Features: We HIGHLY recommend this method because it's easy and it produces very even roasts from the City to the French stages. Used poppers can be found in many thrift stores. They roast quickly, but usually only 3-4 ounces at a time.
What You Need: A hot air popcorn popper of the recommended design only. (You must use a popper in which the hot air enters the popcorn chamber from side vents. The correct type of popper swirls the chaff upward and out of the popper into your chaff-collecting bowl.). An optional thermometer. A big bowl to catch the chaff, a big spoon, a metal collander for cooling, maybe an oven mitt.
Instructions:
- Set up the popper in a ventilated place near a kitchen exhaust fan or window, if possible. It's nice to have strong overhead light so you can look down into the popper chamber to accurately judge the roast as it progresses. Have all your supplies within reach.
- Put the same amount of coffee in the popper that the manufacturer recommends for popcorn.
- Put the plastic hood (including butter dish) in place, and a large bowl under the chute. We put our popper by the sink so it blows chaff right into the basin. Turn the thing on.
- Watch for fragrant smoke and the "first crack" of the beans in about 3 minutes. Wait another minute, then start t o monitor beans closely for desired roast color by lifting out butter dish and looking into popping chamber, or, better yet, by smelling the smoke and listening to the crackling.
- Total time for a lighter roast should be around 4 minutes, full city roast around 5, and darker roasts closer to 6.5 minutes. Roasts develop quickly, so be vigilant. You want to pour the beans out of the popper when they are a tad lighter than the color you desire, since roasting continues until beans are cool.
- Agitate beans in metal collander with a big spoon or toss between 2 collanders until they are warm to your touch. You may need oven mitts for this. You may want to walk out to a porch to aid cooling.
- Coffee should be stored out of direct light (and not in a fridge or freezer) in an airtight glass jar, but with a fresh roast, wait 12 hours to seal the jar tightly; it needs to vent off C02.
- Warm, fresh roasted beans are wonderful, but the coffee attains its peak 4 to 24 hours after roasting. If you store it as recommended, we'll call it fresh for 5 days. When you open that jar in the morning, you will know what fresh coffee truly is.
Image and Information Source: Sweet Maria's
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