roasting green coffee beans
 

wrote in message
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"Jeff" wrote in message
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* wrote, On 5/25/2007 3:19 PM:
"CLARK NICHOLSON" wrote in message
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wrote in message
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Some sailors prefer to carry green coffee beans on board and roast
them as need it.
I wonder what is the best method to roast the beans on a sailboat?

Once in the Marquesas Islands, a local used a cast iron skillet and
just stirred the home grown beans around until he achieved his desired
color. I guess it could be that simple.
Enjoy,
Clark

I have hear of that, some English sailor using a cast iron skillet.
I have one and maybe it would be a good starter for me to learn while at
anchor.

Lots of smoke. I mean, *lots* of smoke. As in, I roast in my basement
with the benefit of a kitchen style exhaust hood feeding a second exhaust
fan. That's enough to prevent the smoke detector from going off.
Another problem is that the heat has to get up over 400 degrees for 5
minutes or more - this tends to scorch the pans, so don't use the wife's
favorites, and I wouldn't use teflon.

Use an outdoor BBQ with a whirlypop. As I mentioned, the stainless dog
bowl held with visegrips and heated with a heatgun is one way to go. Its
also possible to use certain models hot air popcorn poppers. If these
sound interesting, I can track down the links.

At home, If I can find one dedicated coffee roaster I'll probally buy
it.
In the meantime I may experiment with our convection owen.

doesn't work.

Its nice to hear some hands on experience.
At the end of the day if I like it I may go for broke and buy a Stainless
Steel Stovetop Popper.
I am a little against that because space is at a premium on a sailboat.


Is the smoke a pleasant aromatic or of something burning?

roasting green coffee beans
 

* CLARK NICHOLSON wrote, On 5/25/2007 7:29 PM:
....
Lots of smoke. I mean, *lots* of smoke.

Is the smoke a pleasant aromatic or of something burning?


I find the "diluted" smoke pleasant, my wife doesn't like it. I often
roast at night before going to bed (it needs to "rest" for about 8+
hours after roasting) and my wife shouts down "ARE YOU ROASTING???
CLOSE THE *&%* DOOR!!"

The biggest problem roasting with the whirlypop is that at about the
time you have to carefully watch the beans and keep the heat up, there
is a thick cloud of black smoke coming off, and blowing the smoke off
to see the beans lowers the heat. You really have to do it by the
sound - the beans actually pop like popcorn.

Most of the home roasters are slower and produce less smoke, but the
experts will say that's a fatal flaw and the best flavor needs a
faster roast. Life is always a compromise!

roasting green coffee beans
 

On Fri, 25 May 2007 21:37:08 -0400, Jeff wrote:

Most of the home roasters are slower and produce less smoke, but the
experts will say that's a fatal flaw and the best flavor needs a
faster roast. Life is always a compromise!

Back in the 70s and 80s there used to be 3 or 4 commercial coffee
roasting operations on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.

If the wind was out of the west and you lived in Manhattan, you could
always tell when one of them had overdone the roasting.

roasting green coffee beans
 

On May 25, 9:06 pm, Wayne.B wrote:
On Fri, 25 May 2007 21:37:08 -0400, Jeff wrote:
Most of the home roasters are slower and produce less smoke, but the
experts will say that's a fatal flaw and the best flavor needs a
faster roast. Life is always a compromise!

Back in the 70s and 80s there used to be 3 or 4 commercial coffee
roasting operations on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River.

If the wind was out of the west and you lived in Manhattan, you could
always tell when one of them had overdone the roasting.

Either that or they were making a dark roast or espresso. I used to
work for CFS Continental in Houston in their coffee plant. Man, that
was the best smelling place I ever worked! Of course we had the big
huge roasters, but the lab had those tiny ones for test batches. You
can get those types I think from Sweet Maria's. Did you know you can
soak up caffeine from ground cofffe from just getting it on your skin?
We were shoveling up a spill one night and got quite the buzz just
from getting the dust all over us while we were sweaty. I guess in-
situ brewing? :-)