(Part 2) Best products from r/roasting

I'm very skeptical that microwaving coffee causes chemical changes in the coffee. I'm pretty sure that is incorrect.

Oxidation does cause changes in the chemistry of coffee, but not microwaves from the oven in your kitchen. I have microwaved cold extracted coffee for years, and it definitely can compete with hot-brewed coffee for flavor. It's just as enjoyable.

Cold extracted coffee does have less acid than hot-brewed coffee, and it can help when someone is dealing with GERD. It has less caffeine, as well. For some reason, some folks seem to like brewing cold-extracted coffee in a concentrate form, but I've always brewed mine at regular strength, and it tastes great hot (after being microwaved) or cold, straight up, no cream or sugar. And if it is kept sealed in the refrigerator, oxidation can be slowed, but not really prevented.

Cold extracted coffee has a different flavor profile than hot-brewed coffee; in particular, since there is less acid, other flavors come through, and you might find that a coffee which tastes great in a cold extraction is not as good when hot-brewed, and vice-versa. Typically, a lighter roast which might be quite lovely when hot-brewed may not be as good when cold extracted, and conversely, something roasted too dark for hot brewing may be quite lovely when extracted cold.

Regarding the OP's ideas, for the quantity of coffee he is seeking, I would suggest that most commercially-available toddy systems that I am aware of (Ronco, Coffee Toddy) are too small for producing the quantity he seeks in a single batch. He might want to consider a food-grade bucket with a lid and a pillowcase or muslin sack. I know of one local roaster who prepares their coffee toddy in that way, and it tastes fine.

I modded my popper by splitting the heating and fan elements and putting the fan on a dimmer. I also made a DIY sous vide setup with a PID of sorts that I already had. And I know only enough about electricity to keep myself from getting electrocuted. So it can be done. Here's my two cents based on my experience (bear in mind I may very well get some terminology wrong):

• First of all, I can't recommend a PID because what I'm using is a relatively expensive controller designed for controlling the temp on a smoker (a BBQ guru). I already owned it but there's probably better ones for your purposes.
  
  
• From what I've read, putting the heating element on anything more complicated than an on/off circuit would require a relatively expensive component because of the amount of current. So you're probably going to have your PID toggle the heating element to control the temperature.
  
  
• One component you may need is a relay like this. It allows a signal on one side of 3-32V (sent from your PID) to toggle a switch carrying household current on the other side. It's what I use in my sous vide setup.
  
  
• Someone else mentioned the fact that the fan runs on a different voltage than the heating element, and that the popper uses a secondary heating element to "step down" the voltage. The other way you can do that is with a transformer. Per info I found online I used a Radio Shack Model: 273-1512 Transformer to do this. It gets warm when it runs so it may not be the perfect component, but it doesn't get hot enough to melt anything.
  
  
• I put the fan on a dimmer switch as another way to control temperature, the thought being I could slow down the fan to raise temp. This was not worth it. My 1100 watt popper gets plenty hot so I only run the fan at full speed both during roasting and cooling. A regular switch would have been plenty.
  
  
• I drilled a hole through the side of my popper for a temperature probe, because I replaced the plastic hood with a glass chimney. The plastic would have melted by now, plus the chimney is see-through, creates better air flow, and looks cool. Though you have to throw it in the dishwasher every few roasts for it to remain see-through.
  
  
• Finally -- before doing the PID part I'd try just splitting the fan and heating elements first and put them both on switches. You can always add the PID later, but by starting manually you'll have a better idea of whether your setup is even capable of turning out consistent roasts before you go all crazy.
  
  Good luck!

Thank you guys for the feedback. Really appreciate it. Yes the mesh was a super pain but I really would like to go that route, I just have to fine tune. Definitely will be getting the thermometer! hopefully the next post will have better results.
As for the motor, I would really like to pursue the motor route. obviously no matter how much I tweak it it'll never be as good as a machine purpose built for roasting. However, I'd like to get consistency with all the variables. This is also the first time I'm playing with motors and speed controllers. So i'd like to get a better understanding of how I can get this DIY roaster from good to great. Once I learn all the fundamentals about roasting, I'll eventually purchase a roaster that's built for that purpose.

Also to bobbleheadrob's point, yes 300 is way overkill, but when I toss the beans in the pot, at 300 RPM, it slows down a lot. If I drop the speed, it crawls and eventually stops. It may not have enough torque as you mentioned. However, when I bought the motor from amazon, there was no mention about torque so I don't know how much higher I'd need to go.
This is the motor I bought. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00GYVT2W6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

It really depends on the brand of roaster and how much you want to invest to automate it. Automation will mean a loss of control and due to that loss of adjustable variables, you will be shoehorned into whatever roast it wants to give you (within certain limitations). This could be a good thing for beginners, shops who want repeatability, and operations where you want to be able to do other things (sales, etc) while the machine is roasting, or have an employee with little to no roasting background operate the machine.

If you buy a roaster with all of the automation already implemented, your training could be rather simplistic and you could turn out reasonable coffee quickly. To make extraordinary coffee, you need that minute control over every possible variable. We have found that a difference of one degree at a critical changing point in our profile is tasteable in the cup. I have an engineering background and immediately wanted greater control over the basic homeroaster because I understood things about profile roasting which I could not implement on the basic system.

Your other option is to find a used commercial drum and implement your own control/automation system. If you have any electrical or systems engineering background (or know anyone who does) this is not really complicated, just time consuming. There is a lot of software available for roast monitoring & control. If you don't have some sort of automation (PID gas valve control, computer monitoring and profile control) you won't have the precise repeatability to produce a similar product every time. Sure, you don't have one hand on a damper and the other on a gas valve, but there is still plenty of 'artisan' factor in crafting a great roast on any system which isn't fully automated!

If you want to get started on a smaller homeroasting level, [Kenneth Davids book] (http://www.amazon.com/Coffee-Roasting-Revised-Updated-Edition/dp/0312312199) gives a broad overview of coffee and has homeroasting techniques and insights. [Blue Bottle] (http://www.amazon.com/Blue-Bottle-Craft-Coffee-Roasting/dp/1607741180/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409583577&sr=1-1&keywords=blue+bottle+craft+of+coffee+by+james+freeman) is an entertaining read about James Freeman starting into roasting, his travels, a little bit about roasting, and a lot about prep methods. Definitely use the Sweet Marias web library! Also you might check out: homeroasters.org home-barista.com greencoffee.coop coffeegeek.com and I'm sure there are some I've missed. If you get the chance to attend a CoffeeFest, they are pretty inexpensive and there are roasting courses (basic, but nice intros to professional machines), you can meet plenty of green bean importers, and you can drink all the free coffees you can handle!

Hope my rambling answered your questions and I didn't bore you to death!

That explains it better. In all fairness, you are using the Behmor in a way that it's not designed to be used. So, you run the risk of setting off smoke detectors. That's not the Behmor's fault! :)

As for the more general part of your post, fluid-bed roasting does produce different tastes than drum roasting - you are right about that. It's a bit of a personal preference - I like them both, but in the grand scheme of things I prefer drum roasting or even stovetop cooking with the Victorio.

But, life's short - if you know what you like and it's easier for you, then definitely "downgrade". I would say it's not really a downgrade if you get more enjoyment from it! And, you can probably sell your Behmor as well.

Best of luck!

Stovetop roasting was probably the thing that got me into roasting my own coffee. I bought a whirleypop for $20 and got an aeropress to brew with. For about $120 I was making coffee that (I thought) was better than most local offerings and (for sure) better than grocery store brand coffee. Not to mention I was theoretically saving a lot of money because of how cheap greens were.

However, if you are willing to commit a bit more startup cash, I recommend the freshroast series of roasters as a much better method for controlling your roast profile.

As someone who is starting out, I'd say happy mug is the best supplier for greens. HM has nice coffees at good prices but Sweet Marias has a lot of unqiue vareitals and there's a number of really good coffees on there. The thing is that as a new roaster (and I am still in this category), you probably won't have the cupping skills or the roasting skills to appreciate all of the nuance that SM's beans offer, so HM is a better deal for $4.00/lb and 3-day flat rate shipping.

What are you brewing with?

I'm going to just put some add'l info in this thread for now. I have a couple of photos - 1 and 2 - of my propane burner under my roaster (as it is so far). You'll note that the roaster legs are sitting on blocks to get the flue over the top of the burner. My actual set-up will probably make use of a metal cart similar to this one. The burner will fit down in the top and I will have a non-combustable countertop (granite or marble sections, perhaps) that the roaster will sit on - on the top lip of that cart. The grill bottle can ride on the shelf below. I can build a shelf that will stick out the side (or fold down or sumpin') that can be affixed to the underside of the top shelf. That will be for the laptop that will be running Artisan-Scope. This is the high torque motor I got. I got the 70 rpm (no-load) model hoping that under load it would be closer to the 50-55 rpm that is sort of standard for drum roasters. IF I still need to slow it down more, I will need to incorporate some kind of potentiometer/rheostat between the power supply and the motor. (I'm no electrical engineer, so I will need to find a little help on that part. Hint Hint!) Just today I ordered a 5.5x2.5 female no-solder, screw terminal for painlessly going between the power supply and the motor. Besides the convenience of not having to solder, I can simply reverse the wires if I want to reverse the motor rotation. (Knowing me, I would have soldered them the opposite of what I wanted the first time.) I probably won't be making substantive progress on this for another week or two, so may need to start a different thread when the next leap in progress occurs.
A couple of other pieces of information... be sure to check out the comment by u/loki154 below on simwool. Was not previously aware of that stuff. Could be great for a wood burning pizza oven project that I'm dreaming of, in addition to this project. Also, ChingThye Gan, the maker of the Instructable that was my inspiration suggested "oven glass door glue" to me for affixing my fused-silica quartz sight glass disk to my dump door. Haven't ordered that yet, but sounds like a winning idea. Another tip is to look at ceramic kiln parts when you are building a roaster. (Similar high temperature applications.) I found some flexible aluminum (expandable from 2-1/2' to 15 ft) of "kiln vent duct" that I may use (with adapters) to go between my roaster and my traffic cone chaff collector. Terms used on this page might be used to find it cheaper (or possibly an even smaller diameter?) elsewhere via Google-Fu. Finally, I'm considering making a change in the latches I will use to hold the lid on. The search term you will want to use is: Stainless Steel Draw Pull Catch. This will eliminate one of the few zinc pieces on my design. Hope some of this helps somebody in the future!

Personally I got a 301 and wish I would have gotten a 304... wish I would have made my ET a probe and not a dial gauge. I run it with artisan, but it’s nice knowing if something happens with the comp you can still roast if you want to. I also feel like there is a little lag in the computer so I glance at the thermometer from time to time.

I got an extra motor without the case as a backup ($20)

And https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00XKDEVIQ?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title
Works like a charm

I went to 3 hardware stores before I realized there are inside and outside threads on the regulator to the propane tank... so you’re good there, I’m just dumb I guess

Lastly I highly recommend getting one of these
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B006NGI8VS?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Happy roasting :)

Wow. I've got a Gene Cafe as well, and I agree with every single thing that u/elucidateme says. One silly addition: I bought these brushes, and keep one with the roaster. These brushes are amazing. I use it to clean out all the hard to reach spots and they work great. (Side note: I have used one of the 3 brushes to clean my cast iron pan, which I use daily, for 4 years, and it is still as good as new.)

Thanks! Forgive some very basic questions, but what is ramp/soak? And why is a PID controller better than, say, a logging digital thermometer like this? (though that thermometer is more expensive than ideal considering my cheap roaster...)

> If you're like me, the main reason I roast my coffee is because it's the most cost effective way to get your daily dose of caffeine.

Okay, then I'm not like you, but lets continue...

> My goal is to save 15 minutes/day by cold brewing instead of my typical "hot brew" methods with aero press, percolator, drip brew etc.

Interesting idea, I have one on the way too and I feel you. But I'd rather sacrifice a morning shower than a good HOT coffee.

My solution? I have a semi cheap Grind-and-Brew Cuisinart drip coffee maker. I can program it the night before if I know time is limited, or if somebody is going to wake up before me (but who wakes up before 6:00am?). Not this exact one but close: https://www.amazon.com/Cuisinart-DGB-550BK-Automatic-Coffeemaker-Grind/dp/B000VTP45Q

> Instead, i'll be able to simply poor the cold brew in to a cup & microwave

Yeah... you lost me here. I'll take my decent grinder and drip over microwaved coffee. Making the big cold brew batch also takes up precious fridge space (all the new baby foods).

So I use this large sieve...
https://www.amazon.com/Winco-SIV-14-Sieves-14-Inch/dp/B003YOXD1W

And this fan...
https://www.amazon.com/Vornado-CR1-0121-06-Large-Whole-Circulator/dp/B0025QKUE8

I have a HG/BM setup and just dump the beans into the sieve then hold the sieve over the fan which I have pointing straight up from the ground. Gently swirling the beans around cools the beans to room temperature in less than a minute. I normally roast 1/2 lb at a time, but I've done up to a lb and the setup still works well. I pretty much have to use it on the back porch or the garage because any chaff that's still with beans will get blown out almost immediately.

You could definitely get away with a less expensive fan, but I found it on sale for $50 and I use around the house for other things when I'm not roasting so win-win.

I bought these for using with my Kamado BBQ. It can get upwards of 700F. With these I can hold metal/ceramic at 700F for at least a few seconds (enough to get the stone/rack out of the BBQ and onto some bricks).

So they're plenty good enough for me to pull the roasting drum out of my Behmor. The first time I tried to put the drum in after preheating I burnt the top of my hand. So now I wear them then too.

If you like to BBQ hot, recommend these as opposed to some of the other ones, much better heat resistance

Thank you for the very detailed reply. I’m gonna try the temperatures definitely! For the funnel is this something that might work:

AllSpice Stainless Steel Metal Spice Funnel (1 5/16" Bottom) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MT64MQ2/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_9tJ.BbQP2HZVE

I am currently using a 8-cup sifter.
Is there any other ways rather than woods to make them stand? I just don’t have any equipments for woodwork. (I was thinking cardboards but it might burn so doesn’t look like a good idea 😅)

so this is the small reader lots of us like to use

https://www.amazon.com/Proster-Thermocouple-Thermometer-Dual-Channel-Thermocouples/dp/B071V7T6TZ/ref=sxin_3_ac_d_rm?ac_md=3-3-dGhlcm1vY291cGxlIHRoZXJtb21ldGVy-ac_d_rm&keywords=thermocouple&pd_rd_i=B071V7T6TZ&pd_rd_r=3e8ebea1-82c3-486e-953e-e635e8fe5f04&pd_rd_w=IaPyI&pd_rd_wg=EdCwI&pf_rd_p=d29bc9bc-49e2-46b8-bc05-387917c341ec&pf_rd_r=SWVR70TWEY8C09VTBR46&qid=1568747104&s=gateway

but those plastic coated probes are probably not very food safe.

https://www.amazon.com/PerfectPrime-TL1815-HeadProbe-Thermocouple-Temperature/dp/B0142RXG84/ref=sr_1_4?crid=13PYZH2BI268S&keywords=type%2Bk%2Bthermocouple&qid=1568747092&s=gateway&sprefix=type%2Bk%2Bthermo%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-4&th=1

that works pretty well. the downside is since it's just a wire, it can easily get moved around and then you'll get different readings at different times.


i'm trying to use something more stiff/firm like this

https://www.amazon.com/PerfectPrime-TL1815-HeadProbe-Thermocouple-Temperature/dp/B01MU29Q3Z/ref=sr_1_4?crid=13PYZH2BI268S&keywords=type%2Bk%2Bthermocouple&qid=1568747092&s=gateway&sprefix=type%2Bk%2Bthermo%2Caps%2C167&sr=8-4&th=1

Problem with poppers is that you don't know whether they come with a built in thermostat or not, unless you open the case. With a thermostat you'll never see the temps necessary for proper roasting, without it the beans will get heated too quickly and it's critical to remove them within a small time frame, otherwise they get burned. Also plastic parts will start to deform, since poppers are not designed to operate at such high temps.

Do yourself a favor and consider one of these:

https://www.amazon.ca/Household-Roaster-Electric-Roasting-Stir-Frying/dp/B07P2VMK4J/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=

I have a similar one and am super satisfied, once I found out that you have to roast very, very slowly, because there's almost no airflow inside.

Basically set the thermostat to the desired temp (on my device it's 90° to the right at around 215°C) and let it roast for 40 minutes.

Actually, I have the bigger one of those, lets me roast 500g of beans at once:

https://www.amazon.ca/Household-Roaster-Durable-Electric-Roasting/dp/B07GX78398/ref=olp_product_details?_encoding=UTF8&me=

​

As far as air poppers are concerned: I've been there, had several ones, even built a PID controller to supply a proper temperature ramp, but with the advent of these cheap roasters have never looked back.

Yeah, 2 min is too fast. You can really slow things down with a router controller. The downside is that it slows down the fan too, so you have to agitate manually if your beans won’t circulate. I don’t mind that though.

I got this one. Cheap, effective. So far so good.

https://www.amazon.com/Hongville-HV-FSC-Variable-Controller-Hydroponics/dp/B074D35YB8/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=router+controller+hongville&qid=1559313241&s=gateway&sr=8-3

Thanks for the responds and tips. I tried using a 50ft extension cord and it really had no effect on time. Maybe the 100ft will yield better results. I have also thought about getting this variable temp controller, but haven't pulled the trigger yet. https://www.amazon.com/Hongville-HV-FSC-Variable-Controller-Hydroponics/dp/B074D35YB8

I use this Amprobe with my 1600+. The wires do not terminate in long metal probes, so I can easily snake them into the roaster. This model also has USB so I can log roasts.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005GFHZLG/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1