Who roasts their own coffee on their BBQ or Grill?

[noboundaries]

More lessons: Two Burundi coffees from two different processers or cooperatives can taste quite different. I just ordered one of my favorite Costa Rican coffees from this year's crop. Will be interesting to see if it tastes as good last last year's crop from the same grower.

I really didn't care for the aftertaste of a Mexican/Burundi blend, both beans I didn't care for. This morning I added a couple of pinches of kosher salt to my cone filter before adding the freshly ground, roasted beans. The salt didn't change the flavor of the coffee, but took away about 80% of the aftertaste. I guess that's an old trick used by restaurants to smooth out coffee. It works.

 

[tallbm]

More lessons: Two Burundi coffees from two different processers or cooperatives can taste quite different. I just ordered one of my favorite Costa Rican coffees from this year's crop. Will be interesting to see if it tastes as good last last year's crop from the same grower.

I really didn't care for the aftertaste of a Mexican/Burundi blend, both beans I didn't care for. This morning I added a couple of pinches of kosher salt to my cone filter before adding the freshly ground, roasted beans. The salt didn't change the flavor of the coffee, but took away about 80% of the aftertaste. I guess that's an old trick used by restaurants to smooth out coffee. It works.

Interesting, I will try that with my girlfriend's coffee. She says sometimes the beans I roast can have a little bit of a bitter taste (I think it is just coffee in general). Next time I make her a cup I will do that and see if she tastes the little bit of a bitter taste at the end.
She likes those flavored coffees and such so I'm guessing her pallet isn't always suited for stronger or different coffees though she has really loved what I have been roasting for her :)

 

[browneyesvictim]

Hmmm.. Salt huh? Worth a try with the "less than stellar" roasts. Just placed another order.. 2 lbs each. Excited to try the Gesha the most!

GCX-5747-002 Guatemala Proyecto Xinabajul Wilmar Castillo 1
GCX-5707-002 Guatemala Volcan Acatenango Gesha Longberry 1
GCX-5601-002 Brazil Dry Process Sitio Pinheirinho 1
GCX-2933-002 Z - Sweet Maria's New Classic Espresso 1
GCX-5719-002 Burundi Kayanza Kibingo Station Lot #2

 

[tallbm]

Ooooh by the way guys, I got a new (used off craigslist lol) propane grill with a side burner JUST so I could roast coffee!
I figured I would share that news. Maybe in a week or two once I get passed being swamped I will be ready to do a roast as well as get back to smoking some food :)

 

[noboundaries]

Wow, Erik, that Gesha is pricy stuff! Now out of stock. I wonder if the volcano erupting had anything to do with that? I'll be interested in your taste test.

TB, congrats on the new gasser! Fun, fun, fun. I had two empty 20 lb tanks that needed propane refills for my gasser. I only use the side burner for starting charcoal and roasting coffee. Actually had a bit of a challenge finding a gas station with a "filling" station, not just an exchange cage. Found three relatively close to me. The app "Gas Buddy" helped. One wanted $4.25/gal, another $3.79/gal. The third only charged $3.26/gal. 8.2 gallons only cost $26 and some change. Way cheaper than the exchange cages. There was a little left in one of the tanks before I filled it.

 

[browneyesvictim]

Wow, Erik, that Gesha is pricy stuff! Now out of stock. I wonder if the volcano erupting had anything to do with that? I'll be interested in your taste test.

It wasn't so bad... $18.72 for 2 lbs. I'll let you know how it goes. I haven't had Gesha before. It seems to be a new popular trend that has drove the price up and has a limited sources and suppliers.

 

[noboundaries]

It wasn't so bad... $18.72 for 2 lbs. I'll let you know how it goes. I haven't had Gesha before. It seems to be a new popular trend that has drove the price up and has a limited sources and suppliers.

You're right. That's not so bad. I saw a price this morning of $42-something per pound when I looked. Probably a typo, but it was out-of-stock.

 

[noboundaries]

I switched my roasting pan to an old 10" stainless steel Dutch oven we had out in the garage. I can easily roast a pound now. Infrared was useless, but I was able to eyeball the roast today. Costa Rica Helsar. We'll see how it turns out.

 

[browneyesvictim]

That's a brilliant idea Ray! I thought stepping up to my 8 quart circulon stock pot was an improvement, but MAN a DO would sure make temp control a breeze! I still get some variegation in the color of the beans with the stockpot I might have to give it a try in one of my cast iron Dutch Ovens. Why was IR useless?

 

[noboundaries]

I've found that when I put too many beans in the pan the beans on top tend to cool off. I was seeing beans that were nearing light Vienna roast and was only seeing 388 to 404F on the IR. In the smaller pan a light Vienna was in the 430s. The roast was nice. Man they smell fantastic off-gassing. Four more days before I taste them.

 

[browneyesvictim]

Guess what I'm doing right now?

 

[noboundaries]

I can smell it from here!

I've learned more since I tried the salt addition mentioned earlier.

The coffees I've roasted that I don't care for typically have an aftertaste that sticks with me for hours. I would call it astringent or sour. I've played around with my roasting techniques on those coffees and it doesn't seem to make much difference. Time to look elsewhere.

Astringent or sour tasting coffee can be due to dirty equipment and rancid coffee oils. The equipment can be everything from the grinder to the brewer. I've cleaned everything thoroughly. That's not the issue.

Lighter roasts emphasize the "fruity" nature of the coffee bean. Fruity can come across as sour. Think lemon, lime, apple, cherry, etc. I typically roast to FC to light Vienna, so too light a roast isn't the issue.

Darker roasts can taste sour due to the decomposition of Chlorogenic Acid (which causes heartburn from coffee) into two other acids, Quinic and Caffeic acids. Based on the level of sourness I'm tasting in certain coffees, I'll set this one aside for now.

Roasting a coffee too fast can also cause sourness. I'm typically in the 12-15 minute range for everything. Some taste great, some taste sour. Maybe I have to adjust my timing for different beans, but I don't think so.

That brings me to the extraction, or steeping, of the coffee. Extraction is influenced by the temperature of the water, size of the grind, and length of time the ground coffee steeps in the hot water. I think this is the culprit. The fruity elements of the roasted bean are extracted first. Too fruity because the coffee wasn't steep long enough causes a sour taste. The sugars of the roasted bean are extracted last. Too much roasted sugar extracted because the coffee was steeped too long causes a bitter taste. I don't taste bitter, so finding the balance between the two is the issue.

Today I kept everything exactly the same, and doubled my extraction time on roasted beans I didn't care for. The sourness diminished significantly. It wasn't completely gone, but it was a dramatic improvement and the coffee was close to enjoyable to drink.

Tomorrow I'm going to use a finer grind and a longer brew time on the coffee I didn't like. Here's why. I found the following chart online on how to fix bad tasting coffee that is fresh roasted.

Flavor - Brew Time - Water Temp - Grind
Sour - Increase - Decrease - Finer
Bitter - Decrease - Hotter - Coarser

Lessons learned today.

After 50+ years of drinking coffee, I'm amazed this old dog can still learn new tricks.

 

[tallbm]

That's excellent info!

 

[KonaLance]

I love coffee, have since I was a kid delivering papers early mornings. Grew up on Folgers, then fell in love with coffee overseas when in the Navy. I've been searching for that perfect cup ever since, but for some reason I never considered roasting my own beans. I was perfectly happy buying roasted beans at the grocery store and grinding them for use.

Thanks to hillbillyjim and ljroller in a thread called Smoked Coffee, the seed of roasting my own beans was planted between my ears. I had no desire to buy an expensive coffee roaster, so I started watching YouTube videos about roasting coffee beans in a frying pan, plus dozens of other videos about home roasting coffee. Due to smoke and chaff, this is something you want to do outside. My gasser side burner was perfect.

All that was needed to home roast coffee was any type of frying pan, an infrared thermometer (and this isn't essential), something to stir the beans while roasting, a timer, and something to cool the beans quickly when they are done, like a fan and a strainer.

I had everything I needed except the beans. Went online to Amazon and purchased 3 lbs of unroasted, Nicaraguan, Single Ranch, Specialty beans from Primos Coffee Company. Price was $18.99, or $6.33/lb.

I've always liked a darker roast with an oily finish. Extremely dark French and Italian roasts, which I have consumed for years, have an oily finish. Then I learned that's how bad beans are roasted to be sold. I decided to try something just a little lighter with my own roasting. The beans are still dark brown, but not black, and they have a satin finish, not oily.

Roasting process: Preheat the pan to 350F on a gas grill side burner, or over a hot charcoal fire (looking forward to doing the charcoal thing), add the beans to your pan, start the timer, and stir continuously, watching for color changes, listening for 1st crack (popcorn popping sound), second crack (Rice Crispies snap), and the color you want on your beans. If things progress a little too quickly, just lift the pan off the heat and keep stirring.

The majority of the beans should crack between 6-8 minutes, as late as 9-10 minutes. A couple minutes later, the second crack sounds. When you see the color you want, turn off the heat and cool the beans quickly over a fan, putting them in a strainer or colander while you stir the beans. They cool in a couple minutes. Put the cool beans in a Ziplock bag, not completely sealed, and let them outgas CO2 for a few hours (4 to 48, depending who you're listening to). Grind what you need for a cup or pot of coffee, and enjoy.

First roast ever: 10/20/17. 1/2 cup of green beans and a small frying pan. I over heated my pan, scorched the beans, but still ended up with great tasting coffee. Total roasting time was 12 minutes, then another 3 minutes to cool. Beans were inconsistent in color from black to dark brown. Let them offgas for about 18 hours then ground enough for my single cup (12 oz) cone filtered coffee maker. Wow. Later, made an 8 oz cup in one of my three Italian Moka pots (3 cup, 6 cup, 9 cup, but they are espresso cups, like 2 oz each). Unbelievably rich and delicious, even with the scorching issue.

Picture of first roast. You can see the color inconsistency.

View attachment 341761

Second Roast ever, 10/21/17. Went to GoodWill and for $2.88 I purchased a 4" deep by 8" diameter, heavy duty pan and a wooden spatula. The deeper pan stopped me from splashing beans out of the pan while I stirred them. It worked like a charm.

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I prepped everything I thought I'd need, but never used the gloves. I needed them with the frying pan, but not with this deeper pan.

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Added 1 cup of green beans to a properly heated pan (took 1 min 20 seconds to reach 350F), then started stirring. Sorry, didn't get any pics of the beans turning color or cracking off the chaff. Everything happens pretty fast.

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Total time on this roast was 15 minutes using this deeper pan and more beans. Result was a much more consistent color and roast. Can't wait to try them tomorrow morning.

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1 cup of green beans weighed 6.25 oz. After roasted, they weighed 5.10 oz and measured almost 1 3/4 cups. Yes, the beans swell when roasted. That amount will last me probably 3 to 4 days. I usually have a 12 oz mug in the morning, and a 3 or 6 cup Moka pot in the early afternoon.

Beans in Ziplock, offgassing.

View attachment 341771

If you love coffee, and you have not tried roasting your own beans, give it a shot. It is SOOOO easy! The difference in taste is amazing.

Thank for hanging in there if you made it this far. Happy Roasting!

Ray

Awesome information, since I live in between 2 coffee farms here in Kona , I’m going to have to try that
I think I will try it on my Weber Wok with a little coffee Wood for flavor

 

[noboundaries]

View attachment 367721 View attachment 367720
Awesome information, since I live in between 2 coffee farms here in Kona , I’m going to have to try that
I think I will try it on my Weber Wok with a little coffee Wood for flavor

The Weber Wok would certainly work!

I'm just loving the whole roasting experience. And I experiment once I feel it gets familiar. Tomorrow, I'm going to try putting a stainless colander in a stainless Dutch oven. Cover the colander, cover the Dutch oven, heat and shake occasionally through the roast. Going to start with a small amount of beans I don't care for and see if it improves the flavor. More to follow!

 

[KonaLance]

The Weber Wok would certainly work!

I'm just loving the whole roasting experience. And I experiment once I feel it gets familiar. Tomorrow, I'm going to try putting a stainless colander in a stainless Dutch oven. Cover the colander, cover the Dutch oven, heat and shake occasionally through the roast. Going to start with a small amount of beans I don't care for and see if it improves the flavor. More to follow!

Awesome idea, I will keep on eye on this thread , I will also let you know when I give it a try !

 

[noboundaries]

Okay, now I'm jealous of a horse!

 

[KonaLance]

lol
Our horses get out sometimes, and they love all that green grass in the neighbors coffee field, and he loves just seeing them in his field, so it’s all good at the end of the day.
They don’t touch the coffee at all

 

[noboundaries]

Got too busy writing yesterday and didn't get any coffee roasted with the new method......but I did today! There are noticeable differences in the roast.

As a remind of the above, I put a stainless steel colander inside a stainless steel Dutch oven. I put a silicone cover we use in the microwave over the colander, then covered the DO. It wasn't sealed as the handles of the colander interfere with the DO lid, but it was pretty close. Definitely enough to capture heat. Pictures AFTER the roast of the empty set-up are shown below.

I pre-heated the above setup for 2 minutes with the side burner on high, then added 9.5 oz of green Mexican organic beans that I never enjoyed. They always tasted kind of sour. I lowered the heat to just below high, about 7/8's of maximum. Wearing leather BBQ gloves, I held the lid on and tossed the set up for about 3 seconds every 15-20 seconds.

Here's what I noticed on the roast.
1. No scorching! Each bean was evenly roasted. Some were dark, some lighter, but I didn't get dark on one side and lighter on the other on the same bean. And none of the dark spots from scorching.
2. First crack didn't occur until 9.5 minutes. Usually I'm in the 6-8 minute range with the pan roast.
3. First crack occurred more slowly and lasted until almost 14 minutes.
4. Beans went into second crack very quickly. Since this is basically a blind roast, I was depending on my ears and my eyes to determine when to stop.
5. I was still hearing a lot of second crack when I stopped the roast somewhere between 15.5 and 16 minutes. There is a thick grey smoke that happens when the beans start going into light Vienna and the French roast stage. I turned off the heat and put the colander on the fan for the beans to cool.
6. Note to self. LET THE COLANDER COOL BEFORE PUTTING IT ON THE FAN! The legs of the colander melted into the plastic fan cover. Oops. Hold it over the fan and let the colander cool too before letting it rest on the fan.
7. All the chaff is still in the beans, so it goes EVERYWHERE when you start cooling the beans, especially if you stir them over the fan.

At this point I'm going to let the beans off-gas for 4 days, then taste to see if there is any improvement or difference. If there is:

Lessons for next time.
1. See #6 above!
2. Shake the beans more often once first crack starts. I was AMAZED how fast the beans progressed from first crack into second crack. I'll get a more even roast by tossing the setup more often.
3. Stop the roast before you see grey smoke!

Now we wait for the taste results.

Here is the set-up I used.
Stainless steel colander in stainless steel Dutch oven.

Silicone microwaveable dish cover over the colander.

DO lid on everything.

Roast results: Reminds me of my first pan roast. With a little more practice and shaking, I should be able to get a more even roast. Thanks for looking!

Ray

 

[tallbm]

As usual that is awesome!
Your experience here makes me think, that is why the rotating perforated drums are used so heavily in roasting devices and operations. Your findings really make me lean towards one of those Kaldi drum roasters IF I ever go that route.