I want some info on coffee roasting

[SuperiorBrew]

I see the Behmor roaster, it is a nice one, but it says that it doesn't do dark roasts, and it is a bit of a big thing to use and store, plus a bit pricey for most people (299). I like my Zach and Danis in the aspect that I can roast dark or light, and it is about 150. The main set back with it is that the exposed base can get extremely hot, so little fingers need to be watched while in use. There are other roasters that are small out there too that I saw at the sweet marias site. Air poppers are great, but burn out too fast. Check out the more coffee site http://morecoffee.com/ and the sweet maries site http://www.sweetmarias.com/ to see what works best for you. They give excellent reviews, and tips for roasting. I still like the Ethiopian beans the best for my taste, but they can be hard to find and expensive in off seasons. Cheers

It will do dark roasts but only 3/4 lb or less, you have to use 3/4 and tell it you are doing 1lb.

 

[Rick_R]

Yeah, reading this stupid thread ended up with me placing an order last Monday; due in from Sweetmarias this Monday. The heat gun and burr mill already arrived. Looking forward to it.

Rick

 

[RLinNH]

I Haven't read this entire thread, and I don't have tie to right now. But I have to chime in of Roasting.

There is a HUGE Difference in the taste of freshly roasted coffee. The freshness and the roast is the difference. I have been roasting now for over 8 years, and my wife and I only drink my Home Roasted Coffee. It's hard to stomach anything else. Yup. I am a Beer, Cigar, and Coffee Snob.

If you are looking for a site or anything about Home Coffee roasting, feel free to PM me.

 

[Silviakitty]

This is awesome.

One, when I start asking what kind of coffee will complement a particular brew I want to add it to, I'll get a bigger variety of responses (other than 'folgers!').

Two, Sweet Maria's gets a whole bunch of business out of the deal. They're great guys.

 

[Rick_R]

Roasted my second batch tonight; I ordered the 8 x 1/2lb sampler from sweetmarias.com. Freshly roasted and ground tastes much better to me, and roasting with the heat gun is very easy.

Rick

 

[flyangler18]

I've been intrigued by roasting my own coffee for a while, though I limit my coffee drinking to a single cup as part of my morning routine.

Time to do some more research! I think home roasting coffee would be an EXCELLENT complement to homebrewing.

 

[TSPADE]

Hi All, Couldn't agree more about sweetmarias.com!! Tom is always spot on with his reviews and goes out of his way to provide outstanding products and service! I have been home roasting for about 4 years now, started out with the West Bend popper and now have a hard time drinking any coffee that my wife and I don't roast. Starbucks??? UGH! Bilge water! Anyway, coffee roasting is like home brewing, you can get into it with very little investment and the rewards are great. Then upgrade as you go, I can recommend the Hearthware iRoast 2 roaster, ours is almost 3 years old and perfectly roasts 8 oz at a time. You have to get a good grinder, makes all the difference in the world. Stick with a good conical burr, I bought the Solis Maestro...great grinder. Tons of info online, just like with brewing. You have to check out some of the DIY coffee roasters out there. Cheers!

Terry

 

[Bopper]

This thread is about to cause me to place an order with sweetmarias!

Question though...what is the best way to store green coffee beans and how long do they stay fresh?

 

[malkore]

green beans keep a long, long time. 12 months easily as long as you keep them at room temp, and dry. humidity and such are bad...they promote mold and screw with the moisture levels of the beans.

a lot of people just use a pillowcase and a drawstring for big bags of beans...or a smaller bag if you only buy 5 pounds or so. burlap, cotton...something that is breathable.

Sweetmarias is the bomb. I have a Fresh Roast 8+ and a Behmor 1600.

 

[Saccharomyces]

I have a friend who roasts his own beans. I've always thought about doing it myself but haven't tried it. I should give it a try with the air popper method. I have a conical burr grinder already and manual drip coffee maker. All that is missing is the fresh roast. Hmmm.

 

[Bopper]

green beans keep a long, long time. 12 months easily as long as you keep them at room temp, and dry. humidity and such are bad...they promote mold and screw with the moisture levels of the beans.

a lot of people just use a pillowcase and a drawstring for big bags of beans...or a smaller bag if you only buy 5 pounds or so. burlap, cotton...something that is breathable.

Sweetmarias is the bomb. I have a Fresh Roast 8+ and a Behmor 1600.

Awesome. Thanks for the reply. I think I'm going to put an order together.

How do most of you make your coffee? French press, drip, ect.? I really want buy a french press, however, everything I read suggests that you really need a burr grinder (as opposed to a blade grinder) in order to get a uniform corse grind and I really don't want to drip $150 on one right now.

 

[zoebisch01]

I second Home Coffee Roasting Supplies -Sweet Maria's for the beans. A friend was into it for a while. It's on my "to do" list. If you are really into coffee there really is no other option unless you have a really good local roaster. That's one of the things I miss about Raleigh was "Cup-A-Joes". They did it right. Dunno if they are still there...

 

[Kevin Dean]

I realized I wasn't a fan of homeroasting. But having purchased from Sweet Marias a few times, they have my nod. Great product selection, fast shipping.

They aren't the best on price but to have your entire order in the same box the difference isn't important.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Put my order in with Sweet Maria's. My homeroasting friend actually lives in Oakland now lucky b'd goes right to the store. Now I just need to find a suitable hot air popcorn popper before the UPS guy brings the joy to my door.

A blade grinder works well with practice. The key is to learn to pulse just right so you don't over or under crush. I like my burr grinder but I could live without it.

OTOH I haven't found a substitute for my manual drip coffee maker. An electric kettle with a timer, and a 3-4 minute pour works so much better than any automatic pot I have ever tried...

If I get impatient this weekend (who, me??? ) I may head down to the flagship Whole Foods in downtown Austin. They sell all of their coffee varities in green form there since they roast right in the store.

 

[Anbrew]

Damnit guys...you are making me want to spend more money that I don't have right now! That's all I need is a new hobby/money pit/addiction.

 

[Saccharomyces]

That's what I was thinking when I pulled up this thread. 5 minutes later I was placing an order in another browser tab.

 

[Saccharomyces]

Heavy duty heat gun $60
8# sampler with shipping $40
Stainless dog bowl from pet store $3
Cookie sheet and silicone spatula I had on hand $0

Drinking your home roasted coffee... priceless.

 

[mmb]

How long does everyone store the roasted beans before you use them? I like a good half dozen cups of dark roast when brewing but usually don't make coffee during the week.

I use a Faberware 12c perk coffee pot. Good, bad, or OH THE HUMANITY?

 

[Saccharomyces]

I use a Faberware 12c perk coffee pot. Good, bad, or OH THE HUMANITY?

Hope your crush is very coarse.

For a Full City or Vienna roast, I don't think you can beat a French Press. For City roast I like to use a manual drip.

 

[mmb]

Hope your crush is very coarse.

I use paper filters.

Isn't that the trifecta of bad coffee juju?

 

[flyangler18]

Isn't that the trifecta of bad coffee juju?

Add non-dairy creamer and the pink sh!t and we have a winner. :cross:

 

[flowerysong]

Not really looking for another hobby right now, but after browsing around I couldn't resist ordering a vacuum brewer.

 

[flyangler18]

8 lb sampler ordered about 5 minutes ago; once it arrives, I'll be heading over to Harbor Freight to pick up a heat gun.

 

[Zymurgrafi]

A question for all you roasters.

I have a roaster, a french roast plus. It was a gift and I have not used it much but I plan too now that I know where I can get green coffee.

One of my wife's uncles sends us 10 lb. of coffee every now and then from coffeeam.com and it is crap. First time he did it it was pretty decent but the last few years it has sucked. It is allegedly brewed fresh for the order but I do not think so. He always gets Tanzania peaberry because we had said we liked that the best out of the original coffees he had sent us.

My question is this. Can I "re-roast" the beans to freshen them up or get a darker roast or just make it somewhat more drinkable? Or is it a lost cause and we just need to choke it down or dump it?

 

[Saccharomyces]

8 lb sampler ordered about 5 minutes ago; once it arrives, I'll be heading over to Harbor Freight to pick up a heat gun.

And another one bites the dust. :rockin:

 

[flyangler18]

And another one bites the dust. :rockin:

I hold you fully responsible, Eric.

 

[Saccharomyces]

I hold you fully responsible, Eric.

Won't be the first time, nor the last. BWAHAHAHAHAHA!

 

[malkore]

A question for all you roasters.

I have a roaster, a french roast plus. It was a gift and I have not used it much but I plan too now that I know where I can get green coffee.

One of my wife's uncles sends us 10 lb. of coffee every now and then from coffeeam.com and it is crap. First time he did it it was pretty decent but the last few years it has sucked. It is allegedly brewed fresh for the order but I do not think so. He always gets Tanzania peaberry because we had said we liked that the best out of the original coffees he had sent us.

My question is this. Can I "re-roast" the beans to freshen them up or get a darker roast or just make it somewhat more drinkable? Or is it a lost cause and we just need to choke it down or dump it?

Only if you can roast the 2nd time within a few hours of the original roast. So in your case...no.

yoou have a Fresh Roast Plus 8 roaster btw, not a 'french roast'. I have one too, but i mostly use a Behmor 1600 drum roaster.

the FR8 is a little aggressive on the roast, and only does 3 ounces at once...a 14 cup pot basically.
its a good roaster and gives a brighter cup. i use mine for espresso roasting.

 

[flyangler18]

WOOT- just got an email saying my Sweet Maria's order shipped. Should be here just after the New Year.

 

[Saccharomyces]

I found a local coffee roaster that will sell green beans from Nicaragua... good stuff. It will be interesting to do tastings side by side of my roast and theirs.