Roasting Coffee Beans NoCal Style

Kit from Santa Cruz (My brother)is also a long time home roaster, He sent the following note with pictures:

Looks tasty! I followed some internet thing. I drilled a hole and put a 550 cooking thermometer in mine, and roast at about 350. I usually roast for about 12 minutes at the most, and get a light roast, which is still pretty tasty.



I use a outside Coleman burner, because its too smokey for inside. It pops like popcorn too-- once early on as the outer hull breaks and once as the bean cracks (or something like that).



I cool in a screeny-colander and swirl, which helps take some of the chaff off. I need to get something to make that nice frothy coffee top though.

Thanks for writing, Where do you get your beans? I finished off the twelve ounces I roasted Friday, so I am going to roast so more today (amongst other things). I want to try going for a shorter amount of time. As for a frothy topped espresso, I can send you one old stove top units or you can look into a machine like the one I got mom, I think it does a pretty good job and it was eighty bucks at Target.

Cheers.

Roasting Coffee Beans

Watch out home hobbyists and hardcore DIYers, I'm catching up and I'm doing it without the aid of the internets. Roast your own coffee beans? Dude I have; with the right equipment making French roast is pretty darn easy.



I set up outside because the process is a little smoky. I got my Kmart hot plate, my Whirley Pop stovetop popcorn popper (every well equipped kitchen should have one of these), and some green coffee beans.



Next, I called my sister (Jeanlouise:Jolie).

Jolie: What up Dude?

MAC: Nuthin what are you doing?

Jolie: Got some cultures from Ricki Carroll and some raw goat milk from a lady in Ashville and I'm making cheese.

MAC: Cool.

Jolie: Yeah. Mom made some quark and she has been putting it on everything: Herring, potatoes, enchilatas...

MAC: Far out. Tell her to bring some for Oktoberfest.

Jolie: Right on.

MAC: So I got these coffee beans I wanna roast...

Jolie: Yeah yeah, I rinse them first then I put them in the stovetop popper wet. I roast the beans over medium high heat, constantly turning the crank so that they cook evenly.



Jolie (CONT): At first you'll have a lot of water vapor, then they'll start smoking. If they smoke a whole lot and the smoke is yellowish, back off the heat. Just keep cranking. When they are about the color you want spread them out on a baking sheet to cool.

Thanks Jolie.



I measured out twelve ounces on beans and roasted them (constantly cranking) for about forty-five minutes.

My friend Earl, who first roasted beans around the time the internet was invented, suggested I let the coffee rest overnight before grinding, so I did that.



I'm not necessarily a connoisseur of coffee, but I know a good cup from bad, I got great coffee from my home roast. You can too, I have only done it once, but I will be doing it again, soon.

Cheers.