To roast or not to roast?

[CoffeeRoasters]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

and the lack of consistency can actually be a bonus sometimes, making it more interesting.

Agree...great for discovery

[sorrentina]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

Brilliant post Amanda- you summed it up very nicely.

"why arent I already roasting?"

indeed- that is the question!

[sidewayss]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

Analyzing your situation with a couple of kids in tow, The i-coffee, Behmor, Genecafe and the Hottop are immediate choices that come to mind together with a timer.

Set your roaster up and roast. Set timer on to time to a minute or two before the cycle finishes, then attend to your kids and endless chores around the house, preferably within earshot and vision in case something happens.
When the timer goes off, then return and tend to the roaster.

How consistent is up to you, but i suggest if you can, stick to single origins or blends that are processed (ie. washed and hard processed kept separately) in the same way so they roast evenly.

Good luck with your choice and enjoy this next part of your coffee adventure.

Gary at G

[kbrookes]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

Ah, dont know how I missed that! Just saw the VBM and the sunbeam in there and thought

[bennett]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

I dont know the EM0480 at all, but considering youre on a VBM a grinder upgrade might be necessary to really get the most out of your home roasts.

Dont worry I have a Mazzer Mini - check my profile. The Sunbeam is only for plunger and travel.

[kbrookes]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

I feel like Im starting to get a handle on adjusting the grind for various beans. I know that with Pioneer Roastery beans that I need to back off and dial much coarser than any other bean. Di Bella comes in second.

I had some awful locally roasted beans over the weekend (Id run out and was desperate and my home roast hadnt matured enough yet) that tasted insipid. They needed just as fine a grind as my home roasts. Colour me confused.

[shapeshifter]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

Kelsey I have found exactly the same thing, I often end up close to choking when I forget to change the settings for beans Ive roasted to beans I buy, I have never been able to keep the same settings, no idea why though.

[kbrookes]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

I think youll find them more than acceptable - itll be interesting!

Ive found home-roasted beans need a much finer grind however (not sure if this is everyones experience). I dont know the EM0480 at all, but considering youre on a VBM a grinder upgrade might be necessary to really get the most out of your home roasts.

[bennett]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

I appreciate everybodies input. Kelsey, I understand your point. I never assumed a behmor would be like a microwave set and forget. I am happy to put in some input into the process. I think my main concern has been generally answered. I was worried that even my just ok roasts would be undrinkable by CS standards. But it sounds like minor inconsistencies are tolerable when home roasting and the result in the cup can still be acceptable.

[kbrookes]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

Only on CS, would a forum autocorrect S and then C to Second Crack - I was referring to Sorrentino Coffee!

[commanda]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

It has been said before, but Coffeesnobbery is both a journey and a destination. The fundamental difference between ourselves and "Professional" roasters, is that the latters focus is on the destination. A bag of beans that resembles the last bag of beans, or the same bag last year.
We have the wonderful freedom of not needing to meet that criteria, and every roast we do can be a new adventure, every cup to be enjoyed as a singular moment in time, perhaps to never be exactly repeated.
Do I strive to emulate any of the great Professional roasters, and turn out the same thing repeatedly? Not likely.

To roast or not to roast? is not the question.
Why arent I already roasting? is a better question.

Amanda
(founder of the NTSC (Not Twice Same Coffee) company)

[kbrookes]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

That was kinda my point tho, SC!

That using any set-and-forget method isnt going to produce the best results you can achieve. I said that he could not have gotten it using set-and-forget - no matter if youre using a popper, behmor, KKTO or a bloody great barrel over a fire, it needs some human input if its going to be anything other than generic, let alone a good roast.

[sorrentina]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

He couldnt have gotten that by using his behmor as a set-and-forget device on the standard settings.
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I dont want to poo-poo your friends results- but I wouldnt be so quick to dismiss the Behmor- or other set and forget roasters. There is actually no such thing as set and forget roasting as far as I have seen. Whether its a Behmor or a KKTO you need to take charge and decide when you want your roast to end- and if/how you will blend- and how long you will rest the bean, etc... I think PavoniBoys analogy about stereo equipment is spot on: once you get to the high end of roasting it takes both a nuanced taste bud and keen mind to note the differences from cup to cup- everything is pretty good and whatever differences there are are getting to be very subtle...

Another thing I have found: it is not rocket science to make an outstanding roast (I should know- my grandfather was a rocket scientist- I am not- but my roasts are delicious ).

A final thought: home roasters maintain their resale value pretty well. So if you decided to grab a machine and try it out the experience will only cost you a little if you decide it is not for you.

[Kafine]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

Very easy to get very nice coffee. Every roast gets better and i have had only two failures. Cheaper and more involvement in the whole process of coffee making is fantastic. I love it.

[kbrookes]

Re: To roast or not to roast?

Thanks everyone for your replies so far. I guess as a coffeesnob I am torn between having full control over the process vs an end result which may not be as good as a pro roaster.

Maybe Im overanalysing the situation. :-/

Definitely!

Im motivated by similar reasons as yourself - and by long term cost benefits.

Youve dismissed the popper idea, but its a great CHEAP way to stick your toe in the water and find out how much fun it is.

I was given a popper $(12 Kmart variety) and a few hundred grams of greens by a fellow enthusiast who has since moved to a behmor and then a KKTO.

My wife absolutely loves the third roast I did, although Im not entirely happy with it - doesnt suit my palate, but its been 30 mins since I had my morning ristretto and I can still taste it... So its growing on me.

The point is that while I vastly prefer the Sumatran Kuda browns from Pioneer Roastery, on my my third effort Ive roasted something acceptable to me and that my wife loves and had fun doing it. My wife wants nothing to do with making coffee, but loved the roasting process and were both keen for this to be something we can do together.

The great thing about home roasting is that you can really take it to any level you want - you can roast in a popper with nothing more than your ears and a stopwatch and get decent results. You can buy or build a KKTO or a corretto and go the full data-monitoring and profiling approach. You can buy commercial machines and take their pure-set profiles as gospel or create your own.

I think that if youre wanting the behmor or gene cafe as a set and forget type of device, youre missing the point of home roasting and will by consequence miss out on the rich variety you can achieve - which only comes with experimentation and passion, no matter what machine youre on.

The same friend who gave me the popper gave me some of his home roasts - and Indian/PNG blend that was just fantastic and a Mexican that was nothing short of sensational. All done in a home-built KKTO and achieved with years of experimentation. Theyre easily the equal of any professional roast Ive had.

He couldnt have gotten that by using his behmor as a set-and-forget device on the standard settings.