Lots of good suggestions here. I'll add my 2 cents as a fairly experienced home roaster. I have a gas cooktop in my kitchen, and I've also used a butane campstove on occasion. I roast beans in a carbon steel wok that is reserved only for that purpose. I roast batches of +/- 300 grams (10 ounces or so). A medium low flame, constant stirring -- and, depending on the chosen bean -- I get a nice medium roast after 6 - 8 minutes. I've roasted some beans needing more time, but they are the exceptions. After a few repetitions, I was able to relax, watch the roasting progress, and get some very good, drinkable coffee.
My god, the amount of information & details is no less than a course of roasting, comprehensive & absolutely spot on, grateful for such a content. Thank you
I am new to home roasting, and have had much success, and a few failures. This video is awesome for those of us enjoying this new journey. One thing is for absolute certain: the coffee I roast at home and grind/brew in my Delonghi is undeniably more delicious than any other I have had. I will watch this video again after a while. Thanks for the great information!
We have a 12" stainless frying pan and a small whisk and roast over med stove top setting, stirring continuously. After 2nd crack begins we watch for the color roast (med - med dark) We roast 1 cup at a time which gives us about 2 cups roasted roasted. To cool we shake / stir with whisk in a metal strainer / colander until all the husks are free to be separated and we can handle with our bare hands. Maybe not the best way, but definitely a good starting point to figure out if you want to roast your own, or continue to buy pre-roast before spending the money on a good roaster.
Roasting my own beans is the only thing left to closing my coffee ritual loop, aside from growing my own shrubs. Not saying I will only roast my own beans from now on, but knowing how to do it and having some experience in the process definitely enhances the experience. That video was awesome!
I'm so glad to be a member of a community that cares so much about coffee. I mean, how many times do we buy a product that has aftercare of the detail and quality of this video?! Viva Flair!
I got into home roasting last year with a stovetop popcorn popper and i am loving it. I have found though that certain coffees i use don't respond well when i use them in my flair. (maybe to lightly roasted or something) Doing a video on roasting the same bean for both pour over and espresso would be cool I think. I got into home roasting for the clout and for the money savings. I was not expecting to make better coffee than anything i had roasted for me locally. For anyone on the fence I would 100% recommend it if you are a coffee lover. I usually roast 10 days worth every time i roast and honestly it would take me more time to drive to my local coffee shop/roaster and buy it that way. Thanks for the video!
@@FlairEspresso My first roaster was a Nesco. After about 18 months I upgraded to the Gene Cafe.when I raise the money I may get the Aillio Bullet roaster.b
Started home roasting over 20 years ago. Went from oven roasting (at the 'suggestion' of the wife) to a Hearthway roaster until I could no longer get parts for it. Then a Caffe Rosto, again, until parts became unattainable, a stove top popcorn popper, an electric popcorn popper the the I-Roast and the I-Roast II and finally a Behmor 1600 then a Behmor 1600 Plus and Finally a 1600 Plus Upgrade Kit. And Sweet Maria's has been my go to for machines, coffee and advice. Still roasting, still learning.
@@FlairEspresso One issue that has a lot of people wondering, both new and old to home roasting, is there any way to salvage under roasted coffee, (especially large batches).
@@CUDA1970Terry roast it again. there's apparently a take and bake version of coffee already being offered somewhere. can't remember source. but if you have under-developed/undrinkable and you don't want to toss it, put it through a second time as high a heat as you can without scorching
Here I am, trying not to go deeper into the rabbithole that is coffee... And you drop this video. I'm now seriously considering just getting a popcornmaker and try it out, but I already don't have much time to tinker with my usual coffee. I'd love to see a second part of this video.
I dream of owning a roasting company one day. Not going to try and rub elbows with the big boys but enough to satisfy my passion for coffee. This was a very informative video with a hint of humor which I definitely love.
This was very informative! Even if you don’t roast at home, this is a good video on the process that makes it easier to understand the roasters terminology and also the difficulties they need to overcome on a commercial level
Been home roasting for about 5 years on a Behmor, this was a surprisingly well done video on the subject. In addition to Sweet Marias, I also source green coffee from Happy Mug, both are great.
@@FlairEspresso Very close to what you recommend. I roast Central/South American in manual on P5 (100%), at the start of first crack I drop to P3 (50%) for 40 seconds and then continue on at P4 (75%) until just short of second crack and cool with the door open. If I am roasting Sumatran, I will go 10 seconds into second crack to get the molasses taste. If I am roasting Ethiopian, I will cut the roast and cool at the 3/4 mark of first crack (still cracking).
Started home roasting like 5 years ago and this is an absolute worm hole and an amazing hobby. Trying to home roast for lever/Flair espresso is tough. From green coffee to finished shot there are a ton of variables. Regardless, it's been a blast.
Exactly my perception, "worm hole". However, one I believe I'm going to pursue. It's always wise to know what one is getting into before undertaking the journey. Challenges are what keep us young & engaged. Thx.
Fantastic, informative video. I did corp. marketing as part of my career and your video is excellent. Well structured, informative w/out being dense or unapproachable. VERY well done. Will be tuning in for more of your videos. Before my corp marketing work, I was a partner in a roasterie (outside sales/client dev) and my partner (a retired chemist and 'coffee bean whisperer') was teaching the art of roasting to me. This was in the mid '90's and I've wanted a home roaster since. However, home roasters have been, ... wanting. Hey! my earliest experience w/ coffee roasting was w/ a roast master using a Dietrich commercial roaster so, . . . Anyway, I recently bought a FreshRoast SR800, and added the factory extension tube (which allows more roasting options). After watching lots of videos on roasting, usually using drum roasters, I'm hooked on fluid-bed roasters. I believe them to produce better results than drum roasters, and offer more control of the roast as the response to heat and air is more rapid (however their operational costs are higher). I got my SR800 from The Captain's Coffee, and they threw in 6 pounds of green beans as a thank you so I started roasting straight away. I clicked on your video out of curiosity as Flair talking about roasting is intriguing; but I didn't have many expectations. I was very pleasantly surprised. I've been drooling over the Flair 58, but find that the Flair Signature fits into my budget. So Flair has a good rep w/ me. Oh, right; the BIG reason I started roasting coffee is to have access to coffees not normally available to me because of lack of commercial profitability, lot sizes too small for commercial roasters to buy, or not popular w/ the general public.
Thanks for the feedback and sharing your journey in coffee. We're keen to get some green grill Captains next as we have heard great things. Cheers and look forward to seeing you in the Brew With Flair group on Facebook soon
why thank you kind sir! I'll let the boss know you think I deserve a raise! 🤙Some call me Mr Flair, or The Flair Guy, or the Guy That Can't Dance lately
I just recently retired my homebrewing beer hobby. I’ve been looking for something different to do. I recently started to get a little more serious about the coffee that I drink. Ran into an old friend who told me he is now roasting coffee at home. I’m excited to start a new journey of developing flavors of a beverage that I enjoy drinking! Great video. Great starting place. I feel like I need to watch it over and over again.
@@FlairEspresso That Chinese teflon pot like thing with a piece of metal rotating from the center. I started with a popcorn popper that I used for 4 years or so.
Thank you! Your timing guidance for drum roasting was super helpful. I tried roasting in a popcorn popper years ago and got very uneven results. I recently purchased a $70 stainless drum roaster from a 3rd party on Walmart's website. Made cheaply, but it does the trick. I suspect it's a little higher than optimal from the round burner on my BBQ grill, so first crack didn't happen until 12 minutes; roasted for 15:30 total. I did 200g of Kenya Nyeri Kagunyu AB from Sweet Maria's and let it cool and rest for a couple of hours. Ground it and made six cups in my Bonavita drip maker. This went so much better than the popcorn maker method! The flavor is much more mellow and fruity than my usual Kauai whole bean. Really lovely. I'm going to try going for 16-17 minutes on the next batch. Your warning to avoid the 2nd crack kept me vigilant! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Kudos on your presentation. Lots of good information fluently presented. I've been roasting for about 4 years an have progressed from a cheap perforated drum to a Kaldi Fortis hooked up to Artisan. It's a hobby, and I like having the control of roasting to my brewing method.
Hive was a pita. Newbies looking for low tech manual should start with a popcorn popper, specifically the steel one from sweet marias, or any old pan or wok with a metal whisk (NOT a spatula).
Great video 📹.... ive been roasting and drinking my shots and pour overs fresh ... since I also bought the flair 58 it's been definitely tricky to dial in ... ive found best results with a pre infusion ... I am tempted to let the beans rest for better pulls but I do like the crazy fresh feeling and taste .... thanks for the video any more info on the flair 58 or more roasting stuff in the future will always be appreciated
Awesome video! It's like you made an espresso shot out of all the home roasting info out there and got it into one cup. Great delivery and loaded with important details. I especially like what you said about not getting caught up in the tech available and overlooking exactly how the roast happens with your senses.
Now that I understand the different reactions roasting has made more sense. It's kinda like flying a plane. You want to be ahead of the plane as you want to be ahead of the roast.
Very interesting, lots of information. I'm mostly interested in order to save money. Green beans are cheaper! I intend to try roasting using an old cast iron frying pan to begin with.
Thanks once, again for your continuing, insightful lecture in the 'art' of coffee roasting. This won't make me an instant expert as, a beginner; but, with this I think I'm on the way to becoming a great amateour Coffee Roaster. Best wishes in all your endeavours, Merry Christmas.
@@FlairEspresso Well I would love to see a video showing all of the tips in practice actually roasting at home. Like it said at the end of the video, to be continued...
_But I _*_like_*_ my home-roasted second-crack coffee!_ Seriously excellent content. Thanks. Now . . . a detailed _series,_ please, on home roasting in a regular ol' skillet on the stove . . . as _every_ home-roasting expert advises newbies to master.
Thanks Andrew for the video, I did try home roasting few years ago from sweet Maria using the 220v popcorn machine, and after 100s of shafts flying in the kitchen , seive cooling and learning about the first Crack and 2nd Crack and profiles and elevations etc... I decided I can't compete with a local roaster not even close, all my beans looked good and tasted horrible. So untill there is an automated solution like the Decent machine for roasters with profiles and a press of a button, I'm happy to source local roasters. Maybe one day, on an island.. who knows..
bought a kaffelogic nano 7e this week, had no roasting experience but alreay have some good tasting roasts. after loading beans and selecting your profile and roast level it's set and forget, it even cools down the beans in 4 min. there is still some small chaff particles escaping but not a big mess. i'm really happy so far
@@FlairEspresso I know quite a lot about coffee now, did some SCA courses too. If a big chunk of money (Behmor) or more lands in my lap, I would give it a go. But only after I buy a decent espresso maker, one of Flair's is deffo on top of the list, because the machine cannot be a permanent feature on my kitchen table top. I'm keeping close eye on you 🧐
Your videos are very useful and provide lots of information. I have received lots of help after watching this post, please continue to share this kind of information. Thank you.
Waiting for a delivery of a Flair 58. I've been home roasting for 20 years - first - with little air roasters (like the original Fresh Roast model) eventually a Behmor (also the original model - not the updated one). I generally go for the beginning of 2nd cracks for espresso. I roast on the back porch. 11- 12 oz at a time. The reason I I roast my own coffee is for freshness - and to save money. These days I order green coffee from either Sweet Maria's or Happy Mug.
I just started home roasting for 2 reasons: Whole Foods quit carrying my favorite coffee and most roasters roast too dark for me. I’ve now done 4 small batches in a popcorn popper and I’m happy. If I never got any better, I’m still better off. I like my home roasted better than what I was buying and it’s less expensive. I only drink a cup or two a day so the small capacity is not a problem. I’m a convert.
Just bought an air fryer, cooked some Brazilian beans for 20 mins @200deg let them cool, ground and put in a V60, surprised how nice they where, I just need to adjust temps and roast times for me. Maybe you could do a video on air frying beans.
We'll try to get one in. What's the type of inconsistencies you're referring to? Batch to batch or in one roast? Do you weigh out the green with a scale or use cups? What's the batch size?
I’ve done a lot of experimentation with it and having been a professional roaster for a while I’ve fortunately had a lot of opportunity to learn parameters and play with known variables. The two obvious problems are underdevelopment and inconsistencies in appearance (what I mean by that is the way the appearance is more raisin like as opposed to uniform color, surface texture, etc. every time I notice this in my roasts there has been a vegetal/hay like component in the cups. Also very weird acid). Both of which I theorize come from the drying phase not lasting long enough. First thing I played with is batch size. You’re bang on about that. They say 8-10oz, 6oz has given me my best results. Green source is all very high quality, sweet Maria’s or commercial specialty coffee.l distribution. I’m preheating drum at 300F for 3 minutes. Keeping the shield down has also helped with heat retention. I’ll typically start at 450 until been prob is reading 350. About 1:30-2:00 Then I’ll drop to 350 and coast until both smell and appearance (with the shield down is a bit annoying) tell me I’m nearly done with drying. This can be anywhere from 4-6 minutes. Then I’ll start creeping up 10-15 deg at a time until about 425 as I’m watching and smelling the transition to browning and approaching first crack. Again, 4-5 minutes. Once I hit first crack I’ll crank in two stages to 450 then 482 as I’m developing and watching the uniformity in surface texture align. 2-4 minutes for this stage. Once color is where I think it should be and smell is umami/soy sauce like I start cooking and let the cooling cycle finish. These are long roasts and they inevitably taste a bit baked, but if I do shorter roasts the color is wild, bean size small, and very vegetal. Hope that helps.
Hmm... that sounds off for sure; city appearance with full city temps... I think we'll need to get a Gene Cafe in for testing before we can offer much in the way of profiles to try. We're accustomed to using more gas at the start and less at the end which seems to be the opposite of what you're doing with this roaster (you say 450 drop to 350 hold for 4-6 m, then ramping up until right before drop?). So perhaps if that's not something you've experimented with yet, try the reverse steps aiming to be at around 60% of your initial "gas" level 45 sec before 1C, hold for another 60 sec after, and then ramp down further until drop. Hope it improves.
@@FlairEspresso I'll give that a try. Yes, I do high temp initial to counter the heat sink of green bean drop, then try and let drying have it's full course then ramp up toward the end. I'll give your thoughts a try and look forward to you guys doing a review!
At first I thought, oh, this is gonna be one of those videos that is gonna be 5min talk about roasting geared towards beginners and it is gonna be superficial. But thought it is done by the Flair guys, so I had to click. Much to my surprise, the video went into the details of roasting but beautifully summarised in an informative and interesting way. Hats off to you sir, very well done video. I started with an air roaster and now using Kaffelogic Nano 7. A fantastic very capable roaster. You may consider giving it a try. Well done and thanks for sharing your knowledge about roasting. I look forward to you perhaps roasting live, hopefully soon. Cheers.
We've been watching it from a distance but would love to get our hands on one! Maybe they're watching 👀 Do you have any requests for the next roasting installment?
@@FlairEspresso I’ll let them know 🤙 Hmmm, I guess a roast where you discuss roast phases and how each can affect the end result would be good for everyone, specifically for beginners 👍
Getting ready to start my coffee.roasting journey decided on the “The Hive Roaster” just waiting for availability, will the use Artisan later to log roast. Your video is awesome it provides a great overview and perspective cover a wide area information. Thanks awesome job! Look forward to future videos!
Como siempre, excelentes videos, tanto en calidad como en contenido. Hace tiempo vengo pensando en tostar mi propio café y este video me ha ayudado a despejar algunas dudas y a confirmar algunas suposiciones que tenía relacionadas con el café (por ejemplo si la refrigeración ayuda a conservarlo). Saludos desde Aguascalientes, México
un saludo sergio y gracias por tus amables palabras! ¡Prueba el tostado y cuéntanos cómo te va! estamos seguros de que lo harás bien y te divertirás al mismo tiempo.
@@FlairEspresso Hola nuevamente. me gustaría saber si el equipo de producción de videos y el equipo de ventas están en contacto, si es así por favor mándenle un abrazo de mi parte a Ashby, ella siempre me atiende cuando tengo dudas en tienda y siempre ha sido muy amable conmigo. Gracias
This is a wonderful video, great job! I have a behmor plus and have been roasting for years using various roasters. Are you the guy I talked to at Flair about roasting on the Behmor? If so, you gave me great advice back then as well. Anyway, I generally default to a full city on the Behmor as I try to draw out the browning phase. I wonder, do you have tips on how to roast a lighter roast on the behmor, city or city plus, without it being underdeveloped?
Thanks Todd! Yes, that would have been me :) Sweet Maria's has a video on achieving good results with light roasts on behmor, have you given it a watch? ruclips.net/video/c29bBipusyg/видео.html
@@FlairEspresso yep, I watched that years ago. Let me give it another look to see if what I am doing matches this or if I need to try some things. Thanks for all you do, this video and your help years ago was incredibly effective for me personally.
@@FlairEspresso Maybe you should think, would be the next logical step, there are some smart guys around with ideas, and even starting capital, but lacking manufacturing capabilities... maybe we should talk a bit about this ;)
@@FlairEspresso Flair should if they can get the economics right. Look at the roaster marketplace. THERE ARE SO MANY DIY's out there; clearly people don't like the options manufacturers are bringing to the game. I understand coffee people by nature are DIY and this is common, but I feel like the roasters are even more entrenched in DIY machines. The reality is that the smaller priced machines are low batch samplers with little control and the only way to get into high control and larger volumes is a minimum $1,500 buy in, perhaps with the Kaldi. I chose Behmor 1600plus for one reason only: 1 pound batch size (well, .75 or so as your video states they oversell batch size) and I had originally modded a stir crazy as well as a foreman rotisserie and I had liked the drum roaster mod better so going behmor for these two reasons made sense. The current Behmor is now just under $500. My point has already been made clear...someone could break the mold for coffee roasters on offer if they can offer an economical 1 pound batch size with more control solution that would compel people who DIY to buy their roaster instead. I think there is a very large market opportunity here personally. I feel like Sweet Maria's with their new popper delivered a very affordable version of that classic popper machine and it if was in stock I would get it. Someone should break the market with what I describe above in a groundbreaking way like the popper from sweet Maria's: affordable, large batch size, control. Maybe I am alone, but I for one have been frustrated for years at what is on offer for roasters...
Let me encourage yall. Just about anyone can roast better tasting coffee than what's commercially available! Choose GOOD GREEN COFFEE to start with. Pay the extra. It's worth it.
I just drink two cups of coffee a day. First one hot, the second one iced. The company that roasts the beans will provide a better and more reliably result than I will ever do.
What if roast a grinded coffee? 🤔 At least coarse. I guess it might help roast more evenly. Also should reduce a time of roasting. However as a downside there no longer be a crack. But a new time could be figured out by just several tries.
As an owner of a roasting company and roaster, this information is pretty spot on. Love to see this coming from y’all!
Thanks for watching and sharing your opinions! We'll keep at it then!
How could you possibly call yourself a roaster if you don't roast their technique. Tsk tsk.
Lots of good suggestions here. I'll add my 2 cents as a fairly experienced home roaster.
I have a gas cooktop in my kitchen, and I've also used a butane campstove on occasion.
I roast beans in a carbon steel wok that is reserved only for that purpose.
I roast batches of +/- 300 grams (10 ounces or so).
A medium low flame, constant stirring -- and, depending on the chosen bean -- I get a nice medium roast after 6 - 8 minutes. I've roasted some beans needing more time, but they are the exceptions.
After a few repetitions, I was able to relax, watch the roasting progress, and get some very good, drinkable coffee.
My god, the amount of information & details is no less than a course of roasting, comprehensive & absolutely spot on, grateful for such a content. Thank you
Humbled by your words. Thank you
I am new to home roasting, and have had much success, and a few failures. This video is awesome for those of us enjoying this new journey. One thing is for absolute certain: the coffee I roast at home and grind/brew in my Delonghi is undeniably more delicious than any other I have had. I will watch this video again after a while. Thanks for the great information!
We have a 12" stainless frying pan and a small whisk and roast over med stove top setting, stirring continuously. After 2nd crack begins we watch for the color roast (med - med dark) We roast 1 cup at a time which gives us about 2 cups roasted roasted. To cool we shake / stir with whisk in a metal strainer / colander until all the husks are free to be separated and we can handle with our bare hands. Maybe not the best way, but definitely a good starting point to figure out if you want to roast your own, or continue to buy pre-roast before spending the money on a good roaster.
Roasting my own beans is the only thing left to closing my coffee ritual loop, aside from growing my own shrubs. Not saying I will only roast my own beans from now on, but knowing how to do it and having some experience in the process definitely enhances the experience. That video was awesome!
Give a go and let us know!
I'm so glad to be a member of a community that cares so much about coffee. I mean, how many times do we buy a product that has aftercare of the detail and quality of this video?!
Viva Flair!
Thanks for sharing Richard
I got into home roasting last year with a stovetop popcorn popper and i am loving it. I have found though that certain coffees i use don't respond well when i use them in my flair. (maybe to lightly roasted or something) Doing a video on roasting the same bean for both pour over and espresso would be cool I think. I got into home roasting for the clout and for the money savings. I was not expecting to make better coffee than anything i had roasted for me locally. For anyone on the fence I would 100% recommend it if you are a coffee lover. I usually roast 10 days worth every time i roast and honestly it would take me more time to drive to my local coffee shop/roaster and buy it that way. Thanks for the video!
Thanks for the feedback!
I’m working barista for five years and now wanna try myself in roasting coffee ☕️
Awesome video, thank you so much! ❤️
Right on! It's the next thing to master after the brew
I’ve been roasting for about 5 years now. This was probably the best video I’ve seen on the subject. I’d like to hear more about roasters.
Why thank you David! What types of roasters what price ranges?
@@FlairEspresso My first roaster was a Nesco. After about 18 months I upgraded to the Gene Cafe.when I raise the money I may get the Aillio Bullet roaster.b
Started home roasting over 20 years ago. Went from oven roasting (at the 'suggestion' of the wife) to a Hearthway roaster until I could no longer get parts for it. Then a Caffe Rosto, again, until parts became unattainable, a stove top popcorn popper, an electric popcorn popper the the I-Roast and the I-Roast II and finally a Behmor 1600 then a Behmor 1600 Plus and Finally a 1600 Plus Upgrade Kit. And Sweet Maria's has been my go to for machines, coffee and advice. Still roasting, still learning.
Amazing! Thanks for sharing your journey. Anything we can cover in our next video?
@@FlairEspresso One issue that has a lot of people wondering, both new and old to home roasting, is there any way to salvage under roasted coffee, (especially large batches).
@@CUDA1970Terry roast it again. there's apparently a take and bake version of coffee already being offered somewhere. can't remember source. but if you have under-developed/undrinkable and you don't want to toss it, put it through a second time as high a heat as you can without scorching
Here I am, trying not to go deeper into the rabbithole that is coffee... And you drop this video.
I'm now seriously considering just getting a popcornmaker and try it out, but I already don't have much time to tinker with my usual coffee. I'd love to see a second part of this video.
Do it! Such a low cost investment with huge returns. What would you like to see in the next installment?
I dream of owning a roasting company one day. Not going to try and rub elbows with the big boys but enough to satisfy my passion for coffee. This was a very informative video with a hint of humor which I definitely love.
best of luck in your coffee roasting venture!
This was very informative! Even if you don’t roast at home, this is a good video on the process that makes it easier to understand the roasters terminology and also the difficulties they need to overcome on a commercial level
thanks for sharing!
Been home roasting for about 5 years on a Behmor, this was a surprisingly well done video on the subject. In addition to Sweet Marias, I also source green coffee from Happy Mug, both are great.
Right on! What's your go to profile and coffee with Behmor? We'll try HM next
@@FlairEspresso Very close to what you recommend. I roast Central/South American in manual on P5 (100%), at the start of first crack I drop to P3 (50%) for 40 seconds and then continue on at P4 (75%) until just short of second crack and cool with the door open. If I am roasting Sumatran, I will go 10 seconds into second crack to get the molasses taste. If I am roasting Ethiopian, I will cut the roast and cool at the 3/4 mark of first crack (still cracking).
Thanks for sharing
I was thinking of roasting my own coffee. Then I watched this video lol I'll leave it to the pros
Started home roasting like 5 years ago and this is an absolute worm hole and an amazing hobby. Trying to home roast for lever/Flair espresso is tough. From green coffee to finished shot there are a ton of variables. Regardless, it's been a blast.
Right on!
Exactly my perception, "worm hole". However, one I believe I'm going to pursue. It's always wise to know what one is getting into before undertaking the journey. Challenges are what keep us young & engaged. Thx.
Ditto! I am 87 and just received my Flair 58 this week. Wowza!😊😊
🤯 So much info in just 22 minutes. I especially appreciate the info on different storage containers and their pros and cons
Glad to hear you found it useful and that 22m wasn't too long an ask of your time!
Fantastic, informative video. I did corp. marketing as part of my career and your video is excellent. Well structured, informative w/out being dense or unapproachable. VERY well done. Will be tuning in for more of your videos.
Before my corp marketing work, I was a partner in a roasterie (outside sales/client dev) and my partner (a retired chemist and 'coffee bean whisperer') was teaching the art of roasting to me. This was in the mid '90's and I've wanted a home roaster since. However, home roasters have been, ... wanting. Hey! my earliest experience w/ coffee roasting was w/ a roast master using a Dietrich commercial roaster so, . . .
Anyway, I recently bought a FreshRoast SR800, and added the factory extension tube (which allows more roasting options). After watching lots of videos on roasting, usually using drum roasters, I'm hooked on fluid-bed roasters. I believe them to produce better results than drum roasters, and offer more control of the roast as the response to heat and air is more rapid (however their operational costs are higher). I got my SR800 from The Captain's Coffee, and they threw in 6 pounds of green beans as a thank you so I started roasting straight away.
I clicked on your video out of curiosity as Flair talking about roasting is intriguing; but I didn't have many expectations. I was very pleasantly surprised. I've been drooling over the Flair 58, but find that the Flair Signature fits into my budget. So Flair has a good rep w/ me.
Oh, right; the BIG reason I started roasting coffee is to have access to coffees not normally available to me because of lack of commercial profitability, lot sizes too small for commercial roasters to buy, or not popular w/ the general public.
Thanks for the feedback and sharing your journey in coffee. We're keen to get some green grill Captains next as we have heard great things. Cheers and look forward to seeing you in the Brew With Flair group on Facebook soon
Hey Flair, don't know who this guy is, but he's hilarious. Brilliant dry humor, great delivery, dead-pan expression. Absolutely love it.
why thank you kind sir! I'll let the boss know you think I deserve a raise! 🤙Some call me Mr Flair, or The Flair Guy, or the Guy That Can't Dance lately
I just recently retired my homebrewing beer hobby. I’ve been looking for something different to do. I recently started to get a little more serious about the coffee that I drink. Ran into an old friend who told me he is now roasting coffee at home. I’m excited to start a new journey of developing flavors of a beverage that I enjoy drinking! Great video. Great starting place. I feel like I need to watch it over and over again.
I've been home roasting for about 5 years. I am just now getting interested in lighter roasts. This was a lot of information.
What are you roasting on?
@@FlairEspresso That Chinese teflon pot like thing with a piece of metal rotating from the center. I started with a popcorn popper that I used for 4 years or so.
I.have been roasting coffee at home for almost four years started out with a pan and the bought a vkp popcorn wireless gear and it works great.
right on!
Andrew is such a good coffee educator
Thank you for the kind words
This is the finest introductory video I’ve seen on home roasting; I only wish I had seen it two years ago when I started.
much appreciated! what are you roasting on, what can we share in the next video that would be what you need right now?
You are the best at explaining all of this! Thank you so much for the simplicity and the detail!
our pleasure, and more to come!
Damn you flair! First you got me to buy the 58 and I absolutely love it! Now you have me buying a roaster as well 🤣
We're enablers
Total master class. Understood a good bit of this video and am really looking forward to learning and trying everything else. Thanks 👏
Fantastic! Enjoy the journey
Bravo! Very informational from an experienced lecturer. Keep it up.
Thanks for taking the time to share
Wow! Just in time as I will build my sifter roaster soon! This is the best material on youtube about roasting for newcomers like me
Send us updates on your development. We'd love to follow along! service@flairespresso.com
Thank you! Your timing guidance for drum roasting was super helpful. I tried roasting in a popcorn popper years ago and got very uneven results. I recently purchased a $70 stainless drum roaster from a 3rd party on Walmart's website. Made cheaply, but it does the trick. I suspect it's a little higher than optimal from the round burner on my BBQ grill, so first crack didn't happen until 12 minutes; roasted for 15:30 total. I did 200g of Kenya Nyeri Kagunyu AB from Sweet Maria's and let it cool and rest for a couple of hours. Ground it and made six cups in my Bonavita drip maker. This went so much better than the popcorn maker method! The flavor is much more mellow and fruity than my usual Kauai whole bean. Really lovely. I'm going to try going for 16-17 minutes on the next batch. Your warning to avoid the 2nd crack kept me vigilant! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Kudos on your presentation. Lots of good information fluently presented. I've been roasting for about 4 years an have progressed from a cheap perforated drum to a Kaldi Fortis hooked up to Artisan. It's a hobby, and I like having the control of roasting to my brewing method.
A rewarding hobby at that! Cheers for sharing
Great video! Can't wait for all the new roasters to ask about dialing in their flairs!
Haha it would be our pleasure to respond to them
The video quality and content are simply amazing.. Thank you.
Equipment: Flair Pro2, SR540
Do you have the extension tube or been tempted??
Hive was a pita. Newbies looking for low tech manual should start with a popcorn popper, specifically the steel one from sweet marias, or any old pan or wok with a metal whisk (NOT a spatula).
Thanks for sharing
Fantastic video! Thanks for sharing, mate.
This is a fantastic video! His delivery is SOOO deadpan… with a gazillion cuts/edits (not a bad thing). A great and informative vid, to be sure.
thanks for watching and commenting!
Crackin video pardon the pun. Tonnes of great information, it had me looking at home roasting equipment within just a few mins. Thank you 🙏🇬🇧
Love that!
Great video 📹.... ive been roasting and drinking my shots and pour overs fresh ... since I also bought the flair 58 it's been definitely tricky to dial in ... ive found best results with a pre infusion ... I am tempted to let the beans rest for better pulls but I do like the crazy fresh feeling and taste .... thanks for the video any more info on the flair 58 or more roasting stuff in the future will always be appreciated
There will be more of both!
I appreciate this video. Very informative! Thank you!
So glad they were some nuggets for you!
This was a good Tips on roasting video, and since I'm just starting with only two roast so far, I now look forward
to better roasting. Thanks!
Awesome video! It's like you made an espresso shot out of all the home roasting info out there and got it into one cup. Great delivery and loaded with important details. I especially like what you said about not getting caught up in the tech available and overlooking exactly how the roast happens with your senses.
AMAAAAAAAZIN G thanks for this great and interesting video
Our pleasure! What would you like to see next?
Thank you for a very concise and informative video. Bravo!
My pleasure! Hope you like the next equally well. What would you like to see in it?
I did not expect to be so entertained by this video.
Happy to hear it was a pleasant surprise
Now that I understand the different reactions roasting has made more sense.
It's kinda like flying a plane. You want to be ahead of the plane as you want to be ahead of the roast.
So true!
Very interesting, lots of information. I'm mostly interested in order to save money. Green beans are cheaper! I intend to try roasting using an old cast iron frying pan to begin with.
This was an incredible video
Thank you!
Nice!!!👌👍Definitely relate to the living in an island problem! Loving the hive roaster! Awesome video!
We should have do a roast a long!
Thanks once, again for your continuing, insightful lecture in the 'art' of coffee roasting. This won't make me an instant expert as, a beginner; but, with this I think I'm on the way to becoming a great amateour Coffee Roaster. Best wishes in all your endeavours, Merry Christmas.
Wow, such a good & informative video!
Thanks!
@@FlairEspresso When is part 2 of this series coming out?
@Mongoose wasn't on the plan but maybe it needs to be?
@@FlairEspresso Well I would love to see a video showing all of the tips in practice actually roasting at home. Like it said at the end of the video, to be continued...
@@MongooseReflexes ...if there's enough interest in a sequel, they often get made 😉
_But I _*_like_*_ my home-roasted second-crack coffee!_
Seriously excellent content. Thanks. Now . . . a detailed _series,_ please, on home roasting in a regular ol' skillet on the stove . . . as _every_ home-roasting expert advises newbies to master.
Seems to be quite a few of those videos on the tube. We'll continue to focus on the underserved areas for the time being
@@FlairEspresso There are videos on everything. What's needed is a detailed, in-depth series, a course actually.
Thanks Andrew for the video, I did try home roasting few years ago from sweet Maria using the 220v popcorn machine, and after 100s of shafts flying in the kitchen , seive cooling and learning about the first Crack and 2nd Crack and profiles and elevations etc... I decided I can't compete with a local roaster not even close, all my beans looked good and tasted horrible.
So untill there is an automated solution like the Decent machine for roasters with profiles and a press of a button, I'm happy to source local roasters.
Maybe one day, on an island.. who knows..
Check out Kaffelogic Nano 7
bought a kaffelogic nano 7e this week, had no roasting experience but alreay have some good tasting roasts. after loading beans and selecting your profile and roast level it's set and forget, it even cools down the beans in 4 min. there is still some small chaff particles escaping but not a big mess.
i'm really happy so far
@@1ar5 can you use it inside an apartment ?
@@khaledagamy1002 yes, under the kitchen exhaust it's fine, it doesn't produce much smoke.
Great video, makes me want to start home roasting even more.
Was it enough to get you off the sideline though? Are you committed to try?
@@FlairEspresso I know quite a lot about coffee now, did some SCA courses too.
If a big chunk of money (Behmor) or more lands in my lap, I would give it a go. But only after I buy a decent espresso maker, one of Flair's is deffo on top of the list, because the machine cannot be a permanent feature on my kitchen table top.
I'm keeping close eye on you 🧐
Awesome Guys! :)
Thanks! Expect to see more featuring the R1 in the future
Your videos are very useful and provide lots of information. I have received lots of help after watching this post, please continue to share this kind of information. Thank you.
Thank you. Not a home roaster, just looking to get informed. Would like to try in the future. Awesome
It will be there when you're ready
loved this video! super inspiring (oh no... coffee hobby, level up coming soon!) ... thanks!!! :)
Our pleasure! And it never stops ;)
Waiting for a delivery of a Flair 58.
I've been home roasting for 20 years - first - with little air roasters (like the original Fresh Roast model) eventually a Behmor (also the original model - not the updated one). I generally go for the beginning of 2nd cracks for espresso. I roast on the back porch. 11- 12 oz at a time.
The reason I I roast my own coffee is for freshness - and to save money.
These days I order green coffee from either Sweet Maria's or Happy Mug.
thanks for sharing your experience and process!
I need all this in a mini book.
Hmm.. That's an interesting idea we hadn't thought of yet!
I'm gonna try it!!
Very detailed and well presented! I will try a manual popcorn maker at home.
Please do and let us know how it goes!
Loads of excellent advice and tips, thanks. Just started my on home growing and roasting channel.
I just started home roasting for 2 reasons: Whole Foods quit carrying my favorite coffee and most roasters roast too dark for me. I’ve now done 4 small batches in a popcorn popper and I’m happy. If I never got any better, I’m still better off. I like my home roasted better than what I was buying and it’s less expensive. I only drink a cup or two a day so the small capacity is not a problem. I’m a convert.
Excellent information, thank you!
Great video with great information. I've had great success with a whirly pop.
whirly pops rock!
Brilliant video thank you
gosh this is a dimond! thank you so much!
Kind of you! All the best in your roasting journey!
Thanks! very informative!
Wow! Super well done and helpful. Thanks!
Our pleasure
Thanks bro your videos are really helpful for a new roastery like me.. I also used Flair 58+ totally love it 😍😊
This video is amazingly informative
Thanks for the comment!
Just bought an air fryer, cooked some Brazilian beans for 20 mins @200deg let them cool, ground and put in a V60, surprised how nice they where, I just need to adjust temps and roast times for me. Maybe you could do a video on air frying beans.
it's one that has my interest for sure! thanks for being a pioneer!
Please do more. Specifically, I'd love a video on the Gene Cafe. I'm having an awful time with inconsistent roast issues with mine.
We'll try to get one in. What's the type of inconsistencies you're referring to? Batch to batch or in one roast? Do you weigh out the green with a scale or use cups? What's the batch size?
I’ve done a lot of experimentation with it and having been a professional roaster for a while I’ve fortunately had a lot of opportunity to learn parameters and play with known variables.
The two obvious problems are underdevelopment and inconsistencies in appearance (what I mean by that is the way the appearance is more raisin like as opposed to uniform color, surface texture, etc. every time I notice this in my roasts there has been a vegetal/hay like component in the cups. Also very weird acid). Both of which I theorize come from the drying phase not lasting long enough.
First thing I played with is batch size. You’re bang on about that. They say 8-10oz, 6oz has given me my best results.
Green source is all very high quality, sweet Maria’s or commercial specialty coffee.l distribution.
I’m preheating drum at 300F for 3 minutes. Keeping the shield down has also helped with heat retention.
I’ll typically start at 450 until been prob is reading 350. About 1:30-2:00
Then I’ll drop to 350 and coast until both smell and appearance (with the shield down is a bit annoying) tell me I’m nearly done with drying. This can be anywhere from 4-6 minutes.
Then I’ll start creeping up 10-15 deg at a time until about 425 as I’m watching and smelling the transition to browning and approaching first crack. Again, 4-5 minutes.
Once I hit first crack I’ll crank in two stages to 450 then 482 as I’m developing and watching the uniformity in surface texture align. 2-4 minutes for this stage.
Once color is where I think it should be and smell is umami/soy sauce like I start cooking and let the cooling cycle finish. These are long roasts and they inevitably taste a bit baked, but if I do shorter roasts the color is wild, bean size small, and very vegetal.
Hope that helps.
Hmm... that sounds off for sure; city appearance with full city temps... I think we'll need to get a Gene Cafe in for testing before we can offer much in the way of profiles to try. We're accustomed to using more gas at the start and less at the end which seems to be the opposite of what you're doing with this roaster (you say 450 drop to 350 hold for 4-6 m, then ramping up until right before drop?). So perhaps if that's not something you've experimented with yet, try the reverse steps aiming to be at around 60% of your initial "gas" level 45 sec before 1C, hold for another 60 sec after, and then ramp down further until drop.
Hope it improves.
@@FlairEspresso I'll give that a try.
Yes, I do high temp initial to counter the heat sink of green bean drop, then try and let drying have it's full course then ramp up toward the end. I'll give your thoughts a try and look forward to you guys doing a review!
This was really good video. You covered a lot of ground, thank you!
I was suspicious at first but this is pretty awesome 👏
Suspicious? Why?
At first I thought, oh, this is gonna be one of those videos that is gonna be 5min talk about roasting geared towards beginners and it is gonna be superficial. But thought it is done by the Flair guys, so I had to click. Much to my surprise, the video went into the details of roasting but beautifully summarised in an informative and interesting way. Hats off to you sir, very well done video.
I started with an air roaster and now using Kaffelogic Nano 7. A fantastic very capable roaster. You may consider giving it a try.
Well done and thanks for sharing your knowledge about roasting. I look forward to you perhaps roasting live, hopefully soon. Cheers.
We've been watching it from a distance but would love to get our hands on one! Maybe they're watching 👀
Do you have any requests for the next roasting installment?
@@FlairEspresso I’ll let them know 🤙
Hmmm, I guess a roast where you discuss roast phases and how each can affect the end result would be good for everyone, specifically for beginners 👍
Great info! Thank you ❤️
Thanks for watching!
Getting ready to start my coffee.roasting journey decided on the “The Hive Roaster” just waiting for availability, will the use Artisan later to log roast. Your video is awesome it provides a great overview and perspective cover a wide area information. Thanks awesome job! Look forward to future videos!
How's the coffee roasting going? Are you enjoying yourself?
Wow, Bravo. What energy! Great video and info.
Thanks!
Mantap saya suka alat ini
Well done! Wow, that is a lot of info ;-)
Incredible video
Thank you!
Como siempre, excelentes videos, tanto en calidad como en contenido. Hace tiempo vengo pensando en tostar mi propio café y este video me ha ayudado a despejar algunas dudas y a confirmar algunas suposiciones que tenía relacionadas con el café (por ejemplo si la refrigeración ayuda a conservarlo).
Saludos desde Aguascalientes, México
un saludo sergio y gracias por tus amables palabras! ¡Prueba el tostado y cuéntanos cómo te va! estamos seguros de que lo harás bien y te divertirás al mismo tiempo.
@@FlairEspresso Hola nuevamente. me gustaría saber si el equipo de producción de videos y el equipo de ventas están en contacto, si es así por favor mándenle un abrazo de mi parte a Ashby, ella siempre me atiende cuando tengo dudas en tienda y siempre ha sido muy amable conmigo. Gracias
¡Estamos en contacto y hemos compartido sus amables palabras con Abbey y con la gerencia! ¡Gracias sergio!
@@FlairEspresso Mil disculpas, me equivoqué, es Abbey 😅
I do already great video thanks
Thanks so much for this break down
our pleasure!
sour dough, cheese making, home brew, now bring on coffee...
Nice early 2000's v-neck t-shirt.
so flair is making a home roasting machine soon 🤔 (please do)
great video
Thank you sir
Thx!!
Subscribed because 2:38
After watching, I had this strange desire to lower the lights and put on a Barry White album. Ooohhh yeaahhhh...
:)
This is a wonderful video, great job! I have a behmor plus and have been roasting for years using various roasters. Are you the guy I talked to at Flair about roasting on the Behmor? If so, you gave me great advice back then as well. Anyway, I generally default to a full city on the Behmor as I try to draw out the browning phase. I wonder, do you have tips on how to roast a lighter roast on the behmor, city or city plus, without it being underdeveloped?
Thanks Todd! Yes, that would have been me :) Sweet Maria's has a video on achieving good results with light roasts on behmor, have you given it a watch? ruclips.net/video/c29bBipusyg/видео.html
@@FlairEspresso yep, I watched that years ago. Let me give it another look to see if what I am doing matches this or if I need to try some things. Thanks for all you do, this video and your help years ago was incredibly effective for me personally.
Flair getting in the roasting game working on a machine?
Haha not yet but isn't this part and parcel with artisan brewing... which we are every bit about
@@FlairEspresso Maybe you should think, would be the next logical step, there are some smart guys around with ideas, and even starting capital, but lacking manufacturing capabilities... maybe we should talk a bit about this ;)
Send us an email or dm on H-B 👍
@@FlairEspresso Flair should if they can get the economics right. Look at the roaster marketplace. THERE ARE SO MANY DIY's out there; clearly people don't like the options manufacturers are bringing to the game. I understand coffee people by nature are DIY and this is common, but I feel like the roasters are even more entrenched in DIY machines. The reality is that the smaller priced machines are low batch samplers with little control and the only way to get into high control and larger volumes is a minimum $1,500 buy in, perhaps with the Kaldi. I chose Behmor 1600plus for one reason only: 1 pound batch size (well, .75 or so as your video states they oversell batch size) and I had originally modded a stir crazy as well as a foreman rotisserie and I had liked the drum roaster mod better so going behmor for these two reasons made sense. The current Behmor is now just under $500. My point has already been made clear...someone could break the mold for coffee roasters on offer if they can offer an economical 1 pound batch size with more control solution that would compel people who DIY to buy their roaster instead. I think there is a very large market opportunity here personally. I feel like Sweet Maria's with their new popper delivered a very affordable version of that classic popper machine and it if was in stock I would get it. Someone should break the market with what I describe above in a groundbreaking way like the popper from sweet Maria's: affordable, large batch size, control. Maybe I am alone, but I for one have been frustrated for years at what is on offer for roasters...
Noted!
Let me encourage yall. Just about anyone can roast better tasting coffee than what's commercially available!
Choose GOOD GREEN COFFEE to start with. Pay the extra. It's worth it.
I just drink two cups of coffee a day. First one hot, the second one iced. The company that roasts the beans will provide a better and more reliably result than I will ever do.
What if roast a grinded coffee? 🤔 At least coarse. I guess it might help roast more evenly. Also should reduce a time of roasting. However as a downside there no longer be a crack. But a new time could be figured out by just several tries.
What about a DASH popcorn popper?
Hi, may i ask what roaster are you using in the video?
Any tips/direction on low acidity?
Can you elaborate a little more?