I GREW A Cup Of Coffee! ☕

[@brandon8900]

Gotta have a lot of respect for the coffee growers out there after seeing how much time and effort goes into it.

[@skippythealien9627]

Coffee is also something, like chocolate, that is so far removed between finished product and raw materiel that it is so easy to lose sight of how much time and effort it does take to grow it for sure Granted, this is NOTHING even remotely close to the people who have to grow the coffee themselves, but every time I see the coffee tree at my local botanic garden's conservatory, i do think about that a lot...how much effort goes into making the fruits of that tree into the cup of coffee i drink every morning Chocolate and black pepper are others i think about quite a bit

[@corywilliamsmith]

For sure ! After brewing my first batch of beer and working on wine, mead etc. I really admire the work people put into growing grain, taking care of yeast cultures etc.

[@skippythealien9627]

@@corywilliamsmith you make your own mead? that is badass!

[@crowellovecraft7289]

Grown in its native soil is only less than half the hassle

[@Towelie17]

Coffee is usually best 1-2 weeks after roasting - it usually "off-gasses" quite a bit after you first roast it, so it needs to sit in a non-airtight container while the CO2 escapes the roasted beans. otherwise the coffee made with SUPER fresh roasted coffee will taste pretty acidic and "grassy". Also, those old school popcorn "whirly pop" makers are GREAT at roasting coffee. Be sure to look online about "first crack" and "second crack" - the beans will literally start making "cracking" or "popping" noises (and jump around) once once you hit a light/medium roast and a 2nd softer crack when you hit darker roasts. The rabbit hole goes deep so just experiment with some unroasted green coffee if you want to get started! Sweet Marias is a fantastic resource to look up!

[@DreamsOfGardening]

Would love some more info on using the popcorn maker to roast your coffee beans. How interesting

[@sethtrey]

Is that off-gassing why I have found fancy coffee shops to have coffee that tastes like lawn clippings? Are their beans too fresh?

[@meepmeep7165]

Went to comment exactly this

[@jerichopalomo4448]

⁠​⁠@@sethtreydefinitely sign of underdeveloped roast. Meaning they ended the roast too quickly giving vegetal, grains/cereal, and grassy notes. You were paying for wrongly roasted coffee haha. Off gassing (c02) just helps the coffee taste less acidic (removal of carbonic acid) and clearer (clarity refers to you being able to taste the flavor profile that the coffee claims to have)

[@jakegarcia1796]

Loved the video, Kevin! I’m definitely a coffee nerd so I wanted to mention that coffee roasters will “rest” their freshly roasted coffee beans because they tend to give off mainly green and vegetal tasting notes. Seems counter-intuitive, but you really want 1-2 week old roasted coffee, to get the best flavor. That could have been why your coffee tasted so green!

[@DreamsOfGardening]

That's really important to know, thank you!

[@zacharyreed2347]

True! Another purpose of resting the beans is to let them off-gas. That is, right after roasting there's tons of pent-up CO2 in the beans and if you give them some time to let those gasses escape, it'll taste better

[@jakegarcia1796]

@@zacharyreed2347 Great point! The gasses interfere with the actual brewing/extraction process, so it changes the flavor of the coffee as well.

[@EnglishDave6767]

Love this! I’ve been growing my own coffee, here in Brookings, Oregon, since 2011. We have an interesting micro-climate here. My coffee “tree” flowers almost 2-3 times a year, & has a lot of coffee fruit (coffee cherries.) right at this moment, in September. It’s in a greenhouse, with my Cardamon, Ginger, Black Pepper, & Ayahuasca vines. Cheers! ❤

[@1Lightdancer]

That's awesome - Brookings has a great microclimate! I'm N of you in McMinnville - and grow tea camellia, but haven't tried coffee yet!

[@teagan_p_999]

Huh. If you can make it work that far north I wonder if I could pull it off on Vancouver Island someday.

[@mrprince5934]

@@teagan_p_999 im trynna grow mine in toronto, so far its turning out great. but im kinda worried about the winter that's arriving soon

[@dragonborn5740]

I live in florence and didn’t even think to try it, I just assumed it couldn’t be done Guess ill have to give it a “shot” (hah see what I did there) Is your greenhouse heated?

[@EnglishDave6767]

@@dragonborn5740 hey neighbor! Love Florence! Yeah, my coffee tree is inside a greenhouse, but i only use heat in the late fall/winter months. I just use one of those portable oil radiator style heaters, with the thermostat turned to one quarter power; just to take the edge off the colder temps. The passive solar heat from the greenhouse gets crazy in the summer months, & I use an automated misting system, & a fan to regulate it. Cheers!

[@TheRoon4660]

When I lived in the Dominican Republic my friend had coffee trees and cacao so we made coffee and chocolate. It is quite a bit of work so that was why people just bought their coffee in the colmado (local store). They have the best tasting coffee in the world (in my opinion).

[@benliggett8617]

I’m right there with you: love DR coffee

[@stevewilcox6375]

"I'm not a coffee snob." but you have two grinders, scales and a pouring kettle! Great! Fascinating experiment. Thanks for sharing this.☕

[@lemonyskunkketts7781]

Personally, I would try to make the fruit part into a jam preserve and see what prize comes out of it. Coffee fruit jam, pair that with your coffee.

[@kaymill5565]

Jaques the goat! 🤣 This was fun! THIS is why we love Epic Gardening!

[@MCR6000]

Definitely has a "everything tastes better if you grew it yourself" vibe. ☕ Now I really want to see the peanut episode.

[@jeremyhorvath2052]

Agree that the popcorn air popper is great for roasting a small amount of beans. I would wait until first crack when you hear them pop to get a solid medium roast :)

[@hbm_54]

Awesome!! I grew up in Puerto Rico and my grandpa had a small orchard, which had a few coffee shrubs. You have to let the bean dry for a few days, then roast it. Otherwise it won't taste good. The husks are good as addendum to the soil too, just like the ground coffe once you brew it. And "cáscara" has the accent sound on the first a. 😁 Keep up the good work! 💪🏽🥰

[@Yoliplanting]

😂😂 I was wondering what he was saying too until I realized how he was pronouncing it

[@garchompy_1561]

sad times, one of my coffee plants was killed by my dog last year just as it flowered, with the other 2 dying in the spring from root rot as they were a few months away from maturity, all grown from beans. will have to start again, maybe with some more beans, and certainly more knowledge on growing, but since im trying to grow coffee in scotland of all places im surprised I even got that far on a first attempt.

[@joyofgrowing]

Love it!!❤😂😂😊 I would love to grow our own coffee beans!

[@janicelyons1248]

Hi I live in Jamaica and I love your channel. I get the blue mountain coffee from a farmer. think the mistake you made was that there is a chaff that is covering the beans that after you fry them in the sun they cak off. then you can roast your beans. cheers Janice from Jamaica

[@alllove1754]

Thanks for the coffee history story, and really cute cartoon going along with it❤ I just bought some coffee seeds from eden brothers, a relatively local garden place for myself here in NC. I'm excited to start growing it myself. Something about growing your very own cup of homegrown coffee just sounds GOOD! ❤

[@BasicBeachCommunity1]

I actually never heard of the fermenting. I've seen many shows including dangerous grounds and the people who pick the beans they usually wash them I thought so they do the dehusking and washing process. From there I remember seeing them do an air dry for quite a few days kind of out in the open and then sifting through to get the final bean. 🎉🎉❤

[@wyattroncin941]

Normally coffee is "wet hulled", where the seed is extracted from the fruit and endocarp before drying and then roasting. What he did would probably be called a "honey process", with most of the fruit removed but the still wet seed is left to ferment a little bit before it fully dries and is dehulled. There's also "natural process", where the cherry is fully sun dried before dehulling, giving the seed multiple days to ferment in the fruit. Natural process tends to give fermented fruit notes, like pineapple or strawberry. Honey process gives just a hint of those flavours.

[@urayoanmiranda]

Never knew the cascara was used. What I used to see is, after the cherries are peeled, the coffee is set to the sun to dry. After that you smash a bit with what's called in Spanish "a pilón" to get the grain inside. Usually that is cleaned with air, venting the slightly smashed beans. Then after that is roasted. PD. I'm not a coffee expert but i trying to describe what my grandpa used to do with his coffee in Puerto Rico. Yes, the process vary from place to place

[@FoodForestUtah]

We tried Arabica and Kentucky coffee last year. That was fun. Thank you for the kind reminder 🌿

[@jennylg6582]

I was literally just thinking about what coffee plants look like and how it all works! Perfect timing 🎉 lol

[@cyberwolf6667]

I bought c cup of coffee plants from IKEA, I transplanted them today into individual pots and I find your video, fantastic, I’m so glad I saw this because I put them into different sub😮 Columbus Ohio arabica in three years.

[@sosgardening]

I can't wait until the day that I can have a greenhouse and be able to grow exotic plants like this. Here in Toronto I need to overwinter my plants either in my house or the garage. Currently its the garage but with the really cold weather we have I had a lot of plants die on me (Peppers mainly) so I need to find a better solution before I can branch out to something like coffee. Hope you get more beans in the coming years and as with all gardening, harvesting and prep of the fruit it will get better over the years and more enjoyable!

[@willmallory9085]

9:51 remember, the store bought grounded coffee has additives.

[@hopik512]

I have arabica plant at home for about a year now. I dont drink coffee but my mum cant wait to try coffee from home. Its nice looking plant too, with the "waxed' leaves

[@hilda7698]

Thank you so much for showing us the process of coffee from tree to cup I really enjoy it 😀😀👍👍👍

[@sandysp1440]

Love the used coffee filter on the arbor. LOL My little coffee trees are about 9" tall. 🙂

[@teresaprice5070]

Cascara is the base for "natural energy drinks" ...love it!

[@mamabear968]

I have 4 little coffee plants but they haven’t fruited yet. I’m learning all about roasting in your comments section though, so I’ll be ready. Thanks! 😊

[@dillonbuford]

Oddly I before watching this video I watched a video of 18th century reenactors that focused on food and cooking in the 1700's. One of these reenactors Owen a coffee company. In this coffee episode they say nothing about soaking the beans in water but they do talk about drying the beans. They also roast the beans very dark and talk about the beans cracking two times during the roast and that is how the hull is removed. Short answer: dry don't soak, roast very dark until the beans cracking twice, this removes the hull

[@brandon8900]

Very cool, would be awesome to brew my own grown coffee beans!

[@B30pt87]

I'm at 200' above sea level, so Robusta is the one I'm going to grow. Thank you for all the information! Are you going to grow more plants so you can have a full cup next time? Please keep us updated on what you learn, this is interesting.

[@America21345]

I don't know enough about coffee roasting to offer advice, but from other videos I've seen, I think that oven roasting would be your best bet(without additional equipment). It may provide that even distribution and slower roasting for drying the bean out more and giving a fuller, more even roast profile. Very interesting experiment nonetheless :)

[@juliarroberts1621]

I am so excited to see this video. I have to plants, planted in ground here in Antigua. They are approx 18 months old. I can’t wait to reach this point.

[@phauser44]

The nurse in me knows that we give cascara as a laxative. I had a moment of worry for you then googled it. It's comes from a different souvenir. Cascara simply means the outer layer/bark. Fun video. I love coffee but doubt it will try to grow it. We are blessed to have local roasters.

[@NinaPratiwi07]

Wow! Never thought of growing coffee tree in a green house. Awesome 👏🏻 Our village (about 700m from sea level) is one of Robusta producers in Indonesia. The majority of villagers grow coffee and rice, some grow cacao and vanilla. It takes a lot of efforts and care for good harvest. June -August every year will be harvest season. We’ll get around 700-800 gr medium roasted beans for every 1000 gr green beans.

[@lionheartfarmandgardening]

❤ Kevin!! Congratulations on growing your own coffee! That has to be the best tasting coffee, the freshest you can get! All of that hard work is worth it in the end to get the freshest available. As a side note, the beans that float in the water are just sold as a lower grade coffee because they didn't mature enough to have a growth node in the center, so it's still empty and won't grow a baby coffee tree. It still tastes like a good coffee, just a lower grade. You can separate them, roast them separately, and then brew them to taste the difference. Or just roast them and save them in a jar for a later date, but taste goes down over time. Love the video, great work! ❤❤

[@dubrd5926]

You have me convinced. I am going to ask the wife to go and buy several more bags of organic coffee at the co-op and put them in the freezer. I don't care what it costs because I ain't growing and processing my own. When we can't get it anymore and I run out I will have to switch to wine and brandy. I know how to make that myself and it sure takes a lot less work than taking care of that finicky plant and processing the coffee.

[@xLascax]

The fact u gave a bit of background and history I find rlly lit! Great job!

[@stevesmith4051]

I grow coffee here in San Luis Obispo, California. Mine is a dwarf type tree about 5 feet tall and does quite well growing in a pot underneath a tree fern. It's strictly a novelty but fun to grow.

[@ellenkuang8853]

One of our new graduate students here at San Diego State runs his own small batch coffee roaster. It's called Catalytic Coffee run by a guy named Joe. Maybe you can reach out and see if he has tips on home roasting!

[@Alison2436]

I love the videos like these where u are trying something for the first time! That's what's so great about gardening, u can be a mid level or master gardener even and still discover new things by growing and making something you never have before. Such a fun journey!

[@jenniferrosario1489]

We don't ferment the coffee beans. We pick them let them out to dry a couple of days. We roast them with cáscara on an open fire. We then vent it to get rid of the shaft. At that point you can lightly roast again if you want to. Then we grind and enjoy.

[@rockyusa2012]

Very cool Kevin ☕️

[@jmkupihea7630]

You have the same kettle we do! Glad to see we’re in good company

[@torpearce558]

I cant wait to do this! A few questions tho... 1. Did you dry the green beans after fermenting or roast straight away? Also, I've been gifted a bag of coffee cherries that have been stored in a freezer... 1. Can I still grow a new coffee bean bush from beans that have been frozen? 2. Will freezing affect the final taste of the coffee?

[@royphaller]

A great video that helps us give some respect to coffee making. I might have to grow one in Australia

[@izzyxblades]

The animation at the beginning was so good I had to go back and rewatch it

[@matthysloedolff]

I watched this video as I was enjoying my morning coffee. Thanks for the info, Kevin. I've roasted some beans myself and what I found works really well is an electric popcorn maker, which uses hot air to spin/stir popcorn kernels. This gives a much better coffee roast consistency due to the heat being relatively evenly distributed. I based this on what a coffee roaster once told me; "all you need is heat and rotation."

[@dubrd5926]

Great idea. If I am ever forced to roast my own beans the air popcorn popper is what I will use.

[@heathervannuil4835]

Not that I really know what I’m talking about, but when we went on a coffee tour on Hawaii island they dried their coffee beans flat in the open air for a few days before roasting them, turning them every few hours with a rake. They had it timed out perfectly because if it went even a little too long I guess they were ruined!

[@NerdyMaiden]

I've got 2 coffee plants growing right now, can't wait to see if I'm able to grow coffee someday!

[@jerichopalomo4448]

Hey there. What you did was a washed process coffee. You really want to dry them first before roasting or the center will not develop (roast) during roasting due to high moisture content. Also, you need to hear cracking (first crack) before you stop roasting. You’re gonna have underdeveloped coffee if you stop too early

[@destinythegay]

You can grow dandelion like the ones you see in your yard. Make sure to not pull from areas that get their yards sprayed with pesticides and stuff. You find it and pull it out with the root and can dehydrate/bake the root and grind it and you have natural coco/coffee or coco powder and the whole dandelion plant is edible and is very healthy/ beneficial for you as in heart, blood pressure, and etc. you can also make fried dandelion nuggets by using the heads and put in batter with your seasoning choices and fried and it’s so good. Hope y’all try and enjoy this tip.

[@karenfreeman3595]

I loved the coffee filter flipped over your should getting stuck in the vine. Made me laugh.

[@a.l.a.7847]

The origin story you made the fun video of starring Kevin the Goatherd and Jacques the Goat has been attributed to both the origins of coffee and qat.... Ethiopia and Yemen both star in both origin stories, but who knows where coffee and qat started first? We'll probably never know for sure, but thanks to those goats and goatherds for showing us the magic mocha. (Mocha comes from the Yemeni port city of Makha, where Yemen's cash crop was exported hundreds of years ago...)

[@lizxu322]

I picked some coffee cherries off a random coffee bush on my walk, did the whole fermentation process and then roasting process. I did a light roast and oh my god it smelt amazing. I put the roasted beans in a little jar but then i forgot where i put it by the time i ordered a grinder 😢

[@christopherhernandez3937]

After watching this video, I forever will think of Jacques as having the body of a goat with blood shoot eyes munching on coffee plants. That is his true form.

[@Nangnoon]

Thanks

[@epicgardening]

No problem!

[@MarvMarvensen]

Grats on your own coffee. I'm from Germany, had a coffee plant twice, but both died within 2 or 3 years without ever making a single flower.

[@buuam7555]

1:36 the way he phases it i thought he'd been out off coffee for 3 years 😂

[@AHG1347]

I can imagine Kevin growing coffee on a larger scale and bartering it during the next apocalypse challenge.

[@suruived95]

Someone told me to "break" what's left after fermenting because what's used is what is inside, because the outside layer (and something she called silver skin) gives out a greenish cellulose taste. Not sure about it but did it on my first batch of homegrown coffee and went great, just a less heavy batch than I wanted. Now I'm harvesting my second year of coffee. Hopefully can improve. What leaves me with a good question. How do you deal with coffee plagues and diseases? Mine I think is a little sick and nothing I do helps to prevent some leaves from falling and some weird spots growing on them. Maybe fungus?

[@coffee_gaming]

I could be wrong, I heard you need to allow the beans to rest for about two days after roasting? not sure. Definitely going to grab myself two trees, I'm in crazy south africa arabica grows well.

[@ethanmye-rs]

Artisanal coffee is usually picked when ripe. Cheaper mass produced coffee is picked all at once a couple times of year. Typically, the mucielage around the beans is fermented, sometimes skin on, mostly skin off.

[@bobjaynes2782]

We have a coffee plant in San Diego in either 10a or 10b (haven’t checked the new charts) but it’s never seen a green house and is flourishing. If you want to see a picture of it or see it in person let me know. I have. A funny feeling we live within a few miles of you (based on all the queen palms in the backdrop of your videos). I have no idea how to instant message or otherwise so getting ahold of each other ought to be intersting

[@jamescanjuggle]

as a barista this is on my bucket list, im in Ireland so ill have to put in a lot of work, but wow would it be a dream

[@Ms.Forsyth]

Reminds me of Philippines I grow up Surrounded with Cacao and Coffee farm ❤❤❤

[@abyssal_phoenix]

Growing coffee is a thing of its own, especially in a colder climate After some research i found that tea bushes may survive the winters here though so that would be a great thing too

[@joyofgrowing]

The more you grow the more you know! After watching I realize I love green Matcha tea so this might be a win win! Ultimately, growing a Matcha tea leaf plant might prove wonderful for me! Ever thought to grow tea plants to harvest the leaves ...Ceremonial Grade Matcha Tea perhaps? That would be right down my alley for sure! Love your videos & keep up the hard work both physically, creatively and mentally!

[@epicgardening]

That would be fascinating!

[@carolbeers4208]

Amen coffee growers have my respect...alot if work

[@mgs721]

So I've grown two crops (years) of coffee from my trees. I researched online how to brew it and it seemed like every source said that after fermenting, you need to let the beans dry for a few days, then peel off the husk (silver skin? I think), THEN roast what's left! I found that what's left inside is tiny and sometimes, there is nothing at all! So... I'm wondering what is the proper way to get from cherries to cup. 🤷‍♂

[@8oclocktomatotalk]

This is one of those “Finally Did It!” moments. Well done as always Kevin.

[@Jocelynn_Nails]

In Puerto Rico my grate grandma would leave the coffee beans out in the sun to dry for several days, she would put the in a box and let them dry then she would roast them 1-2 weeks after

[@Lola_nella_Roma]

The “heavenly” music at 1:27 🤣😇

[@BrokeFarmer]

In Georgia you making me wanna try to grow it

[@Giguru04]

Another epic experiment! ❤ I tried sprouting coffee seeds as well, but failed miserably… but after this vid I’m dedicated for some homegrown bean tea!

[@MichelleMonstera]

Me too! I couldn't get any of them to spout 😢. I used the plastic bag and wet paper towel method.

[@jessicawright4102]

I need a coffee plant now.

[@nandaje]

in my home town the leaf can make into some of tea its called " kawa coffee ", leaf dried in sun then roasted

[@danielabrown6188]

I love how you pronounce cascara, makes it sound so sophisticated. Cascara is spanish for peel. 😂

[@brettp_DO]

Something that I'd love to dabble with someday. Love your content!!

[@jessicasimmons3957]

I just love watching you enjoy the fruits of your labor, literally lol even if it's just a tiny bit, just remember, YOU did that ❤

[@SandraPerez-tz3fw]

So neat to see the process. I must say I was getting distracted by Pucci in the background 🤩 it's looking so good!

[@sarahwieland3243]

Wow, what a lot of work for so little return! You did make me wanna grow some tho 😂 That is just too cool!

[@vladivanovic1234]

He’s in the UK but you could collab with YTs biggest coffeetuber James Hoffman 😊 awesome video btw. Would love to have my own coffee tree, good to know which is the easier of the two for sea level.

[@FrozEnbyWolf150]

Could this be done in zone 7b if it were brought indoors over the winter? I think MIgardener does this, but his coffee tree is inside a giant pot and the room gets a lot more sunlight than I have available.

[@OR-River-Rat]

When roasting, you need to roast until the bean starts cracking and sounds like popcorn popping. That is “1st Crack”, which is a medium roast. Keep roasting until you hear “2nd crack” sounding like rice crispies. This will produce a full city roast. HTH

[@TomTheTruckdriver]

I love your videos man. Nice relaxed style, great to see some experimenting. Your channel has been a big inspiration to change from lawn to fruits, vegetables and insect friendly plants :D Pulling a leek out of the garden for my morning eggs is bliss.

[@exxolight]

coffee have similiar way of taste like wine, a terroir in wine also happen in coffee, in tropical region, we grow in under bit of shade, not on direct sunlight, it berry will rippen faster if hit by direct sunlight, not so good aroma from underipe seeds. soil also play key role in specific region taste

[@Chris-op7yt]

many people grow camellias as ornamentals, already. i think we can actually pick young leaves to make tea? some varieties are better than others for tea, but i think all can be used.

[@mhpjii]

Absolutely cool, Kevin. Enjoy!

[@AlyonaHaines]

I have a coffee tree in my bathroom 😂😂 and it finally produced berries this year, like 5 of them. Looking forward to having the world's tiniest bathroom coffee soon 😅

[@johnwhitton9977]

Life goal. Grow and brew a single cup of coffee. See you in few.... . I love coffee

[@clockwork_ren]

Barako coffee is the popular coffee plant grown in the Philippines, it tastes really good

[@jimmiewd]

Would have been better if you dried the beans before roasting, best method in my opinion would be Sun drying if you can. And Cascara would be better if you put it though your dehydrator! Will give you a great and intense tea flavour. And it's also a great brewed and them cooled and as an Ice tea and depending on your flavour served with dehydrated citrus (and sugar syrup if you want the sweet flavour, I prefer non sweetened though) Have fun with it 😅

[@minhducnguyen9276]

They are quite easy to grow given the right conditions aren't hard to achieve as long as you are living in a sub tropical or tropical climate. Unfortunately my uncle brought home a robusta coffee plant which cannot self pollinate so while the plant is healthy it cannot bear fruit.

[@MlssDl]

For roasting beans, get an popcorn popper machine! Trust me, best thing ever.

[@stoneyhopkins1623]

Thanks for sharing. I'm interested in growing coffee and vanilla but im in the wrong climate.

[@sylterran]

Idk how close to Long Beach, or Belmont shore you are, but I bet you'd have a great time if you could meet Mike Sheldrake of "Sheldrake Coffee Roasting" on 2nd street. Worked there for years years back, but you could get a real in depth convo going about coffee there. 😊 ( they have a great 1800s roaster in the back too!)

[@amandapitzenberger5285]

the nomadic movement youtubers started a coffee business the morning movement and you have to try it!!!! Roastery in Stowe, VA and just an epic story and channel. The tossing of the bag, you are truly epic!

[@JeffCampanozzi]

Chemex is the most ideal way of having coffee. When I want to take my time making coffee I grab a roast from my local Colorado roaster and use chemex to have it.

[@TerraBonitaoficial]

Adoro tomar café. Parabéns pelo vídeo. Muito interessante e explicativo.🇧🇷

[@iamladyblack1188]

Now I’m curious to know how many beans it takes to make the mocha I buy and I love so much!!!