Anyone? I think I saw one or two of you mentioning it.
As I said in another thread I use a popcorn pumper and a hurricane glass. Those are unmodified, but I use an extra long power cord which will extend the roast times just enough to get better tasting coffee. It’s totally by sight and sound - after second crack I give it maybe 5 seconds and dump it all out to cool. The house smells awesome when I bring in the hot beans.
I’m totaly in to it, I have a Gene Cafe’ but I have some popcorn poppers in reserve. Coffee is like beer to me!
That’s pretty serious, I just looked at it on Sweet Maria’s. I could maybe talk myself into the Behmor but you’re outta my ballpark. I think I’d like to DIY something, maybe with a pid or timer (could be cheaper to buy the Gene ;) ) - but the beer rig has to come first.
Like brewiing your equipment does not matter, the price forces the mothers of invemtion. I roasted in my oven b-4 the Gene. It is like owning a Conical Fermenter top of the line.
I had a Zach and Dani’s roaster for the first 3 or 4 years I roasted, then “upgraded” to the IRoast 2. I’ve used up 2 of them, they seem designed to last 13 months, now I’m back to a pair of popcorn poppers. It’s slow but works well and is cheap.
We like Central American and Indonesian beans most of the time, but I did find some Venezuelan beans that were phenomenal. I think the company is Angel Falls Coffee or something similar.
I also have a Gene Cafe. At the time, I wanted something that could handle 1/2 pound batches. The Hot Top was out of my price range and the Behmor hadn’t been released. I do like the easy control over time and temperature it offers. Cooling is the weakest point and I recently switched to an external cooling device (stainless strainer mounted in a 5gal bucket with a Shop Vac).
I’ve been stopping the roast anywhere from about 1 minute past the end of first crack to just after the first snaps of second crack.
I’ve been roasting for the better part of the past several months with the heat gun/dog bowl method. Over the course of the past few cold weeks, I’ve switched to a cast iron pan on the stove top and while it hasn’t yielded the most consistent roast, it’s been serviceable. I’ll probably be scanning evilbay for a deal on a behmor this winter.
For a small batch I use a popcorn popper. For a much larger batch I modified the stirrer in a bread machine to be switchable and put the heating element on a rheostat/dimmer. I heat up the machine, dump in the beans and then use a heat gun to do the actual roasting. My original plan was to use the element, but it was too inconsistent and too hot so I only use it to get the machine hot. I can do a few pounds using this method and equipment, but generally about 1/2 pound is my MO.
I wrote about it here
http://forums.morebeer.com/viewtopic.php?f=31&t=22562
Modified $15 Poplite popcorn popper here, Use two stripped down tomato-cans as a chimney. Takes about a cup of beans at a time. Love the idea of the hurricane glass. Will have to try it
Have made my own blends that kick the hell out of Starbucks’.
Here’s some pics of when I first built it in 2006. The third can wasn’t necessary.
I use a 14" wok and heat over the same turkey fryer burner I brew with.
Set the flame almost low as it can go and take your time. Start out the lid on the wok. Once they start to crack remove the lid and start stirring. Be ready to start cooling just a bit before they reach the color you’re going for.
All the smoke stays outside and it really keeps your neighbors guessing about what you’re doing. ;D
Paul
I just use a medium sauce pan on high heat and move the beans all over the place with a bamboo spoon.
I had not roasted in a long while and had succumbed to buying a can of ground coffee. Then I roasted,
ground and had a fresh cup. Whoa what a difference. My coffee is a million times better. I just don’t
like getting the chaff all over the stove… 
Now in a vain attempt to stave off cirrhosis I’m dusting off these unroasted beans. ;D
5# 3oz Mynanamar arabica
3# 10oz Mystery arabica. A peaberry I think. Maybe Ethiopian
1# 10oz Kenya AA
If memory serves me right:
4 parts of the Mynanamar
2 parts of the Peaberry
1 part Kenya AA
I like going right to second crack and then cooling in a colander.
I do the same thing in a cast iron pot over my fire pit. Just keep stirring.
I wish I had the time to roast. SWMBO and I love good coffee.
I used to have a Hearthware coffee roaster before the I-Roast came out. I really enjoyed it. After it died I started using a hot air popcorn popper. It’s not ideal but it works. I haven’t modded the popper even though it would produce better results. I have been considering getting an I-Roast2 as I got to play with one a few months ago and really liked it. I have also used the heat gun - dog bowl method. It is much more “hands on” and can really help you understand the roasting process. It also allows you to roast a lot more than a popcorn popper. The freshness of the beans can’t be beat. Now if I could just get my wife to stop buying gas station coffee…
If you can afford a Gene Cafe’ it is a wonderful machine. Ours is 3 years old and we roast a pound of coffee every week, sometimes even more.
The wife owes me a couple of Christmas and birthday presents, that may go on my list since ALL(almost) the coffee I roast is for her
It is like a temperature controled conical and a Brewmagic all rolled into one.
Late to da party again. Just now spotted this thread. I have an excuse though. I’ve been distracted by the
Not much to do with roasting per se, but once you get the beans, how do you do your grinding? I just picked up a Bodum Bistro burr grinder and holy moly, the FIRST grind gave me the best coffee I’ve had in a long, long time. Plus it look nice too! Here’s a photo with some of the Square Mile coffee I have on a monthly subscription: