For the home roasters

[Leatherneck]

Hello to all.

I just bought a Poppery II last week and am going to try this roasting. I've read that this is the most economical way to begin and to see if roasting and I are going to get along.

For those who have been roasting before me, which companies are you getting your beans from? Which stands out, and which should I not bother with.

I know there is quite a list on the suppliers list. I'm trying to simplify choices by relying on you experience and expertise.

Of course I couldn't have picked a worse time to start this. Winter in the lake effect snow area of northern Indiana. I'm thinking of just putting a box fan in the kitchen window to vent outside when roasting. Hopefully the wind won't be out of the northwest on roasting days.

Are there any beans that seem to do better than others in the Poppery? My gf has led me to darker, richer coffees, and I'm wondering if these can be done in this machine. However, I am open to all suggestions.

The roasted coffee we have been ordering has lately been coming from Anodyne Roasters and Uncommon Grounds in Saugatuck, Mi. They're both good. I just feel compelled to try it after reading all the roasting threads here.

Thanks,

Kevin

 

[Jim]

For your maiden voyage you cannot go wrong with Sweet Maria's for green beans.

You should plan on roasting inside if you can.

 

[nickE]

The roasted coffee we have been ordering has lately been coming from Anodyne Roasters and Uncommon Grounds in Saugatuck, Mi.

Ah, glad you enjoy Uncommon Grounds as well! I visit relatives in Saugatuck often and I'm always sure to stop into the B&M store for a great cuppa joe while I'm there.

Sorry, I'm of no help to your actual question (I'm a tea-head at heart), but good luck all the same!

 

[TickTock]

I'm very fond of http://greencoffee.coop/ as a green been source. It's like a club, and every month or so a volunteer will buy and distribute 500 or 800 lbs of coffee. The quality I've gotten has been very high, and prices are excellent--it's just the wholesale costs plus a small fee to keep the coop website up and shipping.

It's not retail in any way--only if something is ordered, paid for, and on the site, is anything available so you have to keep your eye on your stash to make sure you don't run out.

They have two coffees up right now, but probably not for more than the next few hours or a day at most (they'll run out), so head over and read the descriptions to see if they sound good.

I've roasted with a popper outside in very cold temps--put the popper in a big cardboard box: this recirculates the air through the popper and keeps the temps up. Regulate by how open the lid is.

You need to pay close attention if you do this--if you just keep the lid closed it will burn out. I figured that if the air in the box was warm but not super hot, then it would be the same as using the popper on a normal hot day. It'll probably lower the popper's life span, as I'm sure more chaff will get sucked into it, but hey, poppers are cheap, and after I roasted indoors once that was enough. My wife would have killed me if I did it again.

 

[ouch]

For your maiden voyage you cannot go wrong with Sweet Maria's for green beans.

You should plan on roasting inside if you can.

I thought you were married.

Inside, huh.

 

[Hoos]

Sweet Maria's, as others have mentioned, is an excellent source for green beans for the home roaster. They're friendly, knowledgeable, and are fairly priced. Not to mention a huge selection.

Check out their Roast and Brew page for tips on roasting, including in the Poppery II.

They've been a big part of the home roasting movement and have a lot of good info.

I had good luck with using the Poppery. Extremely "chaffy" beans can be a little more challenging (not a lot - but it takes a little more "roasting English"). I'd recommend getting their green coffee sampler pack to start with. They include all the coffee-growing regions and you may find something you want to focus on. African is different from South American is different from Central American.

Good luck and enjoy. It's a lot of fun, it's not expensive, it's rewarding, and when you hit the sweet spot of a roast and get your first "perfect cup", it will all be worth it.

(Perfect cups are like BBS - best not to try for it too hard, just let it happen.)

As far as darker roasts, you sure can do it on your own. And Sweet Maria's has good info on roasting, the different stages, and darkness on the Roast and Brew page linked above.

 

[dizzyfun]

I use an Alpenrost rotary and haven't ordered from any suppliers except http://www.coffeebeancorral.com/
(I live a sheltered life.)

 

[Monkeyboy]

Sweet Marias is the way to go!

When I was living in the midwest I didn't roast in the winter. It has to be at least 65 degrees outside by my experience to get good results. That smoke is too much for me to do inside, it sets off smoke alarms immediately. You might be okay under a kitchen hood if it vents outside.

Also if you have any local coffeeshops that roast they will often be willing to sell unroasted beans for 25-50% less than roasted cost.

 

[Leatherneck]

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestions and tips. The Sweet Maria sampler pack looks like the way to go for now.

there is a guy around here who is a roaster and sells his coffee at the farmers market. I told him my plans with the popper and he invited me to see his operation ( as long as I wasn't planning to put him out of business). I'll take him up on that sometime. As suggested above, he may also be a source for coffee.

Kevin

 

[miket]

I use an Alpenrost rotary and haven't ordered from any suppliers except http://www.coffeebeancorral.com/
(I live a sheltered life.)

+1 on coffeebeancorral.com. You will love home roasting. I am drinking a cup on a cold winter afternoon right now. I started with a popcorn popper. It quite working after about a year, so I recently got me a Behmor.

Mike