Looking to learn from a roaster

[travieso2989]

Hello all,

I have been roasting with a popcorn popper for about one and a half years. I roast every 1-2 weeks in very small batches. I have friends and coworkers who want to buy coffee from me which is awesome. I want to perfect my roasting abilities and then use a bigger roaster later on. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone is a roaster in Louisville or knows of one who would be open to showing me the ropes???

 

[eldub]

I'm not sure many roasters are looking to help the career of potential competition.

 

[namballe]

there are a lot of online resources, (as well as this site) regarding coffee roasting. also, printed literature that you can purchase/download.

 

[WatVentu]

Hello all,

I have been roasting with a popcorn popper for about one and a half years. I roast every 1-2 weeks in very small batches. I have friends and coworkers who want to buy coffee from me which is awesome. I want to perfect my roasting abilities and then use a bigger roaster later on. Anyway, I was wondering if anyone is a roaster in Louisville or knows of one who would be open to showing me the ropes???

Roasting apprenticeships are difficult to come by, although it seems opportunities do present themselves with established companies looking to expand.
Have you ever thought about an internship in South/Central America? Workaway has internship opportunities on coffee farms. It might be an advantage learning in those conditions if you can deal with the timely commitment. Less pretentious, people with family values, simple ways of life and willing to share a learned skill that has been around for generations.

 

[CoffeeJunky]

Roasting apprenticeships are difficult to come by, although it seems opportunities do present themselves with established companies looking to expand.
Have you ever thought about an internship in South/Central America? Workaway has internship opportunities on coffee farms. It might be an advantage learning in those conditions if you can deal with the timely commitment. Less pretentious, people with family values, simple ways of life and willing to share a learned skill that has been around for generations.

This will be very difficult to do since roasting is not his day job but hobby.

 

[John P]

The reality is if you want to learn to roast on better equipment, YOU need to make the investment of money and time to do so. Otherwise, as CoffeeJunky pointed out, it's just a hobby.

For many of us, our first roaster was $5-$10K out of pocket, and we spent hundreds of hours that first year learning the craft.
You can't teach passion, desire, hard work, or skill. If YOU want to learn, you will do what ever is necessary to find the time and money to do so.

 

[travieso2989]

Thanks for the replies guys. It looks like I'm on my own haha. I'm just sending samples to friends and if they like it then I'll start selling it, if not, nbd

 

[kboom1]

The reality is if you want to learn to roast on better equipment, YOU need to make the investment of money and time to do so. Otherwise, as CoffeeJunky pointed out, it's just a hobby.

For many of us, our first roaster was $5-$10K out of pocket, and we spent hundreds of hours that first year learning the craft.
You can't teach passion, desire, hard work, or skill. If YOU want to learn, you will do what ever is necessary to find the time and money to do so.

Amen Brother. Thats the best answer I've heard in years

 

[cestrin]

I am in the same boat, travieso. It's sort of a catch-22 of this industry....you need experience to get a job yet it's nearly impossible to get experience on a commercial roaster without putting your own money into it. I'm likely going to have to drop the money for a 1 - 2 kg roaster to get any type of near-commercial experience...

 

[peterjschmidt]

I roasted for several years using two SC/TO's, which could produce 4#/hour, and the monthly totals bounced from 50-70# per month. Granted, the results are achieved in different ways using a commercial roaster, but those early years gave me an indispensable understanding of what the beans go through and what they 'like' during a roast profile. Understanding the effects of heat and airflow can be learned in different ways at different speeds. I'd suggest that you're better off learning on your own at your own pace, getting familiar with how beans roast, and then jumping in w/ both feet.

 

[cestrin]

I roasted for several years using two SC/TO's, which could produce 4#/hour, and the monthly totals bounced from 50-70# per month. Granted, the results are achieved in different ways using a commercial roaster, but those early years gave me an indispensable understanding of what the beans go through and what they 'like' during a roast profile. Understanding the effects of heat and airflow can be learned in different ways at different speeds. I'd suggest that you're better off learning on your own at your own pace, getting familiar with how beans roast, and then jumping in w/ both feet.

What are SC/TO's?

 

[peterjschmidt]

Coffee roasters, dontcha know.

https://sites.google.com/site/peter4jc/

 

[PinkRose]

What are SC/TO's?

Stir Crazy/Turbo Oven coffee roaster
Stir crazy/Turbo oven coffee roaster - YouTube

 

[farmroast]

For learning how beans react and the dynamics of a drum roaster the Quest m3 is a very good choice at a very reasonable price. It is very well built and will hold it's value. You'll want to roast a lot of small batches and compare. The Quest will do 150-250gram batches that will yield enough coffee for your purpose. The 1lb-1kg roasters will cost much more, more bulky in space needed and you'll go through much more greens and end up with more roasted than needed.
There's a great network of coffee forums like this one to collect info and help from. Many top pros suggest that these forums have the best collections of available roasting info presently available.

 

[Shep]

Thanks for the replies guys. It looks like I'm on my own haha. I'm just sending samples to friends and if they like it then I'll start selling it, if not, nbd

Well, I'm in Louisville. And I've owned a couple roasting businesses. As has already been mentioned, no one really wants to train their competitor. On the other hand I've done it before! I can't promise anything specific, but I'd be willing to talk with you if you want. Send me a pm and we can go from there.

Shep