psiber500 Senior Member Joined: 26 Dec 2012 Posts: 4 Location: NY Expertise: Just starting
Posted Fri Feb 22, 2013, 8:52pm Subject: Looking into getting into roasting...
I received a Delonghi EC155 last Christmas and recently bought a Capresso 560.01 Infinity Burr Grinder when it went on sale. I also picked up an extra portafilter to mod and a Krups #0907163 Espresso Maker Filter Cup (2 Cup) basket. I'm wondering if I should pick up a hot air popper or save for a Behmor 1600?
MikeSD Senior Member Joined: 10 Jan 2013 Posts: 43 Location: Florida Expertise: I like coffee
Posted Sat Feb 23, 2013, 5:26am Subject: Re: Looking into getting into roasting...
I would recommend a popper to begin. If you're like most people you won't be good at roasting immediately. A popper is a cheap way to get the basics down, and since the batches are small you won't be ruining large batches of coffee.
Posted Sat Feb 23, 2013, 10:23am Subject: Re: Looking into getting into roasting...
Welcome to CoffeeGeek!
Honestly I would go with the popper and save for a better grinder first. I feel like I'm beating a dead horse here but without a good grinder it won't matter much what your beans taste like. I don't want to discourage you -hate to do that to anyone- just trying to steer you in the right direction. Enjoy the journey!
CMIN Senior Member Joined: 14 Jun 2012 Posts: 511 Location: South FL Expertise: I like coffee
Espresso: Crossland CC1 Grinder: Baratza Preciso
Posted Sat Feb 23, 2013, 11:01am Subject: Re: Looking into getting into roasting...
The Infinity is fine for your machine and other cheaper ones since they use pressurized portafilters. But if you mod the basket to be non-pressurized, or more then likely upgrade to a better machine, your going to want a grinder that can grind correctly for espresso, Baratza Preciso is the best starter at around $300 (or less if you find a used one or refurb listed on their site, they update the site every thursday) and then grinder prices can go way up from that point. Had the Infinity as well, not capable for espresso grinding, great for coarse needs though.
I have a Bar32 around, same thing internally as the EC155, good basic starter machine, but once you get the bug you'll upgrade. I modded mine, depressurized baskets etc... still no comparison to my setup now, but even the low end ones with fresh beans can blow away anything you'll get at Starbucks etc.
Posted Sun Feb 24, 2013, 3:00pm Subject: Re: Looking into getting into roasting...
The Preciso by Baratza is considered by many to be the go-to first grinder for espresso. I'm a Baratza fan myself and may add a Vario to my collection not to far down the road. That said there are some people who have had some problems with the Preciso so it depends who you talk to whether that is the best first step. If you're going for espresso only there are other grinders in that price range that have happy owners. Since you have a grinder that is suitable for other coffee making methods you might consider going a different route. There really is no "right answer". I would spend some time in the grinder forum - do some searches- or just go back a few pages reading. You'll be suprised how many "which grinder should I start with" threads you will find. And you will see a few grinders that keep popping up that you may want to check out. Happy hunting!
TOTHETUNE Senior Member Joined: 15 Jan 2008 Posts: 44 Location: AZ Expertise: Just starting
Posted Sun Feb 24, 2013, 7:21pm Subject: Re: Looking into getting into roasting...
You may consider a heat gun/bread machine setup. I've been using this arrangement successfully for the past 5 years. I picked up a digisense thermocouple on ebay to monitor bean temperature. You wind up having a lot of control over the roast and the beans come out uniform like they came off an assembly line. Roasts up to 1 lb at a time. You'll need some minimal tinkering skills to get started.
feistygoatcoffee Junior Member Joined: 25 Feb 2013 Posts: 6 Location: Interwebs Expertise: Pro Roaster
Posted Mon Feb 25, 2013, 3:47pm Subject: Re: Looking into getting into roasting...
As a long-time user of the Behmor 1600, I can't really do enough to recommend this machine to people. It's a catch 22 whether or not to upgrade grinder or roaster first, but since you seem interested in espresso then the grinder should absolutely be the first upgrade.
Grinder first: taste more honestly what you've accomplished with your roasting Roaster first: higher potential for more testable coffee. But hey, I've been kicking around with the capresso as well (although I have recently acquired a Porlex hand grinder for my aero/v60 game).
Good responses in this thread already so I don't need to toss my two cents around too heavily :3
RandomTask Senior Member Joined: 30 Jan 2013 Posts: 19 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Feb 26, 2013, 10:21am Subject: Re: Looking into getting into roasting...
Kind of a little late to the party but I'd agree with those who beat me to the punch. Getting a roaster would be nice, but I've learned a lot by using a popcorn popper to roast. I've only been at it for about a month but I've already noticed a drastic improvement in the quality and uniformity of my roasts. The first few times I just stood and stared down the barrel of the popper watching the coffee slowly roast. I still haven't got over the joy of the whole process, though the smell was a but surprising.
I will say one thing, don't expect your first roast to be perfect. It probably won't (mine was horrid) but you'll get better from batch to batch. Even now I don't think I'd be able to go back to having someone else roast my coffee.
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