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Let’s talk coffee

Pray tell me more of the flour sifter. Is that a hand cranked gizmo or a seive?

This is the one I use, and I crank it by hand.
It happens to fit just right on the top of most air poppers once you remove the fancy plastic cover/vent/butter holder.

71o0QR3HeVL._SX466_.jpg


-Mike
 
Here's how my roaster started. This one has a stainless steel extender (right under the sifter) I bought just to get up and going.......

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Then I made some mods to it so it wouldn't overheat and I'd have more control over the temp. I upgraded the spacer to aluminum (right below the sifter). Without the spacer, it's too close to the heat source and beans were cooking way too fast......

Modded-Roaster.jpg


For anyone wondering, in the USA this setup will set you back $35-40 ($25-30 for the popper and $5-10 for the sifter) new, and less if you get used. Sales come and go which affect the price of course.
Just be aware these come with a limiter in them that trips when the unit gets too hot since they aren't mean to run for more than a few minutes. Some folks take out the limiter since the popper can shut off right in the middle of a roast (if that happens you batch is ruined since you can't go back later and roast again some more). However, I am not recommending you remove the limiter as a fire can result if you don't pay attention.

I don't use this much anymore, but I do use it for sample roasting. Meaning I'll get a 30 pound bag of beans then roast a few small batches of one or two cups to do a cupping and find out how I am going to like this particular bean best, as far as roast level.

-Mike
 
Isn't it possible to roast with a frying pan or a cast iron skillet?

Yep. That works just fine too.
You'll need about 400 degrees fahrenheit and you have to keep the beans moving constantly. A whisk would work for that, or some other contraption you can come up with.
The first time I ever roasted coffee was in a stainless steel dog food bowl and a DeWalt heat gun.
There's a whole culture out there of people who take those BBQ'ers with the rotisserie attachment then mount a perforated steel drum and roast away.

-Mike
 
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I got as far as taking the base off the rest of my popper before putting it all back.

Unfortunately they are onto us modders. Only two screws hold the business heater-fan-motor-cup assemblage to the base. The rest of the screws hold the base to the bottom of the shroud. The metal popping chamber is snug fit to the shroud at the top.
 
It will pay to keep total control of the skins as they blow off. Don't want them sucked through the fan and heater. Good way to start a fire or otherwise ruin it.

In my second picture, you'll see a skimmer spoon. I hold that over the sifter, then after a bunch of the chaff builds up under it, I move the spoon and let it blow out.
It piles up real close to the roaster, then I just vacuum it up or scoop it into a bowl.

-Mike