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Everything Coffee - From roasting to brewing

Can the experts provide a bit of insight on the benefits of roasting your own coffee beans? Does it make that big a difference and do you need to roast a little at a time or can you do it in bulk and store it. I have a Whirley-pop for pop and probably will give roasting a shot. Are the unroasted coffee beans on Amazon (like these -> https://www.amazon.com/Single-Unroa...fee+beans&qid=1625883829&s=home-garden&sr=1-5) any good?

We currently use quality organic coffee (pre-roasted) and are pretty happy with it, but curious what roasting will bring.
 
I don't store coffee after roasting for more than a week or so. Loses too much flavor. Fresh roasted is much, much tastier.

The big benefit though is that you can roast it exactly the way you like best. I can't handle Starbucks, way too dark. Very dark roast is a way to make poor grade coffee drinkable, as all the flavor (bad flavor in the case of robusta coffees) is burned out. Lighter roasting keeps the flavor of better coffees.

There are quite a few different origins for good coffee, and anything you buy in the grocery or even specialty stores isn't likely to be high grade -- there is even a market for the broken beans that sift out of the large bags during shipping -- very likely the low priced stuff at the discount store. Roasting your own allows you to get premium grade coffee at very reasonable prices.

I'd get my coffee from one of the better suppliers, who knows where the Amazon stuff comes from. Might be great, might be rejects from reputable operations.

Decaf in particular is best from one of the quality suppliers, as they will send high quality coffee out for decaffination rather than decaffinating the rejects for quality coffee -- the industry norm. Decaf is often atrocious because the coffee wasn't very good to start with, and some degredation in quality is unavoidable. Sweet Maria's, for instance, only uses the same type of premium coffee they sell for all their other grades, so it's pretty good stuff.

You can also make your own blends -- Mocha/Java is a perfect example. Been around forever, because it's a nice balance of the acidic, dry process highly flavored Yemeni coffees (Mocha is a port city in Yemen) and the low altitude grown chocolaty but "flabby" coffees from Indonesia. The blend is exceptional, and vastly better than either alone.
 
@peterp1 ,

I don't know that I would consider myself an expert, but I have roasted as a hobby for nearly 2 decades.

First, I agree with EVERYTHING @HPMguy said, especially his comments regarding inferior beans from Charbux or Amazon.

I don't drink decaf so I can not comment, other than the few times I have drank fresh-roasted decaf, it tastes different. So I feel for folks like HP who love coffee but have to drink decaf. Ugh. lol.

I LOVE making true mocha-java. He is correct...50% Yemen mocha and 50% Java. Java was the first Indonesian island tilled for coffee. When it was dessimated, the coffee companies moved on to island #2...Sumatra.

Okay, HP had a lot of good info, peter. I'm going to try to add to it...

peterp1 said:
Can the experts provide a bit of insight on the benefits of roasting your own coffee beans? Does it make that big a difference?
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Find out for yourself if possible. If it's feasible, seek out a coffee shop in your area THAT ROASTS ONSITE and serves/sells their fresh-roast. Try a cup from them brewed however you prefer. Better yet, if you're anal-retentive like me, go a step further... if they sell their fresh-roast, pick up a SO (single-origin varietal like a Guatemala) and go pick up a Guat from the store shelf. Brew both at home at the same time (keeping all things equal except beans) and do a taste-test and you will taste the difference. It's night and day.

peterp1 said:
do you need to roast a little at a time or can you do it in bulk and store it. I have a Whirley-pop for pop and probably will give roasting a shot.
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I started out with a WP. The wand inside the pot is so flimsy that you can only roast about 1/4 lb at a time. But like HP said, you want to drink up your fresh-roast as quickly as possible because it starts going stale immediately (even "sealed") so roasting small amounts every few days is actually better. That said, if you want to roast > 1/4 lb or so, then you could try other home-roast methods like a cast-iron sauce pan and stainless steel spoon or splurge on a home-roaster like the Gene Cafe or Behmor (they are $$$).

peterp1 said:
Are the unroasted coffee beans on Amazon (like these -> https://www.amazon.com/Single-Unroa...fee+beans&qid=1625883829&s=home-garden&sr=1-5) any good?
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I have had mixed results with the quality of raw coffee beans from Amazon. Generally speaking, I agree with HP that Tom at Sweet Maria's has the best quality. But I am on a very tight budget so I do buy from Amazon or ebay sometimes. The way I see it...a so-so quality raw bean from ebay/amazon roasted fresh is still better than store-shelf beans. LOL.

peterp1 said:
We currently use quality organic coffee (pre-roasted) and are pretty happy with it, but curious what roasting will bring.
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As HP mentioned, roasting will open up a whole new world of flavor profile, especially in light roasts where (as he said) the dark roast won't overtake the flavor profile of the varietal (yes varietal...coffee is very much like wine). So, just a few add'l comments that I think are important to note...

Coffee roasting produces A LOT of smoke! Especially if you go beyond 2nd crack. Best to roast outside but ambient temperature also affects roasting, so if it's 10 degree F outside, your roast may stall. If it's tropical 100 degree F, it may roast too fast. Roasting indoors is ideal but probably ventilate with a fan and open window if possible. Just my 2 cents.

Coffee roasting also produces what's called "chaffe" which can get everywhere if you are not careful (roasters like the Gene Cafe take care of chaffe).

Roasted coffee releases CO2 for a few hours immediately after roasting. If sealed tight, the CO2 can build up and "explode". (I speak from novice experience...LOL). This is why you see coffee in bags with one-way valves built into them. I save store-bought bags and put my fresh-roast in it. You can also buy these on Amazon or coffee specialty sites. If you have jar that seals to store beans, you can leave it loosely covered for about 4-8 hours and then seal it.

When brewed, fresh-roasted coffee will "bloom" so there is potential to create a mess (again...speaking from novice expereience...LOL). The bloom causes the grinds to nearly double/triple in size the second the hot water hits them. So, if you try to use a drip-brewer and you fille your basket, say, 3/4 of the way like you normally do, you may have a mess on your hands. LOL. If you do decide to roast, try your first brew to be "pourover" method or even press-pot and you will see the bloom in action and understand.

Sweetmarias-dot-com has a vast library of resources, including step-by-step instructions on how to start home-roasting. I highly suggest spending some time reading up on this and following his instructions. Another good resource is the book "Home Coffee Roasting" by Kenneth Davids.

And for anyone who loves coffee and reading, I suggest the book "Uncommon Grounds" by Mark Pendergrast. It is a fascinating read on the subject!

Wow! That was a lot! LOL! Always happy so see someone's interest in coffee roasting (or audio) piqued! Good luck! Keep us posted!

Troubaudior
 
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Sorry, two very important notes I forgot to mention.

Right, wrong or indifferent, I have never considered buying organic raw beans so if you want that @peterp1 , maybe someone else can speak to it.

Also, raw (green) coffee beans keep for a very long time, so you can buy those in bulk, like 5 or 20 lbs. I don't buy that much anymore but when I did, I used to store them in burlap bags (which you can also buy).

T
 
I am in no way an expert, but do prefer home brewed coffee if I can make it good enough and not have to rely on going somewhere every day to get coffee. I found a local coffee bean roster who I buy my beans from. I have used a variety of coffee makers, brewers, presses, etc. my two favorite are the Chemex and my current vacuum/siphon coffee brewer. I like these since there is more interaction with making the coffee, including measuring out the ingredients, gauging temperatures and coffee grind size, etc.
 
We have a Technovorm mocamaster drip coffee maker. It makes excellent coffee. We also have a Bodum double walled French press, as well as a Krups espresso machine.

For grinding coffee we have a nice burr grinder we picked up in Sweden.
 
I never got into beer brewing. Seemed too fiddly and I guess I just like to drink it. Same with coffee for me. For a while I'd grind whole beans. Now, I prefer to drop in a K-cup of a good dark roast.

Not knocking craft brewers or roasters/grinders tho. I'm part lazy, part impatient.
 
peterp1 said:
Can the experts provide a bit of insight on the benefits of roasting your own coffee beans? Does it make that big a difference and do you need to roast a little at a time or can you do it in bulk and store it. I have a Whirley-pop for pop and probably will give roasting a shot. Are the unroasted coffee beans on Amazon (like these -> https://www.amazon.com/Single-Unroa...fee+beans&qid=1625883829&s=home-garden&sr=1-5) any good?

We currently use quality organic coffee (pre-roasted) and are pretty happy with it, but curious what roasting will bring.
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Benefits of roasting your own in descending order in my opinion:
Freshness - I never have to drink stale coffee more than 2 weeks old*
Control - roast it just how you like it - to a point. Good espresso is generally beyond the capability of home roasters under the $2500 level, probably more like $5k.
Cost - save 50-60% on good single origin coffee compared to locally in-house roasted beans of similar quality and freshness. ie $6-$7/lb green vs $16-$20/12oz bag. I paid for my $300 Behmor 6-7 years ago in 6 months.
* Coffee is exceedingly chemically complex with 100’s of compounds and extractives. So much so that artificial coffee flavor does not exist. Most of those compounds are volatile and don’t last in storage. The sweet spot is after 3-4 days rest for off-gassing to about 2 weeks.
 
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^^^^the above poster nailed it.
Whirley Pop is a good starter unit. Drill a hole it the top and shove a thermometer in there. Try and keep the temp under 525. Coffees ready in about 6 minutes using sight sound and smell.

Don't set the popper on the burner because it will burn the beans. Hold it off a bit. Start out hot and when you smell hay raise the popper up a bit higher to get temp down near 375° or so.

In a few minutes 1st crack starts. A popping sound. This will go on for a minute or two.

When you like the smell dump the beans in a colander ASAP otherwise they will keep cooking. Use a fan to cool or, spritz with cool water. No to much. A light spray will do and the water should dry in a few seconds otherwise you used too much.

Let it rest 1-4 days. Enjoy
 
You can roast and freeze in a vacuum sealed bag for quite a long time. Let it off gas before sealing.
 
I agree. I occasionally find a reasonably-priced roasted coffee I like and buy a 5lb bulk bag. Then I divide it into 1lb portions and use the FoodSaver to vacuum pack four of them for the freezer.
 
I have been brewing espresso for 20+ years. Roasting for around 10. Roaster is the behmor 1600. Espresso machine is the Laspazialle vivaldi II. Grinder the Baratza Vario. I have really cut down my coffee consumption lately due to gut issues. Generally 40 lbs of beans lasts me 2 years or so for just my wife and myself.
PTe6A9M.jpg
 
elcoholic said:
Picked up some green coffee beans this morning
View attachment 2338804
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So, what's the story? I've been thinking about getting a full box from Genuine Origin and offering up some on BT, as 65# of one bean seems to be too much (like trying other things). But, if you're already in the coffee biz...

EDIT:

a little background...

Been roasting since early 2000s. Heat gun, air popper, whirly pop (current) over my propane burner that's also used for my beer brewing. Rebuilt a Gran Gaggia espresso maker (needed a new boiler), but mainly do drip. Have brought out the vacuum pot on occasion, French press and pour over.

Had been a member of coffee bean coop til that was gone (looks like Coffee Bean Buying Club is similar). Purchased from several other sources on ebay or the net, but one of my go tos seems to no longer sell thru ebay (Bodhi Leaf). Since prices for green beans have soared a bit (considering you lose about 25% of the weight after roasting), I've been bringing back roasted beans from Europe on some of my layovers. Still prefer fresh, home roasted, but the ease of just opening the bag and pouring it into the grinder as necessary does have its place.

Latest home roast is Rwanda Peaberry to roughly Full City.
 
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jheu02 said:
So, what's the story? I've been thinking about getting a full box from Genuine Origin and offering up some on BT, as 65# of one bean seems to be too much (like trying other things). But, if you're already in the coffee biz...

EDIT:

a little background...

Been roasting since early 2000s. Heat gun, air popper, whirly pop (current) over my propane burner that's also used for my beer brewing. Rebuilt a Gran Gaggia espresso maker (needed a new boiler), but mainly do drip. Have brought out the vacuum pot on occasion, French press and pour over.

Had been a member of coffee bean coop til that was gone (looks like Coffee Bean Buying Club is similar). Purchased from several other sources on ebay or the net, but one of my go tos seems to no longer sell thru ebay (Bodhi Leaf). Since prices for green beans have soared a bit (considering you lose about 25% of the weight after roasting), I've been bringing back roasted beans from Europe on some of my layovers. Still prefer fresh, home roasted, but the ease of just opening the bag and pouring it into the grinder as necessary does have its place.

Latest home roast is Rwanda Peaberry to roughly Full City.
Click to expand...
No I’m not in the business. I buy 10# at a time locally from Bodhi Leaf and pick it up at the warehouse.
 
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