# I fancy a go at roasting some coffee and would like some advice please :)



## LuckyDip23 (May 3, 2018)

Pretty much as the title says.

I fancy a go, but other than a bit of googling and forum trawling I've got no experience in it and am trying to figure out the best way of getting started.

I dont really want to drop serious £s on a roasting machine untill i know its for me, but realistically would something along the lines of these from amazon / ebay allow me to get a decent feel for roasting my own:



https://www.amazon.co.uk/ZLFCRYP-Roaster-Non-Stick-Roasting-Equipment/dp/B08L31H9R9/ref=sr_1_102?dchild=1&keywords=coffee+roaster&qid=1615548862&sr=8-102


https://www.amazon.co.uk/YUCHENGTECH-Electric-Household-Roasting-1200W%EF%BC%88Black%EF%BC%89/dp/B08D7FR13J/


https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1200W-Electric-Coffee-Roaster-Home-Coffee-Bean-Baking-Roasting-Machine-EU-Plug/373470729006


I'd obviously rather not drop best part of £100 on something just to have a completely miserable experience that would put me off.

Am i looking along the right lines here or is there any other budget setup / machine anyone would reccomend?

I'd be using mainly for espresso, and capacity is not really thasst much of an issue as i tend to go through about a 250g bag a week so dont need anything massive if that makes a difference.

Thanks


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## PottyMouthedBuddhist (Oct 18, 2016)

With a £100 budget I would seriously consider making my own with a bread maker and a variable heat gun. If you youtube search for a Coretto or Corretto (can't remember which) roaster you'll be amazed at what some people have come up with. Alternatively look at home made popcorn popper roasters. No you're not going to get artisan level roasts with either, but I am sure you could rival or even better the ones you can buy for £100.

Another £20-30 and you can get an arduino board and some thermocouples to connect it up to the free Artisan roasting software. I did this with my first breadmaker/heatgun setup, and I got some really good roasts with it.


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## ajohn (Sep 23, 2017)

I tried pop corn roasters etc and would say not. They are based on a particular type of popcorn roaster I actually tried. The beans don't get turned over and chances of achieving an even roast are slim as one of the videos clearly shows.

The hot air blower type popcorn roasters may work out better with very low weights of beans. They need to be elevated and blown about. I started modifying one to add some heat control and temperature sensing but the smaller gene cafe used turned up on here. Bought like that little is lost if later sold. Ist thing I did with it was clean out the chaff box and filters and had a play. It looks like I may have some success with it.  Problem though, the exhaust pipe I had going out of a window gets pretty hot and we have had PVC fitted. Garage is out of order at the moment. A mic and amplifier with the mic near the end of the pipe helps detect cracks. Some use a length of cardboard tube.  I've wondered about a stethoscope. There are some useful videos on using them and some ideas are more complicated on using and modifying them.


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

LuckyDip23 said:


> Pretty much as the title says.
> 
> I fancy a go, but other than a bit of googling and forum trawling I've got no experience in it and am trying to figure out the best way of getting started.
> 
> ...


 No, don't buy those.

These two threads give you better options:

https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/57925-tin-can-air-roaster/?do=embed

https://www.coffeeforums.co.uk/topic/57475-modification-of-a-drum-air-fryer-into-an-artisan-controlled-coffee-roaster/?do=embed


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## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

With £100 budget I would seriously save up😎


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## LuckyDip23 (May 3, 2018)

I had a feeling this might be the case.

Ill keep my eyes open for something on ebay I think rather than going for one of these.


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## LuckyDip23 (May 3, 2018)

Keeping the price reasonably realistic - what would be the best entry level setup you would reccomend?


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## Jony (Sep 8, 2017)

I to want to try, my budget well I Haven't got one! But it's just for personal home use I Looked at the Sandbox R1. But not enough yes people have said it's good for your money.


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## LuckyDip23 (May 3, 2018)

The sandbox looks fantastic. 
I think I have some saving to do.


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## LuckyDip23 (May 3, 2018)

So after more reading around (especially the link posted above) I ended up buying a Severin popcorn maker to see whether this is going to be for me 

And I've made somethign that looks like coffee  Its not been rested as I only roasted it about an hour ago, but its made an half decent chemex.

I'm most pleased.

I needs a chimney making for it which im goign to do later out of some old cans as it kept kicking beans out of chamber, & it roasted pretty quickly so the dimmer mod ive read about would probably be a good idea too.

I think this is going to keep me going for a while and give me something to tinker and get used to roasting as I put some money aside for something like the sandbox or kaffelogic.


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

Does anyone have top tips for bags to share roasts when done? I don't really want a full heat seal setup - might send my Dad a few bags a year.


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

You don't need to heat seal them, foil lined ziplock style with valves or without valves are available wholesale if you just search google there are a number of suppliers of plain black/white foil bags and kraft bags. Heat sealing is only necessary for the supermarket. I've had coffee from roasters online that don't heat seal their bags, there's not much point other than giving the consumer something they expect and are accustomed to....


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

you can get a heat sealer for around £15 to £18 on ebay. it will do the new generation of fairly thin bags and the mylar food grade bags (I use a 20x30, but smaller sizes are available. Don't get the ones with a clear window.

It won't seal the thick old school coffee bags, for that I use £4.99 pair of hair straighteners (pink ones), plus some heavy gloves, as you need to squeeze the tips. The cheapest ones with ceramic plates are actually the best.


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

Thanks both. Will have a look at the options. Do have some hair straighteners around the house somewhere.


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

Right. Sorry for all the questions but sorting out what I need. As I am doing small quantities of home roasting for fun (1-2kg at a time) do I need to pick up and special storage? I am about to order some airscape jars for my roasted coffee (thanks for the review DavecUK) but should I Chuck in a 1kg one for green beans too?


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## DavecUK (Aug 6, 2013)

apf102 said:


> Right. Sorry for all the questions but sorting out what I need. As I am doing small quantities of home roasting for fun (1-2kg at a time) do I need to pick up and special storage? I am about to order some airscape jars for my roasted coffee (thanks for the review DavecUK) but should I Chuck in a 1kg one for green beans too?


 No, just stick your beans in a plastic bag.

With the airscapes, especially the large one...I wish they would sell two inserts, so you could half fill it put one insert in, then fill it up the rest of the way and put the second insert in....allowing almost half the quantity to be air free each time the airscape is opened. Even if one of the inserts was much thinner with a small hole only, I have thought of making something like a close fitting disk.


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

Thanks. Hadn't thought about the multiple opening issue. Maybe I will grab several smaller jars instead of two bigger ones


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## Gemini (Apr 3, 2021)

I am hoping to roast. I have a cast iron pan and see a wooden spoon is useful. I hope this will give me a traditional coffee. Should I look to use bags or tins for storage and when you say plastic bag for green beans should they be sealed? Is there a way to check the roasting time without temperature and software?


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## evoman (May 13, 2014)

I use an popcorn air popper and I think it is fantastic. But I suspect that it is because I like a relatively dark roast, which means there is plenty of time for the level of roast to even out. The setup was a disaster until I got a stainless/chromed chimney (which I think is deigned to be a section of decorative exhaust pipe), which made it a lot easier. I do 165-170 grams at a time and generally give it some shakes early on (it will eventually start moving on its own). I would go with this type of setup first to see what you think. It's cheap and simple and will give great results unless you want a very light roast.


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