dankw Senior Member Joined: 13 Jun 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Riverton, Wyoming Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ibrik Grinder: hand mill Drip: 18" sock Roaster: frying pan
Posted Wed Jul 2, 2008, 11:35am Subject: First time stove top questions
I'm new at this. I tried to 'cowboy' roast some green Yemen beans in a stainless steel pan over a Jetboil flame with isobutane/propane fuel. I used constant agitation and watched as the beans gradually turned brown. I heard cracks. There was some smoke then a very unpleasant odor, not at all what I expected from roasted coffee beans. After about ten minutes the beans were dark brown, not black, so I put them in a strainer and cooled them off. Being impatient, I let them cool for about an hour, ground them up with a hand grinder and put them in a French Press.
The flavor was horrible - like green burned beans - undrinkable. What am I doing wrong?
Could be a number of problems. There are so many steps along the way where coffee can go wrong.
Beans? Bad beans can cause bad flavor.
Agitation type? The agitation is to move the beans around the heat source; they need turning over as well as movement away from hot spots. Because they are flat on one side, it tends to be hard to turn them over in an open-top pan.
Roasting or sauteeing? The heat in an open top pan is from one side only, so you're not really roasting the beans (even application of dry heat) unless the turnover is good.
Too fast? It takes time for the heat to properly get into the bean. Too fast and the outside roasts while the inside stays green; there may be a sealing effect so that an overdone outside prevents the inside from roasting properly. If your roast takes 6 minutes or less, you're probably doing it too fast.
Too hot? Roasting should be temperature controlled; cooking on the stove is just "Hi" vs "Low". If it's over 450-500F, it's too hot. My Gene Café roaster only goes up to 482F. Maybe an IR thermometer will work for you here?
Stovetop roasting is tough, but I've heard it can be done. The hardest part is controlling the temp I think. You'll get lots of smoke anyway as the chaff tends to burn, so that's normal. A wok with traditional spatula-scoops to do the turning is probably better than just an open pan.
And what makes you characterize the flavor as like green burned beans? Burned beans I can understand; the charcoal flavor is pretty clear in that case. But the green part?
Posted Thu Jul 3, 2008, 7:45am Subject: Re: First time stove top questions
Hey DankW,
Have you tried using a stovetop popcorn maker? I use one on occasion at home when I run out of roasted beans and it works great!
One thing you have to be sure of when roasting stove top style is to start out with a reduced temperature. If you start off too hot, you'll end up cooking the outside of the bean far more quickly than the inside can. I like to take about 4 or 5 mins at a medium head to start things off. Once I see steams coming off the beans, I'll turn the heat up a little, and a little more, and a little more, until I hit the first crack. After that, I'll reduce the heat a little until first crack has ended and then adjust heat from there, giving a little more heat every minute or so.
Roasting is tricky! and don't be discouraged with your first few roasts!!!!
Posted Thu Jul 3, 2008, 8:20am Subject: Re: First time stove top questions
I roast almost exclusively with a stove top popcorn maker, and with some patience and practice you can get excellent results. The biggest thing is monitoring heat, but it's easy to do if you have a thermometer mounted. I can always hear first and second cracks, and controlling the roast is simply a matter of adjusting the heat or opening the lid.
I once tried roasting on an open pan over a campfire, and actually produced drinkable coffee. The roast was very uneven, so I roasted a lot longer than I normally would have to ensure that most beans were at least through first crack. The result was a mix of everything from dark and oily to light brown. The hardest part was stirring to entire time, which I did with a wooden spoon.
Your coffee sounds like you didn't roast long enough, and probably didn't get fully through first crack. Stovetop roasts are usually a bit uneven, so I'd roast longer to make sure your through the first crack and getting into second crack. The smells will get more pleasant once you're through the first crack. I bring most Yemen coffees into the second crack, so if you see some dark beans and a bit of oil you're probably good to go.
dankw Senior Member Joined: 13 Jun 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Riverton, Wyoming Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ibrik Grinder: hand mill Drip: 18" sock Roaster: frying pan
Posted Thu Jul 3, 2008, 7:19pm Subject: Re: First time stove top questions
Many thanks for all the feedback!
My first roast can relate to just about everything that's been posted - the beans came from Sweet Maria's so I guess they should be good, but the flame was probably too hot, and the agitation didn't turn the beans over enough; sounds like the outside got burned but the inside didn't roast through, thus the burned with green flavor. Just to further complicate things, I ordered a stove top hand stir roaster from Sweet Maria's, but the ideal in my mind is to be able to fix a great cup of Turkish on the road over an open flame. So, I'll keep trying.
dankw Senior Member Joined: 13 Jun 2008 Posts: 5 Location: Riverton, Wyoming Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: ibrik Grinder: hand mill Drip: 18" sock Roaster: frying pan
Posted Fri Jul 4, 2008, 7:14am Subject: Re: First time stove top questions
Hi Tim, Great website! Just what I was looking for. Since I'd rather not haul around a cast iron pot on my motorcycle, do you think it is even possible to control the heat-roasting factors on a stainless steel (ie lightweight) camping skillet? They don't have enough mass to pre-heat the way you describe, and maybe that is why the beans scorch but don't roast-thru. Could be I'm creating more of a problem than is really necessary by attempting to actually roast 'on-the-road'.
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