What’s on your coffee bench?

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by pritchet74

I do - it's absolutely worth it. No trouble at all. I absolutely LOVE this roaster for a "first roaster". About 4-6 min to roast (depending on the air temp) with a 5 min cooling cycle for a 1/4# batch.









I will be upgrading my roaster soon for something that makes bigger batches. I tried the bigger version of what I have, but it just didn't work. At all.



Probably getting one of these: https://www.roastmasters.com/behmor.html

Wonder why the larger version didn't work?

What are the advantages of roasting your own beans? Is it taste, cost?

[schwa86]

For me, I did not have easy local access to freshly roasted beans, and I kind of objected to the carbon footprint of getting regular deliveries shipped. Greens keep a long time if stored properly, you can try out lots of different varieties, and a pound of good beans typically runs In The $5.50 to $6.50 range. But I would describe it more as an interesting hobby than other motivations — eg there is a lot of science behind it once you start playing around if you want to go that route — thermocouples hooked to laptops,etc. I’d put it in the same category as homebrewing for me — I don’t do it because my beer is better or cheaper than things I can buy, but rather because I enjoy the process of experimentation and am happy with the results...

[jpritchet74]

Originally Posted by MikeD

Wonder why the larger version didn't work?

What are the advantages of roasting your own beans? Is it taste, cost?

The unit I have takes ~4-6 min to roast a 1/4 pound batch and you really get to enjoy the sound of the 2nd crack of the beans (kinda sounds like popcorn popping), and as the roast continues, the beans will get darker as you would expect. With the bigger model, I would run the machine for 15-20 min and while the beans would get darker, they would never get to 2nd crack and the beans wouldn't expand as they should. If you aren't hearing the 2nd crack then the roast isn't happening properly.

The system just didn't work. No idea why.

Yes and yes. Fresh roasted beans taste better - and for me it's also cost. The beans I used to buy before self-roasting were $20 / pound. The green beans I buy now are $5.25 / pound and they taste better than anything else that I have ever bought.

[MikeD]

Originally Posted by pritchet74

The unit I have takes ~4-6 min to roast a 1/4 pound batch and you really get to enjoy the sound of the 2nd crack of the beans (kinda sounds like popcorn popping), and as the roast continues, the beans will get darker as you would expect. With the bigger model, I would run the machine for 15-20 min and while the beans would get darker, they would never get to 2nd crack and the beans wouldn't expand as they should. If you aren't hearing the 2nd crack then the roast isn't happening properly.



The system just didn't work. No idea why.



Yes and yes. Fresh roasted beans taste better - and for me it's also cost. The beans I used to buy before self-roasting were $20 / pound. The green beans I buy now are $5.25 / pound and they taste better than anything else that I have ever bought.

One more question, where do you source your beans from? Can they be purchased locally from a coffee roaster, for instance?

[stackie]

Sweet Maria’s is the most popular for green beans. I’d start with them. Thompson is a great guy and does not sell any poor quality beans. I used his beans due years as a home roaster. I still use coffee shrub on occasion since I’ve graduated to semi pro with my roasting. I also buy green beans from Olam in the 60-69kg bags. But these necessitate getting a sample for roasting in advance to ensure they are actually good beans.

You can ask local roaster if they will sell. I partnered with a local roaster to share bags when I first went semi pro. She was awesome but left town. Another shop I approached about sharing bags was decidedly more interested in off loading old and less than stellar beans on me. Wouldn’t hurt to ask.

Jon

[crankles]

Originally Posted by stackie

I partnered with a local roaster to share bags when I first went semi pro. She was awesome but left town.

Jon

Might that have been Jen?

[scoobydrew]

Originally Posted by crankles

Might that have been Jen?

Speaking of Jen, just picked up a bag of Mother Tongue Bittersweet for espresso. Cannot wait to try it.

[crankles]

Originally Posted by scoobydrew

Speaking of Jen, just picked up a bag of Mother Tongue Bittersweet for espresso. Cannot wait to try it.

That's the Jen who's still roasting.

I meant Jen St. Hilaire of ScarletCity. I so miss WarpDrive and Multipass.

[merlinmurph]

There's some awesome coffee setups here.
Question for you guys that know your coffee:

I just decided to up my coffee game and just got a Baratza Encore grinder and an Aeropress. Pretty much all the references I've seen recommend water temp between 195-204 F, yet Aeropress says to use 175*. That's a big difference.

Any idea why?

[jkbrwn]

I'd ignore Aeropress brewing instructions tbh. Those instructions make a weird 'espresso like' drink (that is absolutely nothing like espresso). Use it for filter coffee and follow a brew guide from a reputable roaster.

E.g.: https://aeroprecipe.com/recipes/tim-wendelboe

or

https://aeropress.workshopcoffee.com/

[mwynne]

Not on the bench yet, but my Europiccola has some fun new parts coming soon.

[soupless]

[IMG][/IMG]

So I didn't realize there was a Dayglow coffee nearby. Derp. They have all sorts of European roasters I had never heard of, and the barista was very cool. Only one US roaster, Sey out of Brooklyn.


Those Nomad beans were awesome---very unique, the closest I've encountered to wine in terms of aroma. The Morgon was a very light Ethiopian that I enjoyed immensely. Not as unique and out there for me as the Nomad, but an amazing way to start each morning nonetheless.


@jkbrown have you been? I think there's another one, maybe Silverlake, so closer-ish to you.

[merlinmurph]

Originally Posted by jkbrwn

I'd ignore Aeropress brewing instructions tbh. Those instructions make a weird 'espresso like' drink (that is absolutely nothing like espresso). Use it for filter coffee and follow a brew guide from a reputable roaster.

E.g.: https://aeroprecipe.com/recipes/tim-wendelboe

or

https://aeropress.workshopcoffee.com/

Wow, World Aeropress Championships?

Thx, I'll give it a shot this morning.

[jkbrwn]

Originally Posted by soupless

So I didn't realize there was a Dayglow coffee nearby.


@jkbrown have you been? I think there's another one, maybe Silverlake, so closer-ish to you.

Thanks for pointing this out. I'd never heard of it! I usually google 'coffee roasters' so this has never come up. What were their roast dates like?
They appear to stock coffee from two of my favourite European shops: The Barn from Berlin and Tim Wendleboe from Oslo, so I'm absolutely gonna go today. TW also is probably one of the coolest coffee shop I've ever been to. The aeropress bar was something to behold.

I've been drinking a Demitasse Ethiopian this week from Constellation Coffee in La Cañada. Easily the nicest filter beans I've had in a long time roasted by a US roaster.

[jkbrwn]

Originally Posted by merlinmurph

Wow, World Aeropress Championships?

Thx, I'll give it a shot this morning.

Aeropress.is very serious business! They're incredibly capable brewers. I prefer it's coffee to a V60 but the V60 often wins due to the volume of coffee is can brew.