It was not long before I had managed to convince myself that I needed to find a way to roast coffee that would allow me to roast indoors so that I could satisfy my addiction year round. Not only is the coffee fresher and therefore better when home roasted, but it was also a fair amount cheaper than buying even grocery store whole bean pre-roasted coffees (our local grocery store has a somewhat limited selection of pre-roasted whole bean coffees). Home roasting is significantly cheaper than specialty/gourmet coffee shops locally or on-line, and hey, it’s just a whole lot more fun to be hands on doing things for yourself.
Being bitten by the bug, the next step was to do some research. I am one of those people who does not do things part way. When I choose to get in on something, I am “all in.” I began to research every available option for home roasting coffee, but in the end finances paid a large role in limiting the options available to me. Ultimately I chose the Nesco home roaster because of its price and because of the catalytic converter smoke suppression system it employed to keep smoke to a minimum. It also did not hurt that I am originally from Wisconsin and the Nesco roaster is manufactured by American Harvest in West Bend, Wisconsin.
My next big decision was from whom to purchase the Nesco roaster. This required more research. I was looking for the best price on the roaster, but nearly everyone who sold the roaster offered free coffee beans along with the purchase of a roaster. In the end this pushed me to make a decision based upon who offered the best (if not the most) green beans. Ultimately I purchased my Nesco roaster from Burman Coffee Traders. Burman offered a sampler pack of green beans, but they also had some interesting selections in their general offerings – and I couldn’t settle for merely getting the sampler package that came with the roaster, now could I?
A few days later my box arrived and I immediately plugged it in and began to roast. I mean, I immediately sat down with the owner’s manual and read all of the safety instructions before setting it up and proceeding to roast. Seriously, the roaster is so easy and so intuitive that reading the manual is not necessary, but I would recommend it just to become familiar with the roaster and with roasting coffee in general because it does contain some important and some useful information.
As good as my first roast had been in the popcorn popper (and subsequent roasts even better) the Nesco was ten times better. The delay between first and second crack in the popcorn popper is about a minute or a minute and a half. In the Nesco roaster the delay was closer to six or seven minutes; which allows for greater control over the level of roast you want. I was now roasting like a professional and falling in love with the coffee I was roasting. Now it was time to experiment not only with the roaster, but with a variety of coffee beans.
I have always wanted to try roasting my own coffee. We drink sooo much coffee and it is hard to find it dark enough and strong enough that I don’t have to use a lot to make a “decent” pot. At least if I could roast it myself, I could control that strength better, right?!
You pretty much control everything when you roast your own. From the bean type, to what flavors you bring out based upon how you roast it. Neil could give a way better answer to this but it really is the best way to have the most control over your coffee’s flavor.
Thanks for that response Jason. I have read a bit on roasting coffee beans but have never had much info on actual roasters! I will be bugging my husband for one of these now!
Sharla, if your husband is a coffee drinker it should not be all that difficult to convince him. If you could once taste a pot made from your own fresh home roasted coffee beans you would never want to go back to anything else. Jason is right — you are in control of everything from choosing a robust bean to the depth of the roast. You can roast as dark or light as you like and find a bean and a roast level to develop precisely the taste for which you are looking. Home roasting is a great way to “take charge” over the quality and the flavor of the coffee in your cup.
I’m a coffee lover so your input on the Nesco home roaster interested me. I drink coffee every morning. Sometimes I buy Maxwell House and sometimes I get the beans in the store and have them ground there. I wasn’t aware that there was such a machine that provides “home roasting” and with that said, understanding the costs associated with home roasting verses that of purchasing in store coffee or grounded in store coffee may not be the most cost effective. Although, when it comes to a good cup of coffee I don’t mind paying a bit more. I’ll have to read up on the machine a bit more and see the time involved and such with this machine. It seems to be an interest factor perhaps.
Victoria, I know $139.00 sounds like a fair amount of money, but when you consider the cost of a quality coffee, it truly will save you money in the long run. Folgers, Maxwell House, etc. are admittedly cheaper, but they are at the bottom of the quality level of coffee. You say you sometimes get beans at your local grocery store — I used to do the same, and in my experience the whole bean coffee at the store runs about $7.00/pound. Ignoring the fact that it is already stale before you buy it, you can buy good quality green beans from a reputable distributor for as little as $3.00/pound plus shipping. Even in small quantities this should not bring the per pound price above $4.00. This means you are saving over $3.00/pound of coffee and you are getting the freshest coffee available. You also have the option of trying a wide variety of coffees and some pretty exotic coffees at that. Bottom line, I doubt it costs more and honestly believe that it costs less, to roast your own coffee — at least less than whole bean coffee elsewhere.
Also, the Nesco is not the only “roaster.” If you read my earlier posts you’ll see that I started home roasting in a $20.00 air popcorn popper. If you live in a warmer climate, or have a good range hood and exhaust fan, you can use a popcorn popper, or even a cast iron skillet to home roast good coffee. I would certainly encourage you to explore the possibilities.
This is fascinating. Sorry for being so ignorant about all this, as I’ve been content with just grinding my own beans for awhile now. But one of these days a tree is going to grow some money for me and I’m definitely looking into this…
Wally, I hear what you’re saying about the money tree, but if you are buying good quality whole bean coffee now you could probably save enough to pay for a roaster. Otherwise, like I said; try a popcorn popper or a cast iron skillet (actually not a skillet, it has to be deeper than that) and you may find yourself saving enough money to buy that dedicated roaster sooner than you think.