Home Coffee Roasting

Before I start please note, roasting coffee at home can be dangerous, no matter the method used. If you decide to roast coffee at home, do so at your own risk.

I have recently started roasting coffee at home. I have a stir crazy popcorn popper, it worked kind of. The stir crazy would get to the beginnings of first crack, but it would not get hot enough to make it all the way through first crack. It also scorched some of the beans. I roasted three batches of coffee this way, one batch was ok. Two of them had off flavors, a green taste, one of these was undrinkable. At this point I began the search for a better way.

Being a cheap skate, I wanted to use what I had on hand. The next method was a cast iron skillet on the stove. I read on the internet to set the heat to medium, and in 10-15 minutes you would be at first crack. Sounds good! Pre heated pan, dumped some beans in, stir, stir, stir some more. 15 minutes comes and goes, beans are getting darker. No cracking, no smoke. Hmmm... Another 15 minutes and switching arms, stir, stir... nothing. Still no smoke, no cracking. Beans are getting darker still, 15 minutes then another 15 minutes goes by. After an hour and a half, and both arms feeling like they are going to fall off from the constant stirring, I gave up. The coffee was drinkable, even though it never cracked, and it was really dark also. But it was not good coffee.

So I have exhausted all of the no cost methods, except for the oven method. I had never read of anyone successfully getting a good roast from baking the beans in the oven, so skipped this method.

So I am going to have to spend some money, so off to the thrift store I go. I am looking for a popcorn popper, I tell myself this will be easy, they should have 10 - 20 of them. I walk in and search the store, nothing, not a single popcorn popper. Have microwaves replaced popcorn poppers to the extent that there are none in the thrift stores? Off to the second thrift store, then the third, still no luck. I remembered reading that Target carries a good model of popcorn popper, so I go there. They have popcorn poppers, a stir crazy, a movie theater style maker, no hot air poppers... What is going on here? Does noone buy these things anymore? A few days later I found one at Wal-Mart. It is not the right kind, it has the vent on the bottom instead of the side vents. After much debate, I decide it is worth a shot.

I bring it home unpack it, put the beans in, and start roasting. I listen for first crack, it slows down, then cracking gets more rapid. Hmm second crack starting? So I dump the beans, they smell kind of funny, kind of green, similar to hay. I grind them up and get the most DISGUSTING cup of coffee I have ever tasted. So back to the internet to do some research, it seems I was underroasting, and that first crack was not over. Next batch I roast longer, I roast it well past this point, then a very rapid cracking starts. I am blinded by tons of smoke, I quickly unplug it and dump the beans. I thought at first the beans were on fire, because of the sounds and all of the smoke. I shake the collander until the beans are cool. They are definitely a dark roast, I am thinking somewhere in between full french and Italian roast. The coffee is decent, mostly just roast flavours, cannot really tell much about the actual coffee.

Roasting is an art, this is something that I am now convinced of. Since the incident above I have still been roasting. I roast a days worth of coffee at a time, which is about 3 cups, everyday. I am doing this to try and get a feel for the process. Some roasts have turned out really good, I have had some of the best coffee ever in the last few days. Other roasts are decent, good coffee, nothing special. And then I have had a few really bad roasts, in the last couple of days I have also had some of the worst cups of coffee I have ever had. I am learning, and I hope improving. I eventually want to be able to roast any coffee to any roast I want to just from listening and smelling of the coffee. It will likely be months if not years before I am there.

Overall roasting is a wonderful thing. I enjoy it, it is fun. It is not, however as easy as I thought it would be. Roasting coffee is easy, but getting the roast level you want is very difficult. I am starting to get a feel for it, and another week or two I should be able to get close to what I am looking for.

When I start getting consistent roasts, I am plunning on comparing some of the different coffees to each other side by side. A process known as cupping, I will keep you guys updated on my progress.

Coffee!

Ahhh Coffee! Nectar of the gods. So many things can be said about this lovely drink. The wonderful aroma, the greate taste of a fresh cup of coffee, the instant pick me up that starts the instant that you catch the first whiff. I love coffee! I started buying coffee at the grocery store, then I happened to buy some whole beans and grind them in the store. I thought that this was heaven on earth. Soon I realized that the coffee had lost most of it's flavour within a week or so. The natural progression from this point was to buy a coffee grinder, and then I stumbled onto a website that sold the green beans for about the same price as the roasted ones at the grocery store. So the obvious thing was to start roasting my own.

The addiction is full force now, no I am not talking about the caffeine addiction (even though it is prevelent as well). Coffee itself is fascinating and addicting. I started roasting coffee a few weeks ago, and although the idea is simple, it is difficult to get the roast right. This will likely keep me occupied for a couple of months, but I love it. The only problem is this will become a very expensive hobby. It generally starts when you buy your first blade grinder, then you will realize it will not give you consistent grinds. So now you need a burr grinder, the manual ones generally run $50 or more, and the electric ones can run hundreds. Throw in a french press, an ibrik, a mocha pot, an espresso machine (cheapo), then the realization that the espresso machine will not make espresso, a more expensive espresso machine.... well you get the picture. I am on the journey but I feel it is just beginning.

At this point I have a blade grinder, but i am looking and budgeting for a burr grinder, I have a french press, and I love it. But, I need a larger one. I have a cheapo espresso machine, it was used heavily at first, until I realized it did not really resemble espresso too much. For the time being i am fascinated with the roast process, when I master that I will probably start cupping. Then I will probably start blending, and try different brewing methods, and try to master espressos, cappucinos, lattes, coffee art, ahhh.... the addiction will last for years. So many things to learn and do, so many thousands of dollars to be spent, and countless hours, and pounds of wasted coffee. But on the other hands, so many excellent, fresh cups of coffee (if you have never ground your own beans you do not know what good coffee is, and roasting is a whole new level above that). Join me on my journey, and feed your coffee addiction.