If you are BUYING A COFFEE ROASTER? Watch this FIRST - Coffee Roasting (Episode 2)

[@Shadowmobo]

I love that I come back from Colombia and farmers there gave me homework to look up sample roasters for them, and top search results pointed me to this youtube video! Thanks, and let's catch up soon bro.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Dude I just got a sample roaster! I was thinking about you this weekend. I have been holding off to roast your coffee. We need to set a day to knock out that podcast! Hope you travels went well!

[@IvanHoeEeWu]

Hi Rob, thank you for this video. Will watch a bit more of your videos on roasters & start asking you questions.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Heck ya buddy! You planning on getting a new one? Thanks for tuning in my friend!

[@timyeh77]

From the land of coffee here...makes me smile to see this! Nothing is like a freshly roasted coffee in the morning 😊

[@jeremiepurdy4194]

Phenomenal information and so knowledgeable and kind!

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Thank you so much! I truly appreciate that. Hope you enjoy the roasting journey. Hit me up with any questions!

[@cwTheDrummist]

Great video, Rob! I'm on team Behmor. I've been roasting with the 1600+ for five years. I usually roast 2 lbs per week. You weren't kidding about the money I've saved by roasting my own! I love it!

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Oh ya! Specialty coffee retail adds up. It’s nice to pick some amazing green coffee out at sweet Maria’s and just roast your own. Where do you normally get your green at?

[@cwTheDrummist]

@@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee I get my greens from Burman Coffee Traders in Wisconsin. Living in the Chicago suburbs, I qualify for their Speedy Delivery shipping rates. What's your favorite to roast?

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Any African really. I have been playing around with a Burundi and Tanzania recently. Really have been enjoying finding the sweet spot in both of those. What about you?

[@shanewilson2152]

Hi again Rob, another great video. A lot of really good information again Rob. Keep doing what you are doing. ☕☕👍

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Thanks!! Going to keep doing my best. Working on the website for Podcast hosting this week but hoping to shoot one over the weekend and put one out next week. Again thanks for all the support. Means the world and makes these late nights all worth it!

[@shanewilson2152]

@@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee l really enjoy your videos, they show your real character, boy are you a character 🤣🤣👍☕☕ keep up the good work.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

@@shanewilson2152 haha thanks so much! Truly appreciate hearing that. I am going to definitely try and keep it simple and authentic.

[@panikpas]

I roast my coffee on the bbq and it taste awesome! I use a Weber rotisserie basket. With the right method (timing and temperature), you get a very very good result at the lowest cost.

[@floralaxissunbro4800]

This is a great question. Its just like someone asking..."whats the best bbq grill to get?" And...."Is gas or coal better?" Personal preference will always play a role and like he said....WHAT IS YOUR GOAL.👍

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Exactly! I get asked it a lot and I always have to start out with, “well what are your plans in the future with it?” After that it is pretty easy to give some direction. Thanks for watching buddy and have a great weekend!

[@bamagtrdude]

agreed - identify/clarify your goal, and get the roaster that fits that

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Exactly! Hope all has been well over there buddy!!

[@bamagtrdude]

@@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee ya man - doing GREAT!! actually roasted 24 oz's on Sunday in my "FrankenRoaster" (heat gun/bread machine) LOL ... loving this HIVE Roaster too for small batch stuff ... that 1/2 combo is working GREAT for me, as a hobbyist/home roaster ... i did "hack" a bean mass probe on the HIVE & my results have been UBER consistent/good from the jump ...

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Nice! I just saw where the hive maker put out a digital readout for his roaster. I would like to try it too and see. The hive is just so run and gun it’s hard to beat.

[@TomFord_]

Always great advice love it short and sweet! Thanks Rob!

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Appreciate the kind words Tom! Thanks so much for watching!

[@rehancoffee2265]

i live in asia and just last month i had an idea to use Japanese Tea Roaster. and wow.... it does work really good for me,

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Nice! I will have to look that up and get an idea of it. Truly appreciate you watching and good luck on the journey my friend!

[@hosegooseman5]

Very good information. Thanks for sharing !!!

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

No problem buddy! I am going to start diving deeper into the issues but wanted to get some basic videos out to lay the bedrock. Thanks so much for watching my friend!

[@raymartin3527]

I have been roasting with a cast iron skillet on a gas stove for about 14 months now, I had to step back to evaluate how to correct a few problems but I can now say I get good results. First the skillet is a number 9 lodge from the 1950's nice smooth surface so the beans glide around the pan and don't kick out onto the stove like the pebbley 12 inch new lodge pan I originally had. I preheat the pan in the oven at 350 degrees for at least 20 minutes. I'm roasting an Ethiopian yirgacheffe now. I set my burner to 7 1/2 pull the pan from the oven and dump 4 Oz of beans and wisk them for 2 min, change the burner to 8 and wisk, I reach full yellow at 3 1/2 minutes, at 5 minutes in I drop burner back to 7 1/2 and reach first Crack at 6 minutes in and finish first Crack at about 7 1/2 minutes then pull it for a light roast or allow it to go to as much as 8 minutes for medium light before cooling them in a Callender over the sink for three minutes. I don't have problems with scorching, I have a clear view so I get consistent color and it seems to do a better job than the air roasters with the exception of the chaff which can be messy. I doubt I could get as good of results on an electric stove though. So far I have only done Nicaraguan, Columbian Supremeo and this Ethiopian yirgacheffe. I have different profiles for each. Just like with any roasting method you can control your roast with bean movement and temperature. The limitations are of course batch size and chaff but I may overcome the chaff with a countertop shop vac running during cool down with just a sock filter installed.

[@suew4609]

I was thinking of trying it outside on my propane grill's side burner. That way I don't need to worry about the chaff ending up everywhere.

[@raymartin3527]

@Sue W I've watched videos of people roasting outside but where I live the outside temperature ranges from 0 in the winter to 90 in the summer and that would have too great of a variance to get consistent results not to mention wind. My ambient temp inside is a constant 74.

[@suew4609]

@@raymartin3527 You're right. I really didn't think that one through. I was just thinking of the chaff blowing around, not the temperature fluctuating. Good point!

[@sammyesteban5802]

Great insight! looking forward on the next one BIDELI :)

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Thanks buddy! Ya, I can’t wait to start diving into some more in depth videos with it.

[@keithpoolehomecoffeeroasti489]

Great video Rob, and thanks for the shout out! Funny you mention the Ikawa, about a week ago I got the home model, it's pricey but so far I'm impressed. But like you say, just jump in with something easy, popcorn popper, cast iron pan, convection oven works too.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Hey buddy! No problem at all! Ya I can’t wait to try the Ikawa. Do you think it was worth it as of now?

[@keithpoolehomecoffeeroasti489]

@@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee I'm probably still in honeymoon period but so far I think it was worth it. It's strengths are ease of use, nice compact and all-in-one form factor, and super easy to burn through several profiles quickly. Has great clarity in flavor notes...all the good stuff (and bad) exposed. I can see why this is a tool of choice for green sampling and buying, especially where the producer has one, it's almost like a communication tool between sellers and buyers, kind of universal language. Down sides: price and batch size (most home roasters will never buy based on these two). Profiles and flavors may not translate to larger and/or non-fluid bed roasters. Also not clear to me that all those crazy looking profiles actually produce any better result than a simple short, hot and fast popper style profile. I'd like to get some probes in there to see what is actually going on when the temp spikes up then drops for example. Also no shared online profile library (with home version), you are meant to share on social media and their own bulletin board called Hot Air Community. They do have QR scans for the green they sell, which so far has been good but not amazing. The highest highs have been Sweet Maria's using generic hot/fast sample type profiles and just playing with development times (30 sec vs 40 vs 50 etc). Will be interesting to see how I feel in a few months. If you have some problematic green and not sure if it's the bean or its you/your roaster, this is another strength. Let me know if you want me to roast something you're trying to dial in, or just want to see how it tastes.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Dude!! Hell ya! Thanks for sharing this. I have been debating on a sample roaster and this is some solid feedback and advice. You the man Keith!!

[@ajandhare]

Watching from India. Loving the content! Thanks for sharing this info - I did my first skillet roast last night. Trying to figure out my green bean supply chain and diy roaster options!

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Heck ya buddy!! Glad you enjoyed it. India grows some coffee. I actually have been wanting to roast some and see how it does. That is one coffee I have not tried yet. Good luck on the journey buddy!

[@ajandhare]

@@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee thank you! I'll send you some green beans if any of my friends is flying to the US 😁

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Heck ya! I would live to see how they roast. Haven’t roasted Indian coffee yet.

[@almachavez6814]

Thank you for this video!!!!

[@drinksunbear]

Really looking forward to the podcast dude. let me know if you end up needing a small time roaster business perspective

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

I definitely do. I will add you to my list to reach out to. I want to try and do weekly so I will need a good list of guests to do it. I will keep you updated for sure!

[@GoTellJesusSaves]

For those who don't have the extra cash for a new roaster, you may have an air fryer at home already. I have been roasting some really great coffee for several months now using an air fryer. I couldn't find any good info online about how to do it, so I experimented until I figured it out. I'm still learning while drinking super fresh, tasty, low cost coffee along the way! I've found that roasting small batches works best. No need for stopping, shaking or removing the fryer basket during roasting. The coffee beans(seeds) need space around them for hot air to flow through properly and get consistency throughout the whole roast. I've found that keeping the roast size to 40 grams or less works best with my fryer size. I also needed to add a round stainless steel flour sifter inside the basket for the coffee to rest in while roasting. You can use another one or a stainless rice colander for cooling the coffee after roasting. I have to start at a lower temp and steadily increase the temp throughout the roast. Otherwise, it will roast WAY too fast. I've gotten to first Crack at 1 minute 35 seconds if I start with the ending temp. The air fryer is very controllable. You can add in a wired thermometer for more accurate temp control and monitoring.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Thats cool to hear! Never thought of the air fryer. Truly appreciate the info and thanks for watching buddy!

[@GoTellJesusSaves]

@@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee Absolutely! I'm so glad to share the info love with y'all. It took a lot of time and practice, trial and error, to get really good quality roasts with the air fryer, but it was worth it to me to have super fresh roasted coffee at home without spending more than 5 dollars, as I was given an air fryer as a gift. I only had to buy a stainless steel flour sifter and a metal thing that raises it up off the bottom of the fryer bottom to let the coffee sit in as it roasts. I can share detailed instructions of what I've learned the past year if anyone is interested.

[@GoTellJesusSaves]

@@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge and insights with us, my friend. God bless you immensely as you continue on.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Thanks brother! I’m going to keep trying to do my best! I live learning from you guys and sharing what I know. It’s definitely been beneficial to all of us for sure!

[@suew4609]

Interesting! I'm going to have to try this!

[@tstokes661]

Started on Kaldi moved to Coffee Crafter Artisan 3e both hooked up to Artisan. Went from ~1lb /hr to ~12lb/hr. (going business route) Learning curve was a little tricky going from drum to fluid bed but i have no regrets

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

A good running buddy of mine roasts on one of those Artisan 3Es. I want to get over there and check it out one day. Would you ever go back to drum or stick with that type now?

[@tstokes661]

​@@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee I would for sure go back to a drum. I love the fluid bed but i do feel like the drum was more... exciting a fun. You can still get great ror curves on both. The fluid bed takes up almost no space which is one reason i went for it.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Ya I feel they would be easier to control consistency in as well. Never really messed with the larger air roasters like that. Def would like to try it out and see that difference.

[@pauljerge4686]

I am a blind person who is interested in roasting just enough copy for myself. The concern that I have however is that I need something that would be safe to use and also something where the chap doesn’t go everywhere.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Man the Ikawa would probably be a good option. The home version would probably be best. The chaff is easy to deal with and the machine will make beeps when ready to charge beans and stuff like that. It’s not near as manual as other machines either. Roasting is a fun journey so good luck with it!

[@osamaharbi137]

very nice video thank you for your efforts

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

No problem and thank you so much for checking it out. Hope you are having a great weekend my friend!

[@bentleybroussard9846]

I'm thinking of trying my 70s style popcorn popper. A West Bend Strir-Crazy.

[@jerryhubbard4461]

What to you think about using a hammered wok over a gas burner for roaster?

[@eugenekong9972]

Check out Cormorant (hand made roaster from a German guy named Johan who makes them in England) 3-6 month waiting list but it’s worth it! 600-700grams propane machine. Roughly 2500 bucks

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Wow! I’m going to have to look him up. Thanks so much for sharing and truly appreciate you watching!

[@scottl9144]

I am surprised that almost no one ever talks about convection ovens/air fryers. My range has an air fryer setting. I get very good coffee out if it. Only issue is my wife grumps a bit over the house smelling like coffee.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

It’s def doable. The issue is consistency and dialing in taste. It can def be better than stuff you buy in the store but even a cheap little roaster will help provide some better results. No different than roasting in an iron skillet. Good point though. That is def the easiest way to start.

[@tallergeese]

I started with the heat gun/bread machine a few months ago and have been pretty happy with it. I feel like I'm getting decent but not excellent roasts. The temperature inconsistency with the heat gun is hard to account for. I installed a thermocouple to keep track of temps, but I'm too "busy" during the roast to take notes to create a profile. It's mostly just been a sanity check like "okay, there's literally no way I actually just heard first crack because my bean mass is at 300F." I'm kind of at a threshold where I'm deciding if I want to go harder into DIY'ing my setup with a lid/mount for the heat gun to maintain more consistent heating than just holding it in my hand and getting a bridge so that I can hook the thermocouple up to some roast logging software or just buy an actual roaster. The Hive Roaster w/ the Data Dome would probably be my go to there. Hmm...

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

I have like the hive but like you mentioned your so “busy” spinning it around you can’t take notes or right anything down easily. The Kaldi is pretty decent for learning but a DIY can be much cheaper and if done correctly can get some pretty good results. Dang roasters are just so expensive.

[@Stevesbe]

I love my kaldi 600g it took some time to get used to it compared to my bread machine and heat gun

[@rgailit]

Cajun Coffee Dude - My SR800 with Extension was a great 1st investment.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Heck ya! Those suckers work pretty nice! Thanks for watching buddy!

[@MrPreclajsz]

Hi Rob, greeting from the Czech Republic! I don't know what is the situation in US, but in the Europe is this roaster pretty popular - Gene Café Roaster. I buyed one few weeks ago and started learning how to roast. It's pretty great way to start :)

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

I have heard of a few people starting with it and liking it. I actually should of mentioned it in the video as well. It’s a good starter roaster I hear. Are you enjoying it so far?

[@MrPreclajsz]

​@@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee Yes I am enjoying it very much, so far so good. I am still learning stuff. But we can't speak about any identifiable flavours, yet :)

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

@@MrPreclajsz Ya its hard to develop that I feel unless you are cupping and constantly comparing different coffees and roasts. Cupping can just get super time consuming and it wastes a good bit of coffee if you do it all the time. Gets expensive too.

[@UncleSkiBum]

I funded the Ikawa on Kickstarter 5 years ago and i love it. Full temperature control via an app and you can set 10 points on the curve. Been chugging along fine and been great. Only downside is the small amount it roasts.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

That's so cool you found it that early. I've heard great things about it from just about everyone who has one. I know they just started making a 100-gram sample roaster which is pretty cool. 50 grams was pretty low. I would love to get one in the future. Thanks so much for watching my friend!

[@saedalnaimat]

Hey Rob I am a beginner in coffee roasting. My goal is to roast small amount of coffee for personal use for my Breville Barista Espresso machine (it has built in grinder). I was thinking to get a drum roaster, which one do you recommend? Also, Is it possible to roast coffee on charcoal ? I think this will give an authentic smoky taste.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

I don’t think charcoal would work well but it may be something you like. It is not something that is common by any means. As far as roasters, what is your budget? Thanks for watching to my friend!

[@saedalnaimat]

@@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee probably something below 500$ and thank you!

[@saedalnaimat]

@@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee any suggestions for something below 500?

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

@@saedalnaimat Hey buddy! Sorry, ya I think the Kaldi would be a good one to start with if you want to stay with drum. There are a few variations of the Kaldi you can find online so you may have to shop around to see what can ship to you. There are some air roasters you can get such as the fresh roast for well under 500 but they will not be drum roasters.

[@saedalnaimat]

@@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee thanks Rob I’ll check it out

[@night_xx8909]

How do you feel about a Besca Roaster from Turkey?

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

I do not know much about it! I will have to check it out and see!

[@bentleybroussard9846]

I'm the weber grill roaster lady. lol

[@slipshankd1307]

roasting over a fire is to me a bad idea because its too easy to burn the beans. Really a popcorn popper is the best place to start. I have had a Gene Cafe for three years and its fantastic. Its very simple and cost 600 dollars. The Behmor Roaster is a little cheaper and has built in roast profiles. For home use these are great but not for a coffee shop.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Oh ya completely agree. Iron skillets are not the best by far. I was just saying that people could start there and just see how the beans change color, crack, and experiment. Pop corn poppers are much better if you have one for sure. You mostly home roast now?

[@jaydee177]

Buy the Java Master! roaster!

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

I will have to look it up! Have not heard of that one yet. Thanks for watching my friend!

[@TimRogers81]

If budget was ent an issue what roaster would you purchase aillio bullet or ikawa pro?

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Depends on your goals with it. For selling and starting a business with, bullet. For learning education and traveling with Ikawa. Batch sizes are so different and that to me is the biggest factor between those two options. Both roasters are great though.

[@TimRogers81]

Sorry to bother you again rob but I’ve narrowed my choices down to the bullet or that 👌🏼REAL NICE Bideli. I have a spot to hook up either and my main goal is to roast for myself. Give some to friends and family. I this time I do not have a desire to roast commercially. What are your thoughts. I’m torn

[@abduwalimohamed7822]

Is your Bideli still intact and how long have you been using? Thanks.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

It is. I don’t use it much anymore as I mostly home roast and 4 pound batches is a lot on it. Still works good though.

[@abduwalimohamed7822]

@@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee what roaster are you currently using?

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

I have a Kaldi and hive I play around with. I use the Bideli sometimes but it takes me about a month to drink that amount of coffee. Speaking with Ikawa now and hoping to have a sample roaster soon. But for the shop I’m looking to open next year i am trying to budget for a Loring. They are all just so dang expensive.

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

What roaster did you start on? ..Or... what roaster are you going to start on?

[@daustin777]

I started on a Behmor. After a few years I moved up to a Mill City 500g.

[@challoy06141988]

I started with AuvelCraft Coffee Roaster 200grams capacity from Japan.

[@AussieMark888]

I started on a one kg electric drum and air roaster and then after a year moved to the 2.5kg bidelli gas roaster like yours. I have now done probably more than 1000kgs in the 2years I have had it but all is good. Would like a 5kg some day but worry about keeping consistent to what I roast. I find the time saver s are the auto portioning and conveyer sealer and slow mixer to blend. Really saves time. I may need a destoner at some stage. Great vid Rob

[@evanpiepenbrink4252]

I started on a Whirly-Pop with a meat thermometer! Got a Huky500 now!

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

@David Austin Nice! I love the education Mill City puts out. I support them for that alone. I have learned a ton from those guys.

[@ppudelko9120]

I have been using West Bend 1500W Poppery for a number of years, no mods just using my common sense of stirring the beans, especially in the beginning, starting and stopping the popper. The taste of my roast have been fantastic and the main two problems I have had was consistency of the roasts and the usually high hardness of the beans. The latter translated into pretty hard job of grinding the beans while using my Comando hand grinder. Well, after a long research and considering Huky 500T, Allio Bullet, Kaldi Fortis and Cormorant CR600, I have dropped the Bullet first (due to its high price and not huge need to roast 1kg of coffee at a time), then Huky and Kaldi (the first one because of the big footprint and price-wise, with all the add-ons, not very competitive; the second based on the high price; both of them have to be imported to the UK, so there are high courier costs plus import fees). And so I have selected the Cormorant CR600 roaster, a beautiful drum roaster with 600g load capacity! The nicety of it is also strengthened by the fact they are produced in the South West of the UK and price-wise they are very competitive. The drawback is only one, in a nutshell... the waiting time has recently been a few months. Now, I do hope to get mine within a month and a half!

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Dude that thing looks nice! I just googled it as I have not heard about it yet! I am very anxious to hear how you like it. If you do not mind me asking how much was that one total with shipping? Going to look at it more tonight and see if I can find some videos on it. Hope you enjoy it buddy and thanks so much for sharing!

[@PeaceChanel]

.... Peace.. Shalom.. Salam.. Namaste 🙏🏻 😊 🌈 ✌ ☮ ❤🕊

[@farrob83]

Wooooo too many sexy on the new studio space dude! Highly recommend the @aillio Bullet R1 V2 1Kg Roaster 👍🏼👍🏼

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

I was looking at the Aillio the other day. Suckers are pricey but they are beautiful. Have you been roasting on it long?

[@jakke1975]

@@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee Pricey? Aren't they about the cheapest 1kg roasters you can get? It's less than half the price of a 1kg Mill City roaster...

[@RobPirieCedarOtaCoffee]

Definitely true. I was referring more relative to my bank account. lol i have been wanting to get another smaller roaster to test out but I can’t quite commit to that price just yet. That is a good point though the price relative to even the Bideli 1 kg roasters. Aillio def has them beat on price and you can order fairly easy here in the states.

[@gundamfromjapan]

this was a great into thank you!