Barista de Casa

I’m sitting here listening to a little humming motor as I type these wonderful thoughts. Ah, the art of multitasking.

Let’s rewind a bit and let me explain where I am heading with this fine little blog. Just a week ago the family had a 2 day garage sale. There was one item that we were all specifically looking to evaluate. You guessed it “fresh roasted coffee.” Both days were a little brisk so I also had free samples for the passerby’s. Surprisingly we found out that many shoppers were not coffee coinsures. One couple volunteered the fact that they worked downtown at the F. . .gers plant. Neither one was a coffee drinker. “We like the smell, but we hate the taste” they replied. I told them why they hated the taste, because they had never had my good specialty coffee, but I digress.

The point of this blog is to introduce you to my new purchase. Before this weekend I would slave over the stove cranking out coffee in my Whirley Pop. Don’t get me wrong, it is a great way to start roasting, and a great way to learn when about the entire roasting process. Last weekend I made a total of 5 lbs of roasted coffee. I spent over 3 hours spread out between two late evenings preparing for the sale. I was able to sell the coffee and get my name out to the neighborhood, but that was a lot of hard work. Last Sunday evening I had another pound to prepare and my faithful Whirley Pop was just about popped out. It was then that I decided I needed to change.

I would venture to say that over the past 2 ½ years I roasted over 50 lbs of coffee the old fashioned way. I now have a new friend the Behmor 1600 I mentioned it during the previous blog and now it's a reality. She’s fully paid for and I’m excited to spend the rest of my life using it so that others will be able to enjoy what true satisfying coffee is all about. The future is bright and the aroma of roasted coffee is here for good. Well the cooling process has begun and my blog is done. Thanks for tuning in.

I visited the local Goodwill store this afternoon, and I finally found a used hot air popper. The price was $2.98, and I was up for a bargain. The cashier said “That makes the best popcorn.” I was not concerned about dry fluffy popcorn, but here's the deal. I wanted to try to roast coffee in a hot air popper. For one, I had heard it was pretty easy, and I've been looking for better ways to decrease my kitchen smoke. Was this going to be the answer?

Well I quickly got home and told my family why I had made the purchase. I still got some strange looks, but I proceeded to the garage to make the test batch. I normally roast 3 measuring cups of green coffee each time and that produces about 3/4 lb of roasted coffee. The over the stove roast takes about 12-13 minutes of actual cranking time. With the air popper I was only able to roast 1/2 measuring cup of green coffee at a time, and the process took only 3-4 minutes so overall it wasn't too bad.

I have yet to taste the batch that I made, but it did dramatically decrease the smoke and the air popper helped sift through some of the chaff. I don't think that I'm quite sold on it yet. It may be good if I am in a hurry and need a quick roast before the friends arrive, but for now I'll still roast the old fashioned way. Ultimately I hope to work my way up to the Behmor 1600 Until then I will keep dreaming and working on my cranking biceps.

I just finished a great cup of french pressed coffee, well it was a little strong, but I digress. I was however thinking about my favorite coffee mug(s). The first favorite is one that my mother-in-law gave to me about 9 years ago. It is my Barney Fife “Nip it in the bud” mug. There's just something great about how the rim gives me the perfect sip every time. My second favorite is a newer addition that my wife got me for my birthday this past year. I had the opportunity to celebrate my 34th birthday at Disney World, and she gave me the perfect gift. Now this mug is deep and almost calls for a third spoonful of sugar, but again the rim of the cup says it all. I’m sure that we all have our favorites for one reason or another, but ultimately the fact is that memories were made while sipping coffee with friends and family. Well I guess it’s about time for a warm up.

Last week I visited the corner coffee shop to have a Bible study with some friends. I felt at liberty to take my own coffee, however I still went to the counter to order coffee cake. The barista asked if I was going to have any coffee. I said “No thanks, I brought my own.” She seemed somewhat confused, after all why would some one go into a coffee shop and go away empty handed. I then informed her that I roast my own coffee and am particular when it comes to my own brew. At that time another barista heard what I had said and was extremely interested. I told him how I roast over the stove and then he said, “Wow, I bet that’s really fresh coffee.”

Just today I went back, only this time I took some of my roasted coffee and gave it to the same barista who had helped me the previous week . The study and atmosphere was great and I still enjoyed my wonderful home brewed cup of joe. I couldn’t help but think about the comments made last week, which makes me wonder how fresh is the corner coffee shop’s brew?

When I first started roasting with my Whirley Pop I received many strange looks from my friends. Even my wife was a little skeptical at first. Now that I have been roasting for over 2 years now, I'm often a little embarrassed when others view it as a difficult task. It's rather a simple process. If someone can bake cookies then they can also learn to roast coffee. I do not claim to be an expert, but I do enjoy this fanciful hobby. Several month's ago my wife mentioned my hobby to some of my work associates. They were so intrigued that they truly seemed interested in trying "my brew." I made some up and gave them a zip lock bag full of a roasted blend of Kenyan and PNG. Later I found out that they loved it and wanted more. About another month later I gave them some more and again it was a major hit. My work associate felt obligated to pay me money. I was very grateful and soon they were asking for even more. This time they wanted to know a price. Prior to the holiday's I roasted 7 lbs. I assumed that they would give it away as gifts, but found out that they had stocked up and kept most of it in their freezer. I am truly humbled to know that I have a product that other’s truly enjoyed.