I get Cooks Illustrated every month and I missed this! I can't wait to see how you like your puffed up green beans. This is so cool!

This is cool, I would love to try this someday! Please do report back on how it tastes!

Thanks, zfrankle, we'll see how well I like this. I didn't even know they made home coffee roasters!

RR, it's the April issue, page 30. It was easy and fast, even CI couldn't make it too involved!

I'll make some in the morning.

Annie

I am looking forward to the results. I love really freshly roasted beans.

Eileen

Very cool. That stupid Kohler Club ad is blocking your post and I can't read all of it. I did get the gist. I am looking forward to your am review, too. Yup, cool.

I bet the smell is wonderful.

Wow! Is that cool or what! I must have missed that issue too. I'll have to go back and check it out. We grind fresh every morning. We even take our coffee grinder with us when we go on vacation. Never really thought of roasting our own. Thought it would be too involved or needed special expensive equipment. Please Annie let us know the results. NancyLouise

Islay, I was surprised. It smells wonderful but very muted, compared to the aroma I get when I open a fresh bag of coffee from the store. The instructions also said that you should roast by an open window, etc, because it would "smell up" the house. I didn't find the aroma either strong or offensive.

Anyway, it was really good. Really, really good. I think I will have to play with it a bit to get the roast a little darker but not burned, and it grinds differently, probably because it's not as dry, but I had more definable chunks with some finer powder. So, tomorrow's pot will be ground a bit more finely to see if I can get it more consistent, as my Chemex pot took a while to filter it through.

The coffee is better than any available here, possibly the best I've ever had. It's mild, smooth, not at all bitter. It's almost sweet, although I've taken to drinking coffee black. It definitely doesn't need anything in it and I'm wondering if I added cream and sugar if it wouldn't be too mild to really stand up to that.

The next batch will be roasted an extra 30 seconds or minute, for just a bit darker.

NancyLouise and RR,, definitely try it. A $20 popcorn popper and some green beans and five minutes, and you're good to go!

Now, I'm off to find out how to properly store green coffee beans.

Annie

Wow, good for you. One more thing that you have conquered. I have been into coffee beans lately too. Only mine are white and dark chocolate covered coffee beans.

Many years ago I dated a man who owned a coffee house and roaster and roasted his own beans. He would bring me freshly roasted little bags of special blends for me to try. The coffee he gave was like no coffee I'd ever had before or since. It was SO good. I've been seeking that same coffee experience since with no success. Renee's coffee came close. I think I will have to roast my own. Annie's description of her own roasted beans confirms this.

Eileen

How neat is that. Love the idea of roasting my own coffee. I might have to buy a "popcorn" machine.

Thanks Annie.

~Ann

Great. I already have the popper. Hmmm. Should I be looking around for an old geezer with a coffee house? (she says to herself)

Glad you enjoyed the brew, Annie.

Happy to read the taste turned out well Annie. We have had an air popper for quite a while. Only used it for popping corn. I'm sure Alton Brown will be happy to know it is no longer a 1 purpose appliance! Now, it's just finding green beans. Never looking for these before I hope I can find some. NancyLouise

Way to go Annie! Steve and I are HUGE coffie lovers, we currently have 5 different types of coffe brewers for whatever floats our boat (french press, toddy, etc.).

I think Grit magazine or Mother Earth News had the same article a month or so ago. I've had this in the back of my mind to try.

What a neat idea. I never would have thought of it. I'll have to look for green coffee beans, too, and try it.

I would think that with the strong flavor of popcorn, and the strong flavor of coffee, the popper would have to be single purpose, otherwise your popcorn will taste like coffee and your coffee would taste like popcorn. It's been so long since I've had a popcorn popper, probably since the '70's, that I don't remember it being easily cleanable. I imagine they've gotten better since then.

Sally

I'm glad that you were happy with your results! I've had a bit of experience in this area,so I hope you don't mind if I jump in. It's hard to judge the roast level in a picture, but if they tasted good, you got 'em far enough. Just remember that a lighter roast will give you more of the flavors that are inherent in the bean, and the darker you go, the more the roast flavors will take over. If you taste some sour or grassy flavors, then go a little darker, just to the first snaps of second crack, and see how you like it. 12 hours is a good rest for a lot of beans, but some beans need longer, so if you're tasting harsher flavors in your cup, let it sit for another day and see if it mellows out. Sometimes it takes some experimentation to find the sweet spot for roasting and resting, and different varietals behave differently.

Poppers are a fun start, and some folks stay with them but you'll find that a small home roaster will give you more control and will also corral the chaff.

Green bean vendors abound online. Sweet Marias, mentioned above is one of the biggest. Coffee Project is another that has been around for many years. Both of those are in California. Burman is located near Madison, WI. There are others, including at least two co-op type operations where people buy large bags from importers and divide them up. Some roasters will sell you green, too, but you will find more variety from online vendors.

Coffee beans store well as long as you keep them dry and away from strong smells. Don't freeze them or store them where it gets too hot, like in a garage. I'd suggest not keeping them for more than 6 months to a year. They won't go "bad", per se, but they also won't taste as good as they did when they were fresher. "Past crop" coffees may be cheaper, but they lose a lot of their flavors.

I'll stop now. I'm sorry, I get carried away. :-) Have fun!

Cj

Thanks, Cj! I only found green beans by accident, in the bulk bin at a Mediterranean food market where I like to shop if I make the drive to Grand Rapids, it was a huge coincidence to read the article and find green beans, all in the same week. Elery really liked the coffee and says that if I keep doing it, we'll eventually buy a roaster, since they are now less than $200 for a small one.

Sally, we made popcorn with the popper and found out that we don't really like air popped corn. I'll go back to the skillet on the stove top method, but the coffee didn't taste at all like popcorn.

Kathy, you've met me, you KNEW I'd have to try it if I could, LOL, I just can't resist an experiment. (grin)

Anyone who is considering trying this, if you have a popcorn popper, I say go for it. It was easy, a pound of green beans is relatively cheap and the amount roasted at one time is enough for a pot, but small enough that it's a good "tester". It takes me less than 10 minutes to roast a popper full, dump it into my frozen metal colander to cool and clean up the very minimal mess.

I roasted another batch tonight, a bit darker, we'll see if it's better or worse. At $4.99 a pound, it's cheap enough to play with. I bought "Columbian" beans this time, next time I'll pick up their "Brazilian" beans. That's all they had, LOL, two kinds. I'll probably end up on line, Ashley wants me to get some Costa Rican!

Annie

This post was edited by annie1992 on Tue, Mar 5, 13 at 21:33

Wow, sounds like fun, Annie! Hubs likes Starbuck coffee so that's what we brew at home. Bet yours tastes a lot better!

Good to know, Annie. That just sounds like fun. And, it's a lot less expensive than getting them already roasted.

Sally

I've found a popcorn popper but can't find the green beans...looks like I'll have to order from Sweet Maria's. Thanks for the Green Bean vendors cj47!

Annie, have you popped anymore beans to a darker roast? Let us know! I'm looking forward to trying this method.

CJ,
What is 'first snaps of second crack'?

And I drink decaf. Is home roasting successful at making a good decaf?

Thanks for sharing your expertise. I trust your opinions.

Hummmm, all this talk of better tasting coffee has piqued my interest.

RR, I did roast another batch last night, just a little darker, and it's got a more assertive coffee flavor, I think I like it better. It's definitely going to take several batches to perfect the degree of roasting. Elery loves the stuff, though, and my usual Paramount Breakfast Blend makes his acid reflux go crazy. This doesn't, and he drank two cups this morning. I'll have to go to making a whole pot of coffee instead of a half pot. Or more likely, a second pot of Chemex coffee.

Westsider, when you are roating coffee in a popper, about 3 minutes in you will hear the beans start "cracking". It's very audible, you can't miss it. That's first crack. A few minutes later, maybe two (probably less), you'll start hearing "second crack".

I've not tried decaf so I can't comment on that at all.

I have already found out that you shouldn't put too many beans in the popper, mine will take a scant half a cup, if I put in more they won't circulate and some will burn and smoke. That sets off the smoke alarms. (grin)

I've also discovered that if I wait longer than 24 hours, the coffee has a bit better flavor, or at least I think it does. The first batch was ground 12 hours after roasting and it was good, but the pot I made from the same beans the next day was even better.

Annie

Columbian coffee is the best. I like it so much. The pictures looks very nice. Makes me want to drink columbian coffee now.

Thanks, Jamie, and welcome to the Cooking Forum.

Annie

I really can't wait to try this! Thanks for all the 'testing' :)

Thanks Annie for explaining the cracks.

Sorry it took me so long to get back, Westsider40! Thanks, Annie, for fielding that question. Coffee roasting is very much a multisensory experience. First, you'll smell sort of a green, grassy smell as the beans heat up and give up their moisture. I always describe 1st crack as sounding a bit like popcorn. It will ramp up, come to a crescendo, taper off, and then stop while the beans brown up a bit. Second crack sounds more like snaps, sort of like rice crispies. The further into second crack you go, the more the roast flavors will dominate. Prior to that, the flavors you taste are the ones inherent in the bean. Chocolate, fruity or nutty flavors aren't uncommon, but you have to keep out of full second crack to get those. It also depends on the variety of coffee. Exactly how long into roasting you hit the various cracks depends on the variety and the moisture content of the beans.

Westsider, you can absolutely roast decaf. Decaf beans won't shed chaff, and they'll look brown rather than green due to the process that gets them to the decaf state. With a little practice you'll be able to get a fine roast on decaf coffee beans. I'd suggest looking for a Swiss water processed bean, usually found with the designated "SW", as in "SW Processed". I've found that in general, they have a better flavor than some of the other decaf processes. One of the importers, Royal Coffee, has a process that they call Royal Select, so if you see the letters "RSWP" in the bean description, that's an indication that their process has been used. If I'm roasting decaf, that's what I use, because they start with a better grade of bean, and thus have a better result in the cup. I know that James at Coffee Project has some of those. Sweet Marias has mostly SW processed decafs, and I know that they take great care in their bean selection so I'm sure they're good as well. I'm not sure about the other vendors.

Annie, you weren't imagining that your coffee tasted better after a few days. As it ages, coffee gives off CO2, called "outgassing" or "offgassing". As this happens, the coffee mellows and some of the other flavors come up. Over the first few days you'll notice a more significant difference in the flavor, then it'll even out as the outgassing finishes up. Some coffees are mellower in just 12 hours, and others, like some espresso blends and coffees from Yemen might take a week or so to really come into their own.
In general, coffee stays "fresh" for about 2 or sometimes 3 weeks. But it's sure to be gone by then! :-)

Hope this answers your question, sorry it took me so long to get back!
Have fun!
Cj

thanks for that information, Cj, this is certainly a learning experience.

Elery now thinks I should order several kinds of beans, so we can taste them all!

Annie

CJ, I don't know if you been posting elsewhere on this forum, but I want to welcome you. Thanks for all the information. Thanks to Annie and you, I just might try this, too. Annie, your comments about Elery not experiencing acid reflux is interesting, as Jerry has been having problems with coffee lately, too. I wonder what makes the difference?

Sally

Be careful of that slope you're building...it's mighty slick! (Ask me how I know this... ;-p)

Thank you Annie. We are looking forward to trying this method. Mmmm, I just taste it now!

Annie, if Elery has problems with acid reflux, you should try using a toddy coffee maker. It's basically a very slow, cold brew method that makes a very strong coffee concentrate. It's recommended for people who find most brewed coffee too acidic or bitter. You store the coffee concentrate in your refrigerator, then add to water to thin it out and heat up or make iced coffee. We usually make one cup at a time in the microwave. The concentrate will last a good week or so in the refrigerator!

You don't have to go buy one, there are plenty of instructions on how to use the toddy cold brew method with kitchen equipment you already have.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cold Brew Coffee Recipe

Sally2, I've been around the GW forums for years, and pop in and out of this one from time to time. I just got more involved in this discussion because it's a topic close to my heart, lol. But thanks for the warm welcome anyway!

I have heard from a lot of people that they can drink their own fresh roast without problems, while store bought coffee often causes trouble. Part of the reason is that when you buy your coffee green you're usually getting a much better quality product, ie higher grown Arabica beans with fewer defects than what might be used in the bags of pre-roasted or worse, pre-ground coffee. It makes sense if you think about it--when you have the raw product in front of you, it's obvious if there are a lot of discolored, broken beans, or if it's faded and dry looking instead of a nice green color. When you control the roast, you control those roast flavors, which can become quite harsh and acidic. So it's not surprising that your own fresh roast is more tummy-friendly than stale coffee of questionable quality from the grocery store. :-)

Cj

Thanks, Annie.
This is such a good thread, and I missed it the first time. Maybe others did also.
So---
BUMP

This post was edited by Bellsmom on Sun, May 4, 14 at 14:27

Gee, I posted to this thread three times and none of them are here now. Wonder what happened. Am I banned?

Madonna

Bsckye
No, you aren't banned!

This is an old thread I hadn't seen before. I bumped it up because I thought some, like me, who hadn't seen it might find it useful. I think you confused it with the thread I started recently.

Here is a link that might be useful: I think this is the link you responded to earlier.

This post was edited by Bellsmom on Sun, May 4, 14 at 14:18

Thanks for bumping this one up. This sounds like an experiment even I can do, and if the coffee is as good as Annie says (and she don't lie!) it must be fabulous. I am a true coffee lover. I wonder where I can get unroasted beans?

Dedtired,
I haven't received my order yet, but I ordered an 8 pound sampler from SweetMaria.com which Sleevendog recommended. The site is interesting and has tons of information. The coffee is about $5 a pound, plus shipping.

Maybe someone will recommend sources. I have looked at CoffeeProject.com, BurmanCoffee.com, and maybe another one or two, but other than that they have interesting sites, I can't recommend any over the others.

I am really eager to try freshly roasted coffee!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Sweet Maria's 4 or 8 1-pound samplers of green coffee

This post was edited by Bellsmom on Sun, May 4, 14 at 14:25

dedtired, I get mine at Burmancoffee.com. Once you buy from them, you get a monthly email, and they have "specials". I've gotten beans for as little as $3.50 a pound, plus shipping. I've found that shipping is most advantageous if I order 5 pounds of coffee, 6 at most. I also get my Chemex filters from them because they are half the price of Amazon and don't drive up my shipping along with the coffee. Double bonus.

I do occasionally buy green beans from the bulk bin at the Mediterranean Market, but I haven't gotten to Grand Rapids many times this winter.

Oh, and I got my roaster from Burman Coffee too. It arrived with the glass cylinder broken and I promptly called them, they put a replacement in the mail the same day, no questions asked. Great customer service.

Annie

Thanks for the sources. Now I have to buy a popcorn popper. Do you use a burr grinder? I only have the blade type. I'd like to step up my coffee brewing skills, so I better upgrade. Well-brewed coffee really is one of the great pleasures of life.

Ooops, my bad. You're right, Bellsmom, I got confused with the other thread. This has been a bad week except for learning I can roast my own coffee beans. If I can't find green coffee beans in my area, I'll probably order from the place Annie recommended. Thank you.

Madonna

Madonna, Burman Coffee is based in Wisconsin, so shipping is a bit less too because it's closer.

dedtired, I have an old Krups blade grinder, I think it's about 10 years old but it still works fine. If/when it goes kaput, I'll replace it, possibly with a burr grinder but I tend to keep things until they stop working, I don't replace them with "upgrades" until I need to.

Annie

Yeah, that's the same one I have. Maybe I'll hang on to that for awhile instead of dumping something that has been working fine.

Dedtired,
Unless you want to go second hand store shopping and hope to find a $1 or $2 dollar popper, do check out the popcorn popper I listed in the thread below. I haven't used it yet, but with the BB&B's 20% off coupon, it is about $12 AND it is the one Sweet Maria recommends and sells for $30.

I figured at $12, if I didn't like it, I wasn't out much.

If you have a BB&B near you, they will usually do free shipping on something listed on line but not carried in their stores.

Here is a link that might be useful: BB&B's $15 corn popper

Thanks for the tip, Bellsmom. There's a BB&B about five minutes from me and I have a stack of those coupons. I am so anxious to try this.

Dedtired,
You go, girl. I love a new challenge, and this sounds like fun.

I am still waiting for my coffee from Sweet Maria. Burman's looks better and better. Much closer to me (southern Indiana) than SM in California.

Let us know what you do and when you do it.

Have the old hot air popcorn popper, but my grinder had stopped working a long time ago and I think I tossed it. I had to go to Kitchen Collection at our outlet mall yesterday to replace the carbonating cartridge for my DH SodaStream and got to looking to see what they had. I got a Hamilton Beach grinder on sale for $11.99. I think its pretty much like the one I had that lasted for a long, long time. Like Bellsmom said, if it doesn't last for a long time, I'm not out much. To top it off, I think I found a place that might sell me green coffee beans that's not that far from me. If not, I'll order from Burman. In fact, I know its a long way off, but when DH goes up to Madison, WI for his annual transplant check up, I will go with him and try to find Burman.

Madonna

Ooh, Madonna, a trip to Burman's would be a blast, I think. I've had a couple of telephone conversations with people there and they're so nice and helpful and it's pretty clear that they just LOVE coffee and talking about it. They do have tea too, they've sent me a couple of free samples.

Have fun roasting coffee. The only time consuming thing was tossing the roasted beans around in the frozen colander to cool them down and that wasn't really such a problem either. Just turn off the smoke alarms! It doesn't cause smoke, but there is an aroma of roasting coffee that makes my smoke alarm sound every time.

Annie

Just roasted a lb last night after my order came in. I like the bags. You came order limit of two if available. I use them as dog beds outside the barn, then they go to the garden stuffed with garbage bags of compost on resting beds to heat the soil. Keeps the pups out of growing beds i've just seeded as they know of them as their own spot/bed while i garden. Looks nice. : )
I never like putting soils and such away so i just stuff the plastic bags in the coffee sacks.
Keep meaning to stitch up a harvest apron with big pockets. The weave is nice and loose so that i could do a first rinse right in the garden.