Roasting Coffee Beans in an Air Popcorn Popper

Roasting coffee beans... the whole idea gives the impression of large complicated equipment in some kind of big coffee making operation. You may enjoy grinding your own beans for a fresher cup of coffee and not realize how easy home coffee roasting can be.

However, home coffee roasting is becoming the next alternative to buying coffee retail just like grinding your own beans was a few years ago.

The New Wave of Home Coffee Roasting

Roasting equipment has really come down in price, making it an affordable alternative to grocery store and coffee shop beans. And one of the most popular things out there right now is roasting coffee beans with an air popcorn popper, also known as the air popcorn method. It is easy, even more affordable than home roasting equipment, and doesn't take hours to do.

Finding the Equipment for Roasting Coffee Beans

You can find an old popcorn air popper at a thrift store or yard sale, but you need to make sure it is the right design. To do this, simply look down the barrel of the machine, making sure that the air enters from side vents. If the air comes through a grate in the bottom of the machine, don't use it as the chaff will most likely catch on fire. Poppers that are known to work are the West Bend Poppery II, The Popcorn Pumper and the Popaire 2 by Hamilton Beach.

When buying a secondhand air popcorn popper, be sure that all the parts are in place and not cracked or damaged in any way. This will prevent the chamber from reaching the right temperatures and will not provide a decent roast.

Also, some of the machines have two heating elements which may not work, and you cannot tell just by looking at it. Other models have circuits that can permanently disable the machine when they get too hot as a safety measure, and this can't be seen with the naked eye either. The advantage to buying a popper this way is that you have probably only invested a couple of bucks, which means if it doesn't work it isn't a big loss.

Other Necessities and Storing Your Roasted Beans

Roasting coffee beans with a popcorn air popper, you will also need a metal colander to cool the beans with, some oven mitts, a big spoon and an airtight glass jar to store the roasted beans in. Contrary to popular opinion, roasted beans should be stored in a cool, dry place but NOT in a refrigerator or freezer.

Roasting Coffee Beans

Now that you understand what you need for roasting coffee beans with your air popcorn popper, it's time to get started. You want to do your roasting in a well-lit, well-ventilated space.

If you can, try doing it over your kitchen sink to catch the chaff that comes out of the chute. Otherwise, you will also need a large bowl to catch the remnants as they come out of the machine. Adequate lighting is important as you want to be able to see the color of the beans before you take them out.

Make sure you have easy access to all your supplies. You will need to use the same amount of beans as the machine recommends for popcorn. So, if your machine recommends a 4-oz maximum, put the same amount of unroasted green coffee beans in there.

Once you've poured in your coffee beans, set the butter dish in the right place and replace the plastic hood. Turn the machine on.

You are looking for fragrant smoke. You should hear the first crack within about three minutes of turning the machine on. Lifting out the butter dish and looking into the chamber should be done to monitor your beans for proper color, though some can do it by simply smelling the smoke and listening to the crackling.

For a light roast, you only need four minutes of total roasting, or one minute after the first crack. City roasts should be ready within 5 minutes, and darker roasts at 6.5 minutes.

When the beans are roasted to your liking, pour them in a large metal colander. They should be a tad lighter when you first pour them out, as they will continue to roast until fully cooled.

You might want to use your oven mitts at this point as the beans will be extremely hot. Shift the beans around with a large spoon to get them all proper access to the air. You may even want to walk outside with them if possible to speed cooling.

Store your beans in a jar, and keep it vented for about 12 hours to allow them to vent off CO2. Afterwards, shut the jar tightly and keep out of direct light. The roast is best when used within 24 hours as this is the freshness peak time.