Roast Coffee in a Popcorn Popper

While you can easily buy home coffee roasters on the Internet, the prices can put a strain on your wallet. In addition, using home roasters tends to be something of a mystery. But there's another way of roasting coffee at home--using a cheap hot-air popper instead!

Preparation

 * 1)  [[Image:Popcorn_bottom1_735.jpg|right]]Find the right popcorn popper. The most important thing to look for in your popper is a unit that feeds in hot air from vents in the side of the popping chamber, as opposed to a grate in the bottom.  (One with the single grate in the bottom does not force enough air to keep the coffee from burning and would be a major fire hazard). With this in mind, take a look around the marketplace and see what’s around.  Brands of poppers to look for are 1) Proctor-Silex Popcorn Pumper and Poppery II by West Bend.
 * 2) Modify it for roasting coffee (optional).
 * 3) *The plastic lid that comes with the unit may be unsuitable for its new role - it might melt, so throw it away.
 * 4) *Extend the chamber to roast larger batches. Glue an extension made from a food tin to the top of the unit using epoxy resin. (See Tips for alternate method.)
 * 5) *[[Image:Roaster_979.png|thumb|The modified roaster]]Make a simple lid from a kitchen sieve and a flat panel with holes in it (such as pieces of meccano) to collect the chaff.
 * 6)  Buy the beans. You need raw green coffee beans to roast. Luckily there are a lot of places you can get these from. Search the Internet and shop around.  Two of many sources are U-Roast-Em and Sweet Maria's.  (You can insure the future of coffee growers by buying only those beans from sites that support Fair Trade practices).
 * 7)  Ventilate your work area. While the wafting coffee aroma can be wonderful in small doses, filling the house will soon affect furniture and carpets causing them to emit an unpleasant odor.  Ideally, roasting can be done outside.

Roasting

 * 1) Weigh out the green beans. By weight, green beans to roasted beans should be weighed at a ratio of about 1.2:1. A larger volume of green beans will result in a slightly longer roasting time. Just a few scoops might provide a very light, open flavor and increasing the volume will offer more depth. See the Tips below for some guidelines.
 * 2) Pour the beans in the roaster. Stick around - watch, listen and smell as the roast progresses. Watch as the sugars slowly caramelize, the water evaporates and the oils begin to cook. After about 2 1/2 minutes of roasting, you’ll hear the beans begin to crack. At about 4-6 minutes, the second crack occurs and small shards will come off the beans, creating a crater appearance on some of the beans.
 * 3) Check the beans often Remove the filter if you’ve fitted one on (it will be very hot!) and peer into the roaster. If you have a metal measuring scoop you can simply lower this into the popper to take a quick sample to judge for color of the beans.
 * 4) [[Image:Roasted1_301.png|thumb|The finished product]]Stop roasting once you've got beans of a color you like. When you choose to stop the roast is entirely up to you but a good place is just into the second crack. After about 5 minutes you’ll have a good medium brown roast, and after 6 1/2 minutes you’ll have a great, dark, shiny roast. Any longer than this and the beans will start to burn. Just experiment with a few batches and you’ll soon discover what you like/dislike.

After Roasting

 * 1)  Cool the beans quickly as soon as they are finished to stop further cooking. Put them into a sieve or a colander and take them outside, then stir them around with a wooden spoon (getting the air flowing around them) or pass them from one colander to another. After a minute or so they will have cooled to around room temperature. Alternatively, once you get to know the process, you can stop the roasting prematurely and let them continue to roast the few moments as they cool in a kitchen bowl. Never use water to cool down the beans, as water will affect the oils of the beans that give then their flavour.
 * 2)  For the best results, rest the beans for at least 24 hours to let the excess C02 escape (called de-gassing). Put them into a tin with a loose fitting lid and keep away from strong flavors.

Tips

 * If you don't want to use epoxy measure the width of the popper chamber. At the super market check out the foreign food section. Many European cans come in differing widths. The poppers slope inwards, slightly, down to the bottom. The can will need to stick up about eight inches. So a can 10 or 12 inches long and the width of the popper will slide in until the tappered sides grip it and hold it in place.
 * It’s wise to invest in a timer so that you can keep track of the progress of the roast.
 * Your times will vary based on the popper you choose. In addition, a second batch may go faster than the first because of the popper being warmed.
 * When roasting outside in cold weather, your roasting time will be increased.
 * Roasting in a non-enclosed space, shielded from the wind, is preferable. There can be a lot of smoke.
 * Have the vacuum cleaner handy for dealing with the chaff before it gets everywhere.
 * The vacuum cleaner may also be used, to cool off the beans rapidly so as to prevent overcooking, pour the beans (when done to the degree of roast desired,) into a wire mesh sieve, and put the vacuum under the sieve to draw air over the beans until they are cool. Another way would be to place a box fan on it's back and set the wire baskets with the  hot beans on the top of it until they are cooled. (Put the fan on something that will allow it to draw maximum air).
 * If you do burn the beans, toss them and start over. Carbonized beans taste awful, so watch carefully.
 * Some sites have charts for varying degrees of roasting. Each bean is different.
 * A suitable popper can sometimes be found at a thrift shop for less than $5.
 * Your measurements may vary depending on the size and variety of bean you roast but shouldn’t be too far off from these:
 * Using a power strip will help in two ways:
 * Should the popper overheat, the breaker on the power strip will trip instead of the one on the power panel or fuse box.
 * Since most poppers don't have an on / off switch, a power strip provides a handy way to cut the power if the popper begins to malfunction (fire, smoking motor) or the chaff catches fire. During the roasting keep the switch close enough to easily find, but not close enough to put you in danger in the event of an emergency.

Warnings

 * This is done entirely at your own risk. You are using a domestic appliance in a manner for which it was not designed and will void your warranty immediately. In addition you are dealing with high temperatures and combustible materials. Supervise the process at all times. Be extremely careful when handling hot items.
 * Don’t roast more than you can use in a few days. Coffee tastes best 2-7 days from roast.
 * Never leave roasting coffee unattended.
 * Never use an extension cord, unless it has a ground pin (the third and circular hole) as well.
 * The can will get hot during roasting! If you used the non-epoxy method, you will need to use an oven mitt or a pair of pliers move or reposition it.

Things You'll Need

 * Popcorn popper(s)
 * Wire basket(s), fine mesh
 * Green, unroasted coffee beans
 * Colander
 * Food tin (optional)
 * Epoxy resin (optional)
 * Kitchen sieve (optional)
 * Meccano (optional)
 * Metal measuring scoop (optional)


 * Wooden spoon (optional)
 * Tin with a loose fitting lid (optional)
 * Timer (optional)
 * Power strip (optional)


 * Fan for cooling (optional)

Related Tips and Steps

 * How to Make Better Office Coffee
 * How to Make a Good Pot of Coffee
 * How to Roast Your Own Coffee
 * How to Make Chocolate by Hand (from the bean)
 * How to Make Latte Art
 * How to Make Rice Cooker Bread

Sources and Citations
Torrar Café em uma Pipoqueira
 * The Domestic Barista -- Original source of article, shared with permission.
 * Coffee Geek's Guide to Roasting Coffee with a Popcorn Popper. -- advice on how to roast coffee in an unmodded popper.