SurpriseMe Senior Member Joined: 11 Jun 2007 Posts: 38 Location: Upstate NY Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Mon Jul 14, 2008, 7:09pm Subject: Stove Top Popper - And Why Not?
Being the restless sort, I kept reading people's experiences with stove top poppers, and decided it was cheap enough to gamble on. I purchased a Back-To-Basics 6-qt aluminum model. I also picked up an Indoor Health thermometer (what a deal!).
While I am not enamored of the gear mechanism---frequent jamming even when EMPTY---it sure functioned as advertised. I set the timer to 15 minutes and threw about 1-1/2 cups of beans in. I wasn't in the mood for precision; I just wanted to see what would happen. In 14-1/2 minutes I had beautiful dark brown, evenly-roasted beans. First crack was a bit difficult to hear over the gears, though.
While the absolute temperature was not very instructive, the relative rise and fall gave me something to monitor as I adjusted the heat throughout the roast.
I was using an inferior batch of Colombian with which to experiment. Tomorrow morning will be time for some sampling.
Posted Tue Jul 15, 2008, 5:35am Subject: Re: Stove Top Popper - And Why Not?
Been using a whirleypop for a while. Makes good coffee, and big enough capacity too (I can do 1#). But the wp was already an upgrade from a pan+whisk roaster. :-) My WP's gear didn't last long when I overloaded it. So I had to put the crank on top and remove the gears, rotating it horizontally instead of vertically.
But I have to admit that I had to upgrade, coz I had difficulty roasting light with the WP, coz the 2nd crack goes right after the 1st crack, sometimes overlapping. So only yesterday I completed my DIY toaster oven w/ rotisserie, with stainless steel drum.
Posted Tue Jul 15, 2008, 7:34am Subject: Re: Stove Top Popper - And Why Not?
I crank out about 5 roasts a week on my popper, and I don't see myself upgrading anytime soon. A Behmor sounds nice, but I think I'd miss the arm workout.
Those gears will wear themselves in, but they are especially sticky at first. A little oil on them helps, and watch for metal filings that break off and could get into the popper. Also keep an eye on any screws and rivets. I haven't had to replace rivets, but the screws on the handle I have to tighten occasionally. The cranking will get smother with time.
I'd recommend calibrating your thermometer in boiling water, and recording time and temperature for a few roasts. I also record the heat setting that my stove is on. Like you said, the temperature is relative, but after a while you start to know what to expect at certain temperatures and how to control your heat. I have a routine that works great for me, and I can almost always get a break between first and second cracks. If you stop cranking for a few seconds you can usually hear the cracks just fine. I roast anywhere from 1/2 to 1 pound, and 3/4 pound seems to work best.
Posted Wed Jul 16, 2008, 6:12am Subject: Re: Stove Top Popper - And Why Not?
I'm a stove top popper roaster as well!!
I like to take it camping and make it the last thing I do before bed on the fire. That and a hand crank grinder are an excellent combo for some great, fresh roasted coffee when you are out camping!
I use it at home now and then, but not too much really. The gear mechanism is definitely a little sketchy, but if it works, use it!!
SurpriseMe Senior Member Joined: 11 Jun 2007 Posts: 38 Location: Upstate NY Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Wed Jul 16, 2008, 6:38pm Subject: Re: Stove Top Popper - And Why Not?
Hmm..........I'm gonna have to reserve judgment on this whole affair until after I get back into town next week. I'll have to try the popper with my old standby Kenya AA.
This stuff is an even bigger disappointment than the previous air popper roast. This batch of Colombian----and it's a BIG batch, sad to say----just isn't working out at all. I have roasted it using a P1, a heat gun, and now the stove top popper. It tastes like hot lemon juice, plain and simple. And the taste just doesn't go away!
The prior batch was very good, so I ordered a larger quantity, but now I highly regret it. I wouldn't even give this stuff away.
Posted Thu Jul 17, 2008, 10:12am Subject: Re: Stove Top Popper - And Why Not?
SurpriseMe Said:
Hmm..........I'm gonna have to reserve judgment on this whole affair until after I get back into town next week. I'll have to try the popper with my old standby Kenya AA.
This stuff is an even bigger disappointment than the previous air popper roast. This batch of Colombian----and it's a BIG batch, sad to say----just isn't working out at all. I have roasted it using a P1, a heat gun, and now the stove top popper. It tastes like hot lemon juice, plain and simple. And the taste just doesn't go away!
The prior batch was very good, so I ordered a larger quantity, but now I highly regret it. I wouldn't even give this stuff away.
Sounds like you might be roasting a little too quick, or you may need to take the roast to a slightly darker degree. What you are describing sounds like a coffee with a very high acidity. You'd probably be looking at a very sweet, darker roast. I'd give it a try.
Personally, I'm a huge fan of lighter roasts that show off a beans acidity.
Posted Thu Jul 17, 2008, 1:27pm Subject: Re: Stove Top Popper - And Why Not?
With all the roasting methods you have tried, I think the stove top may be the most challenging to master. It is the lack of convection heating and the (relatively) high temps on the pan that make it. You would really need to keep the beans in motion. My suggestion with your roasting is to decide what method would work best for your needs and practice, then invest the time and whatever is required to get control of the roaster so you can get reliable, repeatable results. Lemon juice sounds like it could be a roast defect. (... or a really good WP Yirga at light City roast ;^)
SurpriseMe Senior Member Joined: 11 Jun 2007 Posts: 38 Location: Upstate NY Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Sun Jul 20, 2008, 6:04pm Subject: Re: Stove Top Popper - And Why Not?
Well, good news of sorts. I came back into town this evening and decided to brew up a pot of my most recent mistake(now 6 days old) before I chucked it. There was a healthy *pffff* as I unscrewed the mason jar.
The coffee is drinkable. The enamel-softening "lemonicity" has mitigated. That's about as far as the good news goes. It has settled in to a familiar somewhat-astringent blandness that has characterized this sack o' beans since Day One.
I intend to take the next roast darker and a bit faster, as has been suggested. The result may be a decent base for a blend.
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
![BobbyTimonera: wpcrank.jpg](javascript:ImagePopup("/images/39799/wpcrank.jpg", 480, 585, "BobbyTimonera: wpcrank.jpg");)
= No New Posts since last visit 