Does anyone raise your own or bulk purchase coffee? What are the advantages and disadvantages? What is your roasting process? When i say bulk i mean 50 or 100 pounds. Anyone buy and split it up amongst friends?
I buy coffee direct from a buyer seller in Colombia. But I just but 1-3 kilos at a time. To roast it, I use something like a turkey fryer burner. I place a large aluminum wok shaped pan on it. You want the coffee hot enough that it smokes the whole time your toasting it, but not so hot that you burn it. You have to turn or stir it continuously the entire time. I use a wooden paddle. It won’t look black oily and uniform like the toasted beans they sell in the US. Those beans must have oils or who knows what artificial ingredients added. They will look brown. Wait until finally it looks like some oil begins to appear on the surface. 1-1.5 hours.
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I think the most I’ve bought at one time is 10lbs. I’m pretty much the only one who drinks coffee and I just have one cappuccino each morning. I roast about 1/2 lb a week and prefer beans from Ethiopia.
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I tasted a bunch and learned which appeal to my palate. After reading and scouring the web, I started with beans in a frying pan on a stove top, then an old air popper, then a Freshroast, and now a Gene Cafe.
The Gene Cafe is less fiddly and after various experimenting I generally start cold, set temp, and roast a minute or so past first crack which can be difficult to hear but I can see the chaff as well as the smell and character of the smoke.
Most of my beans are from Sweet Marias which has had much less selection since the pandemic. I’ve probably tried every Ethiopian they’ve had and have listed as “good for espresso”. But generally, any Ethiopian bean that has body I’d give a go. I’ve probably tried 20 or so non-Ethiopian beans, but keep coming back.
Between all of the variables in roasting and extracting, and only drinking one a day, its difficult or wasteful to find the others that I’m sure I’d love.
I’ve also ordered from Coffee Bean Corral, Mr. Green Beans, and Amazon.
My favorite was their Ethiopiques blend, but now they just do the 2.0 which is what Ii go to now for relatively consistently good results to my untrained palate.
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I use an RK drum to roast my coffee. It is a drum that you use with any grill and you can roast a lot at a time (I have a 5lb one). I see they are still in business, but the prices are a lot higher than when I bought mine! I roast just for our family but I do 20lbs each session and freeze for the next two months or so of coffee. The drum is pretty basic, it would not be too hard to make your own. At some point I was looking at some metal trash cans I was thinking I could turn into a drum by drilling holes in them and running a spit through. If you grill roast a standard rotisserie motor is too slow, either you need to hand turn or get a bigger motor. Mine has a a windshield wiper motor setup that RK sold many years ago.
Murky we have the same tastes, Ethiopian all the way! I tried a great many beans and now it’s either all Ethiopian or an Ethiopian blend for me. Right now I am drinking some organic Ethiopian from Sweet Maria’s. Harar is my all time favorite. They have a great selection of top green coffees but not the cheapest. I have ordered big bags from other places before but it was a long time ago and I can’t remember where.
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We’ve bought some Ugandan , Colombian, Panamanian and Costa Rican Co-op beans. But never over 10 pounds.
The wife likes the fruity, vinous and floral African robustas.
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I probably won’t start roasting my own, but I will join the crowd on Ethiopian. Best I ever had was from Peet’s. I also enjoy Sumatran, and I lean towards a darker roast.
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Another vote for Ethiopian coffee though I don’t roast mine. But I like coffee from anywhere that is grown and harvested properly and roasted correctly (light- medium)
I wonder if folks like the dry processed/anerobic coffees that are becoming popular nowadays.
As a fruit crazy person, I find they have strong notes of cherry, blueberry, citrus etc that add a special new dimension to the coffee experience.
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Scott, how do you brew your coffee?
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I am mainly an espresso guy, I have a Quickmill machine. My wife likes drip and we have a Moccamaster for that. I actually make my “drip” on my espresso machine with the pre-infuser, it is a cheap way to do a pour-over.
I used to be a total coffee snob up on all the latest trends, but that was about 15 years ago… about the only thing I learned recently is some basic latte art:
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Cool, I wanted that context when considering your remarks. Nice art 
I usually extract directly into an insulated mug, and not to the brim. No art for me.
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Very nice! Pleasing eyes and Pleasing taste buds. Good way to start a day
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I’m stuck buying roasted beans at retail. I shop by brand, but I’m never sure where the constituents of the various blends are sourced. I suspicion that Vietnam has taken over the North American market for consumer coffee.
I’m older. I don’t taste (coffee) as well as I used to, so my growing dissatisfaction with retail coffee may be functional. It seems to me, though, that retail coffee follows fashion, and recent fashion dictates a sour, weak brew. The stuff from local roasters here in Sheboygan and from Milwaukee, WI, tastes the same: Good enough for Flatlander Tourists from Chicago.
I think I may have gotten too old to shop enjoyably. Probably I should fight that attitude and get out more.
Kohler Plumbing has a huge entertainment division focused on local golf courses with a world-class profile. They operate the five-star American Club in Kohler, WI, a company town.
I need to get dressed up and stick my nose in the sandwich shop there to find out what coffee they’re serving nowadays. Back when, they served a Torke blend called Wiener Blut (Viennese Spirit, lit. Blood) that was red in the cup. I bought it ground from their restaurant, and I think they also sold it in the hotel gift shop. I really ought to check. That stuff was good! I could never brew it at home the way the restaurant brewed it, though.
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Check out caffe darte in federal way, Washington.
When i owned an espresso stand, after trying out all the coffee in the area, i settled with them.
Not sure what their prices are now but i went through anywhere from 30-50 lbs a day depending on the season and it was like 4-6$ a pound when i had my stand. Not sure the prices now but their quality couldn’t be beat.
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Sure looks delicious, wish I could effort a setup like yours. All I could effort
K cups. It makes me cry to see those pictures.
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If you want an inexpensive upgrade from the K-cups get a Moka pot for $25:
Moka pot coffee is somewhere between regular coffee and espresso. If you want milk foam on top spend another $10 on a milk frother:
For a bit more there are stove top espresso machines which get to 2-3 bar. Espresso machines get to 9 bar but 4 bar is pretty much as good as 9 bar so 2-3 bar is not too far off.
In the long run this will save $$ compared to the K-cups since bags of coffee are a lot cheaper than the pods.
Oops I forgot the Flair… $100 for 9 bars, true espresso:
https://www.amazon.com/Flair-NEO-Flex-Espresso-Portafilters/dp/B0C91668G1
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Aeropress is inexpensive, easy to use, and performs well.
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I almost added that. It’s not espresso though it’s more like a pour over. Still, a lot better than a K cup for a lot less in the long term.
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