Attempt number 2 at roasting coffee. This time I used our Whirly Pop to do it. It yielded more consistent results, but I may have over done it, as it was hard to tell the colour through the chaff and steam / smoke. They ended up a little oilier, but not too bad. The chaff at least stayed mostly in the Whirly Pop and didn't circulate through the whole kitchen, and then I found a colander that was the perfect size so that the beans stayed mostly inside while the chaff exited through the bottom and sides. Tried a 15g/250g recipe, which turned out much better than my attempt before, but not much as far as aromatics. May give it a try in the espresso machine, but I am not sure if I should give it a little time to off-gas on its own. Took about 30 minutes to roast, and then another 30 minutes cleaning all the chaff off. Attempted to do it outside, but the wind didn't really help much in blowing it away, so my balcony took the brunt of it. C'est la vie.
Did you take it that dark intentionally or did it get away from you? Your 30 minutes pics look great but just curious if you were going for that dark of a roast or not. Personal preference at the end of the day, just curious (having never home roasted)
Did you take it that dark intentionally or did it get away from you? Your 30 minutes pics look great but just curious if you were going for that dark of a roast or not. Personal preference at the end of the day, just curious (having never home roasted)
It wasn’t intentional; I was a little mesmerized by the crackle and thought I should let that play out, but once I noticed is developing that oily sheen I took it off the heat and dumped it onto the cookie sheet.
I've been roasting for some time and can probably help out here. Thirty minutes is too long for a roast. Try and get it down by at least half that. Ideally, should be done roughly 13 minutes or less. You should have first crack by 6 minutes or so give or take..depending on the bean. Around first cracks is a very light roast. Taking the beans past first cracking will give medium, into second crack you will have a dark roast. Much further is charcoal...like Starbucks! If you're judging by sight, you want to take those beans off the heat a bit sooner than what you think you'd like them to be. Example - If you're looking for a dark roast, do not wait until they are dark in the pot, especially oily. They will be burnt. Take them off at a nice med to slightly darker brown. They will darken up after a bit, and you'll soon see oils coming to surface. Same goes if you're looking for a medium roast. Take them off at a med. brown. This will be more critical depending how quick you are cooling after heat. It is best to cool them fast. The quicker they cool, the closer to your desired roast level. The beans will obviously continue to darken the longer they stay hot, as they are still cooking on the inside. I like to put a couple colanders in the fridge or freezer while roasting and will dump them in there straight away after, alternating back and forth between each. Those beans of yours although probably baked, might taste better after degassing a few day as well. Compare the taste after roasting to a couple days later. I find mine usually taste best after a few days up to a week even with some.
A stainless steel whirly pop works better fwiw, more even heat, although you can definitely have success with yours. As I'm sure you've found out, it will get pretty smoky depending how far you take it. As far as popcorn makers go, I found the hot air popper to be easier to control and have had more luck with it. You do not have the same capacity as a whirly pop though. If you're thinking of trying hot air poppers, look for the kind that blow from the bottom sides, as opposed to straight up. This way you will have more agitation and spinning around of the beans, affording a more evenly roasted bean. I think I paid $5 for one on kijiji. You can pretty much roast beans any method that creates enough heat. There's some pretty creative methods kicking around the internet...rotisseries on the bbq, heat guns in big stainless steel dog bowls, breadmakers, etc, etc. I eventually settled on a dedicated, small home roaster.
Roasting your own coffee is great. I consider myself a bit of a coffee snob, and tend to get bored of the same origins/blends after more than a few cups. I used to try different coffee subscriptions, etc, but that can get kind of pricey, depending of course how much you drink. Hence getting into roasting. I'll often roast two or three origins a week, having up to five or six different origins on hand at a given time. This way I'm never bored of my coffee with a lot to choose from. It does work out cheaper than buying roasted beans if you buy larger amounts of green, smaller quantities not quite as much. If you have any more questions on roasting or different brew methods, fire away, I've got some experience
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I prefer V60 if for no other reason my V60 is single cup vs about a 4 or 5 cup Chemex. I'm the only coffee drinker in the house and a five cup Chemex gets pretty cold fast! Chemex does look cooler though as someone already mentioned.
More so, lately I have been using the Clever Dripper. I find it's a great cross between a pour over and French press. Check it out if you haven't seen it. Only cost's about $25.
As far as coolness goes this has to win, hands down. I think it'd be fun for entertaining.
After drinking instant for years and years, purchased the ECM Mechanika V Slim and the Niche Zero from Indiegogo. There was definitely a learning curve but after about a year of making espresso, definitely have the hang of it. Score bonus points with my wife everyday by making her a heart on her latte every day. Hasn't gotten old for her yet .
I would recommend buying from Espressoworks if you're in the market for an espresso machine. I didn't purchase from them, but only because they didn't have stock for the machine I wanted. Servicing is also discounted if you purchase the machine from them.
I did end up taking it in to them for servicing after messing up my grouphead rebuild. I was backflushing and lubricating way too often and also had scale build up from using BWT pitcher filtered water (which I assumed was enough). The service was more expensive because I didn't purchase the machine from them (~$250) but was worth it for the maintenance advice alone. I have an ECM inline filter now and also only do a detergent backflush once a month which doesn't require regular lubrication.
I've been roasting for some time and can probably help out here. Thirty minutes is too long for a roast. Try and get it down by at least half that. Ideally, should be done roughly 13 minutes or less. You should have first crack by 6 minutes or so give or take..depending on the bean. Around first cracks is a very light roast. Taking the beans past first cracking will give medium, into second crack you will have a dark roast. Much further is charcoal...like Starbucks! If you're judging by sight, you want to take those beans off the heat a bit sooner than what you think you'd like them to be. Example - If you're looking for a dark roast, do not wait until they are dark in the pot, especially oily. They will be burnt. Take them off at a nice med to slightly darker brown. They will darken up after a bit, and you'll soon see oils coming to surface. Same goes if you're looking for a medium roast. Take them off at a med. brown. This will be more critical depending how quick you are cooling after heat. It is best to cool them fast. The quicker they cool, the closer to your desired roast level. The beans will obviously continue to darken the longer they stay hot, as they are still cooking on the inside. I like to put a couple colanders in the fridge or freezer while roasting and will dump them in there straight away after, alternating back and forth between each. Those beans of yours although probably baked, might taste better after degassing a few day as well. Compare the taste after roasting to a couple days later. I find mine usually taste best after a few days up to a week even with some.
A stainless steel whirly pop works better fwiw, more even heat, although you can definitely have success with yours. As I'm sure you've found out, it will get pretty smoky depending how far you take it. As far as popcorn makers go, I found the hot air popper to be easier to control and have had more luck with it. You do not have the same capacity as a whirly pop though. If you're thinking of trying hot air poppers, look for the kind that blow from the bottom sides, as opposed to straight up. This way you will have more agitation and spinning around of the beans, affording a more evenly roasted bean. I think I paid $5 for one on kijiji. You can pretty much roast beans any method that creates enough heat. There's some pretty creative methods kicking around the internet...rotisseries on the bbq, heat guns in big stainless steel dog bowls, breadmakers, etc, etc. I eventually settled on a dedicated, small home roaster.
Roasting your own coffee is great. I consider myself a bit of a coffee snob, and tend to get bored of the same origins/blends after more than a few cups. I used to try different coffee subscriptions, etc, but that can get kind of pricey, depending of course how much you drink. Hence getting into roasting. I'll often roast two or three origins a week, having up to five or six different origins on hand at a given time. This way I'm never bored of my coffee with a lot to choose from. It does work out cheaper than buying roasted beans if you buy larger amounts of green, smaller quantities not quite as much. If you have any more questions on roasting or different brew methods, fire away, I've got some experience
I finally used up my Monogram espresso beans and gave my home roasted ones a try in the espresso machine. Grind was probably too fine, took about 40 sec, so will do a little coarser tomorrow. Overall, despite the over extraction, it was pretty good in the latte. I didn’t think to try it straight up since I was in autopilot mode.
On a grinder note, I have been reading about some people angling their Rocky grinders to reduce clumping. I might give that a go. It kind of makes sense since the grinds have to push against each other to exit the chute.
While I love my Phil and Seb coffee - it does get a little spendy after a while. Probably should be more of a treat than a constant for me.
Anyone have recommendations for whole bean coffee (preferably at Costco) that doesn't taste like 1) donut shop coffee or ii) Starbucks? Looking for a medium roast on the complex sweet side.
Is there a way to roast beans without the smoke? Interested in roasting my own at home but everywhere I read says it creates a lot of smoke. The last thing I need is all the smoke alarms going off with two toddlers sleeping
Is there a way to roast beans without the smoke? Interested in roasting my own at home but everywhere I read says it creates a lot of smoke. The last thing I need is all the smoke alarms going off with two toddlers sleeping
In your garage? My buddy roasts his in his garage and there's no way he'd do it indoors due to the smoke.
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Is there a way to roast beans without the smoke? Interested in roasting my own at home but everywhere I read says it creates a lot of smoke. The last thing I need is all the smoke alarms going off with two toddlers sleeping
Depending on what you have, I know that some people have done this on the BBQ, which seems like a good option.
Is there a way to roast beans without the smoke? Interested in roasting my own at home but everywhere I read says it creates a lot of smoke. The last thing I need is all the smoke alarms going off with two toddlers sleeping
It’s not a lot of smoke-smoke, but the smell lingers for a day or two and it’s not a nice “mmm fresh coffee” smell. The chaf is the big PITA. Look at the videos for whirly-pop roasting. Do it on the stove with the fan turned on to get the smoke out. I do mine and then when it’s done roasting take it outside and let the char fly away.
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While I love my Phil and Seb coffee - it does get a little spendy after a while. Probably should be more of a treat than a constant for me.
Anyone have recommendations for whole bean coffee (preferably at Costco) that doesn't taste like 1) donut shop coffee or ii) Starbucks? Looking for a medium roast on the complex sweet side.
A ton of roasteries in Calgary do at home deliveries now. you can set it up bi-weekly etc.
While I love my Phil and Seb coffee - it does get a little spendy after a while. Probably should be more of a treat than a constant for me.
Anyone have recommendations for whole bean coffee (preferably at Costco) that doesn't taste like 1) donut shop coffee or ii) Starbucks? Looking for a medium roast on the complex sweet side.
A small cost saver might be to find a place that does bring your own container. I think I get about a 10-20% discount bringing a container to Monogram to get filled with espresso beans. They have other beans as well in bulk. It's always super fresh. $25 worth of beans (500+ g) lasts me a week. Better than $20 for 340 g anyway. And yes, I am completely aware I spend $100 a month on coffee, it's all about priorities.
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Have you tried the Ethical Bean or Level Ground from Costco? I like both of those.
I've tried the purple 'medium' roast and found it a little on the donut shop side. There's yellow lable 'complex' I'd like to try but am not sure if Costco has that. Curious to see if any of the Kicking Horse coffees that are occasionally stocked at Costco might fit the bill....
Quote:
Originally Posted by Fuzz
Would that be any cheaper though?
It's about the same - they have to make up for the delivery costs somehow. I support P&S, Monogram, and others via individual bag purchases. Rosso seems to have some "buy X get a bag free" deals but it's like a 3 month supply which gets into freshness issues.
I've tried the purple 'medium' roast and found it a little on the donut shop side. There's yellow lable 'complex' I'd like to try but am not sure if Costco has that. Curious to see if any of the Kicking Horse coffees that are occasionally stocked at Costco might fit the bill....
-snip-
The Ethical Bean Christmas blend is fantastic, highly recommend that one when it is around. You can check on Amazon, too. I find their coffer prices to be slightly higher than Costco, but more variety. I've got a bag of Level Ground Peru I just bought, need to try it out.
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Just found this thread. My go-to daily coffee hack is the following:
1. Pre-heat espresso machine and run for 3 seconds to clean basket, rinse
2. Set grinder to medium espresso grind (way finer than drip/pourover but not flour fine) for my own blend of beans
- my hopper has a mix of 75% of a cheaper bulk bean like Pike Place & 25% of a more artisan bean with interesting flavors. Bean blending should be more of a thing. People do it for Whiskey, why not coffee?
2. Grind about 15g, I just eyeball to the top of the portafilter basket
3. Tamp lightly
4. Optionally depending on mood - drop one 10% creamer directly into empty cappuccino cup (lazy man's latte)
5. Do a lungo-style espresso pull - 40-60 seconds directly in or until cup is full (lazy man's Americano)
If you want to try something different for step 5, try a slightly courser grind, and aim for your 20-30 second pull. I do this in a shorter cup(6 oz?), it's called a cafe crema and if done right you get the nice espresso crema on top, but in a bigger drink, and not as watery as an americano
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If you want to try something different for step 5, try a slightly courser grind, and aim for your 20-30 second pull. I do this in a shorter cup(6 oz?), it's called a cafe crema and if done right you get the nice espresso crema on top, but in a bigger drink, and not as watery as an americano
Yep I actually use a pressurized basket in the portafilter, aim the drip into the side of the cup so it slides down the sides and it usually comes out like cafe crema almost every time even if I'm not paying attention into a larger cup.
I have an unpressurized one as well if I want to make other drinks but I'm quite lazy!
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