a little less than the Whirly, I believe.

From an investment standpoint, my Behmor has just about paid for itself in the last 12 months. I am saving an average of $6/lb on green coffee compared to the roasted stuff I had been purchasing, and have roasted over 50 lbs so far. So I've saved over $300 on coffee bean purchases, which is getting close to the $369 I paid for it. Maybe this is irrelevant to you, but it helped me justify the purchase to my wife.
 
For my tastes a drum roaster produces a different coffee than air roasted coffee which is why my Behmor sits on a shelf while I primarily use a West Bend Poppery II. I think this is my third or fourth popper in the past 15 years. Costs range from $5 to $25 on the used market. When I had more coffee drinkers in the house the Behmor was handy for larger batches but with the kids grown I can keep up my coffee supply with just my Poppery II.
Behmor does have excellent customer service. I purchased mine from Sweet Marias but the drum stopped turning in about a month. The Behmor owner contacted me with the fix, and the part and a video how to do it. He also gave me the option to return it. They had a run where a set screw was not secured with Loc Tite and it could back out. Easy fix but great service by Behmor.


Savings can be a little deceiving since a pound of green coffee does not produce a pound of roasted coffee. My wife likes my coffee enough and we drink so little that the price is not a factor. I keep telling her I save money by brewing my own beer :)
 
I ended up getting the Behmor. I got some spare money for birthday/christmas and decided to splurge. I love it. As for saving money? That aint happening. I do seem to make better coffee than what I have bought in the past though I tend to give a lot of it away.
 
You guys aren't saving money? I was paying $13 or so a lb before roasting, now I'm paying about $4-7 depending on shipping costs. My roaster paid for itself in a year.
 
You guys aren't saving money? I was paying $13 or so a lb before roasting, now I'm paying about $4-7 depending on shipping costs. My roaster paid for itself in a year.

Good point but if and when I buy coffee from the local roaster I get whatever is on sale that is in my latitude of coffee origins, usually $7-8 per pound.
 
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