Error404 said:How smug is it to say I roast my own?
How much does it help my image if I say I got my roaster from Publix?
I have a Bali wet hulled that is delicious when roasted dark-medium
I have always wanted to try roasting. I watched some Jamie Oliver cooking show on TV where the guy did it over a charcoal grill in a contraption that looked like a bingo caller's cage.
I also want to try throwing a couple Hickory chips on it right toward the end.
Care to share some tips?
Another vote for Bustelo espresso style ground coffee. Great flavor, very inexpensive by the brick, can be found at most grocery stores and easy to use with most styles of coffee maker.
I see a lot of you liking 8 o'clock. I have tried it many times and I'm not a huge fan. It tastes like Folgers to me. Not that Folgers is awful, just that my experienced pallette (he says in a french accent with his nose in the air) has graduated past that taste.
So I just ordered some AmazonFresh house brand coffee. I'm on a quest to find amazing coffee that doesn't cost a fortune. Over the next months I plan to try a bunch.
P.S. There is an amazing coffee shop in Perth ONT called Coutt's. They roast their own and they ship. I am ordering some today. It's $20/lb and $20 to ship it to the states. That's $40 a lb just to get coffee, but IMO, it's worth it. I get their Dark 'n Stormy roast, and their Fiddleheads roast.
If you find yourself in Perth, do stop.
I go for Trader Joes whole bean, generally their Columbian, Ethiopian, or Wake Up blends.
When I was a member, I'd get whatever whole bean Costco had, especially if they had a Kona blend in stock.
In reply to mtn :
I have also heard that Blackberry Market has good coffee. I will have to try that. And I haven't heard of Hansa or Brewpoint before either, once things get back to normal I am in both of those areas about once a month so i will check them out.
The local ones here are I Have a Bean (https://www.ihaveabean.com/), which seems like a good company that's worth supporting. All their roasts a little too light for my tastes but you can conveniently buy it from the cafe in the library. And Five & Hoek, which I find to be just too expensive.
Silverbridge: "southern pecan" or "Jamaican Me Crazy"
Only available in Columbus Ohio area, and this is second hand - I don't drink coffee but my wife goes out of her way to get it.
slowride said:In reply to mtn :
I have also heard that Blackberry Market has good coffee. I will have to try that. And I haven't heard of Hansa or Brewpoint before either, once things get back to normal I am in both of those areas about once a month so i will check them out.
The local ones here are I Have a Bean (https://www.ihaveabean.com/), which seems like a good company that's worth supporting. All their roasts a little too light for my tastes but you can conveniently buy it from the cafe in the library. And Five & Hoek, which I find to be just too expensive.
I'll have to try ihaveabean - although I don't get out to Wheaton much. Hopefully I don't have traffic court again anytime soon.
A note... I used to think I liked dark roasts. And I did. Until I started drinking a lot of good coffee, and I realized that a dark roast means you're burning the flavor out. Similar to how I used to like Busch Lite, I became a more sophisticated drinker (although I still drink Busch Lite and Folgers without complaint - I just prefer Okocim and Hansa).
Also, I have no clue how much Brewpoint or Hansa actually cost. They may be too expensive, but I used to get Hansa for free and my wife buys the Brewpoint, so they both may be expensive. Hansa also has locations in Lake Bluff and in the mall in Vernon Hills (in the Barnes and Noble or whatever that bookstore is called now)
In reply to mtn :
My main issue I think is I don't like coffee that tastes like flowers or fruit (if that makes sense). I Have a Bean's are a lot like that. But I do like to experiment.
When I lived in Ontario (Canada, not CA), we used to get the white can of President's Choice medium roast coffee. Surprisingly good and smooth.
And a +1 for Kicking Horse.
slowride said:In reply to mtn :
My main issue I think is I don't like coffee that tastes like flowers or fruit (if that makes sense). I Have a Bean's are a lot like that. But I do like to experiment.
That does make sense. I can't tell you the difference in the different beans, but my brother once brewed me a cup each of like 4 different coffee beans that were all roasted identically. Same light roast for all of them, but the beans were from Brazil, Yemen, Indonesia, and... Ethiopia? Maybe, but anyways, they tasted significantly different. Not as obvious as comparing a Porter to a Lager - closer to comparing a Porter to a Stout, or a Lager to a Kolsch - but I was shocked at the difference. I don't think I'd have been able to figure that out before I started drinking good coffee though.
In reply to Curtis73 :
8 O'clock whole bean is the emergency brand from the grocery store if I run out of the Don Pablo. It's not bad if prepared properly. It's better when brewed at around 185 degrees.
I've never tried their preground coffee.
Curtis73 said:Error404 said:How smug is it to say I roast my own?
How much does it help my image if I say I got my roaster from Publix?
I have a Bali wet hulled that is delicious when roasted dark-medium
I have always wanted to try roasting. I watched some Jamie Oliver cooking show on TV where the guy did it over a charcoal grill in a contraption that looked like a bingo caller's cage.
I also want to try throwing a couple Hickory chips on it right toward the end.
Care to share some tips?
I use a red Nostalgia popcorn popper. Some people get fancy with thermometers, router controllers, and assorted equipment but I just use the regular popper and it comes our delicious. I do use a scale, green beans come in lots of sizes so volume is not an accurate measurement. 85-85 grams per roast, for anywhere from 10-12.5 minutes, depending if I want a light or darker roast. I don't go full dark roast except by accident, with fresh coffee I've found I don't like dark roast as much as I used to. Around the 10minute mark I take the lid off, you want your temp curve to decrease in slope over time, and then I pour off into a frying pan to cool. A popper runs $20 and lasts 6-8 months, so it's not bad at all. I order greens from Sweet Marias from all over the world, I loaded up on Bali and Timor this past time around.
**If you can't find the red Nostalgia popper, ensure that the one you try to use has a solid metal bottom as the mesh bottom can let chaff through that poses a fire risk. **
I find the roasts are consistent enough for my dead palate and it's a whole lot cheaper than any of the hobbyist roasters on the market by a couple 0s. It's really a straightforward process and, if you royally mess it up, the waste is minimal. The smell is great, roasted today coffee is amazing, and it goes great as a stocking stuffer.
Edit: Prior to roasting my own, I was a fan of Peet's Major Dickason's and Starbucks Komodo. The difference between commerical roasts and home roasted is phenomenal, even with a low-tech popper. I am seriously considering a Cormorant roaster, when I can set aside the necessary funds.
In reply to mtn :
That sounds like the ideal way to figure out what you like. I have thought about trying to do something like that but then it becomes buying however many bags at once and all the brewing...
slowride said:In reply to mtn :
That sounds like the ideal way to figure out what you like. I have thought about trying to do something like that but then it becomes buying however many bags at once and all the brewing...
There are some subscription companies out there that send you samplers so you can explore new coffees. Babish (Binging With Babish on the YT) had a couple episodes sponsored by one of them.
Region has a huge impact on the overall flavor. The processing method does as well. Coffee is a whole world, man
In reply to Error404 :
Good point. I'm going to look around for that when it's time to buy coffee next.
In reply to Dr. Hess :
Funny enough I grabbed a big can of this myself because maxwell house was sold out everywhere. I think it's actually better
In reply to Error404 :
Awesome. thanks for all that info. Do you do a hardwood fire? charcoal? Propane grill?
Edit... nevermind. I just googled nostalgia popcorn popper
I tried Bustelo espresso after a similar thread maybe a year ago. I was not prepared to like it as much as I did. I still buy it regularly.
There was a time when Eight-O-Clock 100% Columbian was pretty good coffee. The last few times I bought it, I wasn't impressed. Either it changed, or I did.
I tend to let my wife surprise me with whatever dark roast whole bean coffee they have at Costco. Peet's Major Dickason blend, Mayorga Cubano, something else.
I just finished a cup of the Green Mountain Dark Magic. It's pretty good.
mtn said:A note... I used to think I liked dark roasts. And I did. Until I started drinking a lot of good coffee, and I realized that a dark roast means you're burning the flavor out.
I've had very good light and medium roast coffees, prepared by very good coffee preparers. It's not a matter of lack of exposure; I just prefer dark roast coffees.
Duke said:mtn said:A note... I used to think I liked dark roasts. And I did. Until I started drinking a lot of good coffee, and I realized that a dark roast means you're burning the flavor out.
I've had very good light and medium roast coffees, prepared by very good coffee preparers. It's not a matter of lack of exposure I just prefer dark roast coffees.
I still like a good dark roast, with complementary beans, but I also appreciate well done light and medium roasts that aren't burnt or so acidic that even my stomach rebels. Personally, dark roasts were my go to for years because everything else was either bland or battery acid.
What I don't like is cold brew. Ick.
Ok... brief rabbit hole moment. I just went to Sweet Marias and ordered the Nostalgia popper and it comes with 4 FREE POUNDS OF GREEN BEANS??? Sign my ass up. $28 with shipping.
Shut up and take my money. It's on its way.
Duke said:mtn said:A note... I used to think I liked dark roasts. And I did. Until I started drinking a lot of good coffee, and I realized that a dark roast means you're burning the flavor out.
I've had very good light and medium roast coffees, prepared by very good coffee preparers. It's not a matter of lack of exposure I just prefer dark roast coffees.
I agree. A really good light roast is still good coffee. I find I prefer either a dark roast at 1Tbs per cup or a medium roast at about 1.5Tbs per cup. Light roasts I will do about 2Tbs per cup in a french press.
What I can't stand is commercial light roast brews like in that Bunn or Curtis brand fast-volume thing in a diner. They put a little packet of coarse ground coffee in a massive filter and the water goes through so fast it doesn't have time to dissolve the tannins and proteins. It's brown-stained water.
Curtis73 said:Ok... brief rabbit hole moment. I just went to Sweet Marias and ordered the Nostalgia popper and it comes with 4 FREE POUNDS OF GREEN BEANS??? Sign my ass up. $28 with shipping.
Shut up and take my money. It's on its way.
Scratches head.
Curtis73 said:Ok... brief rabbit hole moment. I just went to Sweet Marias and ordered the Nostalgia popper and it comes with 4 FREE POUNDS OF GREEN BEANS??? Sign my ass up. $28 with shipping.
Shut up and take my money. It's on its way.
The neat thing about that is that the only real variable is time in the popper so you can really ease into home roasting. You can take the top off to cool it a bit but that's minor. Keep in mind, more beans makes a faster roast due to the increased thermal mass. Also, I find that their recommended roast levels are a good guide but it's hard to go wrong with a solid medium roast.
Welcome to a new obsession. I'll probably be justifying a Cormorant order in the next year, after finding a quality, hand cranked, burr grinder.
(Compared to dedicated coffee roasters that control drum speed, airflow, heating, and time. Then there's electric vs gas vs induction.)
Curtis73 said:Duke said:mtn said:A note... I used to think I liked dark roasts. And I did. Until I started drinking a lot of good coffee, and I realized that a dark roast means you're burning the flavor out.
I've had very good light and medium roast coffees, prepared by very good coffee preparers. It's not a matter of lack of exposure I just prefer dark roast coffees.
I agree. A really good light roast is still good coffee. I find I prefer either a dark roast at 1Tbs per cup or a medium roast at about 1.5Tbs per cup. Light roasts I will do about 2Tbs per cup in a french press.
What I can't stand is commercial light roast brews like in that Bunn or Curtis brand fast-volume thing in a diner. They put a little packet of coarse ground coffee in a massive filter and the water goes through so fast it doesn't have time to dissolve the tannins and proteins. It's brown-stained water.
That isn't a light roast (or maybe it is), it is a poorly brewed cup of coffee that was made too weak. Same issue that you get with Keurigs.
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