Home roasting.. is it worth it?

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Home roasting.. is it worth it?

Postby namelessone » Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:04 pm

I am a somewhat casual coffee drinker, I drink maybe 1-2 cups a day at most.. I am wondering, how much better is the taste with home roasted coffee, compared to what I can get from shops? The whole process seem rather messy (With all the smoke and such) and I'm just wondering, is it really worth all the trouble? I use a grinder and aeropress to make my coffee, and I'm quite pleased with the results from beans that I can buy from various roasters..
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RE: Home roasting.. is it worth it?

Postby espressomattic » Sun Nov 30, 2008 10:38 pm

Having been a homeroaster for three years, I would say it is very much worth it.

How messy it is depends on the roaster you use, be it a Hottop, Gene (Hmmmm), Whirley Pop...whatever.

I get an awful lot of satisfaction from roasting and take great pride in my results, especially when sharing that with other people.

Give it a go, why not? It doesn't have to be expensive at all. There is an article in the wiki on Hoe Roasting. But, hey if you can get quality beans and you are happy with that, fine. I would say if you are feeling adverterous, don't mind a few burn outs and want to give it a go...do it.
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RE: Home roasting.. is it worth it?

Postby CakeBoy » Mon Dec 01, 2008 2:21 am

I agree with Mutty, it's very rewarding. You almost need to treat it as a seperate hobby to your coffee brewing one. Roasting is a whole new world and the process is almost as cathartic as the ceremony of extracting espresso :)

espressomattic wrote:Give it a go, why not? It doesn't have to be expensive at all. There is an article in the wiki on Hoe Roasting. But, hey if you can get quality beans and you are happy with that, fine.


I thought garden tools were quite expensive actually ;). Seriously though, what a legend - even when he can't get good beans our man 'down under' won't be beaten. Off he goes to see what he can rake up! :P

(Mate, sorry for being so cruel - yet again. I try to feel bad about it but it's too funny and besides, you'd worry if I didn't ;) )
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RE: Home roasting.. is it worth it?

Postby triptogenetica » Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:37 am

Don't think I can aspire to that level of humor -

But re home roasting - go for it! As Cakeboy says, it's a different entity to preparing espresso or brewing coffee. But it's relaxing, smells nice, and rewards any attention and skill paid to its learning curve.

I'm no expert - I started less than 2 mths ago - but I'm already finding that my coffee is improving with every roast. It's one more variable to factor in when making espresso, but it's worth it.

Re freshness -
I am wondering, how much better is the taste with home roasted coffee, compared to what I can get from shops?

Well, I don't know what you're comparing to - what shops? If I compare to Steve my favorite roaster, I don't see a massive difference - his coffee is freshly roasted and shipped right away - but compared to most shops my roast is way better! Because their beans are of idon'tknowwhat providence.

About the mess and the smoke - it is smoky, variably so, but it doesn't have to make much mess. Having said that, I started out roasting in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring with a wooden spoon. This method is really smoky, i think because it's a bit uneven - so some beans are burning while you're waiting for others to roast. Even with kitchen window open and extractor fan on, our flat smelt of burning lentils for a couple of days after each roast.

Quite rapidly my flatmates told me they weren't happy with this; i would have to find another method. I'm glad they did - my solution is easier, more even, and less smoky - and the roasts are better too.

So I had to have a portable method, one I could use in the shared utility room of this building (with the windows open) then tidy away easily. It also had to be affordable!

I spent £20 on a mini oven from argos http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/4230285/Trail/searchtext>MINI+OVEN.htm, and found a roasting tray to fit in a charity store. Now, what I do is this -

Assemble my mobile roasting kit -
- oven, roasting tray, 2xcolanders, metal fish slice, tea towel, beans
preheat oven to ~230C, with roasting tray inside
take tray out and spread beans on it
put in oven, then read something interesting
every 3 min or so, flip oven door open, stir beans quickly, without taking tray out (fish slice does this v well)
stir so as to swap beans around, middle and sides

I get quite consistent roasts -
- grassy smell at 5-6 minutes
- first crack at 9-11 minutes (I think! I'm new to this!)
- second crack at ~16 minutes (if I'm roasting decaf / want second crack)

Then tip out into colanders and cool (pour one to the other in the breeze). Tidy away kit, rest coffee, then enjoy.


So far, I'm enjoying this method. I'd recommend it to anyone who's getting interested in this roasting thing...

Also, have you considered trying a good decaf? They're less messy to roast (no chaff) (tho oven roasting is very tidy anyhow) and I find I'm learning more about coffee this way - I can practise espresso preparation anytime without fear of toomuchcoffee...


Ahhh, it's good to get that out. Have been meaning to writeup my roasting method / own up to using the £20 argos oven to roast in - I wonder what people think.
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RE: Home roasting.. is it worth it?

Postby CakeBoy » Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:03 pm

Sounds like a decent set-up you have fettled there Trip. That oven from Argos was certainly a bargain! :D
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RE: Home roasting.. is it worth it?

Postby zapty » Mon Dec 01, 2008 2:29 pm

Cost wise it is probably not worth it, taste wise, there is nothing like it.......
Although I know people who can not taste the difference between excellent quality freshly roasted Arabica beans and some cheap rancid bag of preground Robusto beans out of the discount market.....

If it is not a hobby then probably you won't spend the time on it that is needed to discover all the little roasting secrets that make roasting your own so much fun.
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RE: Home roasting.. is it worth it?

Postby triptogenetica » Mon Dec 01, 2008 7:29 pm

Thanks Cakey :)

I'm choosing to view the oven as my radiant-heat roaster (because it is a glorified grill / toaster in a box, and certainly not a fluid-bed roaster)... but it gets good results...

But I'm hijacking the thread. Home roasting has to be a hobby, sure - you need the time to enjoy it - but if you do give it a go - you'll most likely enjoy it a lot!
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RE: Home roasting.. is it worth it?

Postby namelessone » Tue Dec 02, 2008 9:04 am

I'll try to get my hands on some green beans ,and try the oven method, which seems to be the one with the minimum investment. I'll let you know on the results..
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Postby namelessone » Tue Dec 02, 2008 11:51 am

I bought some raw coffee from a local middle eastern store, the coffee is completely unknown origin and also was very cheap (3€ for 1 kilo). The green ones sure smelled rather bad. Eitherway I don't know of any other places here that sell green coffee so I would probably have to order online.

Here's the pic of the plate I put in the oven with the beans on it:
Image

I heated up the oven to 250 (both bottom and top turned on), after around 10 minutes things started to happen and around 14minutes the coffee started to pop. I tried to stir it a few times since the roasting didn't seem very even. Here's the final result:
Image

It doesn't look very even, and doesn't seem to have much of an aroma (that you usually get when you open a fresh bag of roasted beans, for example). I'll let it stay a while to see how it develops.
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Postby fred25 » Tue Dec 02, 2008 2:06 pm

I think home roasting is fantastic, and can't encourage you enough to try it! Oven roasting is the easiest, and can give good results quite quickly.

The important thing though is to source good green beans - if you say in which country you live I'm sure there'll be members able to recommend a source most appropriate for you! ; also, stirring early on the roast is important - I seem to remember that roast don't 'even out' later on - it either stays as uneven, or actually gets worst.

Hope this helps :)
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Postby BazBean » Tue Dec 02, 2008 3:32 pm

YES !
Knowledge can be absorbed, but passion cannot be taught !

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Postby Kaz » Tue Dec 02, 2008 4:26 pm

I agree with Cakey about treating it as a separate hobby. I don’t drink a lot of coffee but I occasionally roast coffee for fun in my Prima popper with a large strainer over the top of it to try and control the chaff. At the end of roasting I tip the beans into the strainer and waft them around outside to cool - not terribly sophisticated but does the job for what I want. I also do it for the satisfaction and to be transported back to my childhood when I used to spend summers in Italy with my grandparents (my late mum was Italian). There was a coffee roaster near the house and every day the aroma of roasting coffee would permeate the air. I loved it. I was also fascinated by the baristas’ skill in controlling the multi-group lever espresso machines, and that’s why I have a Pavoni Europiccola which I use occasionally, but mostly admire. Roasting your own coffee is a great way to learn about coffee and appreciate the skill of the coffee roaster just as brewing you own (and trying to get a decent shot out of a lever machine) teaches you to appreciate the skill of the barista! Give it a go - you’ll learn a lot and have fun on the way. No need to spend lots of money - well not to start with...
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Postby CakeBoy » Wed Dec 03, 2008 2:40 am

Memories of one's youth invoked by the senses of smell and sight can be so intense. I so totally know what toy mean Kaz :)
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Postby triptogenetica » Wed Dec 03, 2008 3:43 pm

Hmm - Fred25's probably right - stir early!

The oven roasting guidelines I read suggested waiting 5 minutes, then stirring, but I'm not that patient. And luckily stirring a bit earlier seems to work for me...
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Home Roasting. Is it worth it?

Postby walts » Thu Mar 26, 2009 2:14 pm

Hi there Namelessone. I would personally vouch for the worth of home roasting. Not so sure about using ovens or pans myself. But ever since I joined this illustrius group, I have used and still use (yes. The very self and same roaster) over and over and over again. It has never let me down and with the addition of a baked bean can for a chimney, it has given me good service. Oh....what is it? Why, it is the cheapest Pop Corn Roaster I could buy. Brilliant! A little smoke, yes, but the fragrance in that smoke is priceless. All my neighbours love it when I start roasting. The coffee? Well it is the best because I can adjust the roast to the best for me at that time. Lighter, darker, or even a mix of the two. Hope this helps.
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