Roasting Coffee Beans in Popcorn Popper Roaster, how to

[thesmokingdeck]

that is amazing!

[OysterLava]

Ah! A something to do with that useless air popper I bought at Christmas!

[WheepingWillow2]

this was fasinating, thanks for the lesson. Where though do you get the green coffee beans?

[pbr2424]

What would you roast with if you live where it is too cold or snowy outside to roast.

[pabbananna]

@pbr2424 Well if your stove has a vent that vents to the outside you could try turning it on high and roasting directly underneath it. you could even put a piece of hurricane glass chimney on the top and attach a length of dryer hose to it with the end of that either attached to the vent OR attached to the intake of a squirrel cage fan (or equivalent) that vents outdoors via a homemade cardboard window vent. Hope this helps but you would still have residual smells!

[pbr2424]

@pabbananna Thanks for the tips. I use it outside on "warmer" days.

[smoshed8in8face]

coffie beans?



[pabbananna]

@smoshed8in8face yup, coffie beans, you can get green ones for roasting at sweet maria's. (yeah, I live in the woods, I live in the woods!)

[peterstarkel]

My method: Use exactly 4oz of beans, keep the original plastic top to the popper (with the butter lid removed) to keep the beans from flying out, and pull the beans off and into a cold ceramic bowl to cool at the start of second crack, and allow the beans to second crack in the bowl. I like your box idea to keep the husks contained, I have never roasted in the cold, so the warm up is a great tip too... I use a 1993 Orville Redenbacher that works great.

[rob5i]

I've noticed that I occasionally find a dark colored bean in with the raw greenish grey coffee beans. I've been taking them out. Is that necessary? Is there something wrong with the black or dark brown raw beans?

[pabbananna]

@rob5i coffee beans are sorted for color, mostly by hand and often several times. Of all the coffee sorting processes this is the most difficult so it sounds like those black or dark green beans slipped past the sorting process. If you find many of them perhaps you are purchasing a batch that only went through a single sort.

[orapronobis9]

Your finished beans look so nice and glossy--mine were dry looking--what am I doing wrong?

[pabbananna]

@orapronobis9 I ruined mine by overcooking, that is what happened. when you see glossy beans at the grocery it is because they have sat there a long time and the oil has migrated to the surface. When that oil hits air is oxidizes very quickly and you get stale beans.

With time your "dry" beans will get more of a gloss to them. By overcooking them I forced the oils out of the beans. This might give you a 'starbucks" roast but it will absolutely kill all the subtleties of flavor in the variety.

[markpianoman]

@orapronobis9 They get glossy (oily) when you roast them longer.

[pabbananna]

@markpianoman yes, the roast went long due to the video. more oil means they go stale faster, too.

[rob5i]

Nice demo. I've been doing this after watching the video and I'm hooked. To cool them faster I've put two heavy pans in the freezer hours before roasting, then pour the hot beans between the cold pans.

[pabbananna]

@rob5i thanks for the comment. it makes me happy the video helped get you hooked on home roasting :)

[appetoni]

Too many beans. about a third of a pound is the limit and you don't need to stir.

[pabbananna]

@appetoni thanks but too many beans for what: an even roast, a proper roast or just to avoid stirring?

[ufo5440]

You don't need to stir that... let the popper do that for you... if you add the proper amount there's no need to stick a big wooden thing in there to stir it. I tried it both ways , stirring and not stirring...not a significant difference

[pabbananna]

@ufo5440 Thanks for the tip, I will give it a try and report back with another toasting video. I do put way more beans in than other people so maybe I will see a difference with an uneven roast. I overload the roaster because it takes about 3 batches/30 minutes to roast a weeks worth of coffee and I don't want to sit through 5 roasts. I guess I'm just lazy :)

[ufo5440]

You don't need to stir that... let the popper do that for you... if you add the proper amount there's no need to stick a big wooden thing in there to stir it

[klarinetta]

Woww this really is dark roasted beans. Not much(if any at all) left of the original region characteristic of the bean and just smoky roasting flavor left. Not interesting to my taste buts.

[pabbananna]

@klarinetta As explained somewhere in the comments, the camera battery ran out and we had to change cameras. For a proper roast profile see our updated coffee roasting video.

[chazoh27]

Mmmmm God...You should invite me over for a cup of coffee!

[StihlSucks]

Dude, you DO NOT want to pour fresh roasted beans into a sealed container such as that. You want to let them degas a day or so before sealing airtight.

[pabbananna]

@StihlSucks I agree but I would like to do a blind tasting of the same batch that was sealed after roasting vs one that was allowed to outgas.

[dancers10]

@StihlSucks  You are so right!

[pabbananna]

@dancers10 Yeah that's what everyone says and that's what I do but I wonder what is the worst thing that could happen? You aren't going to build up so much CO2 that the container will burst and I would rather have my beans on CO2 than evil oxidizing oxygen.

I have never seen info online with a side-by-side blind cupping comparison.

MYTHBUSTER FANS - POST ON THEIR FORUM PLEASE

[lauraleesmithagain]

I live in an apartment building in a big city and don't have the option of roasting outdoors. If I get a professional coffee roaster rather than a popper would I be able to do it indoors without scaring my neighbors with the smell?

[pabbananna]

@lauraleesmithagain if your stove has a hood that vents to the outside that would be your best bet. If that isnt available perhaps roast next to a box fan mounted in a window? some pro roasters have an "afterburner" in the exhaust stream that reduces the smoke.

[rajakhana]

I did this and it worked great... except it destroyed my popcorn popper. Use this method if u want, it'll work great, but also be cautious of what the effects will be on the hardware you use.

[pabbananna]

@rajakhana I guess I should note that after roasting coffee you probably don't want to pop popcorn in the unit. I have never tried it but the oils build up on the inside and will probably flavor the kernels. I don't know what you mean by destroyed but overheating the popper is always an issue, especially when roasting in a box.

[tzatzatza]

or you could just buy coffee.

[pabbananna]

@tzatzatza

If you have never tried fresh coffee 3 days after roasting then store bought is probably good enough. The flavor changes daily and by two weeks it is clearly not as good as fresh. I usually do just buy it but unless you live in a city and know a roaster that has "roasted on" dates who knows what you are getting. I think the standard "expiration date" for coffee beans is 9 months!

Browse sweet maria's website = small farm beans from all over the world unavailable at your roaster.

[matty1988TJC]

I think its a bad idea to immediately put the coffee in an airtight container. If you do that, all of the post roast gases will have no way of escaping. You need to let the gas escape for 24 hours before sealing it. Thats why you see those bags in the store with that one way valve on the front. Thats so the companies can roast it and immediately package it while letting the gas escape. Just some advice

[pabbananna]

@matty1988TJC

RE: those bags with the one way seals...I was reading that those are bagged immediately after roasting and cooling. If the valve is one-way then its only function is to let you smell it and prevent explosions (assumung the beans outgas a lot)

Hey, I know EVERYONE says to let them outgas for a day but I haven't seen (or looked) for any blind cupping evidence that this helps and it isn't like my container is going to explode. I still do it though by leaving the container open a bit

[PaisleyPlace]

@matty1988TJC Actually, if you are roasting decaffeinated beans, you don't have to allow for degas time. You can actually roast, cool, grind, pack, and pull for a great taste of beans.

FYI: I can't drink caffeine b/c it triggers migraines so I use only decaf beans and even decaf sodas when I drink them.

[Ti88bi]

Good job.

[GhostfaceCracker]

Don't store your coffee in an airtight container immediately following roasting, they need hours to degas.

[jimmy202500]

don't beans realase alot of gas after roasting so you should put them in a paper bag or something? I've just heard that i'm not sure.

[rebbole]

the SOLE reason your roast is uneven is simply because you put in too many beans...you stir because you use too many beans...

[pabbananna]

@rebbole

great tip. I guess lazy is my default mode. My popcorn popper only makes about 3 days worth of coffee per load so I guess 2 days per load seemed futile. Honestly after a few dozen roasts this is more tedious than fun. I just got an order of green beans from sweet marias so maybe the sampler pack will liven my attitude. thanks again.

[MmoInfo]

they look so nice..

[futurevent]

Good video! I'm more of a hands on guy...I use an iron skillet. I learned through trial and error that slow roasting for about 45 minutes then turning the flame on high to get first and second crack is the only way to properly roast coffee in a skillet. It comes out wonderful as I use a KONA blend @ city. I like to use the skillet as I love the challenge and every type bean is different. All my buddies beg me for coffee. They're addicts now. The skillet is hard...but worth it!

[pabbananna]

@futurevent

Wow, that is a lot of work. I love coffee but you that kind of attention and patience can only be paid by someone in love with it.

[metaspherz]

@futurevent The very first time I roasted coffee was in a cast iron skillet. I followed instructions that I found on Sweet Maria's site. It took about 15 minutes to roast some Bali beans to near perfection IMO. After that I tried stainless steel sauce pots and a whirly popcorn popper. The castiron was best tasting when at proper temp & constant stirring.. But the Behmor I use now is tops.

[metaspherz]

BTW, the Stir Crazy (well, Kohl's version...) makes some of the best, most tender popcorn I've ever tasted. I use Orville Redenbacher but I bet even the value popcorns would be just as great too. I also roasted some raw cashews with it in canola oil and sea salt to perfection. Took me back to when I was a kid and I bought hot fresh roasted cashews and peanuts at Sears. So the Stir Crazy popper is a good kitchen multi-tasker besides being great for roasting coffee beans. LOL!

[pabbananna]

@metaspherz You roast and pop in the same machine? Mine is so blackened I never even tried it, great idea! But honestly I am kind of a stockpot on the stove kinda guy and definitely would never eat microwave popcorn -YUCK! If you say it is better than that then maybe I'll try...

[metaspherz]

@pabbananna I bought the Stir Crazy just for coffee roasting. Tried it with popcorn & it was fantastic. Quick too. The best pc popper I own. I also use a stainless steel pot. The Stir Crazy produces fluffy pops using very little oil. It pops with no oil but it takes longer. If you can find the right hot air popper then it's also great for fluffy pc. But cheap ones spit out kernels with the pc. All methods work for coffee roasting with mixed results.

[metaspherz]

In the past 3 weeks I've roasted about 4 lbs of beans using the Nu Wave oven & Stir Crazy popper. Roasting times have varied depending on the bean (soft/hard). It takes 3X longer than the air popper to reach 2nd crack about 12 minutes. The slower roasting seems to bring out the rich cocoa & nut flavors I like. I also use the air popper for darker/smokier espresso blends. I've NuWaved Bali, Peru, Nicaragua, Hawaiian Kuaui, Costa Rica, Columbia, so far. The organic Bali @ City+ is my favorite.

[markantify]

Have you considered using an extension cord to slow down your roast? 3-4 minutes seems a bit fast, usually more like 7-9 minutes would be a goal depending on your roast level. Also, you are well through 2nd crack in the example, note the level of oil on the exterior of the beans...

[pabbananna]

great idea using an extension cord to increase resistance and roasting times. I thought 3-4 minutes was a little fast too but in the back of my head I'm always thinking "fast roast and fast cool down". Perhaps that is too fast, thanks for the advice I will look into it.

Yeah, the beans were brunt pretty bad...we didn't even end up brewing with them. My cam ran out of batteries so I had to switch cameras mid-roast.

[pabbananna]

@markantify

thanks for the tips! and yes, it was way overdone. I shoot for a little bit into the second crack now. Check out my new video on roasting I use your tips and give you props!

[PrimitiveArcher101]

Hey Guys,

I bought a popper yesterday at WallGreens for $9.99 and went to my local coffee house (BeanWerks) here in Asheville, NC and bought some beans. Roasted them last night- Everything went just like you said. I'm waiting 3 days before I try it like you said but it smells wonderful. Thanks for all the great info and the video.

Milton

[pabbananna]

@PrimitiveArcher101 Excellent! I am so happy my little video inspired you - thanks for the comment!

And I am going to try with the cheap popper as well. maybe a side-by-side video comparison?

[carlcat]

Great informative video. I was led to believe that the first 12 to 24 hours after roasting, the beans needed to be in a one way bag to let the co2 (to degas) out and not air in, any thoughts on this?

[pabbananna]

@carlcat Yes, I talked with a roaster at a new season's grocery store in LA and his beans for sale are actually sitting out in open bins for the customers to scoop up. Sounds like a good test though: a side-by-side blind cupping of the same roast sealed, open for 12-24hrs and in a one way bag. Thanks for the comment!

[carlcat]

It's just not practical for a roaster to put all his beans in a one way bag since he pretty much moves them out as soon as he roasts them and he's dealing with lots of beans but for and individual who wants to keep his beans as fresh as possible for as long as possible I would think it's worth it.............as long as one can taste the difference.

[pabbananna]

yes, it looked odd and I wouldnt peoples grubby hands on my beans. The bins were shallow and lined with burlap so they looked fancy I think he just bags them after a while - 5lb roasts per time as I recall. It wasn't a large scale roaster and was probably there for fancy grocery store prestige more than profit.

[metaspherz]

Have you tried using two colanders to pour beans from one into another? The air exposure helps cooling plus any left over chaff floats away. I also use two fine mesh strainers because more air gets to the beans helps them to cool faster. I store them in a mason jar with cheesecloth over the lid to aid de-gassing for the first 8 to 10 hours followed by a regular lid. I haven't noticed a loss of flavor using cheesecloth as apposed to a lid with a hole in it or using an air tight container.

[pabbananna]

@metaspherz yes, I used to use a colander and a cookie sheet and it works but is about the most booring part of the roasting process. The fan rocks - cool beans in a very short time...which I understand is the goal to stop them from cooking via "carry over" internal heat.

Great idea with the mason jars - a homemade one-way valve!

[metaspherz]

@pabbananna Yes, the fan does rock. Right now I use a Shark hand held vacuum and a collander. It does the job quickly and it actually sucks up some of the chaff too.

[pabbananna]

oh i would love to see that - a dustbuster coffee cooling machine lol. whatever works, I love multitaskers! I have never had a problem with chaff as the popper seems to blow it all away and make a mess (especially with agitation via wooden spoon)

[metaspherz]

Thanks guys, it's great to see & hear about other techniques to improve my roasting results. I wish I would have seen this video a year ago when I was a newbie. It would have saved me a few pounds of failures. I am refering this vid to others interested in home roasting. I have friends who're not fans of popcorning but I think my results are as good as their iRoasts and Nesco roasters that cost considerably more. If my air popper stops working I might upgrade.

[pabbananna]

@metaspherz I too have looked at the commercial entry-level coffe roasters but as far as I can tell they are a heat gun firing up into a glass chamber. A popcorn popper does about the same thing and has at least as much capacity - plus I like the $80 cheaper DIY approach. Im sure the $500 models work nicely though I don't think I would enjoy the fun of roasting as much.

[metaspherz]

@pabbananna Here's a way to roast great tasting coffee.

I bought a NuWave infrared oven that was on sale at Kohls last week for $109, plus I got $20' Kohls cash' which I used to buy a $39 Bella Kitchen popcorn popper (Kohls' version of the Stir Crazy popper) for $20. Out of pocket cost was $139 plus tax. So far I've roasted two 8 oz batches. The coffee beans roasted evenly to City+ in about 8 mins. I noticed an improved, nuttier flavor in the cup. I'll try a darker roast next for espresso.

[slippyg]

I have a new method now of placing the metal collander in the freezer prior to roasting. Means its real cold when putting beans in it! Its a great method and have found the beans are wonderful this way.

They taste better than ones you buy pre-roasted cos theyre so fresh :D

[olishant]

Good idea.

[kingobnoxious]

could you manually turn the heat off on this popcorn popper, and allow the popper to aerate the beans until cool?

[slippyg]

u can install a dual switch so it bypasses the heating element and goes direct to the fan... thus cooling.

i merely just empty the popper quickly and place a aluminium collander on a metal manhole cover which cools it very quickly. agitate the beans with a metal spoon also which helps extract heat.

good luck.

[jmv7000]

I found that a small hurricane chimney (used for oil / wick lamps) does a good job of keeping temp up and the beans in. I strive for 1C at 4min and want it to last to the 7 min mark. Most of the time I roast for C to C+ so I rarely go for 2 C.

[MrDripdrop]

Coffee beans make me hurt people

[new24693626]

GOOD IDEA ABOUT THE BOX.

[pabbananna]

thanks but it wasnt my idea. I cant find the original article online right now but they had an illustration and everything

[slippyg]

i love how your wife also holds the same enthusiasm for coffee roasting. your a lucky man :D

[tcashin07]

I read somewhere that if you put them in an airtight container immediately after roasting, they could possibly release enough gas to blow the container apart or blow the top off..

your thoughts?

[pabbananna]

I visited a new seasons roaster and he said (as well as others) than it needs to outgas CO2 for a couple days and that is why he had the fresh bean out in the open air bins.

Reading forums they say that the roasted beans are put directly into those stay fresh bags in the grocery store. I guess they are kind of puffy and they do have that one way valve...but i doubt it would build up enough pressure to blow the lid off something.

[slippyg]

You're meant to leave them in a container with the lid off for at least 12 hours before air sealing them. this is to let CO2 gases emit from the beans prior to consumption.

also leave them at least 24hours (including the initial 12) before grinding etc. best to grind as you use and not grind them all at once also :D

[caffevinci]

How do they taste?

[markpianoman]

I use the handle end of a big wooden spoon to spin the beans every 1.5 minutes in the direction they are turning...the friction helps the chaff release from the beans and blow out the top. This works great if you are roasting outside.

[pabbananna]

every one and a half minutes? After the first warm up roast it takes us about 3.5 min to roast a full load in the poppery popper. If it takes you 7+ minutes you might consider a unit with more wattage or roasting at a higher ambient temperature. The key to a good roast is to heat it and cool it as fast as possible.

But if you like what you have, keep on roastin!

[slippyg]

I've found that any air popper over 1200W is good enough.

Anything below this is inadequate. :D

[markpianoman]

I roast beautifully with my $16 Chefmate popcorn popper from Target! It only takes 5.5 minutes for a nice dark-brown roast after the second pop. The Chefmate hold 1/2 cup of beans...works great. I can't understand people who go out and buy a $300-$600 machine to roast coffee. If they knew how well a popcorn popper works! I enjoyed your video!

[pabbananna]

markpianoman - thanks for the tip, I will have to check out the $16 modern popper as it just takes too long to roast a pound with one popper.

the first roast doesn't turn out very well with the original poppery either. If you take that into consideration just roasting two loads is wasteful.

[markpianoman]

yeah, I definitely got the impression that the Chefmate popcorn popper from Target actually works better than the poppery. I'm pretty sure I only paid about $16 for it here in Hawaii...on the mainland it could be cheaper....but it works great. I've found that 1/2 cup of green beans roasts 5 to 5.5 minutes for a good dark-brown roast. I have some fresh roasted beans on my night table so I can smell them as I sleep....since they need to stand open for the 1st 12 hours. I just love it!

[jazy1785]

this is so awesome. i've had fresh coffee, but not that fresh. simply awesome. where do you buy the coffee beans in the raw?

[hoveral]

I have the luxury of an iRoasr II. I've wondered what it was like to use a popcorn popper. I too like Sumatras and Dry Process

Harrar, but I only roast to city or city +, just past first crack. I like the sweet fruity flavor of a light roast. Even a Kenya is best at

a medium or Full City roast. I enjoyed your video.

[pabbananna]

you got it right! this batch was burnt pretty bad, probably the worst roast I have ever made if you dont count the underoasted ones ;)

[GirlieNoir]

Great video... thank you... we just got a roaster and didnt realize we could use a popper.. darn it!! But either way, its darn good! I couldnt drink coffee another way now!

[pabbananna]

Thanks for the thanks, but I bet your purpose built coffee bean roaster puts out a more consistent roast. I am jealous. Someday...

[joed124]

This is a great video. I also roast coffee using an original Poppery. Some differences in my technique: I do not preheat the Poppery (but will now). I do not stir the beans unless I've added too many beans. For Sumatra, I stop the roast at the very beginning of the second crack (my personal preference). For cooling, I've fabricated a vacuum-powered cooler, in which my colander sits snugly on top of a small metal bucket; a vacuum hose fitted into the base draws cool air down through the beans.

[pabbananna]

Thank you. Yes, I would agree that after tasting this batch of sumatran that it was waaaay over roasted. We are used to hararr which tastes divine at the roast level in the video. Preheating becomes more important when roasting in cooler temperatures.

Our next video will be construction of a bean cooling device. We have a blower hooked up to a bucket that the colander sits on but for this video we scavenged the ducting reducer so the beans wouldn't pop out on the vdo.

[markpianoman]

Forget the "poppery" -- the Chefmate popcorn popper from Target does a great job for about $16 -- I love it. Beautiful dark-brown roast in 5 to 5.5 minutes!