The beginning

Christmas morning, I found a large burlap sack blazoned with "EL SALVADOR" in large, friendly letters under the christmas tree for me. Inside were wrapped packages containing a new experiment, which is quickly turning into an obsession.

Green coffee beans and a ton of information on home roasting.

Sign me up.

A few hours later, we had our old, completely unmodified, hot air popcorn popper loaded up with coffee beans. A bit of trial and error and some interesting precipitation of chaff, we ground and started tasting our fresh-roasted coffee. Below are some notes that we took.

Note: Don't roast and test too much coffee at one time. I'm still jittery from it.

Pictures

12/25.2009 – 1:30pm to 1:35pm
We are starting our first test roast ever. We are using:
• 1 heaping TBLSP “Colombian Patron” green beans.
• Stripped down “Mini Old Fashion Popcorn Maker”, model OFP-MINI.
o 2 tbsp grind
o 4 cups water (per coffee maker)

Batch #2:
• Using the rest of the “Colombian Patron” beans (just under ¼ cup).
• 1:40:30 – first crack
• 1:40:15 – Second crack, imminent fire?

Batch #3- (pretty darn good):
• Colombian Microlot ¼ cup – TOO MUCH??
• In @ 1:56:05
• First crack: 1:59:00
• Off about 2:01
o 2 tbsp grind
o 4 cups (per coffee maker)

Batch #4:
• Sweet Maria’s Espresso Monkey Blend ¼ cup
• In at 2:16:30pm
• First crack: 2:19:30pm
• Off at: 2:22:53pm

Batch #5:
• FT Peru ¼ cup
• In at: 2:35:00
• First crack: 2:38:10
• Off at: (lost track... we were too busy laughing)