Should I home roast for espresso?
I am not sure if it makes sense for me to home roast.

I have an Expobar Brewtus II double boiler espresso machine and a Mazzer Mini grinder.
I really like beans like Black Cat etc. But, I only use about a pound a week and if I order in quantity, the beans will begin to get stale before I use them.

I read a lot about home roasting here and at Sweet Marias.

The factors that are driving me to home roasting are:
1. Fresher beans
2. Lower costs. Shipping costs for 1 - 2 pounds of quality espresso beans drives the price up awfully high. Maybe $15 -20 / pound.
3. It might be fun and educational to roast my own beans.

Here are my questions.
1. Is it really hard to learn how to roast green beans for high quality espresso?
Reading here, it sounds like it can take up a year to learn how to do it well.
2. Which roaster should I get?
The I-Roast II sounds interesting. I think I want a programmable model. I don't want to spend $500 for
a roaster. I would want something small but good.
I have read that the I-Roast II is both noisy and smokey. Is that really a problem?

What about the Behmor Electric Drum Coffee Roaster?
3. Where should I look for green beans for espresso.

I have a Behmor 1600. I've roasted about 4 lbs. (in 8 ~1/2 lb. batches) in it so far. Before that, I had a popcorn popper. It was a super-PITA, and not very good results (IMO). And I had it modded out quite a lot (The dimmer on the fan and the switch on the heating element). The Behmor is easy to learn on and stable. It's plenty of work to roast beans, but in my experience the only work is when you stop the roast. I let it cool down till it's hot to touch, take out the drum and empty them into a stainless colander, and then sift them from one bowl to another in front of a big fan--to get rid of the chaff--and also to pick out any rocks or anything else that may remain.

Again, all the work is there. The roast profiles, in my experience, are quite consistent. The cracks occur within seconds of each other for 2 batches of the same size/bean with the same settings. I think that's really impressive. The results in the cup really wow me. I suppose that they might not impress you if you were a true connoisseur/snob that insists only professionals can roast proper coffee, but if you just enjoy excellent coffee with interesting, sometimes surprising tastes (I haven't had any bad surprises with the Behmor yet), you will really like this stuff. The cost argument is very compelling as well. I just ordered 18 lbs. from SM for less than $120 shipped. Of course, if you value your time for other hobbies, that argument won't take you TOO far.

So, all that said, I think that you really have to be into the roasting for the fun and learning. If you aren't, the cost argument makes no sense. But, if you are into it, it's some SERIOUS icing on the cake.

Your home roasts won't taste like Black Cat. For the first few years you roast, your roasts won't even be close to to top commercial quality; after that, if you source your beans well, and did your homework, they'll be in the ballpark. But they still won't taste like Black Cat or any other of your fave blends (if you think they do, you haven't done your homework)

Home roasting is a hard core hobby, not a way to save money (unless you don't value your time). It's expensive and/or time consuming, smoky, and messy. It is one very lousy way to save money on espresso.

But if you want to become really expert in coffee, you will have to roast and taste for a few years.

werbin wrote:Should I home roast for espresso?

Yes, based on the reasons you list. I got into home roasting for the same reasons and I wouldn't go back to buying roasted beans.

werbin wrote:Is it really hard to learn how to roast green beans for high quality espresso?

No. If you read up on it and pay attention to what you're doing you should be able to get a decent roast fairly quickly - much better than your average store bought beans and probably better than many local roasters. Will you match the best artisan roasters? No, to roast at that level takes years of experience and better equipment.

werbin wrote:Which roaster should I get?

I started with an i-Roast (aka i-Toast and i-Roar). I would definitely NOT recommend it. I have been very happy with the Gene Cafe roaster. It works so much better: easier, quieter, and better roast.

werbin wrote:I have read that the I-Roast II is both noisy and smokey. Is that really a problem?

The noise is so loud you can barely hear first crack and can't hear second crack. The smokiness is not too bad as long as you're doing it outside. Forget inside, but you might be able to do it in the garage with a powerful fan. The roasts are very unpredictable with the i-Roast due to poor temperature control (don't let the programmable roasts fool you). The batch size is also so small it can get frustrating roasting so often.

werbin wrote:What about the Behmor Electric Drum Coffee Roaster?

Don't know much about it, but it seems like a bad design to me. Spend a little more on a Gene Cafe or Hottop, you won't regret it. These two machines are tried and true. Comparing them to an i-Roast is like comparing a nice E-61 machine to a Krups.

werbin wrote:Where should I look for green beans for espresso.

Try different things--that's half the fun of home roasting. I like the excitement of roasting a new bean, trying a new blend, or experimenting with different roasts. I found a local roaster in Tampa that sells green beans (http://www.ccmcoffee.com/). They are cheaper than most other places and taste great.

Good luck!

Ken

I think that Jim has given you great advice.

One thing that you might like to try is ordering a month's worth of coffee and freezing some of it. People's opinions differ on what the outcome will be. Don't listen to them. Try it for yourself. It's not a huge investment.

You can also dip your toe in the water with roasting pretty easily. Some beans and a popcorn popper will probably leave you with change from a $50. I'd start off roasting for drip. Make sure that you deliberately over and under-roast some beans to get an idea for what roast mistakes taste like. Once you have had a go, you will be in a more informed position to make a decision.

As Jim said, if you want to improve your roasts as quickly as possible, you certainly won't be saving money for some time. The best approach would be to buy a fair bit of commercially roasted coffee, as well as roasting a few lots of your own at a time to compare. You will probably churn through quite a bit of coffee just working out the right sorts of roast profiles and resting times, as well as throwing out green that you deem to be worthless. You will need to spend a fair bit of time roasting multiple batches at once and doing side-by-side tasting. Of course, you can take it easy and do less than this, but I doubt that you will get the results that you seek very quickly ... and if you do, it will probably be more through blind luck than through having learnt how to roast.

Jim also touched on the difficulty of green coffee selection. That's a whole minefield, for sure!

Hope that helps,

Luca

Ken, why does the Behmor seem like a bad design? It has gotten some very good reviews and is reasonably priced.

The Behmor is a GREAT roaster, at its price point or more. There are LOTS of very satisfied users. I think the roasters (Hottop, Gene, Behmor, iRoast, etc) get a more even handed analysis at coffeegeek.com than at HB.

Also, as mentioned above, a simple popper with simple mods can produce good roasts. It's also a good starting point for learning the craft.

Yes, you will have to pay your dues to make roasts like the top pro's.

I roast with a popper (Poppery II) with good success. It is fun and easy. It can be done without any mods, thermometers, etc. My biggest problem is having the patience to wait for the coffee to rest. Patience is not one of my virtues.

sweaner wrote:Ken, why does the Behmor seem like a bad design? It has gotten some very good reviews and is reasonably priced.

As I said I really don't know much about this machine (or have any personal experience). But some reviews have identified some significant limitations of the Behmor. Here are some from a review on Sweet Maria's:

http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.b...ay_pros_cons.shtml

There are some significant limitations to this machine. According to the manual:

-You can safely roast only 20 seconds into second crack. Darker roasts are possible - see the section on the Using the Behmor page called "Breakin' the Law".

-The roaster is not designed to roast heavily chaffed, dry processed coffees - again the danger here is fire because the beans and chaff remain in the drum with the heating element. We did roast some heavily chaffed coffees, but not dark, and always were extra vigilant. A small chaff fire or sparks are a possibility especially as the cooling cycle kicks in and there is greater air flow.

- The drum that comes with the machine is not designed to handle long bean or small bean Ethiopian or Yemen coffees. Peaberries work OK, but expect to get a few stuck in the drum mesh. There will to be an alternate drum with a smaller grid size available in the future.

-You can modify the profiles to some degree - but there is not the level of customization available with the HotTop Programmable or even the Gene Cafe, both of which enable you to change temperature and time infinitely. Also, you can only change profiles before beginning a roast cycle and not midway through.

-Visibility of the roast is an issue. Behmor suggests cutting a hole in the chaff tray screen which definitely helps visibility, but greatly increases the amount of chaff blowing around inside the roaster which could cause fires. Do this modification at your own risk. Contact Behmor through their website for instructions on cutting the hole.


I'm sure that it's a great machine for some people, but I wouldn't want a machine that can't handle dry process beans, Ethiopians, or do a dark roast.

Cheers,
Ken

I'll soften up the Behmor criticisms a little bit. Having actually used the machine for several months I'll add some commentary. The "honeymoon" phase is long past. Now its a tool to get great coffee beans.

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Some reviews have identified some significant limitations of the Behmor.

This is really open to interpretation. Limitations, yes. Significant? you decide.

-You can safely roast only 20 seconds into second crack. Darker roasts are possible ...

This was put into the manual as a lawyer laden liability concern. You CAN roast longer than that and you can get a dark roast. Again, from actual experience.

-The roaster is not designed to roast heavily chaffed, dry processed coffees - again the danger here is fire because the beans and chaff remain in the drum with the heating element. We did roast some heavily chaffed coffees, but not dark, and always were extra vigilant. A small chaff fire or sparks are a possibility especially as the cooling cycle kicks in and there is greater air flow.

I would say this is true if you roast a whole pound of the chaffy stuff. Most Behmor owners by now realize that it is best suited for 14 ounces or less at a time. Some reviewers have stated they thought it to be a great 8 oz roaster. I usually roast 6 to 8 ounces as our coffee needs are not that great right now. Notice that the review said that chaff could produce a fire, but never had it happen to them. Not to me either, so far.

- The drum that comes with the machine is not designed to handle long bean or small bean Ethiopian or Yemen coffees. Peaberries work OK, but expect to get a few stuck in the drum mesh. There will to be an alternate drum with a smaller grid size available in the future.

The future is now. The smaller grid drum is $20 and I use it for most of my roasts these days. A little bit of chaff stays inside but is blown off when the drum is emptied.

-You can modify the profiles to some degree - but there is not the level of customization available with the HotTop Programmable or even the Gene Cafe, both of which enable you to change temperature and time infinitely. Also, you can only change profiles before beginning a roast cycle and not midway through.

This is true and one reason the Gene and Hottop cost more money. But using profiles P2 through P5 do allow some fiddling mid-roast with the time durations of the roast levels. I'd like more control than that.

-Visibility of the roast is an issue. Behmor suggests cutting a hole in the chaff tray screen which definitely helps visibility, but greatly increases the amount of chaff blowing around inside the roaster which could cause fires. Do this modification at your own risk. Contact Behmor through their website for instructions on cutting the hole.

For a newbie, the lack of visibility would be problematic. I haven't cut the hole in the chaff screen yet. The movement of the chaff is unlikely to find its way up there. I pretty much roast by smell and sound with the Behmor. I don't know about Gene or Hottop, but I presume they have better visilbility.

I'm sure that it's a great machine for some people, but I wouldn't want a machine that can't handle dry process beans, Ethiopians, or do a dark roast.

It handles the dry process beans, Ethiopians (one of my favorites), and does dark roasts just fine.

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Now I'll add some of my own criticisms:

- I wish it had a count up timer as well as a count down timer.

- I wish the bean or drum temperature were shown during the roast.

- It is voltage sensitive. Many CG Behmor posters have purchased the $20 Kill-A-Watt unit to track their house current. I had to buy a thick gauge extension cord and move to an different outlet to make sure the roasts finish on time. Even with that, our electric grid still drops the voltage 5V at full load of the Behmor.

- You'd think that using 1/2# of beans would mean selecting the 1/2# setting on the machine. With the basic P1 profile and good voltage perhaps. But its best to select 1# to get more minutes for the roast. The built in safeties were put in to not overroast the beans and cause fires with resulting lawsuits. I have heard of Hottops and Genes catching fire and I think Joe Behm wanted to minimize that chance.

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I don't see the Behmor as the perfect roaster, but I sure am pleased with the roasts it delivers. Other Behmor users should offer their opinions as well.

Good luck with your roasting hobby.