# Home Roasting



## ozgreen (Apr 2, 2010)

Are there any home roasters out there?, how about showing off your set-ups and getting some roasting discussions going.


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## vintagecigarman (Aug 10, 2009)

I'm an enthusiastic home roaster. Just. a Behmor (at the moment), working away in the garage.

But I love the idea of getting some discussion/self-help going.


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## MonkeyHarris (Dec 3, 2010)

This is something I would like try. I'll follow with interest.


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## ozgreen (Apr 2, 2010)

A number of Coffeesnob members in Australia have the Behmoor and are getting great results.

I started my roasting journey on a popcorn maker, scorched a few batches before getting control of what was happening and results were quite good, I then graduated to a breadmaker/heatgun Corretto set-up and roast quality improved markedly, with the addition of a thermocouple to monitor bean temps and a variable temp/fan speed heatgun this set-up had the ability to produce repeatably great roasts.

After roasting about 220kg of beans on my Corretto I succumbed to upgraditis and purchased my Torrefatore 2kg roaster (total overkill or course!!)

Home roasting is a great way to learn more about coffee and the science that goes into scorching these little green berries so that they produce the most remarkable aromas and tastes, if you have ever though about home roasting I highly recommend it. It is most satisfying when I share my coffees with family and friends and seeing them enjoy the labours of my hobby/passion.


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## sandykt (Dec 3, 2009)

There are home roasters on the forum here, unfortunately, I read a horror story about the kitchen catching fire and the fact you should not go out and leave them on so, for me, that's one upgrade I shall be steering well clear of.


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## ozgreen (Apr 2, 2010)

Kitchen fire, no thanks. Roasting is a hands-on soul-stirring experience why would one go out and leave a roaster unattended?? Pure sacriliege!!


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## vintagecigarman (Aug 10, 2009)

I think that I've posted about this on another thread. Don't let horror stories of roaster fires put you off roasting, Sandy.Yes, there is a danger of chaff in an untended machine catching fire, so you never leave a roaster unattended. But I wouldn't put a lamb chop on the grill and walk away from the kitchen leaving it unattended. Home roasting gear is domestically rated equipment and if used sensibly represents no more hazard than a washing machine (you should ask the fire brigade about how surprisingly often these catch fire). In the gravest extreme the Behmor roaster will detect a fire and automatically shut down, and as long as you don't open the door it will quickly extinguish.

Roasting your own is as much fun as brewing the drink itself!


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## tbaac (Jun 17, 2011)

Hi everyone, I'm new here









I'd read with some interest about people using popcorn makers as makeshift coffee roasters. A popular one seems to be the Poppery ii, and a quick search of US ebay shows that Poppery iis are often advertised on ebay as a possible coffee roaster.

Anyway, my question is whether anyone on here is doing something similar in the UK and if so what model of popcorn maker you are using? The West Bend Poppery ii seems to go for about £30 on ebay plus another £30 shipping. So (as this is fairly experimental, hit and miss and quite possibly will never result in drinkable coffee) I was hoping for something a little cheaper. On US forums people talk about finding Poppery iis for sale for $10 in garage sales.

Anyone found a cheap option over here? Thanks


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## vintagecigarman (Aug 10, 2009)

If you want to have a try with a popcorn roaster, then Aldi are currently selling one at around the £10 mark. (Though obviously if you put coffee in it it is at your own risk - I'm not recommending it as a way of roasting coffee).


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## lookseehear (Jul 16, 2010)

I bought a popcorn popper off eBay for £6 Inc postage which I've probably done 25 or so roasts on.

I'm not sure whether the poppery actually makes all that much difference or whether it just has a bit of a legendary status because a few people like it.

I would be inclined just to buy any poppet with the right vent shape at the bottom that's cheap and have a play around.

I'm convinced that the biggest problem with my roasts is they happen too quickly so I'm thinking about adding some control to the fan to slow down the roast a bit.

Sent from my HTC Desire using Tapatalk


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## Clement VIII (May 13, 2011)

I use a heavy cast iron crock pot and a wooden spoon to roast my coffee.

If it is a nice day I'll do it in the garden (the smell does linger).

A good iron pan works well because the heat is retained within the pan itself and distributed evenly. I did try using an aluminium (and considerably lighter) pan, the beans became scorched and the stirring had to be more vigorous to reduce this effect.

ASDA currently have wonderful Le Creuset style pans for £35.









I did look in Debenhams at Le Creuset, and as much as I love those pans, I can't quite stretch to £200+ for a single pan.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

I'm keen to get into roasting but only if I can find an appealing piece of kit at a bargain price. Not in any hurry though.


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## tbaac (Jun 17, 2011)

Thanks everyone, particularly LookSeeHear. I've got a Desire as well







well, Nexus One anyway.

You mention a mod for manual control of the fan on a popcorn maker. I saw an article a while back with a manual fan mod for the Poppery ii, but as you imply that might be transferable to other models.

Cheers everyone


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## ChrisP (Jun 19, 2011)

I have a Gene Cafe and it's brilliant. The good thing about it is that it actually montitors the temperature during roasting so it doesn't just run on predetermined settings. Pop the beans in and 12-14 mins later you have lovely fresh roasted coffee. I can't recommend the Gene Cafe enough.


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## MikeHag (Mar 13, 2011)

ChrisP said:


> I have a Gene Cafe and it's brilliant. The good thing about it is that it actually montitors the temperature during roasting so it doesn't just run on predetermined settings. Pop the beans in and 12-14 mins later you have lovely fresh roasted coffee. I can't recommend the Gene Cafe enough.


Saw one for sale on ebay yesterday and did some research. Does indeed look very good.


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## vintagecigarman (Aug 10, 2009)

I've used a Behmor for about two years now, but recently have been using a Gene as well. Both are great little roasters, and I honestly have trouble in deciding which I like best. Although the Behmor has pre-set programmes, a little ingenuity enables you to tweak the roasts.

Both have the same problem in that you can't cool the roasted beans as quickly as you can in, say, a Hot-Top, where you can dump out the beans as soon as they are roasted enough. With both of them you have to do a bit of thinking ahead, because second crack can continue well into the cooling cycle. (Though at least with the Behmor you can open the door and force additional cold air through the drum instead of relying on the fan cooling only.)

My search for another roaster goes on - I'd consider a Hot-top but for the lack of UK supply and support. And if I'm not going to have access to local support I may as well go for a personal import on a Quest.


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