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  • Coffee Bean Roasters (Newbie)

    My first post   ... although ive been a member for a while now, I am in need of some help from all you pros out there in Coffee Roasting land.  

    After reading through the messages on this thread I notice a lot of people use Popcorn poppers to roast their own beans, however I am wondering if there are any purpose built machines out there specifically designed for home roasting coffee beans?  

    I am not talking about a high level semi professional roaster or anything serious, but surely there must be a purpose built machine to roast small amounts of beans at a time for the average home newbie roaster?

    Can anyone recommend any websites for this sort of equipment? Does anyone own a dedicated coffee bean roaster themselves, if so I would be most interested in finding out how your roasts have turned out compared to other roasting methods (ie. popping in a popcorn maker).

    Maybe in saying all this I am better off using a popcorn maker because that seems to the common thing to do - but to my mind it just seems a little odd using something that is not designed specifically for roasting coffee beans to do just that.

    Maybe I really am just being a snob

    ANY help would be really appreciated, thanks in advance!

  • #2
    Re: Coffee Bean Roasters (Newbie)

    Originally posted by Big Steve link=1184282861/0#0 date=1184282861
    My first post   ... although ive been a member for a while now, I am in need of some help from all you pros out there in Coffee Roasting land.  

    After reading through the messages on this thread I notice a lot of people use Popcorn poppers to roast their own beans, however I am wondering if there are any purpose built machines out there specifically designed for home roasting coffee beans?  

    I am not talking about a high level semi professional roaster or anything serious, but surely there must be a purpose built machine to roast small amounts of beans at a time for the average home newbie roaster?

    Can anyone recommend any websites for this sort of equipment? Does anyone own a dedicated coffee bean roaster themselves, if so I would be most interested in finding out how your roasts have turned out compared to other roasting methods (ie. popping in a popcorn maker).

    Maybe in saying all this I am better off using a popcorn maker because that seems to the common thing to do - but to my mind it just seems a little odd using something that is not designed specifically for roasting coffee beans to do just that.

    Maybe I really am just being a snob

    ANY help would be really appreciated, thanks in advance!
    Hi Steve and welcome to CS!

    A heap of us use and love the Gene Cafe...Steve- ex CS sponsor sells them out of the UK http://www.hasbean.co.uk/product_info.php?cPath=45_28&products_id=507

    regards

    2mcm

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    • #3
      Re: Coffee Bean Roasters (Newbie)

      There are some machines - In order of cost, the iRoast @$400, the Genecafe @$750 and the Hottop @ $1000. The prices here are approximate. There are a few threads about these so just do a search and you will get them that way.

      As far as using a machine that isnt purpose built, just because something is not built for a specific purpose does not mean it cannot be used with great results. The above roasters are expensive and by using a popper first it is a cheap way to learn to roast your own coffee and decide whether you really want to keep on with it.

      It is also a great way to learn about the roasting process as it is right there in your face. So to speak. I myself have learned a lot about the roasting process by watching and using the popper rather than just pushing a button.

      Have a read here http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1174699442 if you havent already.



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      • #4
        Re: Coffee Bean Roasters (Newbie)

        Have a search for the Corretto roast threads also. Many on this site love using their bread makers (just the fast dough knead setting - so no stirring by hand at all) and a heat gun set up so that it faces the beans, just inside the rim of the bread maker basket....the results are excellent and very controllable and you can roast large amounts. My last few were 700 gram ones and you can go higher. When you get the hang of it it is simple and very effective - its almost set and forget for 20-30 mins except that you reduce the heat at around the first crack which is easy to hear. You get to know the times so that you can anticipate when to pull the beans.

        Cheers

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