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coffee beans?

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wazzappenning

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so, i buy my coffee green, and roast it myself with a hot air popcorn popper. (nothin better than fresh roast) stuff on store shelves is so old. if it were fresh you would have the can blow up from the released gases.

anyways, i did a little experiment for the hell of it and put a couple of green beans in a wet paper towel. a few days later they germinated. unfortunately the climate here wont give me very good coffee (if i get beans at all).

i was just thinking some of you in the more southern states might have the right climate to get something decent (dont quote me on that though). and it seems as well that some of you have a little more growing room.

just a thought.
 

Jitterbugdude

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I've been roasting my own beans for about a dozen years. Nothing better than a nice cup of coffee and a home grown smoke! Well, ok.. maybe nothing better than coffee, a smoke and a couple of hot babes.. but my wife might get mad so I'll stick to the fresh roast coffee/home grown
 

Steve2md

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I wonder if it is too dry here in AZ..... Maybe an experiment in the near future? It would be cool to have coffee, tobacco, hops, all growing at once!
 

Juxtaposer

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Coffee grows as weeds in the gulches around here. I know of some families that take excursions to go picking, but it really is a lot of work because the fruits are not all ripe at the same time so you have to pick through a lot of different bushes/trees. I've always wanted to make me a fresh cup.
 

johnlee1933

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As a kid my Mom would save the days coffee grounds and my job was to carry them to the garden. Is there any benefit to this or is it just an old wives tale?

John
 

wazzappenning

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I've been roasting my own beans for about a dozen years. Nothing better than a nice cup of coffee and a home grown smoke! Well, ok.. maybe nothing better than coffee, a smoke and a couple of hot babes.. but my wife might get mad so I'll stick to the fresh roast coffee/home grown


12 years? you must be in with the pioneers of the popper method.
 

wazzappenning

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As a kid my Mom would save the days coffee grounds and my job was to carry them to the garden. Is there any benefit to this or is it just an old wives tale?

John

i put them in my compost, but i hear they are acidic. i think i read that acidic soil is good for tobacco.

either that or i put them around the front flower bed. cats dont like it and keeps them from using it as a littler box. i heard about this mid last summer and it seems to work. no new cat poops.
 

SmokesAhoy

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my wife is in love with coffee. if i was on one side of a burning building and the last bag of coffee in the other, i'd be toast. that being said there is nothing in this world she values more than coffee. the silver lining is she adds so much cream (at least i got her to cut the sugar) that it really doesnt matter what brand, it all ends up tasting fine with 1/8th of the cup being half and half. I found coffee 2.50 per pound at walmart, bought the entire shelf. It's been so crazy expensive lately, i dunno if it is going down or if that was an anomaly, but i cant touch the stuff normally for less than 3-5 dollars a pound so i got all i could. when coffee started spiking up i suggested we just dont get it anymore, hah, she just about divorced me over that comment. :)
 

wazzappenning

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I've had the impression that roasting coffee beans in the kitchen is a very smoky affair.

Bob

also very messy, the husk comes off the bean and flies all over the place. thats why i rigged this up. its not a perfect seal, so the odd husk crumb falls on the stove, and the only slight smell is from dumping the beans into the sauce pot (to cool them off). it takes half a sec to get it under the stack.

03172012049.jpg

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johnlee1933

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Wazz,

I am about ready to try it. I am solving the smoke/chaff problem by doing it on the porch. What kind of beans do you buy? I want a low acid brew. The coffee guys has a confusing array of green beans to choose from. Do the beans tend to fly out? Does that mean I'll need a tin can chimney like you used? What kind of a roast do you like and about how long does it take? How soon after roasting to you grind and brew? I've got a 1200 watt West Bent unit, much used but still moves a lot of hot air. (Much like some of my friends) ;)


Thanks,
John
 

wazzappenning

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is it warm in CT? i was doing it outside too, but tried it in the winter and it wouldnt get hot enough. i find that a constant ambient temp helps get consistent roasts.

i really like the guatemalan antigua. not sure if the antigua is just a fancy name extension, but you should be able to find guatemala beans. as far as the acid. i find this one very smooth. the coffee guy told me they are all acidic, but i know what you are talking about, and this doesnt have that acid/bitter aftertaste. ive also tried tanzanian peaberry, and find it too flowery like. if you go columbian, its just standard.

yes. beans fly out because they expand as they roast. the soup can chimney keeps them all in most of the time. i use about 3/4 cup of green at a time, thats about max capacity for mine. that much lasts the wife and i a day or two, (perfect to keep it fresh) we have 2-16 oz mugs ea a day.

now the important part. it takes about 5 min to roast. the same time it takes to brew in a french press, so i do it at the same time. the key here is 1st and 2nd crack. the 1st crack will sound almost just like popcorn. then there should be a brief pause 15-30 sec. then 2nd crack will sound more like rice crispies (not as loud as 1st crack) if you let 2nd crack go about 10-20? cracks and then quickly dump it into a pot or bowl and shake it around to cool, you should have an almost perfect roast. adjust for taste, more into 2nd crack more of a french roast.( i find it tastes like ash) if the cracks become rapid and plentiful, youve got ash. my coffee guy said if you can catch it just before 2nd it would be good. i disagree, letting it crack 2 or 3 times isnt roasted enough for me (even he brings into 2nd)

letting it sit in the pot overnight (uncovered) should let out enough gases to have a nice cup of coffee. dont put this stuff in a sealed container (it could burst). in a pinch i have ground it several minutes after roast, then let the ground sit open for 10 min, then blow on it in the french press to release more gasses.

hope that helps.
 

SmokesAhoy

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I don't know anything about the acid but my favorite bean is the robusta. Talk about a good cup of coffee. I even tried getting quotes from ali baba, but there even expensive direct.
 

johnlee1933

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Yes thanks Wazz, it does. It got up to 74 here today. Does it say on the bottom of your popper how many watts it is? Mine is 1200. That number would help me to judge the power/time thing. This popper has the usual top to direct popped corn down into the bowl. Do you think the beans would jump out around that corner? (Making the chimney is no problem). I just thought I'd ask your opinion. I'd like to be able to perfect an Italian roast for Espresso. It's quite a lot darker and maybe I'd be playing with ashes.

Yes, I can get Guatemalan beans. I buy decaffeinated beans not because I care but because my friends want it. I've been drinking strong black tea for years so coffee doesn't have much punch for me. After a cup or two of coffee the acid gets my guts. That's why I quit years ago but every now and them I'd like a good cup of coffee after supper.

Thanks again,

John

Thanks Smokes -- I'll ask about the "robusta".
 
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