This morning I was roasting coffee beans and thought I’d take a few pictures to show how easy it really is.  I’m no coffee roasting fanatic but I started roasting originally because I like the freshly roasted beans and we don’t have any available here that I’ve found.  Plus I can buy the green beans for less than $4 a pound and I’ll never find fresh roasted coffee for that price.  I roast usually every other week and I do 2 pounds (2 batches) each time.

The coffee roaster is a drum roaster that is about the size of a toaster oven.  There is a drum for the coffee and another piece that is a Chaff collector.  Chaff is the outer skin of the bean that comes off in the roasting process as the bean expands.  I keep a little handheld vacuum by the roaster so I can do a quick clean up.

The only thing I would recommend to anyone who wants to start roasting is to either do it outside or where you have a lot of ventilation.  I didn’t want to do it outside, so I upgraded our kitchen exhaust fan since it wasn't powerful enough.  It was 250 CFM so I upgraded to a 450 CFM which is the largest I could go without upgrading the vent pipe or the cap outside or something I don’t remember.  This one does a good job.  In the one picture you can see it pulling the smoke out.  My roaster is supposed to have smoke suppression technology and it helps but there is still some and it will stink up the house.

I have a canister to store the beans that has a vent to let the gas out and no oxygen in.  The coffee will degass as it sits so this canister is designed to accommodate that.  It has a date indictor on it too so I can remember which day I roasted the beans.

It’s really not that big a deal and its fun trying different beans and roast levels to find what you like and the beans are sure a hell of a lot cheaper.  

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This is the roaster I have only mine is the older model.  This one gives more control over the temperature of the chamber, etc. but I don’t pay a lot of attention to that.  I have my roast down and I do the same one each time.  I may experiment more after I retire and have more time but for now this does the trick.

The roaster is about $400 but you can find them on sale.  I started roasting in an air popcorn popper which I picked up at Salvation Army and then graduated to a small roaster that did about enough for one pot.  I got tired of that and bought this roaster about 5 years ago or so.

This is intriguing.  I love the independent roaster I've been buying from for nearly 35 years, but prices have tripled over the years and my blend is inching its way toward $20/lb., which is pretty ridiculous and won't be sustainable for much longer.

The issue I have is lack of a true exhaust vent.  I have an OTR microwave that supposedly filters the exhaust and blows it back into the room. 

Ralph, can you elaborate on degassing?  Is this necessary with the roasted beans I buy?  I keep them tightly sealed at room or basement temperature.  Does the degassing happen at the roaster before they hit the sales counter?

I will share what I've read and my own experience but I can't say I'm an expert.  I don't want to be one of those You-Tubers who seems like they know what they are talking about!  HAHAHA. Yes, John, I read your post about the idiots who make Youtube videos and I got a good chuckle out of it.  I am not one of those people although it makes me wonder about what I've learned over the years on You Tube.

The beans will degass mostly after they have been roasted for about 24 hours. They will continue after that just not as much.  If you look at one of the bags you purchase your coffee in you will often find some kind of dimple or little valve.  That is a one way valve that lets these gasses escape but they don't let in any oxygen.  This helps to keep the coffee fresher.  Whether or not to keep it in a cold place is a topic where people vary widely.  I keep mine in the cabinet in the container I have made for that purpose.

When you brew freshly ground coffee using a method that allows for a preinfusion, the fresher coffee will bubble or burp a little when you slightly wet the beans.  As the coffee ages so does the amount it will degass when you wet it.  That bubbling or burping is the coffee further degassing which ensure a less bitter cup.  I genuinely gauge the freshness of coffee by how much it bubbles when I wet it.

I found this picture on line.  If I think of it tomorrow when I make my coffee I will shoot a quick video of it.

I made a quick video this morning making coffee.  I wet the beans and usually wait about 30 seconds.  My kettle has a timer which is really nice.  After the 30 seconds I usually do 3 pours for a full pot.  This is a Chemex 6 cup pot with the glass handle.  You can see how it bubbles or burps and in my experience the fresher the coffee the more it burps or blooms.  These beans were roasted on Sunday morning.  It's better full screen and those You Tube experts will tell you to start from the center and work out.  I do it however the mood strikes.

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Thanks for the demo video Ralph!  I'm using that same carafe with my Bonavita.  I just shut off the machine after it wets the grounds, wait about a minute, then turn it back on.  It's as close as I can get to an automatic Chemex.

Due to the shelter-in-place order locally, I may end up having to access my freezer for beans I received as gifts but didn't really care for.  I doubt my roaster will be open for business over the next three weeks, so I'll be making cold brew, which really helps to make those beans in the freezer tolerable.

This is a timely thread for considering a home roaster.

Ralph,

I had picked up a Bonavita at Savers a few years back hoping to use it with my Chemex pot.  It was the four cup version so my pot wouldn't fit underneath it.  I think I gave it away because it didn't have a pot of its own.  Probably the reason it was on the shelf at Savers.  What I do remember is that there was a way to turn on and off an option to Bloom the coffee and I recall it worked well.  Have you checked the user manual with yours?  This is the setting for the model I had.

I think its fun to roast the beans.  The biggest expense is the roaster itself.  Once you get passed that it is really so much more cost effective to do it yourself and the finished product is worth it.  

Ralph

I don't recall seeing any such instructions, but I'll double check.  My machine just has an on/off switch that does light up, but there are no other indicator lights.  I would surely use semi-automatic infusion if it were an option.

Total reservoir capacity on mine is 33 oz.  That roughly translates to six 5-oz cups of brew.  I have the original Bonavita carafe stashed away, but have no idea where the filter basket is, so it's going to remain a Chemex-hacked machine indefinitely, which is fine by me.

I thought I would share something about a really inexpensive way to roast coffee and test the waters so to speak before investing in the Roaster.  I started with a West Bend ‘The Poppery’ air popcorn popper.  I picked it up at Goodwill for practically nothing.  These things are all over the thrift shops and yard sales.  They are also all over eBay but now that people use them as a coffee roaster the prices have become really obscene. 

The key with the air popper is get one that has the air vents around the side and not the bottom.  See the pictures.  You don’t want one with the air coming up from the bottom.  The Poppery also has the wattage to do a good job.  So many of the newer ones don’t have as much power.

I’ve attached a really good video of some guy roasting coffee and you’ll notice the beans are turning on the inside of the popper versus jumping because the air vents are forcing the turning.

When using this method, I roasted outside and used one of those small handheld fans like you would clip on something.  I placed that fan under the beans to cool them faster.  But beware, the Chaff will fly which is another reason to roast outside.  I am surprised he does this inside because it is a little messy using this method.

If you have the popper and want to pick up a small bag of beans, I buy mine at the link below and right now there is a code for 38% off and free shipping.  User Lucky38 as the code.  If you get on their mailing list you’ll code these codes often which is how I buy the green beans so cheap.

Thanks for the additional information and demo clip!

I was given an air popper that looks like an old diner type table-top jukebox selector.  I've never used it and was going to donate it, but now I'm going to take another look to see if it employs the proper system for roasting beans.