Stocking Up?

[Whisky]

@Alum of Potash I have a lightly used air popper that I’ll send you if you want it. I bought it at a garage sale a couple of years ago still in the box. I used it to roast coffee for a while but recently moved on to an actual coffee roaster so it just sits in my cabinet taking up space. Shoot me a PM with your address if you’re interested.

 

[Jayber Crow]

Thanks for linking the video, John. I enjoyed it, and it's nice to catch a glimpse of your corner of Maine.

You guys are tempting me. Maybe when it's a little warmer and I can open up the windows for a cross breeze (not that I can't really do that right now to "air out the virus" a little). The thing about the popcorn popper is that for the last year or so, I've taken a liking to popping corn that I remove from the cob. To do it, I put the kernels in a large Revere ware pot with a little bit of oil with a lid. Works well, but having a dedicated popcorn popper like you show would allow me to try roasting my own coffee beans as well.

Anyway, not to derail things too much... Let me ponder it a little. Not stocking up now because I still have my other coffee to drink. And maybe the price of coffee may have lowered by then (wishful thinking, I know).

When I pop popcorn I still use the old Revere ware pot, just like my mother taught me how to do, shaking it back and forth on the burner. I keep the whirly pop just for coffee; you can get a lot of control over the roast with one and they're reasonably priced.

 

[Alum of Potash]

@Alum of Potash I have a lightly used air popper that I’ll send you if you want it. I bought it at a garage sale a couple of years ago still in the box. I used it to roast coffee for a while but recently moved on to an actual coffee roaster so it just sits in my cabinet taking up space. Shoot me a PM with your address if you’re interested.

Very kind of you. What can I say, I'll send you a PM. Thanks.

 

[Whisky]

First order arrived. 20lbs of Costa Rican Tarrazu and 5lbs each of Kenya AB and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.

Anyone know if the Tyvek type bag the Tarrazu is in will be ok for storage or do I need to move it into something else. It will be stored out of the light in a black plastic tote inside the house.

 

[Mick]

First order arrived. 20lbs of Costa Rican Tarrazu and 5lbs each of Kenya AB and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.

Anyone know if the Tyvek type bag the Tarrazu is in will be ok for storage or do I need to move it into something else. It will be stored out of the light in a black plastic tote inside the house.
View attachment 1399874

Should be fine in their sack.

 

[StillShaving]

First order arrived. 20lbs of Costa Rican Tarrazu and 5lbs each of Kenya AB and Ethiopian Yirgacheffe.

Anyone know if the Tyvek type bag the Tarrazu is in will be ok for storage or do I need to move it into something else. It will be stored out of the light in a black plastic tote inside the house.
View attachment 1399874

I think it will be okay as long as kept in the dark at reasonable temperature and humidity. If you are storing the sacks inside another plastic container that prevents air circulation, then I think it will matter even less as the outside container will be the primary environmental control.

I don't claim any expertise or knowledge, but so far I have stored green beans for some years at a time in a corner kitchen cabinet in various containers, including:

• burlap sack
• cotton pillow case
• plastic bag like shown in your Theta Ridge photo

I have not ruined any beans or greatly affected them using any of the above methods AFAIK (as far as I know). When I first started roasting I was taught to use something that would breath, similar to what the farmers and whole-sellers use to transport and store their beans before roasting. I think that makes sense, especially if the coffee got damp and would need to dry out. Therefore I always transferred my beans from the plastic containers into cloth sacks for a long time, but then got lazy and/or ran out of sacks as I continued to buy more beans and hold back a few greens to try again in the future. But nearly all the green beans I have bought appear to be dry and stable and seeming have not been impacted either way. I have not done any experiment like buying 15 lbs of coffee and storing them under different conditions and then trying to roast and taste the difference.

 

[Whisky]

Order No. 2 arrived. One more to go and I should be well stocked for the next year. I should have enough beans that I can screw a few batches up as I’m learning, drink all I want, and still have enough to gift some for birthdays and Christmas.

 

[old_school]

Arrived a couple days ago. SM hasn't had a write up on decaf this enthusiastic for a long time. Probably why it's sold out.

 

[StillShaving]

Arrived a couple days ago. SM hasn't had a write up on decaf this enthusiastic for a long time. Probably why it's sold out.

Interesting comment from Sweet Maria about how they switched to using those airtight bags for all storage. Indirectly confirming that using a extra large ziplock bag is preferred over some woven sack...but also implying that a zip lock bag is not good enough??:

... And we are actually working to develop a zip seal bag with Ecotact to replace it down the line. BUT … please remember that storing your larger amounts of coffee in a barrier package IS WORTH THE TROUBLE in our opinion. And it’s not just opinion, it’s in our actions: That is why we have taken great pains and cost to import 100% of our coffee with high barrier liner like the Ecotact material. For us it has meant changing the way we handle coffee bags completely, without bag hooks, and with great care not to puncture the liner. ...​

Link with the full explanation as taken from your photo:

The Ecotact Troiseal Reusable Bag for 20+ Lbs Green Coffee - Sweet Maria's Coffee Library

We are introducing the Ecotact Troiseal hermetic bag by using it for our 20 pound bags of green coffee. If you order a 20 Lb quantity of a single coffee, this

library.sweetmarias.com

 

[old_school]

@StillShaving
Yup, big change. Haven't opened one yet, but I do have plans for an empty bag or two down the road. Storing now unobtanium shaving soaps.

 

[JeffJ]

Saw this and made another bean buy. Will post pics later in the week after they are picked up.

 

[Alum of Potash]

(@old_school)

It's now more than three months since I posted on this thread, but I would like to update some things. First, I was kindly gifted by @Whisky with an air popper and by @Lightcs1776 with three one-pound varieties of non-roasted coffee. Thanks again guys! However, as it was still winter here, making working outside difficult, and as I still had some unfinished roasted coffee to consume, I had planned to begin my roasting experiments in early spring. Problem there was then a Columbian student of my wife gifted her with a big bag of ground Columbian coffee, so we had get through that then!

Only today have I been able to head outside and give things a shot.

Here's a shot of the first attempt, after 7 mins. 30 seconds of roasting.

I started to hear popping around 3 mins. 30 seconds in, followed by another set around 6 mins. 30 seconds. What I realized is that I shouldn't have blended the caffeinated and decaffeinated varieties before roasting as they reacted differently with differing times. So the roasted beans are the two types blended.

Next shot is of the caffeinated Guatemalan beans that Lightcs1776 sent me, after 8 mins. of roasting.

The third shot is of the decaffeinated beans after roasting (shown on the left). I suppose these are already treated by heat as part of the decaffeinated process as the roasting proceeds more quickly with them. I stopped at 6 mins. and 45 seconds.

And finally, all the beans blended prior to storing them in a bag with an air release. I'll wait 48 hrs. or until Saturday morning before grinding some up and making my first cup of self-roasted coffee!

Overall, this was a fun, new discovery. Throughout the process, I kept turning things with the handle of a long wooden stirring spoon. Think I need to wear some leather gloves for the next batch as heat from the air popper scorched my fingers a little. Didn't see much smoke until after I had shut off the air popper, but then it rose up like a little cloud. Perhaps that had to do with my being outside; it was there, but I didn't see it. I also had to tilt the air popper back a little to keep beans from jumping out through the exhaust shut. Didn't lose too many beans that way though (some I would just through back into the air popper as well).

 

[Lightcs1776]

Well done, @Alum of Potash You will learn more during every roast. I hope you come back in a couple of days and let us know how you like your first batches.

 

[Alum of Potash]

Well done, @Alum of Potash You will learn more during every roast. I hope you come back in a couple of days and let us know how you like your first batches.

As to the report, I ground up some of the roasted coffee this morning, and after five minutes boiling in my percolator, I had my first cup of the brew. Really, really good! I know that some purists would insist that one not blend caffeinated and decaffeinated like this, to concentrate on each bean's respective qualities, but that's the way I brew things up. Not sure how I would adjust roasting next time, if at all. Maybe a bit more roasting of the caffeinated beans and a bit less of the decaffeinated.

So, so, much better than the ground bag of coffee I received, which tasted rancid in comparison.

My new discovery...

 

[Lightcs1776]

It is your coffee. You should enjoy it as you like it. Glad you had a great first experience.

 

[StillShaving]

As to the report, I ground up some of the roasted coffee this morning, and after five minutes boiling in my percolator, I had my first cup of the brew. Really, really good! I know that some purists would insist that one not blend caffeinated and decaffeinated like this, to concentrate on each bean's respective qualities, but that's the way I brew things up. Not sure how I would adjust roasting next time, if at all. Maybe a bit more roasting of the caffeinated beans and a bit less of the decaffeinated.

So, so, much better than the ground bag of coffee I received, which tasted rancid in comparison.

My new discovery...

I think blending for brewing is a good idea. But I would not blend them before roasting because the decaf roasts so differently. Though it maybe you are not planning to continue with that approach after your 2nd and 3rd roasting. But if it tastes good then who is to question the approach.

 

[Alum of Potash]

I think blending for brewing is a good idea. But I would not blend them before roasting because the decaf roasts so differently. Though it maybe you are not planning to continue with that approach after your 2nd and 3rd roasting. But if it tastes good then who is to question the approach.

For me it has to do with reducing my caffeine intake. I cut my coffee half-caffeinated and half-decaffeinated. That limits me as decaffeinated is more limited as to what's available. First I find the decaffeinated coffee I want, then I try to find a caffeinated variety that comes close (or the opposite in starting out with a caffeinated variety).

Back to the original theme of the thread, I just placed my first order with Sweet Maria's. A very useful website for someone like me, who's new to roasting.

Think I went too far with this morning's attempt. Not yet "charcoal water," more like Vienna Roast. Have to learn to anticipate that the beans continue roasting beyond the cut-off of the heat.

 

[Dnallehekaj]

Sweet Marias has a fantastic website! So many resources for home roasters!

I like their detailed notes on each coffee, too. Mine usually don't match theirs, but it makes selecting beans feel less blind.

In my experience, good air poppers go from roasted to burnt pretty quickly. Sounds like you were gifted a good one!

 

[Alum of Potash]

Still have to work on things, but it does go from dark to really dark pretty quickly at the end.

Also, the first batch works best, but the results cannot be duplicated. I think it is because the air popper has not yet come to full temp. By the second and third batch of 3-4 oz., the popper is at full temp and the finish is rapid. To be consistent, perhaps I should run the popper a bit before introducing the first batch, so that it is already up to temp at the start. Or, let the air popper cool between each batch to duplicate the first-batch effect, but that risks to take a long time.

 

[StillShaving]

Still have to work on things, but it does go from dark to really dark pretty quickly at the end.

Also, the first batch works best, but the results cannot be duplicated. I think it is because the air popper has not yet come to full temp. By the second and third batch of 3-4 oz., the popper is at full temp and the finish is rapid. To be consistent, perhaps I should run the popper a bit before introducing the first batch, so that it is already up to temp at the start. Or, let the air popper cool between each batch to duplicate the first-batch effect, but that risks to take a long time.

I have not roasted with an air popper, but if you are roasting decaf it can get away from you rather quickly (hence the earlier comment recommending that you blend after roasting). I have not roasted decaf very much, but every time it seems to go from 1st crack directly into 2nd crack, getting darker than what I was looking for.