The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I could live without fresh roast, but why? :dr Once you dip your toe in, it's hard to go back.

Poppers - two years, excellent learning devices :tu
SCCO - many years, roast a pound with perfect control :tu
MooBQ - 2 months, two pounds - stand back :tu

Anyone else here roast their own?

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I've been roasting with an SCCO for about 5 months now.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I am still on my iRoar 2. Works like a charm, but the batch sizes are becoming ever more small.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Popper
FR8
Gene

Been roasting about four years. Nothing beats home-roasted coffee. :tu

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I roasted with a popper for about 6-8 months and then I moved to a different country so I couldn't bring it with me (different power and space issues). I was back in Canada for a few months and got to roast some again then but that's it. I really miss it, especially since most of the coffee you can get here is just not good. Lots of instant. It's kind of terrible.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

why yes I do

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I've been known to roast a bean or two!

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I do poppers for quick batches, and have built several SCCOs for my BOTLS. I have learned a lot with both, the learning curve is steep, but short, and I have also come to the conclusion that even when my batches don't come out perfectly... they are far superior to any whole bean coffee available at the coffee shop, or the grocery store. Moo and Tristan have helped me through their knowledge many a time, unbeknownst to them, but I do pay attention to those that have been far mare particular about their roasts than myself. I actually fly more by the seat of my pants on roasts, now, and play with roasting profiles of beans a little, but it almost always comes out a fine product. I must be lucky ;)
I like most of the regions where coffee is produced, whether it be of African, South American, Central, Indonesian, Indian.... I don't really care for Hawaiian or Jamaican, perhaps I should roast some for a bit and see how it is fresh roasted, the only examples of those I have tried have been in a commercial setting. I mainly press pot or espresso my daily brew, but occasionally run a drip pot, moka pot, or cold infusion.

I love my coffee, and I rarely trust those that do not drink it, much as I distrust those people that do not love dogs.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I am the owner of a well used SCCO machine. Most of the roasts are for me and the wife but I have been doing more roasts for friends and family:D


hmmmm where are the coffee smilies:confused:

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Hottop in the house!

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I haven't had any fresh coffee in over a week, I have the shakes, my eyes are blood shot, and I keep waking up in the fetal position on the floor at night....

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

have been using an SCCO for a few months and love it

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I just upgraded from a West Bend Poppery to an I-Roast 2. I would have loved to get a drum roaster or something with more capacity, but I can't justify that purchase yet. :)

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Heatgun/metal bowl, on the gas grill. Max batch size is about 2/3 of a pound.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Can I join?....

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Sorry pal, no rookies, Norman.....



Tell us a story, Unca Norman.......

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Go moobbq! I have some green beans waiting but haven't had a chance to roast yet. Soon. Soon.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Norman is so full of beans.

This thread is useless without PICTURES!!!

SCCO is the 1-lb cat-daddy for the homeroaster who wants low price, quality and a little project.

MooB'Q is pretty cool but it isn't a great place to start. A popper is or, even, an SCCO. An SCCO really iis a great place to start and, possibly, the last roaster many people would ever need.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...ting/roast.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...tandsocket.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v3...g/SVcooler.jpg

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I am about at 95% home roast and 5% local roast when laziness or business takes a hold

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I-roast, therefore I am...two years now.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

This past week while visiting my brother-in-law we had the chance to roast for the first time. He had ordered an i-Roaster 2 with 8-1 pound sample bags from Sweet Maria's that week. It was tasty great fun. When I departed Saturday he gifted me the roaster and the remaining 7 pounds of green beans. This morning I roasted a pound of Costa Rican that I am pleased with. So I guess that means I am in the Fraternity now :D

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

:ss:ss

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

you have arrived-you lucky sonofagun...nice brother!

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I-Roast two, since January '07.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

i have been using a westbend poppery for 6 years roasting 1lb of coffee every week with what i consider to be a phenomenal roast profile... i bought it for 2.49 at a goodwill store, and hotwired it to do a cooling profile

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Nice to have you join us in the Fraternity of CA Homeroasters, Alex. I too used a WB and WBII Poppery for years with nothing but excellent results. They are sporty little machines for practically any bean.

Any plans to scale up?

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

thanks!:)
i have the roast profile nailed on my little poppery so well that i really couldnt tell you the time i roast for, or the amount of beans with too much accuracy..... the blend that i am basically religious about is

60% brazil
25% sumatra
15% sidamo

this blend is killer with a cigar!!!!

i do have a monstrous commercial machine plumbed into my kitchen (due to an awesome and very tolerant wife:D).... a nuova simonelli mac digit that is on 24/7...i graduated over the years from

a delonghi(plastic POS)
saeco proteo barista
saeco barista (starbucks)
nuova simonelli beach (workhorse)
2nd nuova simonelli beach(still have it)
nuova simonelli mac digit

i have a number of friends who i have shared beans with who use iroast/hottop/alpenrost/poppery....and i prefer the ease, simplicity, and believe it or not, the quality of the roast from my $2 machine....i am always open to trying new things and i welcome any advice tips, experiences....as far as upgrades go, i was toying with the galloping gourmet/stir crazy for awhile, but really didnt want to spring for the convection oven part of it only to find out that the roast profile is subpar....i would want to actually see one in use, or taste the coffee from one before jumping in

i think that a sonofresco front of house style roaster might contribute torwards my next step into the abyss,should i find a bargain on one, as i havent found any difference so far from my poppery to the higher end consumer/prosumer machines

well, thats my long winded answer to your question (just finished a double espresso:D)

im very glad to meet up with some more like minded people here @ CA

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Been roasting for a very short time with a popcorn pumper. It has been fun trying new things and drinking some excellent coffee along the way. :al

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

iroast2 since Jan.08

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Good of you to join us us, Th'onger. Homeroasting is great hobby with the fringe benefit of having the worlds best coffee in your kitchen day in and day out. I hope you get a lot of pleasure from your efforts.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

'bout time. Where you been? :) What's up for coffee this weekend?

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Jeez-o. I forgot the question. :D

Oh yeah! Have you considered an homemade SCCO as a pooper alternative? I agree it's hard to beat a pooper - particularly a WB(1) Poppery pooper - but sometimes volume and speed trumps that special fluid bed precision. After a couple of years I finally got all popped out with my poopers and assembled an SCCO with nary a look back. It make a pound in 14-minutes, pretty precise repeatable profiles.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

after a few month hiatus dusted off the sc/co last night and made some wonderful brazilian. mmmmmmmmm!

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I gotta say I've been putting off roasting some Daterra for a long time but finally threw some on the barbie last weekend. It is drinking OH-SO sweet today. It is so damn balanced it almost seems like fake coffee - or maybe a blend. Phew. It's nice. REEEEEEL nice. Been in the press. Been in the turkish pot. Maybe try some espresso tomorrow.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Good luck!

I think you will be okay though :tu

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I really gotta look into this, it sounds really cool. anyone have any good online resources for how to make or buy a roaster, and where can you get fresh beans?

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Started with a WB popper about a year ago, then got a killer deal on a FR8.
I still use them both for finding rough starting points, or when the weather does not permit me to use the MooBBQ. Thought about the SCCO, but the MooBBQ was much simpler to build.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Go hither, young man!

http://www.sweetmarias.com/

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I was gifted a long while back (maybe 4 yrs ago) a FR8, which i never used until last summer. found out mine was faulty, then someone else gave me theirs that they weren't using.
I have now been roasting very infrequently, but am picking it up quickly, since late October. I'm the only one in the house (other than my son) that drinks coffee, but at work is where i drink the most, with a couple co-workers.
I need to upgrade from a drip pot to a press-pot (still).

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

nice....i used old techspeak in my post for scco, they were originally referred to as stir crazy/galloping gourmet or scgg...i see they have become more popular since the original which was named after a co called a galloping gourmet readily available @ value village for 20 bucks.....i guess the combo has stood the test of time:)

i found an sc about 2 years ago...any recommendations on the co?

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I-roast 2 for 2 years now...I'm loving everything except batch size.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

The old Galloping Gourmets are good (ebay) and folks are buying new ones (Sunpentown) and getting good results.

Altho drob and I went MooBQ (:)) a while back I still think an SCCO is the bees knees for all but the hopelessly lost. Easy. Inexpensive. Reliable. Precise. Compact. The project end calls for a steel centerpost replacement which can be done with a few nuts/bolts, a Dremel tool and a tube of JB Weld.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Ah... fresh meat.

All you need is right here, my son. What's your budget?

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

I have been roasting for a year and a half now and just love it. I started with a roaster, that will go unnamed, until I killed it in 6 months, than I roasted in a dutch oven for 2 months until I got the HotTop. This last year I have learned a great deal about beans, harvest, shipping times, and roasting. I love that this hobby is so simple to get started on with immediate results you benefit from.

There is no going back for me, even if I could only get one green bean and no roaster or stove I will be firing up a wood fire and using a wok to roast just like the whole world did before the 50's.

I would sure love to have a room setup for a professional sample roaster or two and proper venting for non toxic breathing but that will wait till I have college payed for the daughter and the possible next little one. However a BBQ roaster could easily fit the budget with the same benefits as a roasting room.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Yes, i am a coffee roaster. I started with a FR8 about 4 years ago. And then up graded to a behmor 1600 last christmas. I am not some one that drinks a lot of coffee, but I have learned that I dont' drink swill.

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

finally getting warmer out so it isn't so damn cold in the garage when roasting :tu

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Just a little bump to the top of the forum...

Just moved from a popper to a Corretto roaster LINK... Batch size in the Corretto (a.k.a. HG/BM) is MIND NUMBING in comparison to the popper. Going from 4 oz roasts to 1.5 lbs is like night and day.


Here's what it cost me to get up and running...

Heat gun, $29.99 at Harbor Freight Tools (heat gun has 12 different settings!).

Microphone stand to hold heat gun ~$22.00 at Radio Shack (I'm sure it can be done for MUCH CHEAPER on line).

K-Type thermometer $24.99 online.

Bread machine was $7.00 flat at Goodwill


The first batch I roasted used just the heat gun and the bread machine. I used my ears and nose to monitor the roast, while holding the heat gun over the beans until City/City+... Total cost of the first batch was $36.99 + beans

Rewiring the bread machine so that it runs the 'dough' cycle ONLY is a must. My first batch came dangerously close to a failure after the bread machine's thermostat shut down the unit. Plus, if you run out of time on the dough cycle and your roast isn't complete, you better be happy with it!


Pros:

Cheap cheap cheap cheap cheap

Full control over roast (roast too fast? move gun back...)

Did I say 1 - 1.5 lbs batches?



Cons:

ZERO chaff containment. It's like a chaff fountain when I roast. I have a shop vac on hand for clean up

Small batches would be difficult

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Nice post!!
I have been using the popcorn popper
http://lh6.ggpht.com/_sctUupuw_Zk/Su...0/IMG_9131.jpg
http://www.cigarasylum.com/vb/showth...t=21573&page=2

but found that the small batch size was limiting and only did this occasionally. I really did like the results, it was a great way to learn, plus I can pop popcorn not stick that bag of chemicals in the micro!

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

Got a Behmor 1600 for my wife for our anniversary last November. Been loving home roasting ever since. We roast inside the house, and the smell is more pleasing than a problem. :)

...oh, and did I mention I didn't drink coffee regularly until someone (she knows who she is) got me hooked on home roasted when they visited my family last year?

Re: The CA Fraternity of HomeRoasters (we dunnit)
 

But you conveniently leave out the part about the fire, don't you, sir?