Smoked coffee

[Texas Jim]

Ever tried smoked coffee? I smoked a 28 ounce can awhile back and I was very surprised at how good it turned out. A friend of mine calls it 'Jim's Campfire Coffee'.

I use my CharBroil offset to do this. I start by dumping the can into a half size baking sheet, spread it out evenly and place it on the rack in the offset.

I commandeered an old veggie grilling basket and use it to build a fire with charcoal. Once the charcoal is whited over, I start adding handfuls of chips. I've got 3 pick-up truck loads of chips that I got for nothing, so I use chips instead of charcoal.

I use an old stainless steel steam table tray for the smoking chips. Cover the box tightly with foil and poke a hole in the foil with a pencil. Put the smoke box on the coals, adjust the exhaust and inlet dampers and in a few minutes, we got smoke.

Coffee doesn't start roasting until it hits about 350*. I have a River Country thermometer in the hood, so I can track the temp pretty close. I've had no problem producing a good smoke and keeping the cabinet temp at about 250.

About every 30 minutes or so, I open the cabinet and disturb the coffee with a fork. Kinda' like plowing, this turns up coffee that hasn't been exposed to the smoke. I usually give it a coupla' hours and pull it. Let the pan and coffee cool and put it back in the can.

14567404_1596676997295612_1928458510736286657_o-e1

• Texas Jim
• Mar 13, 2017

 

[crankybuzzard]

I've had smoked coffee, but I hadn't thought about making it myself, until now that is.  Sounds like a great idea and also a solid plan to do it as well.

So I'm sure, you are spreading the ground coffee on the sheet and not the beans, is that right?

 

[dukeburger]

I've seen this done a while back on these forums but with no success. Glad to hear yours turned out well!

 

[Texas Jim]

 
I've had smoked coffee, but I hadn't thought about making it myself, until now that is.  Sounds like a great idea and also a solid plan to do it as well.

So I'm sure, you are spreading the ground coffee on the sheet and not the beans, is that right?

Right. This particular batch, I used Maxwell House Dark Roast. The darker the roast is, the less is the caffeine and acid. Just started on my second 20 ounce mug.

 

[richard cameron]

I’ve never heard of smoked coffee before.  What does the added flavor of smoke taste like?  Can you smoke whole roasted beans?  I’m a serious coffee drinker and I would like to try this method sometime. 

 

[Texas Jim]

 
I’ve never heard of smoked coffee before.  What does the added flavor of smoke taste like?  Can you smoke whole roasted beans?  I’m a serious coffee drinker and I would like to try this method sometime. 

Not sure I know how to answer your first question. I guess you just have to imagine coffee with a hint of smoke in it.

As to smoking whole beans, I suppose you can. I think you'd get more smoke flavor by roasting it ground, though. That exposes much more surface area.

There's nothing difficult about it. You can cold smoke it or hot smoke it. You just need to disturb it every now and then to expose it to the smoke. If you hot smoke it, keep the temp below 300, preferably 250 or less. Smoke it for a coupla' hours and try it. If you want more smoke flavor, put it back in and run it again. 

 

[richard cameron]

 
Not sure I know how to answer your first question. I guess you just have to imagine coffee with a hint of smoke in it.

As to smoking whole beans, I suppose you can. I think you'd get more smoke flavor by roasting it ground, though. That exposes much more surface area.

There's nothing difficult about it. You can cold smoke it or hot smoke it. You just need to disturb it every now and then to expose it to the smoke. If you hot smoke it, keep the temp below 300, preferably 250 or less. Smoke it for a coupla' hours and try it. If you want more smoke flavor, put it back in and run it again. 

Thanks

 

[chef jimmyj]

This sounds interesting and a detailed post, but I am an Old School Guy when it comes to Coffee. I like COFFEE flavored coffee! No Toasted Mocha Almond Caramel Crunch will ever Pollute this guy's 16oz mug! As for Smoke? I'll take Apple Wood on fatty Bacon, 3 Eggs over easy and Onions in well done Hashbrowns...JJ

 

[mstphrchrstphr]

That looks great! I'd love to try smoked coffee.

 

[mr t 59874]

Good job HJ, have to hand it to a fellow smoking adventurist. Although not using your method, smoked coffee is not something new in our household. Individual cups of hot coffee are smoked using a handheld smoke generator. As for fuel, Folgers Classic Blend produces a very mild smoke. A 5-10 second burst and you are ready for a cup of smoked coffee. 

T

 

[GaryHibbert]

I think I'll be trying this. Sounds good.

You didn't say what you used for smoking chips.

Gary

 

[GaryHibbert]

Good job HJ, have to hand it to a fellow smoking adventurist. Although not using your method, smoked coffee is not something new in our household. Individual cups of hot coffee are smoked using a handheld smoke generator. As for fuel, Folgers Classic Blend produces a very mild smoke. A 5-10 second burst and you are ready for a cup of smoked coffee. 

T

We drink decaf dark roast (NOT BY CHOICE) and it can use all the help it can get. I'll be cold smoking in my MES with an AMNPS/mailbox system. What would you suggest for just a mild smoke? Something to jazz it up just a bit. Type of wood and time?

Gary

 

[hawgrider]

Yes Ive tried it. First cup of smoked beans was ok.... more than one cup was so so I won't waste anymore good coffee beans doing this.

Just my opinion.

 

[rigger45]

This is something to try!

 

[noboundaries]

Interesting.  I'm a bit of a coffee snob, but can see how smoked coffee would have its place.  I break coffee down in the following ways:

Coffee flavored tea.  This is the generally grassy tasting, high caffeine coffee brewed with Robusta beans.  It is served in a lot of diners and restaurants.  Smoke might add an interesting dimension here.  I grew up on this coffee, but have since moved on.   

100% Arabica bean coffee.  Flavor can be all over the map, literally.  I like darker, whole bean roasts brewed with 195-200F water using 1-2 tablespoons of fresh grounds per 8 ounces of water.  This is what I drink daily, usually a French or Italian dark roast.  I would not add smoke flavor to this coffee, but I'd try smoking a medium or light roast bean which is less complex.   

Espresso, moka pot (not mocha), Greek and Turkish coffees.  Rich, thick coffees using a variety of beans and roasts.  I cannot drink this daily, preferring it once a week.  I LOVE this stuff, but it is like the brisket of coffee to me.  If you have it too often, it loses its magic.  The flavors are so complex and deeply satisfying.  No way I'd add smoke flavor to these.  I think I'll brew a moka pot in the morning.

 

[masonsjax]

I have thought about smoking some beans but have not tried it yet. I have brewed some coffee with a bit of Lapsang Souchong tea added with good results. IMO anyway.

 

[ljroller]

Smoked coffee sounds fantastic. I roast coffee at home so here are my thoughts:

Coffee beans that are already roasted dark might not do so well. Since their outer skin is fairly oily, I don't think the smoke will have a chance to permeate the bean itself.

Green coffee beans (pre-roasted) are too hard and and would probably produce the same results as the oily roasted coffee beans.

I'm going to roast my green coffee beans just until the first crack (light roast). At this stage they are fairly dry skinned and should absorb the smoke fairly well. Once they are light roasted, I'm going to put them in my smoker using some fruit woods. I plan on cold smoking them 1½ to 2 hours, and at that stage, put them back in my coffee roaster and finish the beans to a dark roast (second crack).

I will update once I have tried this and if anyone has any thoughts on this please speak up.

Update:
After the second roasting, I smoked them again for 2 hours with Maple & Cherry wood...OOOHHH SOOOOO GOOD...

Roasted beans half way
Smoked for 2 hours
Roasted beans the rest of the way
Smoked again for 2 hours

Awesome...

 

[noboundaries]

This thread has been haunting my sleepless nights. After watching countless YouTube videos and reading as many websites, I've decided I'm going to start roasting my own coffee beans. The three pounds of Nicaraguan green beans I ordered are going to be here Friday, I believe.

I'm going to do a pan roast first on the side burner of my gasser, then move on from there, eventually trying the smoked beans too. It is always fun to find something new to do on the grill and smoker with equipment you already have on hand.

 

[TulsaJeff]

I will personally look forward to hearing more about this adventure!

 

[noboundaries]

Okay, I will do a detailed post after a few more roasts, taking pics of the process. It is SOOOO easy! Just finished the first roast of 1/2 cup (3.3 oz) of green Nicaraguan Coffee Beans from Primo Coffee Company ($19 Amazon), and it was a piece of cake, even with the issues I had. Learned a bit too.

Equipment used.
1. Small frying pan. I used an All-Clad stainless steel pan. More on this later.
2. Infrared therm.
3. Large mesh strainer (can use a metal colander)
4. Electric fan.
5. Heat resistant gloves for each hand.
6. Wood or heat resistant spoon or spatula to stir the beans during the roast.
7. Phone app with timer.
8. Green coffee beans.

Process I used. Everything was done outdoors. It is smoky and a lot of chaff is created. You don't want that inside the house. You stir the beans for the entire roast, never stopping.
1. Set the frying pan on the gasser's side burner to preheat. Side burner was on low. Took about 5 minutes for the infrared therm to read 350F.
2. While it was heating, I plugged in the fan, staged my equipment, and put on my gloves.
3. Had to take one glove off to start the timer (Doh!).
4. Used 1/2 cup (3.3 oz) of green beans. Dumped them in the frying pan and started stirring.
5. Saw scorch marks immediately on the beans. Pan was too hot. Raised the pan and kept stirring. The beans are supposed to turn yellow, then tan, then brownish when they start "cracking," which sounds like popcorn popping. This is called the "first crack." It should happen around 6-8 minutes when the temp is correct.
6. Started hearing the first "crack" at around 4 minutes, way too soon. Kept the pan raised until the cracking settled down.
7. When back on schedule, I blew on the beans. Chaff flew everywhere.
8. Kept stirring, watching the color of the beans change. I had to hold the pan well above the fire for most of the roast, only setting it down when my arm got tired.
9. The "second crack," which is kind of a quiet snap (like Rice Crispies and milk), happened at about 10 minutes. I forgot to look at the timer for the exact time.
10. Paid close attention to color, and when I liked what I saw at 12 minutes, I turned off the fire, dumped the hot beans in the mesh strainer, turned my fan on high, and stirred the bean over the fan to cool them off. If you don't do this, they keep roasting. It also blows away any remaining chaff.
11. By 14.5 minutes on the timer, they were cold.
12. Brought them inside, took a couple pics, and put the beans in a Ziplock bag while they outgas CO2. I left one edge of the bag open. After 4 hours you can grind and brew. Some folks say to wait 24-48 hours for peak flavor. I'll try them Saturday morning, about 18 hours after roasting.
13. When the roast was over, they had swelled to a little more than 3/4 cup and weighed in at 2.65 oz.

Lessons learned:
1. Next time I'll only heat the pan to 250F before adding the beans.
2. I'm going to buy an 8-10" wok to use instead of a frying pan. I probably lost 15 or so beans while stirring in the lower profile frying pan. A wok would be easier to stir and eliminate waste.
3. It was WAAAY easier than I expected, even with the heat issues. Can't wait to grind and brew them. I'll post again tomorrow morning. Depending how much of a grind I get out of these beans, I'll do a "pour over" brew in my cone coffee maker and a Moka Pot brew on the stove top.