Yesterday, I roasted some Colombian La Cacia in my air popper. As usual, my 7 year-old son assisted me as "crack alarm" so that I don't miss the 1st and 2nd cracks.
As I filled the measuring scoop, I commented that, after this roast, I'd only have enough Columbian left for a half-batch. My son asked why I didn't just put it all in there, to which I replied that it would be too heavy for the air to properly move the beans around. His reply was "Why don't you just keep stirring them with a wooden spoon?"
So, I put in 1.5x the normal amount of beans, turned it on, and stirred. It was a bit tiring, but not too bad. My expectation was that it wouldn't turn out, and that I'd be throwing the lot away, but it sounded like fun (and it's sometimes good to just go ahead and follow through with your kid's crazy ideas for their own sake ).
But, guess what? I ended up with a nice, even, dark full city roast. I tried it this morning because it was the only coffee I had, and it's not quite rested long enough...but it will be great for New Year's Eve!
BTW, Steve? Got any Bolivian Organic left?