Why Home Roast?


 

  • Flavor – You will never suffer stale, poorly roasted coffee again and you can roast to a darkness that suits you perfectly.

  • Cost – Consider that a pound of roasted artisan coffee can run anywhere from $10 to $15. Green coffee beans typically run anywhere from $4.50 to $6.50 per pound. (To be fair, you need to take into consideration that the roasting process causes the beans to lose 10 – 20% in moisture but you are still saving considerable money.)

  • Convenience – All those trips to your local store or coffee roaster are a thing of the past. Running low? Spend a few minutes and roast your own.

  • Longevity - Green coffee beans store very well. It may take a year or more of aging before an expert coffee cupper would notice any change in flavor. Some green coffee beans are even purposely aged to bring out a mellower flavor profile.

  • Variety – Buy a pound of green coffee from South America. Buy another pound from Ethiopia. You are now able to roast small batches of different coffees. A bonus is that with a number of origins on hand you can create your own custom blend roasted to your idea of perfection.

  • Gifting - Absolutely fresh coffee that you've roasted yourself makes a wonderful gift for family and friends.

 

Current Green Bean Prices:

Cafe Femenino FTO
Guatemala - $8.50/lb

Woodstock Blend - $7.00/lb

Sellwood Blend - $7.00/lb

Fair Trade, Organic Sumatra - $8.00/lb

Mexico, Decaf - $8.50/lb

Ethiopian Harrar - $8.50/lb

Ethiopian Yirgacheffe - $8.50/lb

Need a Poppery popcorn popper to start roasting your own? I often have poppers in stock. Shoot me an email and I'll let you know what I've got.


Bags of Coffee!

 


 

 

 

 

 

How to Roast Your Own Coffee At Home

Lovejoy Coffee Company


Portland, Oregon


How To Roast Your Own Coffee


The Roasters

There are several very good home coffee roasting machines on the market. Do an internet search and you will find links to various manufacturers such as Behmor, HotTop, FreshRoast and Hearthware. But before you put money down on one of these machines consider starting with something a little simpler and much less expensive - Westbend Poppery II a popcorn popper. I’ve used one for years and although I’ve graduated to a roaster with higher volume I still like to use my popper for “seat of the pants” roasting where I can watch and smell and hear the beans as they go through the roasting process. Not every popcorn popper will work. Those with wire mesh at the bottom of the roast chamber won’t do as they place the beans too close to the heating element and can cause the chaff, the thin skin of the bean that sloughs off during the roast, to burn. The brand I’ve used and which is most popular with home roasters is the Westbend Poppery II which has a solid metal bottom with vertical slots that allow the heated air to swirl and heat the beans without exposing them to the hot elements beneath.  

Dealing with smoke and flying chaff are the only problems you may need to overcome. Setting up your roastery in your garage is a great solution. Some people find that they can roast under the exhaust fan above their stoves and remove the smoke effectively and a hand vac will take care of the chaff. The home roasting machines mentioned above will handle the smoke and chaff to varying degrees.


Cooling

It is also very important to cool your hot beans quickly once they’ve reached the desired roast level.  I use a very simple cooling set up.  It consists of a five gallon bucket and lid like the ones you find at Home Depot, a colander and a shop vac. Cut a hole in the bucket lid big enough to set the colander in. At the bottom of the bucket cut a round hole just big enough to accept the end of the hose from the shop vac. With the hose stuck in the small hole at the bottom you are ready to rapidly cool your beans. When the beans have reached the level of roast that you are after, turn off your popper and immediately dump the hot beans into the colander and turn on the vacuum. With the cool air being drawn forcefully over the beans from the vacuum below the beans will cool in less than a minute and they are then ready to put in a bag or sealed jar for storage.

Cooling Bucket


And that is all you need to begin roasting your own coffee. It’s simple, it’s fun but keep in mind that it may be a slippery slope that will lead to C.B.A.D, Coffee Bean Acquisition Disorder. And of course you will eventually want a larger roaster and then your friends and family will expect a pound or two now and then and before you know it you will find yourself so immersed in the coffee ethos that your life revolves around the brown bean. Have fun.

P.S. If you have any questions about home roasting or want to try roasting a few ounces with me in my "Bean Barn" (aka garage) please drop me an email. I love to share what I've learned over the years.


I highly recommend Kenneth Davids's book
"Home Coffee Roasting, Romance & Revival"

And if you're really bored you can check out my blog here:
Coffee Blog

Lovejoy Coffee has been Yelped!

Check out the article about us in the Sellwood Bee,
(third article down).