# As good as the big red deceptacon?



## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

Inspired by a comment in another thread, I have to ask... can home roasts be every bit as good as a professional roast? If the home equipment is good and the roaster is skilled then personally I don't see why not. I liken it to making an espresso on a domestic machine... Most times they are better than the shops. (I'm not running down pro roasters here, btw!)


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## Spazbarista (Dec 6, 2011)

I used to buy Hb's Premium and roast them myself with results that were not inferior.


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## Calidore (Jan 22, 2012)

I usually buy a bag of roasted to try before I buy a larger quantity of green for the Behmor. I'm not totally scientific about my roasts and go by smell and how it looks, partly because there's so much (temperature outside, whether next door is using the oven) I know I can't control. Sometimes I get stuff that's better than the professionally roasted, sometimes it's worse, sometimes it's about the same. The main thing I don't get (and that may be just me) is consistency. I probably could if I wanted, but I like being a bit surprised by the first cup (yeah, even when it's not so good). I reckon if I was selling the stuff my customers might not feel the same way though. So I reckon on a good day I could match a pro, but on a bad day I'm making compost.


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## jimrobo (Aug 5, 2011)

I'm very much the same. SOme days I just throw it in the roaster and go off do other things, forget about it and come back and see there is a minute left and not have a clue where it is in the roast. It can come out awful or amazing its a bit pot luck. Some days I plan it properly, pre heat my machine, get my roasting profiles out and my roasting prgramme fired up and actually do it properly and the results I have got have been spectactular as well as occassionally naff! I enjoy roasting the beans though. Theres somehow an extra smugness factor when you serve someone a great coffee that you have roasted yourself


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

jpwcoffee said:


> I think the hardest work in world of coffee is roasting a coffee bean. You need a lot of experience to get best result of roasted bean


Without even being a roaster, I think I can agree. But if a home roaster has a lot of experience...?


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## garyw (Apr 19, 2012)

Um.

Coffee roasting in its essential form, is easy. Whether roasted in the Africas on an open fire, or in South America on metal plates, or rolled in a drum or coated in sugar and torrefacto'd... its pretty straight forward to do. The end result is drinkable and pleasant in the main.

Science has caught up with the roasting of the bean, in as much as the ingredients have been matched to temperature release, and how to obtain the best development of certain chemicals in optimized processes.

Taste, however is personal.

There is a current fad of under roasting beans to leave the taste "light". To my taste, the bean is undeveloped to its taste potential, and not something I aspire to in a roast. But you know what? I can reproduce it at home on a variety of domestic and home made roasters. However, I dont have to. Its my machine, my beans and my taste. Thats why I do it. Anyone with thirst for knowledge, and who has put some time in practical experience, can roast beans satisfactorily, and make the coffee of his or her taste preference consistently and accurately.

There is no magic to roasting coffee. There is only adherence to the 'profile', reproducing a well liked recipe (that takes into account the quality of the crop) time and time again. The "magic", if you call it that, is in developing a profile for a single origin, or a blend that is well rounded and brings out interesting nuances in the roast.

It is impossible to reproduce the exact "taste" of a professional roast if the fuel or vehicle for roasting in at home, is different. If I use a hot air gun or a fluid bed at home, one is electric and one is gas. The taste of the roast, although following identical timings and heat progression, will result in 2 different bean tastes. The gas will be slightly more 'earthy", but no where near the same depth of earthiness as done in a commercial drum roaster, and the hot air gun will be all middle and top notes and much much brighter in taste. Even if I roast in a 1lb sample roaster that is a miniature electric drum roaster, identical except for fuel source, the taste WILL be different to the commercial roast somewhat.

All the above said. If all I had was one home roaster, I believe, I KNOW, that my product is as good as anyone elses, to my profile and reproducible every time. People like what they like and stick with it.

Example. It stopped raining today for an hour. I roasted 250 grams of Colombian FAST. all done and dusted to just the first pop of second crack in 9 minutes. I roasted 200g of Colombian to just first pop of second crack in 13 minutes. Finally I roasted 600grams of Colombian Suarez in my normal profile of 15 mins. I did them all in an electric breadmaker with hot air gun. I KNOW my normal profile will be totally acceptable in 5 days. Im going to try the other two and see where I want to take them. (I cupped them and believe the 9 minute roast has potential. The 13 minute will prob be mixed in with some other bean for a blend)

Home roasters are professional roasters in the wings with smaller toys. Its from us that the ideas come and develop. I can barista, I dont want to do it as a job. I prefer to make the coffee, literally.


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