Home roasting: heading for another revolution?

by **actionhost** on Sat Aug 14, 2010 8:39 am

I have plans to purchase an Gene Cafe for my home roasting. I have never done (or tasted!) this before.

When I had plans to buy a grinder someone on this forum said: you are heading towards a revolution (of course he meant the upgrade in taste, crema etc).

When I buy a home roasting device, will this be the same revolution (upgrade) as buying a grinder?

(I now buy beans per 500 grams or per kilo and store them vacuum over period off 2-3,5 weeks)

by **Arpi** on Sat Aug 14, 2010 9:27 am

It is nor really comparable to buying a better grinder. Buying a roaster will put you in a higher plane of knowledge and will suck you deeper into the hobby. You will spend more time with coffee. Depending on you, this can be a burden or a pleasure.

The revolution only comes with experience and may take many years (in my case it will be a life time

). You can get your feet wet but also you can still buy roasted beans from roasters. That means you can start slow and enjoy both worlds.

Cheers

by **tekomino** on Sat Aug 14, 2010 10:00 am

I dabbled into roasting little bit, and I'll tell you that it is much harder than it looks. I think it takes long time to achieve same roast quality and consistency as good commercial roaster so be prepared for lot of practice and be prepared to invest lot of time.

Perhaps instead of investing lot of money into equipment try using popcorn hopper to see whether you like doing it at all. Cheap to try easy to throw away.

It is definitely not as getting great grinder. With great grinder you buy it, switch it on and enjoy results. With roasting you buy it, then you suffer, then you despair and suffer some more and then you enjoy results

by **jammin** on Sat Aug 14, 2010 12:59 pm

tekomino wrote:I dabbled into roasting little bit, and I'll tell you that it is much harder than it looks.

I had somewhat of an opposite experience. I waffled on buying a roaster for quite some time, and on whim, ordered a hottop basic. After some advice on how to get started and a lot of reading - I got off to a pretty good start. I've been getting some terrific roasts lately for espresso, and honestly, have not been interested in ordering professionally roasted beans. I get great results at home and have access to beans I would normally not be able to try. I also enjoy being able to roast the beans to my taste rather than what the roaster had in mind. Sharing a good roast with friends and family is priceless as well. Home roasting is a very rewarding experience imo and if you are a "hands on" type of guy, I suspect you will find a lot of joy in it.

Like I said, I went with a hottop b. I am very happy with that decision and would strongly suggest going that route. It made learning a breeze and offers room to grow. The Quest M3 is also looks great, and ultimately, a little better (imho) all around than the hottop.
~j

by **tekomino** on Sat Aug 14, 2010 1:05 pm

Jackson,

You are more talented than I am. I can't come close to good commercially roasted beans. Comparing to them my roasts are undrinkable :oops:

by **Marshall** on Sat Aug 14, 2010 2:50 pm

10 years ago great fresh coffee was difficult to find in many parts of the U.S. So the mantra on the Internet forums (i.e. alt.coffee) was "You haven't tasted great coffee until you home roast." Today, there are many more options here and in Europe. I would say for any beginning roaster, doing it at home will be a big step down in quality as compared with buying from the best professionals. But, with experience and perseverance, you may eventually roast some excellent coffees at home.

by **another_jim** on Sat Aug 14, 2010 3:23 pm

The analogy is to eating out and cooking at home. If your home cooking is a herring and chopped onion on a slice of bread, and you eat out at Bordewijk; then, even with the herring fresh off the boat, raw and delicious, eating out is likely to be better. If your home cooking is a dinner for guests which you've spent a week planning, then you'll eventually be competitive with the top restaurants.

But no matter how you cook at home, you'll learn more about food doing it than eating out. The same is true of coffee.

by **actionhost** on Sat Aug 14, 2010 4:44 pm

Thanx for the replies!

So home roasting isn't 'a piece off cake'.....ok. But does a less then perfect home roast outclasses the perfect pre-roasted canned commercial beans (like Illy or Izzo)? In other words: does the freshness of home roasted beans compensate for the average style roasting of a beginner?

by **Marshall** on Sun Aug 15, 2010 1:53 am

actionhost wrote:Thanx for the replies!

So home roasting isn't 'a piece off cake'.....ok. But does a less then perfect home roast outclasses the perfect pre-roasted canned commercial beans (like Illy or Izzo)? In other words: does the freshness of home roasted beans compensate for the average style roasting of a beginner?

If you start from canned supermarket beans, it may be an improvement. But, no one was suggesting you buy canned supermarket beans. The comparison was with the best and freshest artisan beans.

I think the best decision for you will depend on your motivation. If you plan to home roast so you can explore the varieties of roasting profiles and bean origins and develop a new skill set, that may be reward enough to home roast. But, if you just want to upgrade your home coffee, then, at the cost of a high-end home roasting machine, you could simply upgrade your coffee buying.

by **Martin** on Sun Aug 15, 2010 8:28 pm

I'd call it a "serial revolution."
Home roasting is a crapshoot. Similar risk and thrill.
Over time, you learn to load the dice, but even with odds in your favor, you can still leave with a bitter (or sour) taste. Still, with access to all coffees commonly available, I find home roasting more satisfying and, increasingly, better tasting.


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