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  • What is best - popcorn or heat gun

    I have ordered by starter pack. What is the best way to go for a roast. I am a bit dubious about standing there for over 10 mins with a heat gun...does it really give results so much better than a popcorn maker that its worth the devotion?

    Cheers#
    PS. I have never roasted before in any form. :-?

  • #2
    Re: What is best - popcorn or heat gun

    Heatgun. Much more control over the roast. Its a little tedious, but sort something out like have someone there to read you a book or wipe your brow (ok, that was a joke - just make sure youre comfortable, on a seat with the bowl at a decent height).

    Hey, I think I said this before - others would probably say popper. But you need to use a chimney, preferably modify the heater elements, use a long extension cord etc etc.... so my view is the HG is just too easy.

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    • #3
      Re: What is best - popcorn or heat gun

      ozscott- I reckon give them both a try!
      I started with the popper and was frustrated by two things- the limited amount you could roast- maybe 140 grams if you push it... And the inability to control the length of the roast.
      I have experienced a sharper zap to the flavour when done in the popper-An atribute that goes welll when mixed in a blend but not really my cup of tea day in day out!
      The roast lasts 8 minutes or so unless you do it on a really cold night and that will extend it somewhat. :-?
      For me the transition to heat gun was worth it. Particularly now that I have a little bracket that holds the guni n place while I stir. 8-)
      20 minutes max! and the whole time you are fully aware of the changes taking place in the bean mass. IT is infinitely variable- which may be a tad scary at first but I love it. If the first crack hasnt happened by 13 minutes I draw the gun closer and bring it on! Then I like to hold back a bit as the flavour develops between first and second crack.
      Have a go with the popper but dont go too long without trying the gun.
      RH

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      • #4
        Re: What is best - popcorn or heat gun

        Another vote for the heatgun. Ive got both and only use the popper if Ive run out or the heatgun dies.  Probably roasted 50-60kgs since I stared a couple of years ago. I started off using bunning xu1 heatguns but then tried a ryobi one at about $35. They were both rated at 2000 watts but the ryobi had a much higher  muzzle velocity which meant faster roasts and bigger batches possible.  HG roasted beans to me taste smoother with more  complexity  and richer flavours.

        Average time for me 15 minutes depending on ambient conditions. Allow 30 minutes from start to go for setup, clean up cooling etc.
        Average batch size 600-700 grammes but I did  full kilo once just to prove it  could be done. I sometimes freeze half a batch (shock horror!) and it always tatses fine to me when used a week or so later. If you have beans that require different times you can always add them progressively to your roast

        Tips for even roasts

        Constant agitation.
        Dont get too close about 50mm works for me
        Use a large container. I use a stainlesss steel pasta saucepan with modular drainer (pasta pot set?) Means I can stir vigorously without having too worry about losing beans over the edge
        Sticking the colander or whatever on a bbq hotplate on low also helps with the time and eveness.

        Downsides

        Heatguns die: get one with  long warranty ryobis are 3 years. Keep a popper as a backup,
        Inhaled roasting smoke. Be carefull here and use a fan to keep the smoke blowing downwind from you
        Tedious: yes it can be,  but if you do big batches then you need to roast less often.
        Smoke and chaff: not a problem for me as Im on acreage but I doubt it would work in a unit without running some sort of smoke and chaff collecting vacuum

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        • #5
          Re: What is best - popcorn or heat gun

          thanks very much all...really appreciate the assistance. Will get a heat gun and get cracking!

          Cheers

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          • #6
            Re: What is best - popcorn or heat gun

            Popper has the advantage of ease of use, and not much manual agitation. You can get very good (albeit smaller) results using a popper. Modifications are simple and not too elaborate, consisting mainly of a tall soup tin to extend the roasting chamber for larger capacity, and wire mesh to catch chaff.

            Heatguns give you the capability of much larger roasts than a popper. One caveat is that if youre not dutifully stirring, you can very easily get a non-uniform roast. Many snobs have contructed "hands free" methods for roasting/stirring with heatguns that negate this issue.

            I have both, but I tend to lean to my popper as it is simpler, faster, and Im obviously more familiar with it.

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            • #7
              Re: What is best - popcorn or heat gun

              Originally posted by nunu link=1153702765/0#5 date=1153709810
              Popper has the advantage of ease of use, and not much manual agitation. You can get very good (albeit smaller) results using a popper. Modifications are simple and not too elaborate, consisting mainly of a tall soup tin to extend the roasting chamber for larger capacity, and wire mesh to catch chaff.
              That being said, and agreed....

              I guess it mainly comes down to how much coffee do you consume in a week? To ensure freshness I generally only roast enough coffee that can be consumed within the week, or maybe 10 days on the outside. This works in well with how much my popper setup is able to roast per batch ~150-170 grams depending on ambient conditions (pretty well the same setup as nunus, nothing fancy). After blending between 3-4 roasts, that gives us enough in total to enjoy superlatively fresh coffee.

              Heatgun/Bowl setups seem to like roasting larger batches than poppers, from what Ive read on CS anyway, probably something to do with critical mass versus heatgun output :-?. Its really the only reason Ive hung on to my poppers for so long really, our family (and the occasional friend) just cant get through more beans in the 7-10 day time-frame as freshness does fall off noticeably by the time 10 days comes around. So as always, its a horses for courses sort of outcome and I guess you need to weigh up all of the variables. All the best,

              Mal.

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              • #8
                Re: What is best - popcorn or heat gun

                The others have covered it, but I thought Id give my 2 cents anyhow..

                I use a popper and can probably roast over 150g (green weight) quite easily -- I have only started roasting so havent yet found the upper limit of what my popper is capable of.

                Personally I can be a bit of a lazy bum and there is no way on some days that I want to sit there for 10-20minutes holding a heatgun and stirring and such, so the popper is fine for me. Less chance for user error

                Ive found that I should probably do 2x150g (or thereabouts) roasts each time I roast in order to last me a week and a bit and not feel like "jeez.. i just roasted the other day and ive run out already and now im going to have to wait a whole day while the new ones degas before i can have coffee again"

                so my vote goes for the heatgun if you want to get into a bit of crafting your roasts, and a popper if you want to be a bit more lazy about it like me and just have the advantage of the freshness of home roasts.

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                • #9
                  Re: What is best - popcorn or heat gun

                  I started roasting using popper.
                  As others has said, the good thing is you really dont have to do anything apart from watching the beans/listening to the sound.
                  But was annoyed that it died so quickly (broken plastic bit that hold the fan in place)
                  So I got the heatgun now and it has been very good.
                  Apart from you can roast larger batch, with heatgun you can still roast in the middle of summer day because you have more control of the heat (move it futher away)
                  With popper its almost impossible to get a good result during summer day because the roast will be done in less than 7 mins, you either have to wait until late at night when it gets cooler, or very early in the morning.

                  Sometimes I still miss the popper though because I can just dump it there and just watch

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                  • #10
                    Re: What is best - popcorn or heat gun

                    My 2c.
                    You don’t have to ”stand there for 10 + min.”, when using a heat gun.   A simple mod, is to add a motor and stirrer to the dog bowl, most seem to find the windscreen wiper motor from the wreckers for about $10 and an old battery, usually to be found lying around somewhere, will do the trick.
                    Here is my set up:-
                    Bruce

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                    • #11
                      Re: What is best - popcorn or heat gun

                      More pics
                        Inside the box

                      close-up of the bowl

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                      • #12
                        Re: What is best - popcorn or heat gun

                        Good one Billi [smiley=thumbsup.gif],

                        And , its very neatly done too and with its own box and everything..... a very snobbish roast setup 8-) ,

                        Mal.

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                        • #13
                          Re: What is best - popcorn or heat gun

                          Nice set-up Billi.

                          You can also use an old computer power supply for your 12 volts and if the agitation is too fast you can drop the voltage to either 7 or 5 volts by swapping around a couple of wires. It could easily be modded into your existing box it looks like and would help to keep the motor cool there-by extending its lifespan.

                          Java "Inventors R Us" phile
                          Toys! I must have new toys!!!

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                          • #14
                            Re: What is best - popcorn or heat gun

                            I have just ordered a home roasting starter pack, and I have decided to start roasting with a heatgun & bowl. If I enjoy roasting, I can always upgrade to a corretto, and my ultimate aim is the Gene Cafe Roaster.

                            But to get me started, can someone please help me with the following queries?

                            - do I need a deep bowl or shallow? wide or narrow?
                            - approx how deep should the beans be in the bowl?
                            - approx how many grams of beans can be roasted in one batch?
                            - how high above the beans should the HG be, and should it point straight down or at an angle?
                            - how long should I be aiming for to get to 1st & 2nd crack?
                            - what heat setting(s) do you recommend on the HG?

                            Thanks in advance. I cant wait to get started  :

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                            • #15
                              Re: What is best - popcorn or heat gun

                              Toad

                              I tend to use a saucepan and usually do around 400g which fills the saucepan up about 1/3. Just vary the saucepan to the amount youre roasting.

                              Most of my roast get to 1st crack around 10-15 mins and 2nd around 16-20 mins depending on the bean.

                              I have the heat gun around 7-10 cm away from the beans with the heat gun on the highest setting, pulling away from the beans a little after 1st crack & turning the temp down slightly.

                              Juls

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