Budget Coffee Roasting Setup Under $100

[@garygardens]

I'm sure you'll have stimulated some folks to try home roasting with the series. One thing I'd mention re the popcorn popper, be sure to get one that blows the hot air in a circular pattern, not all of them do. I never tried the bread maker option but have heard it can produce some nice roasts. Kudos on a nice into to roasting series.

[@brewinghabits]

Good tip on the popcorn popper feature! I guess I lucked out since this popcorn popper was something lying around at my parents place haha.

[@davidmaurice1294]

I just bought the other kind of popper (the non-recommended type, haha). It has a higher wattage and blows air straight up. They say that it roasts too quickly and also tends to eject the beans near the end of the roast. But I saw that you can add a speed controller and chimney to resolve those issues. I'm a sucker for mods and just couldn't help myself 😆! With my current DIY roaster torn down for major changes and upgrades, I needed a quick and easy go to. Also I like the idea of small batches. Hopefully I'm not just adding another project to my list 😅. Anyways, I'm looking forward to getting my roasts going again.

[@klausrossler684]

I roast at home for the last two years now with a heat gun and a flour sifter. It works great, is fun, let alone the choices of the varieties from around the world - super fresh. I don’t believe in available home roasters - loud, enclosed, expensive. Like this you can have full control - see, hear, smell everything with your senses. The heat gun has multiple settings, programmable, so I can switch easily to a higher/lower temp. It goes up to 650 C, but it means not much considering room temp, distance ... what reaches the bean. The gun should be made to stand upright by itself. Next: construct a wooden (or other material) stand that holds the flour sifter on top and the gun underneath with maybe 2-3 " space between gun nozzle and sifter bottom. I also made a couple of wooden spacers to get the gun closer if needed. I start with about 425 C (800 F) (gun settings) , increase quickly to 550 C (1000 F) for the first stage (ROR), then switch to 600 C (1100 F) to reach 1st Cr (note-these are the gun settings - not bean temp). Then there is a timer and an infra-red thermometer. Slowly churning, I usually aim to reach 160-165 C (Bean temp) after 4-5 minutes (drying phase), plus another 3-4 min. browning (Maillard), ending at 198 C or so = 1st crack, then add another 1.5 - 2 min. developing time, not going higher than 210 C. I have a colander over a fan, blowing cool air to cool the beans quickly. Batches are small ~ 150 grams, since I always try new varieties/origins. I like light to med-light roasts. Another great topic of Paul's is about the expert-superstars and the god-like cup. (different post) Thanks for this great forum. Here is a short video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hJfOfpSDndGNgJY

[@brewinghabits]

Doubling up on the comment but niceee, great roasting setup and I love the chill guitar vibes :D The timing of the roast sound on point too, which is stellar. Even having the fan and colander for cooling of the beans right after is some serious business. Even though its a DIY setup, it has all the properties and control over the right variables to make it produce a solid roast! Good job!

[@klausrossler684]

@@brewinghabits Sorry about the Doubling ... but since I made a better video I thought it might be ok to re-post Cheers

[@rigosulthan6893]

That's it I'm sold, I'm subscribing

[@AnwarHaikalRuslan]

Have you tried roasting coffee in an air fryer? It seems like a good idea.

[@brewinghabits]

I looked it up when doing research for this video series and it does seem to work. From what I read, the biggest downside is that many of the air-fryers don't go to the high heats to get the darker roast levels. The lower heat settings also means that the roast speed is slower than normal, which might lead to a baked bean. If I end up getting my hand on one then I'll for sure give it a coffee roasting whirl! If you end up getting one and try it out for coffee roasting, let me know how it goes :D

[@AnwarHaikalRuslan]

@@brewinghabits I finally got a Phillips air fryer, and it can't seem to make the beans reach first crack. The color of the beans at 6 minutes is similar at 12 and 20 minutes, so your hypothesis is correct. Most air fryers can't reach a high enough temperature, except for those rated for 220-260°C I guess. I haven't tasted it, but I could imagine it'd taste baked.

[@brewinghabits]

Ahhh I wish I wasn't correct because it would have been rad to have explored air fryers for roasting beans. Before you grind those beans, be careful as they might be super dense at it's bean core (as the heat hasn't been able to roast that part) and chip your burrs due to that green bean density!!

[@hgward]

Nice vid but I hope maybe one day you can tell us your thoughts on Nuvo Eco, the Hive, and the Handy. All of those are also under $100. With the assistance of a laser/infrared or K-type temperature probe, I have read that a reasonable roast profile can be created. Regardless, your coffee videos are very informative and appreciated.

[@shabadsebastian]

Thank!! What brand is the popcorn machine?

[@brewinghabits]

Most popcorn machines that use hot air should do the trick! I recommend checking out a thrift store and trying to snag one up there!

[@brewinghabits]

Want to learn more about home coffee roasting? Check out the two other parts of this video series! Part 1 - Should you roast your own coffee? - kzbin.info/www/bejne/kJXHnYF8ma2rhas Part 2 - The basics of roasting coffee - kzbin.info/www/bejne/f4qpZoWibtiUmKs