☕ Coffee ☕: Ingredients, Roasting, Grinding, Brewing, and Tasting

[passedpawn]

I'm jealous of the peaberry you got!

You won't be after I turn it to coal in my Whirley Pop

 

[passedpawn]

In case anyone was wondering, a "green" coffee bean does not smell or taste like coffee in any way. It has no flavor or aroma at all.

 

[HoppyDaze]

Bombed by KeywestBrewing

 

[passedpawn]

Bombed by KeywestBrewing

Are you saying he roasted those and sent to them to you? I'm drooling just looking at those beans. Damn!

 

[HoppyDaze]

Lucky enough to know a guy who has some coffee on hand. Hops for coffee swap! I'm a total coffee rookie and wanted to sample. He hooked me up

 

[BrewinHooligan]

So first batch is done and I learned a bit. My popper said max capacity is 3.5oz so I started with 3oz which turned out to be a little too much. I will try maybe 2 or 2.5 oz for hopefully a more even roast. Took a little over 4 minutes to get to 2nd crack. Lets see if I can wait until Saturday morning to try it

 

[HoppyDaze]

So first batch is done and I learned a bit. My popper said max capacity is 3.5oz so I started with 3oz which turned out to be a little too much. I will try maybe 2 or 2.5 oz for hopefully a more even roast. Took a little over 4 minutes to get to 2nd crack. Lets see if I can wait until Saturday morning to try it

I bet you'll dig that coffee regardless. Looks tasty to me. Maybe pick out some of the obviously under roasted beans? Eat them!

 

[TallDan]

So first batch is done and I learned a bit. My popper said max capacity is 3.5oz so I started with 3oz which turned out to be a little too much. I will try maybe 2 or 2.5 oz for hopefully a more even roast. Took a little over 4 minutes to get to 2nd crack. Lets see if I can wait until Saturday morning to try it

I roasted for the first time on Tuesday on my lunch break and first drank it Wednesday morning. It was not ready yet. Drank coffee from the same batch this morning and it was quite good. If you drink it early, reserve judgement until you give it time.

I'll be drinking the last of that batch tomorrow morning. Yesterday i roasted the espresso blend for Saturday and Sunday mornings.

 

[jammin]

Ive been roasting for a few years now - since 2009 or so.

I've roasted on modified bread machine/heat gun combo, hottop B and currently roast on a quest m3. I monitor and log my roasts with artisan software as well.

If you want to get into roasting and have some cash, a Hottop B is a great little roaster. If you reach out to Michael at Hottop, you might be able to snag a refurb for a discount.

If you're DIY'er, a heat gun/bread machine combo is a very capable setup. Just be sure a heat gun with adjustable power. Look for a bread machine with an AC motor and metal framed lid.


Anyone other home roasters here?

 

[passedpawn]

I roasted for the first time on Tuesday on my lunch break and first drank it Wednesday morning. It was not ready yet.

Would you elaborate here? Was it bitter?

 

[BrewinHooligan]

Broke down and brewed a single cup. It tastes a little over-roasted for my taste but I will reserve judgement for tomorrow or the next day.

 

[TallDan]

Would you elaborate here? Was it bitter?

Hmm... Well, the first morning (~18 hours after roasting), I thought that I may not have roasted dark enough. The coffee had a different flavor than I'm used to, not bitter, but I guess I might describe it as herbal. That taste is still present in the coffee this morning, but much better balanced with the other flavors.

Now, thinking about it, when I roasted the first batch in the popper I kept it in there until the second crack started. Then, thinking that I may have overdone the first batch, I roasted the second one shorter, maybe 60-90 seconds past the finish of the first crack. Those two batches (each under 1/2 cup of unroasted beans) I mixed together after cooling. So, It's possible that even after mixing, i just happened to get more of the lightly roasted beans Wednesday morning when i scooped them out, and then a better mix since then.

 

[TallDan]

If you want to get into roasting and have some cash, a Hottop B is a great little roaster. If you reach out to Michael at Hottop, you might be able to snag a refurb for a discount.

Any idea how much of a discount? Those roasters look fantastic, but I think it would be hard for me to justify that kind of money at this stage in the game.

 

[jammin]

Roast'n some Guat this morning

the kit

beans in the drying phase

obligatory roast shot

Artisan roast profile

 

[stpug]

So first batch is done and I learned a bit. My popper said max capacity is 3.5oz so I started with 3oz which turned out to be a little too much. I will try maybe 2 or 2.5 oz for hopefully a more even roast. Took a little over 4 minutes to get to 2nd crack. Lets see if I can wait until Saturday morning to try it

IIRC, you can achieve a "better quality" roast by extending your roasting time to the ~10 minute range (little less, little more is fine). Effectively, you're progressing through the various stages a bit slower which can help develop richer and more distinct flavors (in addition to a more even roast). Using an air popper, I was able to extend my roasting time to about 8-9 minutes by using a 50 length of extension cord which has the effect of reducing the wattage thereby reducing how hot the air temperature is; had I not, I was also in the same quick 4 minute range. Another tool I used was a wooden stick to stir the beans during the roast which can help eliminate some heat thereby extending the roasting time. It's been a bit over a year since I last roasted a batch but this is my recollection.

Of course, jammin has it NAILED!

 

[TallDan]

Roast'n some Guat this morning
<Impressive looking pictures>

Mmmm! Wow, Jammin! This is some serious gourmet stuff! Me and BrewinHooligan are happy with our popcorn poppers right, but he springs this serious GOURMET gear on us!

Is there any comparison between that and lower end machines? It looks like a mini version of the big commercial roasters.

 

[jammin]

haha - i love pulp fiction. one of my all-time favs

air roasters are inherently different than drum roasters as they rely solely on convection. high air flow roasts typically produce more acidic roasts that spotlight the "high" notes of a coffee. a good drum roaster can produce any spectrum you like in the right hands.

if you're willing to search craiglist or raid your mother inlaw's pantry - you could source a good bread machine. You can get great control with a bread machine and a heat gun and slow the roast down quite a bit. poppers tend to move at light speed haha. I almost died when I read that someone reached 2nd crack in 4 minutes haha - WOW

Here are a few shots of the kit I used to roast coffee while deployed to Baghdad for a year... it's not easy roasting coffee when it's 120* outside haha

 

[BrewinHooligan]

haha - i love pulp fiction. one of my all-time favs

air roasters are inherently different than drum roasters as they rely solely on convection. high air flow roasts typically produce more acidic roasts that spotlight the "high" notes of a coffee. a good drum roaster can produce any spectrum you like in the right hands.

if you're willing to search craiglist or raid your mother inlaw's pantry - you could source a good bread machine. You can get great control with a bread machine and a heat gun and slow the roast down quite a bit. poppers tend to move at light speed haha. I almost died when I read that someone reached 2nd crack in 4 minutes haha - WOW

Here are a few shots of the kit I used to roast coffee while deployed to Baghdad for a year... it's not easy roasting coffee when it's 120* outside haha

That is some impressive use of what you have on hand. I was shocked myself at how fast the popcorn popper was and definitely want to slow it down. A thrift store close to me has some nice looking bread machines for about $20, I may have to look into that.

 

[passedpawn]

So far so good! That was a LOT easier than I thought it would be. I grabbed one of the samplers I got from Sweet Maria's and roasted (btw, it was $20 for four different 1# bags of green beans).

It took about 6 or 7 minutes in my Whirley Popper. The fan pulled up most of the smoke, so you can do this indoors. When it was done cracking, I tossed it back and forth between two metal perforated pots to cool it off. It keeps cooking when you remove it from the stove, so you need to do something to cool it off. I took it outside so the chaff would blow off out there.

Looks like coffee, smells like coffee. We'll see this weekend when I grind it up. I did toss one piece in my mouth and it was exactly what I expected. Very cool!

 

[passedpawn]

BTW, I think I could go to a full pound roast here. If you look into the Whirley Popper pic there, you can see that the beans didn't come close to covering the bottom. I'll go for the whole monte next roast, after I find out how bad my current batch is.

 

[djt17]

Now to send the wife to garage sales in search of a whirley popper! (If/when this miserable winter ends.:cross

 

[Melana]

Damn you HBT I just roasted 2.5lbs of beans in my iron skillet. Yum!

 

[negativereaction]

I've long wanted to try roasting beans in a popper, and for even longer have I been a coffee fanatic drinking coffee made from retail-roasted beans. For those of us on the fence...can someone actually do a comparison as to how homemade roasted coffee tastes compared to something retail? Fresher, different taste, better flavor, less acidic, etc?

I just mentioned this to the wife a minute ago and she goes 'sounds like a lot of work if its the same as what we buy.' Of course, I commented on how that's the case for anything homemade (beer, dinner, bread, whatever).

So, some anecdotal evidence from someone would be great. (no need to go all beeradvocate reviewer on it though)

 

[passedpawn]

I've long wanted to try roasting beans in a popper, and for even longer have I been a coffee fanatic drinking coffee made from retail-roasted beans. For those of us on the fence...can someone actually do a comparison as to how homemade roasted coffee tastes compared to something retail? Fresher, different taste, better flavor, less acidic, etc?

I just mentioned this to the wife a minute ago and she goes 'sounds like a lot of work if its the same as what we buy.' Of course, I commented on how that's the case for anything homemade (beer, dinner, bread, whatever).

So, some anecdotal evidence from someone would be great. (no need to go all beeradvocate reviewer on it though)

I'm going to brew it tomorrow. I get really good locally-roasted beans normally, so I would be much surprised if it is better than that.

If it sounds like a lot of work then I didn't describe it well. It took no more than 10 minutes, and there was no cleanup (I never wash my whirley popper). I'd say the roasting was done in about 7 minutes, then I ran outside and tossed the beans between two metal pots for a few minutes to cool and discharge the chaff. That was it. It will leave your kitchen smelling strongly of roasted coffee for a few hours.

 

[passedpawn]

Here's a great, quick video of the various stages of roasting. Thanks to Tom at Sweet Marias.

 

[passedpawn]

Time lapse of some beans roasting. Looks like they compressed 5 minutes into about 1 minute.

 

[TallDan]

I've long wanted to try roasting beans in a popper, and for even longer have I been a coffee fanatic drinking coffee made from retail-roasted beans. For those of us on the fence...can someone actually do a comparison as to how homemade roasted coffee tastes compared to something retail? Fresher, different taste, better flavor, less acidic, etc?

I just mentioned this to the wife a minute ago and she goes 'sounds like a lot of work if its the same as what we buy.' Of course, I commented on how that's the case for anything homemade (beer, dinner, bread, whatever).

So, some anecdotal evidence from someone would be great. (no need to go all beeradvocate reviewer on it though)

I would say that my home roasted coffee tastes very much like some fresh roasted coffee I've bought from local roasters. Now, I think that I have pretty high standards for coffee, and routinely get coffee from a roaster that is widely considered one of the best in the country. The little bit that I've done in a popcorn popper does not compare to very fresh coffee from them, but getting freshly roasted coffee is not particularly easy in many cases.

If you usually buy coffee from a grocery store with no attention paid to roasting date, you may be blown away by some fresh home-roasted coffee. And if you live in an area that does not have a good coffee roaster, it would probably be far cheaper to roast your own than having it shipped regularly (as I used to do before I moved). Right now, I'm mostly interested in roasting coffee to understand different roasts levels and how they taste. If I stick with it and make some great coffee, that's great. If I lose interest, at least I hope to get some better understanding about roasting.

 

[passedpawn]

Right now, I'm mostly interested in roasting coffee to understand different roasts levels and how they taste. If I stick with it and make some great coffee, that's great. If I lose interest, at least I hope to get some better understanding about roasting.

^^ This.

Before I brewed beer, I liked beer but I had no idea what it was that I liked about it. Having brewed beer, I have a much bigger appreciation for beer.

Same for coffee. I've been a coffee drinker for 22 years. Until now, I had no idea about the different roasts. Watching it happen on your stove, and being able to dial in your roast level, is making coffee drinking a much richer experience for me, even if I don't continue roasting my own.

 

[BrewinHooligan]

Played around with my air popper popper today and am getting things dialed in. I took the advice to use an extension cord to limit the wattage, I need to start with 1.5oz of green beans, and shortly after the first crack when most of the chaff comes off, I remove the top to make sure the temp isn't too hot. This resulted in a slower, more even roast and I'm anxious to try the results.

 

[passedpawn]

Played around with my air popper popper today and am getting things dialed in. I took the advice to use an extension cord to limit the wattage, I need to start with 1.5oz of green beans, and shortly after the first crack when most of the chaff comes off, I remove the top to make sure the temp isn't too hot. This resulted in a slower, more even roast and I'm anxious to try the results.

That looks great. Are you going to let it offgas? I read that coffee needs to be allowed to offgas CO2 for a day or two.

From the Coffee Roasting wiki,

However, because coffee emits CO2 after roasting, coffee to be vacuum packed must be allowed to de-gas for several days before it is sealed.

BTW, that wiki has some excellent pics of different roasts.