Coffee Bean Grinders

[lovinthehd]

I wouldn't want to roast beans over open gas flames. Might just be me. *shrugs
I know @Swerd does it in his oven and is very pleased with his results.
Just for kicks looked for home hobby style roasting gear and am disappointed that there isn't much out there that looks promising on a short search. You can brew Beer cheaper than roasting Coffee Beans!

Hmmm...

Maybe when I start drinking beer again I'll have to dust off the gear and commit to some brew weekends.

Hmmm...

Yeah the rotating square box over the flame outside isn't particularly appealing despite what the flames might have....but how is coffee roasted in traditional ways? Never really looked into it....

However, it seems to get a nicely thought out piece of roasting gear as a complete setup it'll cost a fair bit. I took a look at my old toaster oven, might be able to squeeze something in there, now to see how I can motorize it....but for now will just buy that fresh roast perhaps instead

 

[ryanosaur]

Yeah the rotating square box over the flame outside isn't particularly appealing despite what the flames might have....but how is coffee roasted in traditional ways? Never really looked into it....

However, it seems to get a nicely thought out piece of roasting gear as a complete setup it'll cost a fair bit. I took a look at my old toaster oven, might be able to squeeze something in there, now to see how I can motorize it....but for now will just buy that fresh roast perhaps instead

Rotating heated drums. Gas fired, usually. But the beans aren’t directly exposed to the flames. Commercial Roasters have complex exhaust systems that also collect the chaff. Without collection, the chaff can act as a very volatile combustible not unlike the dust in a grain silo.
Frankly, the coolest part of modern roasting is in the computer control that takes place. A model roast profile can guide the firing and cooling of the Roaster and yield very precise control depending on the results one is after.
Without that, however, the true art of Roasting is fully in the hands of the operator.

 

[j_garcia]

After I posted I looked at the Harris' SF menu pricing....it's gone up a bit since my last visit. I'll just grill my own these days anyways and we have no steak joint nearby either....

That could be because steak prices have gone crazy too. I always pick up a few and bring them back but the last few times it was like $100 for 4 ribeyes, so even bringing them home isn't that cheap.

Sous vide no, not for my steaks

 

[cpp]

That could be because steak prices have gone crazy too. I always pick up a few and bring them back but the last few times it was like $100 for 4 ribeyes, so even bringing them home isn't that cheap.

Sous vide no, not for my steaks

Prices, well are out of control, I say nuts on food and restaurants ramped up prices as well, as portions dropped. And have you seen the newest restaurant trend, to add a health support fee ( to pay for the employees health care) to your bill along with an automatic 20% tip.

 

[Mikado463]

That could be because steak prices have gone crazy too.

interesting, prices have come down quite a bit in my area the past couple of months, I can get Prime for less than $20 lb and 30 day dry aged for less than $30 lb

Sous vide no, not for my steaks

really, why not ??

 

[Mikado463]

Prices, well are out of control, I say nuts on food and restaurants ramped up prices as well, as portions dropped. And have you seen the newest restaurant trend, to add a health support fee ( to pay for the employees health care) to your bill along with an automatic 20% tip.

hey Chris, you got a bunch of 'Socialists' running your state these days ?

 

[cpp]

hey Chris, you got a bunch of 'Socialists' running your state these days ?

"restaurant trend, to add a health support fee ( to pay for the employees health care) to your bill along with an automatic 20% tip. ", this is popping up all over the US. Haven't seen it as yet in my state.

And we have DeSantis and his crew about as right as you can get.

 

[Mikado463]

"restaurant trend, to add a health support fee ( to pay for the employees health care) to your bill along with an automatic 20% tip. ", this is popping up all over the US. Haven't seen it as yet in my state.

And we have DeSantis and his crew about as right as you can get.

thank the Lord, I'm headed to AMI for March, I would be disappointed if that nonsense was allowed !

 

[Mikado463]

back to 'grinders', my OXO continues to perform superbly, No static and great even grinds !

 

[highfigh]

Should work on an outdoor grill but is it natural gas or propane? When I use pots on a propane BBQ they get covered in black soot. Natural gas should not have that problem.

Does the BBQ have Propane jets, or Natural Gas jets?

 

[highfigh]

Does anyone roast their beans in a popcorn maker with a fan?

 

[cpp]

back to 'grinders', my OXO continues to perform superbly, No static and great even grinds !

glad your liking it.

 

[Hobbit]

There is a really good "biker bar" sort of diner on the San Marcos pass... and a bunch of good food in SLO, Pismo Beach, etc... even in Lompoc if you are willing to detour.

Cold Spring Tavern? That's kind of an icon. I grew up in SB. My dad met his wife there

When people ask me what I miss about the bay area, I say FOOD!

 

[Swerd]

I wouldn't want to roast beans over open gas flames. Might just be me. *shrugs.

I know @Swerd does it in his oven and is very pleased with his results.
Just for kicks looked for home hobby style roasting gear and am disappointed that there isn't much out there that looks promising on a short search. You can brew Beer cheaper than roasting Coffee Beans!

Wow, this thread has gone from coffee grinders, to making espresso, to driving on highways in California, to cooking & eating BBQ, to roasting coffee & brewing beer.

I do not roast coffee beans in an oven. That would bake the beans, without roasting them. No electric kitchen oven I know gets hot enough for that. 'Baked' coffee beans suffer from being dried out, but still under roasted. It has been said that under roasted coffee tastes like baked vegetation or rotting grass clippings.

FWIW, I now roast with this

https://www.sweetmarias.com/gene-cafe-test.html

I don't know if propane gas grills get hot enough to roast coffee. I once met a guy who roasted coffee in a revolving mesh drum he rigged up with a built-in rotisserie motor in his grill. He liked the results, but I never tasted it. I wonder about using propane gas as a heat source, it produces a fair amount of water vapor as it burns, and does it get hot enough.

Most home methods use electricity for heat. There seem to be no limits to the DIY designs.

From what I understand, roasting coffee is best done with high heat, rapid heating, and rapid cooling afterwards. There are probably a lot of ways to do that. They range from the crude but effective DIY heat gun – dog food bowl method, to home roasters that cost $3,500.

Roasting

When choosing a roaster, some criteria to consider are how much coffee you drink, your preferred roast level, and how much you want to spend.

www.sweetmarias.com

Also see this

https://library.sweetmarias.com/how-to-roast-your-own-coffee/

 

[Hobbit]

"restaurant trend, to add a health support fee ( to pay for the employees health care) to your bill along with an automatic 20% tip. ", this is popping up all over the US. Haven't seen it as yet in my state.

And we have DeSantis and his crew about as right as you can get.

That's something which has been really bothering me lately. We've become a "tipping" society. It used to be 15% was good. I was in a restaurant a few nights ago where they add an automatic 18% to your bill! Even counter service expects tips just about everywhere. I figure pretty soon they'll be adding them in fast food chains and convenient stores!

The question I have are they really tips at this point? To me, a tip is a gratuity/reward for service. Now we're expected to tip before we even know if we're getting good service.

On to grinders. I can't complain about my ECM/Profitec 64.

 

[Eppie]

Does the BBQ have Propane jets, or Natural Gas jets?

I'll have to ask my co-worker who has a natural gas grill. If I look up replacement burners, it only says "gas grill" and does not list separate burners for propane and natural gas. I would assume that the temperature and flow rate would be similar.

Gas grills can reach 400° internally like an oven. I imagine that would be hot enough to roast coffee beans. Temperature on the metal grill can be much higher and would likely burn the beans.

 

[BoredSysAdmin]

I'll have to ask my co-worker who has a natural gas grill. If I look up replacement burners, it only says "gas grill" and does not list separate burners for propane and natural gas. I would assume that the temperature and flow rate would be similar.

Gas grills can reach 400° internally like an oven. I imagine that would be hot enough to roast coffee beans. Temperature on the metal grill can be much higher and would likely burn the beans.

For even beans roast, you'd probably want some sort of rotating wire mesh drum like in the Behmor roaster.

 

[lovinthehd]

Does anyone roast their beans in a popcorn maker with a fan?

I have a popcorn maker I've used to roast with....it works but the plastic parts are warping. I like Swerd's machine....but not $650 worth. Trying my new fresh roasted beans I bought...a french roast (1/4 roast date) and the taste is odd at least in the aeropress....will try some in an espresso later....

 

[ryanosaur]

Wow, this thread has gone from coffee grinders, to making espresso, to driving on highways in California, to cooking & eating BBQ, to roasting coffee & brewing beer.

I do not roast coffee beans in an oven. That would bake the beans, without roasting them. No electric kitchen oven I know gets hot enough for that. 'Baked' coffee beans suffer from being dried out, but still under roasted. It has been said that under roasted coffee tastes like baked vegetation or rotting grass clippings.

FWIW, I now roast with this

https://www.sweetmarias.com/gene-cafe-test.html

I don't know if propane gas grills get hot enough to roast coffee. I once met a guy who roasted coffee in a revolving mesh drum he rigged up with a built-in rotisserie motor in his grill. He liked the results, but I never tasted it. I wonder about using propane gas as a heat source, it produces a fair amount of water vapor as it burns, and does it get hot enough.

Most home methods use electricity for heat. There seem to be no limits to the DIY designs.

From what I understand, roasting coffee is best done with high heat, rapid heating, and rapid cooling afterwards. There are probably a lot of ways to do that. They range from the crude but effective DIY heat gun – dog food bowl method, to home roasters that cost $3,500.

Roasting

When choosing a roaster, some criteria to consider are how much coffee you drink, your preferred roast level, and how much you want to spend.

www.sweetmarias.com

Also see this

https://library.sweetmarias.com/how-to-roast-your-own-coffee/

Thanks for clarifying. I do know somebody that roasts in their oven.
Clearly not you.

I saw those roasters on one of my searches but they disappeared when I altered the search and I couldn’t find them again after: appreciate the link!

 

[Swerd]

Gas grills can reach 400° internally like an oven. I imagine that would be hot enough to roast coffee beans. Temperature on the metal grill can be much higher and would likely burn the beans.

I don't know if 400°F is hot enough, or not.

FWIW, my roaster blows hot air through a revolving roasting chamber. It has 2 thermocouples and a temperature display that alternates between them. One thermocouple, upstream from the roasting chamber, controls the heating element. And the other reads the air temperature as soon as it emerges from the roasting chamber with the beans. I routinely roast until I see 458 to 460°F on the read out. That isn't the temperature within a coffee bean while inside the roasting chamber, but it's the best I can do.

Once I get to that stopping temperature, I get the very hot beans out as soon as I can. I cool them in a mesh colander I put on top of a downdraft exhaust fan. The photo also shows another reason why I got that roaster. I can send the smoke outside with that downdraft fan and a dryer vent hose. Yes, roasting coffee is hot enough to make a fair amount of smoke.