Coffee beans for home roasting

[badhangover]

Thanks for the info, I'm looking at the Gene Cafe Roaster right now.

Is this an easy machine to work with...well, is roasting a simple process?

Last question :blush: , you obviously have your favorite coffee after, I would guess, going through several. Lately I have been drinking Doi Chaang which is, IMO, great coffee.
Knowing what I enjoy, (and sure, taste is subjective) I'd be interested in what you drink.

Good info, thanks for sharing.

Brian

I've really been thinking on this. Your first question is simple to answer, while I have decided I am unable to adequately answer your seemingly simple second query.

The Gene Cafe Roaster is very simple to use. If you are new to home roasting, you may not be able to fully appreciate its benefits of large roast batches, viewable "window", super easy chaff collection and relatively quiet operation. You can roast more beans than is normal in home roasting and you can easily see and hear the progression of the beans as they roast. "First crack" and "second crack" are both easily heard, and if you do go too far, you can easily see the emergence of oils covering the beans. I'm not suggesting one needs the learning curve of a lesser machine to appreciate these roasting benefits, but at the sticker price of a coffee roaster, it is nice to learn at a lower cost - even if the only thing to "learn" is if one will continue to home roast coffee or if it's only a passing fancy that will collect dust soon after.

As for the second question, hmmmmmmmm. I'm sorry, but I just can't answer that. There are so many variables and so many choices. Think of green coffee like cigars - and Habanos in particular. The different country of origins and their various regions and quality selections would be akin to Habano marcas. But one must also pay attention to individual coffee lots. Conditions change from season to season and no lot will ever taste exactly the same. That is similar to Habanos box codes. Yes, individual coffee regions and producers to provide a generally consistent product, and one can use that general taste profile as a benchmark when making a selection. But because of the variables, along with my own changing taste mood, I'm constantly switching up what I choose to roast. I think this is only exacerbated by the relatively low cost of green coffee. It's a lot cheaper to purchase a variety of green coffee than it is to purchase a variety of cigars. One pound of your average (but still high quality) green coffee ranges anywhere from $5 to $7, give or take. Lots cheaper than cigars. If one can justify the expense of a box of cigars, one can pick up a full assortment of green coffee to experiment with and enjoy.

 

[cohibasurfer]

Support the "LEAF FUND"

We own shares in this company. Check it out!

Just another shill trying to manipulate the market for his own personal gain... :angry: :whistling:

Yeah... What Kirk said.

O.K. On a more intellegent note. I emailed one of "MY" buisness partners. I got some more info and a website to buy roasted and some "GREEN BEANS" you were looking for Wilkey. I can't vouch for how good the stuff is, but I'm going to buy some roasted varieties to see if the LEAF FUND should stay invested. Here is the site:

www.uncommongrounds.net

 

[Ginseng]

Thanks Michael. I can say I've got the info I was looking for.

The discussion on roasting has been an enlightening one for me. I don't anticipate getting into roasting any time soon but now I can certainly appreciate that there is an aspect of connoisseurship to the practice. :thumbs:

Raymond, excellent posts on the subject. As well considered and researched as your cigar posts. Well done, and again, I'm really enjoying what you add to this forum.

Wilkey

 

[geldor1]

The best non commercial roaster if there is such a thing OR, a commercial one I guess for good quality......I would probably roast sufficient to last one month,

You may be in the market for the Gene Cafe Roaster as I have. It'll set you back a cool $495, which is a fixed price across the coffee retailing spectrum, but it is a beast of a machine. It roasts up to 10oz/300g at a time and can roast over and over, with just a lil' patience for cooling off between roasts, without a problem. The smaller machines cannot take the heavy use that this roaster can withstand.

I like it. I like it A LOT.

How much smoke does the Gene produce?

I looked into one of them around February when I had the $$ to spend, but didn't get it. Now the finances won't allow it and I'm sorry I didn't pick it up.

I currently have 2 - Zack & Dani machines set up in the garage and they don't smoke all that much.

 

[badhangover]

Not too bad, as roasters go. As long as one concedes that roasting will generate smoke, I don't think the amount of smoke should be an issue with the Gene Cafe. I like the amount of smoke it generates. I've come to depend on the smoke output as another sign of when the roast is completed.