First popper roast

[C-man]

I grabbed a Homemaker 1200 W popper without lid for $2 stuck a tin can on top.

loaded a double shot-glass full of green beans turned it on and the beans started spinning

at about 3 min heard a definite first crack, but it just keep cracking after that so I don't know where 2nd crack

should be? At about 6-7min it started to smoke a little and looked pretty much cooked so I stopped, it was still cracking.

the beans look beautiful, dark and with an oily shine to them.

should I have kept going?

It was fun!

[C-man]

just had a second go and this time used a few less beans and kept it a little cooler in the wind.

had FC after about 4 min and kept going and all cracking stopped and just kept going listening for the SC

finally after 24 min I just gave up and stopped. the beans look the part anyway.

I am using the base beans for Costa Noosa's Espresso 3 bean blend as they roast the 3 beans separately then blend them.

It is a Brazil bean like most base beans used for blends next time I see him I will ask if it even has a SC.

[dabbler]

Hi C-man,
Did you weigh the green beans ? I ask because most people talk about roast weights and it will allow you to compare "techniques". The important thing is that the beans move around as they roast. Too many beans and that can be difficult esp. in the beginning of the process. I used to use a chop stick or wooden spoon to start the agitation. After a while the beans will agitate by themselves.

I personally stop before the oily stage and definitely try to avoid the smoky stage but it's all personal preference. You might find you need to do a post-roast sort. There are many people who favour a darker roast. It's a good idea to try three or four small roasts and vary one thing at a time, like bean mass or roast time or bean-type ratio. It's one way to sneek up on a formula you prefer.

2nd crack can be hard to hear with some beans esp. if it's noisy and in a unmodified popper it can come pretty quick after 1st, but the thing is, it's different for different beans.

Don't expect to replicate a commercial roast with a popper - after all they have used a commercial roaster - although you can achieve a drinkable brown bean with poppers. There is loads written on popper roasting, so read those (if you can find them - you might need to use the search function) as you will learn quickly from them.

Glad you're having fun. Try to wait before sampling. That is the hardest part when you start roasting.