coffee bean roaster.. what works the best?

[arpi]

Hi folks. New to the forum

I saw this'' Aroma Pot Stoveto'' roaster mentioned in a book. What you think, too much smoke?

http://www.fantes.com/coffee-roasters.html

[hturley]

If you want to try home roasting before buying an expensive roasting machine, there are a couple inexpensive options. I have heard of people using a certain style of popcorn poppers to roast beans. Also, I have seen coffee bean roasting done in a pan on a gas grill. I haven''t personally tried either option (...yet) but if you already have these supplies in your house, you can try these options to see if you enjoy home roasting before buying a specific roasting machine. Hope this helps!

[PinkRose]

Hello "arpi"

Welcome to the coffee forum!

I took a look at the Aroma Pot Stovetop'' roaster that you mentioned in your posting. http://www.fantes.com/coffee-roasters.html

It looks like it would be fun to try, but it also looks like it may make too much smoke. The clue was when I read that the first step in the directions is to "turn on the exhaust fan".

Also, one of the steps is to "slowly flip the roaster 3 times upwards, as if you were flipping pancakes." I'm not sure I'd want to do that. I know it would be a recipe for disaster for me.

My search for a home roaster came to a temporary halt a couple of weeks ago. I was soooo close to making a decision, and then I had to have some car repairs, which ended up costing me over $915 dollars. I guess I should wait until I pay that bill off before I buy any new "toys." Oh well, at least my car runs much better now.

Again, welcome to the coffee forum!

I'm sure you will find lots of useful (and sometimes entertaining) information here.

Rose

[arpi]

TX for the welcome Pinkrose

If you are afraid of the smoke then try doing smalller batches (ie. 1/2 cup at a time) and see what happens. I have a hot air roaster and it does not put out noticeable smoke. The hot air roaster is very quick (8 minutes or less) and that affects the flavor because it keeps most oils of the bean. But if you have a stove-oven roaster then you cook the beans for maybe 20 minutes and you get less oils (because they burnt over a longer period of time), which gives you a more complex but less intense flavor, and maybe more smoke (more oils burnt). I am not any kind of expert but I read that in a book and I am learning as I go along. If you try a gas oven, then try useing a pan that has holes in the botton so that the hot air can reach the lower part of the beans (if you don't have one that's OK). Preheat the oven from 500F to 540F depending on type of bean. Let it inside for 15 minutes for a mediun roast or 20 minutes for a dark roast. Good luck.

[jlyon10]

I like the Fresh Roast Plus 8. Not very complicated and you get a nice roast, it does smoke a little especially if you want a dark roast. For larger amounts I have a BBQ roaster also. That doesn't matter if it smokes because it is outside.

[SlowRain]

Do any of the people involved in this thread have any updates on their roaster search?

I'm not in any hurry, but I do like to research first.

Criteria:

- not "HotTop" or "Quest" expensive
- some sort of smoke suppression for indoor use
- not too small of batches (sorry FreshRoast)
- as small as possible as we don't have a large apartment for storage

I'm leaning toward a Gene Cafe as it's already available here. Does anyone think the price will come down as the Behmor becomes more and more popular?

As I said, I'm not in a hurry. I can get good roasted beans just a few minutes away. I'm just curious.

[PinkRose]

Hello Slow Rain,

Unfortunately, I haven't had time to do more research on coffee bean roasters. At one point I was leaning toward the Gene Cafe, but since then I've noticed that there are several new posibilities out there....so I think I'll have to begin anew when the time comes.

Please keep us posted on your progress.

Rose

[jlyon10]

Fresh Roast is coming out with a roaster next month that will roast double what it does now plus a model you can very the temperature with. I don't thing the Behmor will come down in price, it is already quite popular. I would love to own a gene caffe but can't afford it. But I do like to roast coffee at home and couldn't dream of being with out it.

[PinkRose]

Thanks Jim,

I was going to wait until after the holiday season to start exploring the coffee roaster options again. Thanks for the update. It sounds like the newer, improved model may be worth the wait.

Rose

[SlowRain]

Sorry, Jim, I wasn't very clear. I was referring to the price of the Gene Cafe. Does anyone think the price of the Gene Cafe will come down as the Behmor becomes more popular?