I have one of those popcorn machines and its the "right" kind for roasting, and I am asking myself If its worth messing with. Ya, you can save money on green beans but they're still not cheap or 1/10 the cost of roasted beans (looking at SM). I mean, eventually I will experiment with it but I am wondering just how easy it is to produce great roasted coffee/espresso beans that are delicious.

So in summary

Pay the extra money and get premium beans from reputable roasters VS Roast my own


and I dont know how to "value" roasting my own beans because I dont know the difficulty of producing a beautiful roast. I'd love to save the money associated with roasting my own but if it turns out nasty or sub-par then I'm really not gaining anything. Maybe roasting is only justifiable if you see it as a hobby...? (not to say it wouldn't be fun)

Lastly is there a list of Favorite Green Bean Suppliers like there is for Espresso roasts?

Roasting your own coffee is much like brewing your own espresso; it's not about saving money, it's about the zen of the bean.

Cheers,
J

I've been dabbling with roasting in last couple of months and I'll tell you that roasting for espresso is little harder than it looks. Of course it also depends on your taste buds. I notice, still, big difference between my roast of Metropolis Red Line and what they roast, with theirs being much, much better. I use this for learning since I can compare professional roasts to my own. Cupped my roasts don't taste bad at all but for espresso they are still not as good as what some professionals put out.

You will not save money unless you are paid minimum wage. It takes lot of time to learn everything so if your goal is saving money I'd recommend buying roasted beans.

It is enjoyable and can be zen like experience. You need to get, as with everything espresso, some acceptable equipment so you can control the temperature during roasting. Then you need to learn what roasting profile works best for the beans you will use for espresso etc. It is not simple as just putting them in pan and roasting them.

Many people here know a ton more about this then me...

Hope this helps.

you already have the means of roasting, so why not give it a try for yourself. Greens are cheap, so order a few pounds and give it a whirl. YouTube has many videos to help you out with identifying first and second crack, so watch those a few times before you roast your first batch. Only then will you know if it's right for you.

Personally, I wonder why I waited so long to start. Yes, I still buy from advertisers on this site, but I love roasting at home too. Will I ever have home roasted beans that approach 49th Parallel's Organic Espresso or CCC's Tuscano - NO, but my stuff isn't half bad either.

Home roasting is not about saving money, or roasting better coffee than the pros do. It is about having fun and learning a little more about the art of coffee. With the premium artisan roasters out there super beans are not an issue like they were several years ago. While there are a few people that will achieve near pro levels on their roasting, most of us will never get there. Not that home roasted coffee is bad, I home roast every few batches and enjoy some of the micro lot coffee that a pro roaster would never use due to limited availability. But I will never be as good as the pro's, my knowledge, time, and equipment are not up to the task.

Having said that, it is enjoyable and at times frustrating. Dont fool yourself into thinking you are going to save money. You will play with a popper for a bit, realize you need something bigger with more control, upgrade, upgrade again, next thing you know you are in for a couple grand in equipment. If you have the patients to learn, try it out. Worst case, you end up tossing a few pounds of coffee and walk away with a better understanding and appreciation for what the pro's do.

I suggest you try the roasting, not because you will do a better job than the pros...you won't. It is fun, easy, and you will learn about the coffee. You can probably convince a local roaster to sell you some green to try.

cannonfodder wrote:If you have the patients to learn, try it out.

Dude, if what he is roasting is so bad it needs to be tested on patients then he might be better off just buying the stuff!

c1raider wrote:So in summary

Pay the extra money and get premium beans from reputable roasters VS Roast my own

How much are you paid per hour at work; how much do you value your free time? If it's less than about $2, home roasting will save you money.

Clearly you value your time enough to post before reading FAQs: so in a nutshell:

Home roasting is a hobby which aims at producing very high grade and very fresh coffee. It is either for those who are interested in becoming expert in all aspects of coffee or who are so remotely located that it is the most efficient way for them to get high grade, fresh roasted coffee. Given the time it takes to learn, the equipment required to do it well, the time spent roasting very small batches, and the green coffees discarded after one try because they don't make the grade, it is usually not a less expensive substitute for buying roasted specialty coffee of the equivalent grade.

Many people talk about commercial roasters as if they were the pinnacle of quality. But there are too many different types. A commercial roaster is by definition one that sells coffee. It does not have anything to do about quality. Of the many commercial roasters, there will be a great range of different qualities. And comparing home roasting to commercial roasting in the principle of quality alone is not valid. If you look on other forums, you'll see many "commercial" roasters just starting out or that have different goals (ie. mass production v price).

I would look for other types of comparisons between home roasting and commercial roasting. If you were to buy pictures to hang on the wall, one day you may ask yourself if you could paint your own pictures and what purpose would it serve. You could take painting as a hobby instead of basing your decision on saving money. Roasting coffee by a window in the snow is a nice experience because of the comfort contrast. On the other hand, roasting to feed 10 people can be a burden if that is just your purpose. It is up to you what you make of it. There are no rules.

Cheers