Coffee Roasting GODS...

[PC]

...how do I get started? This is something I've been wanting to try.

What's the best low-cost entry-level kit?

Any tips, resources?

[Hanley]

Heat Gun:



Slow Feed Dog Bowl



Wooden spoon of choice.

^ makes perfectly delicious coffee in about 10 mins.

[psmith]

Sweet Maria's will sell you a popcorn popper and 8lb of green beans for $40 which might actually be cheaper than heat gun/dog bowl, though I think hg/db is probably a better deal on net--bigger batches, easier to fine-tune.

Also a lot of good information on their website about times, roast levels, things like that.

[PC]

Heat Gun

Slow Feed Dog Bowl

Wooden spoon of choice.

^ makes perfectly delicious coffee in about 10 mins.

I've heard of the popcorn popper before, but this is great! I have a heat gun around here, somewhere...

Whats the optimal batch size for this method (obv depends on bowl size/shape, let's assume the one linked)?

@psmith, thanks for reminding me about Sweet Maria's. After I looked them up again, I remembered why I forgot about them. Their website is a bear - full of broken links, and seems to be half-way transitioned to a "legacy" domain. At least the part I was after. I haven't looked into sourcing beans yet.

I ended up on YT (should have started here), where a SM video recommends a batch size of around 450 grams (~1 lb) in one of their suggested popcorn poppers.


I'd like to get my retired father trying this with me when he migrates home for the summer. He's a big coffe snob, and between the two of us we go through some beans. If this becomes the way we buy/prepare our coffee, would anybody recommend a larger roasting apparatus?

[tdood]

I’ve done fine with a whirly-pop stovetop popcorn maker with a thermometer punched into it. My local roaster sells me green coffee for half price, or sweet Maria’s.
But, tbh it’s not worth the trouble. You learn and it’s fun, but my local roaster charges $15/lbs for my fav coffee (also is their cheapest .. guatamalan>geisha ftw) so I have no reason to roast. Before they opened it made more sense. I also have a subscription to Snowy Owl Roaster on Cape Cod - my fav.

[Idlehands]

What kind of ghetto DIY shit are you all creating.
Fancy Pants says
https://www.sweetmarias.com/roasting/dr ... ehmor.html

Also@ mkgillman please weigh in on roasting

[Mkgillman]

Start with the popcorn popper. It does small batches, maybe 4 ounces of green beans at a time, which will give you about a pot or two of coffee depending on your set up. If you have a strong hood fan, you can do it under that, but you might be better off doing it in the garage. Definitely get the sampler pack from Sweet Maria's, it is always exceptional. Ignore Idlehands about jumping in with both feet.

[hsilman]

Start with the popcorn popper. It does small batches, maybe 4 ounces of green beans at a time, which will give you about a pot or two of coffee depending on your set up. If you have a strong hood fan, you can do it under that, but you might be better off doing it in the garage. Definitely get the sampler pack from Sweet Maria's, it is always exceptional. Ignore Idlehands about jumping in with both feet.

Agree. I also started with a popcorn popper. I used that for a couple of years.

recently bought a sr800. It's better and it's mostly for the larger batches. But the popcorn popper was totally fine.

popcorn popper lets you buy green beans in bulk, which is a huge cost savings. And every single batch tasted better than store bought coffee. Some people get all up in this, and god bless them. But for me, even the basics are great.

[Hanley]

Real men use heat guns.

The quality of the roast is a function of you..not a machine.

[Manveer]

Real men use heat guns.

The quality of the roast is a function of you..not a machine.

Use a fire then

[Hanley]

Real men use heat guns.

The quality of the roast is a function of you..not a machine.

Use a fire then

Kindly fuck off

[iamsmu]

Sweet Maria's gives you a free 4lb sampler with the purchase of a $20 popcorn popper. Seems like a pretty good deal. I bought it. Took a couple weeks to ship and get here.

I've been experimenting with the samples for a month or so now. I wouldn't roast inside. Hell no. It will make a mess and stink up the house. I've been roasting in my backyard.

https://www.sweetmarias.com/nostalgia-e ... opper.html

[PC]

Sweet Maria's gives you a free 4lb sampler with the purchase of a $20 popcorn popper. Seems like a pretty good deal. I bought it. Took a couple weeks to ship and get here.

I've been experimenting with the samples for a month or so now. I wouldn't roast inside. Hell no. It will make a mess and stink up the house. I've been roasting in my backyard.

https://www.sweetmarias.com/nostalgia-e ... opper.html

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I've ordered this popper/sampler pack. We'll see how it goes!

[iamsmu]

Thanks for bringing this to my attention. I've ordered this popper/sampler pack. We'll see how it goes!

It's a good deal.

The samples in my pack were different enough that I'm still undecided about what to order next. One thing that I found counter intuitive is that over roasting kind of makes them all taste the same. They lose their character. Different roasts of the same beans can taste fairly distinct.

I'm so new to this, I can't say much more. . . . I need to order a big bag of something soon. It takes a while to ship.

[hsilman]

I usually just try all different types of relatively inexpensive beans from Maria's. Stuff that's rated for City or longer roasts. Never had a bad one, though there are some I prefer over others, especially for espresso.

[Hanley]

Real men use heat guns.

The quality of the roast is a function of you..not a machine.

Got a SR800. I hate myself.

[PC]

Real men use heat guns.

The quality of the roast is a function of you..not a machine.

Got a SR800. I hate myself.

I like to wallow in others self-loathing due to their indulgent spending habits. I suffer from the same; maybe we should form a support group.

I've since upgraded to the Nesco roaster (https://www.sweetmarias.com/nesco-coffee-roaster.html). While it is better in terms of heat consistency and chaff catching when compared to the popcorn popper, the limited batch size is still grating. The built in timer/cooldown functions alone make it worth the $79 IMO.

I imagine one could geek out on 9 heat/fan settings for a while. Let me know your experiences, especially as they relate to darker roasts (if you choose to go that route).

[Hanley]

especially as they relate to darker roasts (if you choose to go that route).

I'm a "cool just before second crack" kinda guy.

@hsilman, I think I stumbled upon your roasting posts

[hsilman]

especially as they relate to darker roasts (if you choose to go that route).

I'm a "cool just before second crack" kinda guy.

@hsilman, I think I stumbled upon your roasting posts

I assume you mean in the Facebook group?

Yeah, I think you'd love a mastech temp sensor hooked up to Artisan. I've been frying the shit out of my beans for a year following the "simple startup" directions that came with the sr800.

I didn't burn them, but it ramps up the heat way too quickly and doesn't give them time to develop prior to 1C.

I did 3 roasts in a week of one type of bean, and dialing it in gives a cup that's *chef's kiss*

[deant]

I've got a 3k Mill City roaster in my outbuilding that we no longer use. We now use the Mill City 10k. The 3k would be a nice size for home use for someone that wants lots of flexibility and really enjoys roasting excess quantities to provide friends/neighbors high quality coffee. Or low quality...depending on how good your roasting profiles are. I'm enjoying some fresh beans right now...mmmm...oh yeah!