How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

[Dennis]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

I have roasted and still do on occasions in a small pot or wok over the BBQ wok burner

I use a long whisk for stirring the beans and it’s relaxing
This method does a surprisingly good job

One does not need any special equipment to achieve great results

KK

That really is just so wrong. :P

[Koffee_Kosmo]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

I have roasted and still do on occasions in a small pot or wok over the BBQ wok burner

I use a long whisk for stirring the beans and it’s relaxing
This method does a surprisingly good job

One does not need any special equipment to achieve great results

KK

[Thundergod]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

Modding can lengthen the roasts in a popper and I got mine as far as 15 minutes by the time I moved on to a bowl and spoon.

If space and tools are an issue then bowl, spoon and heatgun are the go.
I did dozens of roasts that way before building my corretto.

[NewToEspresso]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

The popcorn maker is a very cheap way to get into home roasting and its pretty much a hands-free setup. Winter is the best time to get into itas the ambient temp will make the roast a little longer than if you were to do it in summer. The only modification you might need to do is the soup can chimney mod which requires you to buy a can soup (Heinz Chunky Beef eg.), drink the soup, cut out the bottom with the can opener, clean the can of soup, cut a few short slits in the can to make it fit into the popper and voila, you have a chimney.
Weigh out 100g of green beans (Monsooned malabar 80g), put it in the popper, switch it on and thats it. You just need to listen out for the cracks and observe the colour. After a few roasts, you will get an idea of whether its something youd like to get into or not and if you do, you would inevitably look at further possible mods to lengthen the roast, start logging temps or go the corretto. You might surprise yourself with the results.

[redzone121]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

My 30 or so Popper roasts were all bright, but we drank it none the wiser.
I did not mod it so roast times were too quick, but as has been said we sure learnt some things in the process.
My vote "Corretto" all the way if you can. You will be very pleased with the results with a little practice.
Enjoy,

CB

[martybean]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

I think youre right Sammus everything I have read about the Iroast says its noisy way to fast and hard to hear the cracks.
A modified popper would be a cheaper option, but I would go the corretto.

[sdg]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

Hmm, im researching how much a corretto setup will cost now...and if i have enough space for one.

Sorry to put you off the iRoast2 -- it couldve been such a great thing if theyd only bothered to design it more carefully (and for non-110V markets, though even in the US it had issues). I still grieve over mine

But really, you need very little equipment to get started: 1 heat-gun, 1 large stainless-steel mixing bowl, 1 long-handled wooden spoon, leather gloves, and a timer.

All the other stuff (drill stands, bread machines, DMMs, etc) are, well, cause if you can, why not? : (and of course we think well improve our roasts, but thats another story)

[Sammus]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

I thought the iroast was just basically a popper marketed as a coffee roaster?

[ezralimm]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

Thanks for the ideas guys!

Im just a student living in a room and dont have access to the tools necessary (or the space for that matter) to build a corretto or homebrew solution.

The iRoast (220v version) seems to be problematic.

...

Hmm, im researching how much a corretto setup will cost now...and if i have enough space for one.

[Koffee_Kosmo]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

Ezra

You could try this


http://www.make-digital.com/make/vol08/?pg=118&u1=texterity&cookies=1

They include blueprints and how to make pics

KK

[hazbean]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

I was about to post something pretty similar to what simone just said ...

Pretty well every iR2 runs fast and hot, to the extent that its programmability
is effective over only a small range. I spent a lot of time trying to train mine
to do a longer roast, and eventually got it to the 12-14 minute range, with
about four minutes between cracks. But that took considerable effort doing what
is known as the "resistor mod" which while not difficult certainly requires
thermocouples, measurement and experiment. (I wrote a long post about it here
about a year ago.)

Now very happy with a Gene ...

Trying a popper is very easy. Look around, its not hard to find one cheap --
the last three that we bought were $12, $8 and (new at garage sale) $5.
If you get lucky, you might find one with a reasonable roast time, and in any
event youll learn a lot about roasting.

[Dennis]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

I think Id invest in a heatgun and dog bowl over a popper or an IRoast.

Then when the time comes, you could step up from there and buy a Diedrich.

[sdg]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

Ezra, if youre trying to avoid fast roasts/bright acidic coffee, then based on my experience I couldnt recommend the iRoast2. I dont know if its a general problem, but its certainly a common one -- at least some of these things run way too hot. Any device where theres pages and pages of info on how to mod them to get them to work as specified should be approached with great caution and wallet firmly in pocket.

Either pay next to nothing, or buy from someone who will be prepared to take it back *after* youve tried it with some actual greens if youre not happy.

[Thundergod]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

If you can afford an I Roast then go for it.

If not, I say theres nothing wrong with starting on a popper.
I did and there was nothing wrong with the coffee.

Ive moved on now to a corretto.
You could make one of those for about the same price as a new popper.

[Koffee_Kosmo]

Re: How inferior is a Popcorn popper?

My 5 cents worth

Go the I Roast 2

No I dont think the popper comes close to it

KK