Indepth roasting steps?

[adamh_25_]

I've been thinking about starting to roast my own because of all of the good things I keep hearing. I checked the Roasting 101 sticky, which was quite helpful, but then I read on here about 1st and 2nd crack and all this. So does anyone have any links or feel like typing up a pretty indepth procedure for a coffee roasting newb?....Like what do I need to buy, how long to roast...yadda yadda yadda. Any help is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance guys.
Adam

[Mister Moo]

Adam: your question is under consideration by a new consortium called HRFCSC* (Home Roasting Cigar Smoking Criminals,); they are conferring on how many ISOMs will be needed (in advance) to start this project and how many willl be needed (on delivery) to post. It's some kind of new "pay as you go" plan.

(While you wait, scan sweetmarias.com.)

*pronounced HerfSick

[adamh_25_]

haha Mister MaDuroo, i am slightly confused by your comment...but i will say thank you for posting and helping
Adam

[Mister Moo]

I'm sorry Adam - I didn't mean to be rude or confusing. You asked for something (the "yada-yada" part) that might need a 250-page reply. Your question is very hard to answer even tho coffee roasting is a very easy thing to do.

Could you narrow down the indepth part to a certain kind of roaster or, first, tell how much do you want to spend on a roasting project and how much coffee do you use each week? There are indepth answers to the $10/1-lb homeroast entry plan and different indepth answers to the $350/5-lb entry plan. There are easier (more expensive) and harder (cheaper) ways to do the deed and explain the details. Now that I think about it, all it is is details.... I confuse easily.

Somebody said it elsewhere - this isn't rocket science. We might dawdle with some odd sounding fine points here but, in the end, it isn't any harder than getting out a box of crayons and some paper. So, you wanna spend how much to roast how many?

[adamh_25_]

Ahh I understand now...sorry for leaving it so opened ended. Well right now I drink maybe 1 pot a day, not a ton....Folgers or some other stuff.....can't remember the brand right now but like french and columbian and kona are my favs so far. I figured since I was new at this I'd start out cheap...maybe as cheap as I can get. So the popcorn popper method will probably be my way. I then figured I'd grab like a 5 dollar bag of green beans and just work from there. Dont wanna kill half a pound of expensive stuff. Plus I see it like cigars. The stuff I've been drinking is like gas station cigars. You think they are good until you have the good stuff. So if that is the case, I'll probably like anything at first. I dont know enough to know what I would like.
Well it seems like I rambled a little. But I hope that it clears up my huge question and makes it a little smaller haha. I think i get the basics here. Put some in popcorn popper, cook, take out and let cool. My confusion I guess I could say is in the time limits and the 1st/2nd crack? So I guess if you could help me out there and maybe clue me in on some little things I'd be good. Thanks a bunch. And sorry for the big first post.
Adam

[ResIpsa]

Originally Posted by adamh_25_

Ahh I understand now...sorry for leaving it so opened ended. Well right now I drink maybe 1 pot a day, not a ton....Folgers or some other stuff.....can't remember the brand right now but like french and columbian and kona are my favs so far. I figured since I was new at this I'd start out cheap...maybe as cheap as I can get. So the popcorn popper method will probably be my way. I then figured I'd grab like a 5 dollar bag of green beans and just work from there. Dont wanna kill half a pound of expensive stuff. Plus I see it like cigars. The stuff I've been drinking is like gas station cigars. You think they are good until you have the good stuff. So if that is the case, I'll probably like anything at first. I dont know enough to know what I would like.
Well it seems like I rambled a little. But I hope that it clears up my huge question and makes it a little smaller haha. I think i get the basics here. Put some in popcorn popper, cook, take out and let cool. My confusion I guess I could say is in the time limits and the 1st/2nd crack? So I guess if you could help me out there and maybe clue me in on some little things I'd be good. Thanks a bunch. And sorry for the big first post.
Adam

Mr. M'oo, let me give a hand here

Adam, have you checked out Sweetmaria's yet? Try this link:

http://www.sweetmarias.com/airpopmethod.html

it will give you a lot of info re: the popcorn popper method of roasting. Look on that page for the link for the recommended design of a popcorn popper for roasting. http://www.sweetmarias.com/airpopdesign.html.
If you have a Target near you, they sell a popcorn popper of the correct design. If not or you want the Mac Daddy of poppers, check out Ebay, thift stores, etc for a Westbend Poppery I or II.
A lot of this is trial and error, poppers can run hot and cold, so keep a close eye on the roast at all times. First crack sounds like popcorn popping, loud single cracks. 2nd crack sounds like rice crispies when you add the milk, very rapid, more of a "crackling" sound than a popping sound. After you hear 1st and 2nd a few times it is easy to differentiate between the two. 2nd crack is also accompanied by a lot of smoke, and a more "acrid" smell to the smoke. Experiment and it will all become clear to you. Sweetmarias also has a huge variety of beans for sale, includinng sampler packs for those new to the hobby. Go to the green beans page on the website and shop away

[Mister Moo]

(What ResIpsa said.)

Your post was fine. I was being a nuisance.

If you're up to prowling thrift stores, look for a West Bend Poppery, West Bend Poppery II or Hamilton Beach Popcorn Pumper. They are all pretty common and work well for coffee; they can be found for $1.00 to $5.00 pretty regularly. If you have a bad jones to do this, look on Ebay but probably pay more.

Popper will roast about 4oz per cycle; between roasting, cooling, de-chaffing etc., it'll take an hour or less to make enough for a pot/day per week, approx., by this method. It is not esp. speedy, but it is an inexpensive and excellent way to learn - maybe the best. Quick cycles, small batches, small mistakes, quick results.

Small commercially made machines like IRoast and FreshRoast Plus, etc. are well known to others here but I've never used one. They are also excellent 4-6oz roasters but they cost more than a dollar. They're also easier to use.

Explaining details about cracks when and how long this and how much that is like trying to write instructions for how to blow a bubble with bubble gum. It's easy enough to do it when you finally have the gum in your mouth but really hard to write it all down. It fast becomes a book (or books) according to your choice of beans and roasting method(s).

Hope this helps. And you're exactly right - it's the difference between gas station cigars and aged ISOMs. Once people make fresh coffee they usually keep on doing it... and doing it... and doing it. Very neat little hobby with a wonderful outcome each time.

I say get a popper or a commercial machine and have at it. Shoot - you're a pot-a-day man - you deserve it.

[adamh_25_]

Thanks guys, I appreciate it. This should get me through my first roast hopefully pretty well. Ill keep you informed on how it goes.
Adam

[why1504]

I roast about 100 pounds a year. Go to www.sweetmarias.com

I have not had good sucess with the popcorn poppers. It is ok to start, but without a fair abount of modification the beans don't roast very evenly. So, if you start here and like it, well plan on moving to a dedicated coffee roaster.

Also, go ahead and invest in a good insulated coffee press. I will take fresh roasted coffee in a press anyday over coffeehouse coffee.

[whodat1]

What he said!

[Mister Moo]

Whodat's yirg so overpowers with volatile lemon outgassing that his take on poppers is probly affected by lack of oxygen; I'd expect "Who" to agree with "Why" and doubt any surprises should "When", "Where" and "How" fire off position statements.

After a couple of years using unmodded poppers I never found any problem with them except 1) capacity; and 2) lack of fine control. If anything, in my experience, they invariably produced brighter and more even roasts than a drum or SCCO.

Why1504 recently arrived with a very kind post about how civil the dialog is at CS. With respect to this I say, "Welcome Why1504! Glad to have you here no matter how... (gulp - swallow)... Welcome!"

[why1504]

Originally Posted by Mister MaDuroo

Whodat's yirg so overpowers with volatile lemon outgassing that his take on poppers is probly affected by lack of oxygen; I'd expect "Who" to agree with "Why" and doubt any surprises should "When", "Where" and "How" fire off position statements.

After a couple of years using unmodded poppers I never found any problem with them except 1) capacity; and 2) lack of fine control. If anything, in my experience, they invariably produced brighter and more even roasts than a drum or SCCO.

Why1504 recently arrived with a very kind post about how civil the dialog is at CS. With respect to this I say, "Welcome Why1504! Glad to have you here no matter how... (gulp - swallow)... Welcome!"

Well I went through 2 popcorn popper based roasters (granted I roast more than most) and here was my experience: unless I went French roast I was unsuccessful in getting consistent bean roasting(some beans burnt, some not through the first crack). I happen to prefer City to Full City. Also they just did not last long (3 months each) and I had a difficult time finding the correct popcorn popper to roast with`. My current roaster, a drum type (Hot Top I have had for 3 years) will still give me some lack of control depending on how long it has been since I cleaned her and changed the filter. Generally, this is a lack of ability to roast to the darkest of settings. As for capacity, well for a pot a day I think the popcorn popper is fine but if you consume more than that you need a larger roaster. One other thing about Popcorn roasters is they roast fast. This can be nice. Now, a dedicated small volume roaster can do all these things as well (I have one but can’t remember which model) and generally will roast all the beans more consistently with good control.

Unfortunately, if I was roasting only for home use the Hot Top would not be my roaster of choice as I don't go through 250g of beans in 3 days (while the beans are in their prime).

[ResIpsa]

Originally Posted by why1504

Well I went through 2 popcorn popper based roasters (granted I roast more than most) and here was my experience: unless I went French roast I was unsuccessful in getting consistent bean roasting(some beans burnt, some not through the first crack). I happen to prefer City to Full City. Also they just did not last long (3 months each) and I had a difficult time finding the correct popcorn popper to roast with`. My current roaster, a drum type (Hot Top I have had for 3 years) will still give me some lack of control depending on how long it has been since I cleaned her and changed the filter. Generally, this is a lack of ability to roast to the darkest of settings. As for capacity, well for a pot a day I think the popcorn popper is fine but if you consume more than that you need a larger roaster. One other thing about Popcorn roasters is they roast fast. This can be nice. Now, a dedicated small volume roaster can do all these things as well (I have one but can’t remember which model) and generally will roast all the beans more consistently with good control.

Unfortunately, if I was roasting only for home use the Hot Top would not be my roaster of choice as I don't go through 250g of beans in 3 days (while the beans are in their prime).

I have to agree with Mr. Maduroo regarding popcorn poppers. Having said that, It's hard to argue with what someone's personal experience was. If that was your experience, then that was your experience with popcorn poppers. I'm a little surprised at your getting an uneven roast using them however, as that flies in the face of everything I have personally seen, read or known about roasting with a popcorn popper. Without knowing more about how you were using them it's hard to know what the problem was re: uneven roasting. As the popper is a fluid bed roaster the evenness of the roast is one of the few things you can count on, of course generally speaking. From what you describe (some beans underroasted, some overroasted) my guess would be insufficient agitation of the beans, the primary cause of which would be overrloading the popcorn popper.

So to all of you popcorn poppers roasters out there keep this in mind. In an effort to save time, DO NOT overload the popper. Watch the beans in the beginning closely. If they are not a hopping and a jumping (at the least a swirling), you need to give them a little help. The easiest way to do this is using a wooden (not metal, people, unless roasting yourself is a secondary goal ) spoon or other kitchen type utensil, and stir the beans every 15 seconds or so. Once the beans lose a little of their moisture content they will become light enough for the fan of the popper to agitate them sufficiently to avoid scorching. On your next batch, decrease the volume of beans a little until you find the sweet spot for that particular popper.Roast on, dudes

[why1504]

Originally Posted by ResIpsa

I have to agree with Mr. Maduroo regarding popcorn poppers. Having said that, It's hard to argue with what someone's personal experience was. If that was your experience, then that was your experience with popcorn poppers. I'm a little surprised at your getting an uneven roast using them however, as that flies in the face of everything I have personally seen, read or known about roasting with a popcorn popper. Without knowing more about how you were using them it's hard to know what the problem was re: uneven roasting. As the popper is a fluid bed roaster the evenness of the roast is one of the few things you can count on, of course generally speaking. From what you describe (some beans underroasted, some overroasted) my guess would be insufficient agitation of the beans, the primary cause of which would be overrloading the popcorn popper.

So to all of you popcorn poppers roasters out there keep this in mind. In an effort to save time, DO NOT overload the popper. Watch the beans in the beginning closely. If they are not a hopping and a jumping (at the least a swirling), you need to give them a little help. The easiest way to do this is using a wooden (not metal, people, unless roasting yourself is a secondary goal ) spoon or other kitchen type utensil, and stir the beans every 15 seconds or so. Once the beans lose a little of their moisture content they will become light enough for the fan of the popper to agitate them sufficiently to avoid scorching. On your next batch, decrease the volume of beans a little until you find the sweet spot for that particular popper.Roast on, dudes

Yes, roasting in a popcorn popper does require stiring and fast reaction in dumping out the beans for cooling without burning. One other note, I roast 3 to 4 pounds a week. When you push that through a popcorn popper they just burn out. Now, I did not have that experience with my small volume roaster. Infact after 4-5 years ( one load a month since I got the Hot Top, ) it is still going strong.

[Mister Moo]

Originally Posted by why1504

Yes, roasting in a popcorn popper does require stiring and fast reaction in dumping out the beans for cooling without burning. One other note, I roast 3 to 4 pounds a week. When you push that through a popcorn popper they just burn out. Now, I did not have that experience with my small volume roaster. Infact after 4-5 years ( one load a month since I got the Hot Top, ) it is still going strong.

First to agree a popper needs fast hands and good oven mitts - and they aren't suited for roasting too much. I used two in sequence - one roasting while the other cooled (another pain with a popper). While some are better/worse than others, I always had very even roasts. I'm married to my SCCO now, but still pull out the WB1 once in a while for small sample roasts - always perfect. What can I say? I was born lucky AND pretty.