do NOT fear the roaster !

Colin says:

\"coffee roasting (however exhilarating and spritual an activity...) is way more demanding and exacting than you think. And I am talking to you and you and you!\"

and that scared me off for several weeks. However, other people suggested it is easier than that (at least until you actually do have a fire!) - so I gradually became convinced and bought a decent roaster and some beans online.

First batch sucked but (after a slight re-calculation) the second one totally ROCKED! My wife preferred an americano made with my roasted beans over one made with the espresso blend used and sold by Cafe Fantastico. (no... she's not the kind to just say that either!)

Home roasting is not that hard, or messy, or even smelly (if you've got a decent range hood fan). You can do it! It is easy, cheaper (not counting the cost of the roaster) and probably better than what you can buy roasted.

Be encouraged! Be brave! Do NOT fear the roaster...

umm... ya, and buy a fire extinguisher! Apparently a fire will double in size every minute so you want to have something handy that is at least 2.5 lbs size and rated for category C fires (electrical, appliances, etc.). Most kitchen oriented home ones will be good for category A, B & C fires.

With a decent extinguisher on hand, truly, don't fear the roaster! meh! what could go wrong?!

HappyCamper wrote:

Be brave! Do NOT fear the roaster...

Hear, hear! The fact is your coffee roaster isn't any more likely to burst into flame than your toaster. Like a toaster it simply demands a bit of attention. And if you think coffee beans burn, you haven't seen a strawberry Pop Tart burn!

Would some purveyor of roasters and/or green coffee please send Colin some swag so that he'll start saying nice things about this interesting and rewarding aspect of coffee obsession?

Robb

Every roaster knows fires happen....it's just a matter of keeping them contained...if your roaster is cleaned often, then the fires will be minor and almost unnoticeable, I can't speak to home roasting, but i would assume the conditions are there also...Containment and calmness are key when a fire strikes.

java wrote:

Every roaster knows fires happen....

I've been roasting for over two years now and not once have I had a fire. Sure there will be people who roast near flammable objects and/or don't pay attention. But that doesn't mean that fires are normal or inevitable.

Robb