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Do you have any recommended resources for getting into home roasting? I've always been interested in trying it out, but I don't know where to source green bean

Do you have any recommended resources for getting into home roasting? I've always been interested in trying it out, but I don't know where to source green beans without paying more than craft roasted coffee.

cproctor 4y ago
Sourcing: Sweet Maria's. Roasting: Follow their suggestions and buy an air popper at Goodwill. If you get a flimsy one, don't roast more than one batch in a row or the machine's innards will melt. The one caveat is you need somewhere outside where nobody will object to acrid smoke.
2020aj 4y ago
If you're on the east coast: happymug. As far as roasting equipment... I actually recommend starting with stovetop/pan roasting. You may struggle more to get an even roast vs buying an appliance or using a popper, but it's cheap, and pan roasting heats via conduction (not convection) which is the de-facto method of most roasteries.
HeyLaughingBoy 4y ago
I tried it some time ago with a pound of green beans and a hot-air popcorn popper. Beans were bought somewhere on Amazon and I already had the popper. It was cheaper than buying freshly roasted beans at my local coffeeshop and tasted about the same, and it was a nice experiment, but not something I'd continue with. Not enough benefit for the time spent.
nkozyra 4y ago
Start with your oven. It's a totally acceptable option just make sure you have good ventilation or your smoke detectors will go crazy. 450 degrees F for 10-12 minutes (you can eyeball the beans will get you started). I've used a few vendors for the green beans but will recommend https://www.coffeebeancorral.com/ https://www.coffeebeancorral.com/ (no affiliation). I usually buy beans in the $40 (shipping) / per 5 lbs. You'll have to deal with chaff but as you go forward you can get into more elaborate options. And to be honest I end up grinding a not insignificant amount of chaff (it doesn't affect flavor).
- 2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
  Start with your oven. It's a totally acceptable option just make sure you have good ventilation or your smoke detectors will go crazy. This is bad advice. I really can’t recommend this. If you’ve ever played with home rosters with larger capacities, you’ll quickly find out just how much smoke gets generated. It’s a sticky and oily smoke too. You don’t want that in your home. Either you’re outside, or buy something like a Behmor that has an after burner.
  - nkozyra 4y ago
    I get very little smoke. I don't roast in my oven anymore but it was never an issue and it's generally recommended as a first attempt.
    - 2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
      Do you have a fan forced oven? Fluid bed roasters dissipate the smoke much faster compared to drum roasters. I used to use a small fluid bed with some concertina tubing and a lot of filters to pipe the smoke outdoors. That tubing got very dirty. I never saw any smoke from it. But you can smell it and it’ll trip your smoke detector. I’ve never heard of any one recommending the oven as a first attempt. Usually it’s a pop corn maker. I’ve used several home roasters. Getting one with an afterburner is the way to go unless you have extremely good ventilation or powerful range hood that vents outdoors.
      - nkozyra 4y ago
        > I’ve never heard of any one recommending the oven as a first attempt That's extremely surprising given the first handful or so of Google results suggest it (along with the popcorn maker) Unless you're going for a French roast in a small, unventilated room this is not going to be an issue to worry about. Yes, you could trigger your smoke alarm but that happens if I cook a steak, too. When I used an oven I think mine went off once or twice from dozens of roasts.

cproctor 4y ago

Sourcing: Sweet Maria's. Roasting: Follow their suggestions and buy an air popper at Goodwill. If you get a flimsy one, don't roast more than one batch in a row or the machine's innards will melt. The one caveat is you need somewhere outside where nobody will object to acrid smoke.

2020aj 4y ago

If you're on the east coast: happymug. As far as roasting equipment... I actually recommend starting with stovetop/pan roasting. You may struggle more to get an even roast vs buying an appliance or using a popper, but it's cheap, and pan roasting heats via conduction (not convection) which is the de-facto method of most roasteries.

HeyLaughingBoy 4y ago

I tried it some time ago with a pound of green beans and a hot-air popcorn popper. Beans were bought somewhere on Amazon and I already had the popper. It was cheaper than buying freshly roasted beans at my local coffeeshop and tasted about the same, and it was a nice experiment, but not something I'd continue with. Not enough benefit for the time spent.

nkozyra 4y ago

Start with your oven. It's a totally acceptable option just make sure you have good ventilation or your smoke detectors will go crazy. 450 degrees F for 10-12 minutes (you can eyeball the beans will get you started). I've used a few vendors for the green beans but will recommend https://www.coffeebeancorral.com/ https://www.coffeebeancorral.com/ (no affiliation). I usually buy beans in the $40 (shipping) / per 5 lbs. You'll have to deal with chaff but as you go forward you can get into more elaborate options. And to be honest I end up grinding a not insignificant amount of chaff (it doesn't affect flavor).

2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
Start with your oven. It's a totally acceptable option just make sure you have good ventilation or your smoke detectors will go crazy. This is bad advice. I really can’t recommend this. If you’ve ever played with home rosters with larger capacities, you’ll quickly find out just how much smoke gets generated. It’s a sticky and oily smoke too. You don’t want that in your home. Either you’re outside, or buy something like a Behmor that has an after burner.
- nkozyra 4y ago
  I get very little smoke. I don't roast in my oven anymore but it was never an issue and it's generally recommended as a first attempt.
  - 2muchcoffeeman 4y ago
    Do you have a fan forced oven? Fluid bed roasters dissipate the smoke much faster compared to drum roasters. I used to use a small fluid bed with some concertina tubing and a lot of filters to pipe the smoke outdoors. That tubing got very dirty. I never saw any smoke from it. But you can smell it and it’ll trip your smoke detector. I’ve never heard of any one recommending the oven as a first attempt. Usually it’s a pop corn maker. I’ve used several home roasters. Getting one with an afterburner is the way to go unless you have extremely good ventilation or powerful range hood that vents outdoors.
    - nkozyra 4y ago
      > I’ve never heard of any one recommending the oven as a first attempt That's extremely surprising given the first handful or so of Google results suggest it (along with the popcorn maker) Unless you're going for a French roast in a small, unventilated room this is not going to be an issue to worry about. Yes, you could trigger your smoke alarm but that happens if I cook a steak, too. When I used an oven I think mine went off once or twice from dozens of roasts.