I roast coffee at home for personal use, and as a hobby. I buy green beans and have a 'professional' 3kg roaster.
In the back of my mind, I thought I might crank up the volume and sell the roasted beans via local shops. But that raises the question if there is still a market for roasted coffee beans in this age of multiple alternatives (e.g. pods, etc.)
If you make your own coffee to drink, as opposed to buying a coffee from a cafe or take-away, what is your preference to use?
grinding is simple. you just need a decent grinder and it pretty much does it itself. - just need to measure the correct amount of beans.
Roasting is indeed harder.
Pre-ground coffee will taste bad quickly, grinding is worth the small amount of trouble
Iced coffee is all I really drink so I opt for a pod or 2 at home. Instant is gross and who has the time and effort to roast and grind themselves?
I buy locally roasted beans and grind at home (and at work). Around where I live there's lots of small businesses doing what you're suggesting - there's definitely a strong market for it. I also see deals on ozbargain once or twice a month for specialty coffee beans.
People go for pods for convenience but I see a movement away from them at the moment because people seem to be interested in reducing waste. Brewing your own takes slightly longer but tastes much better and doesn't produce a lot of non biodegradable waste. Easy choice if those things matter to you.
I used to buy speciality beans from local roasters. But at 10-$15 per 200g it adds up quick. I then tried roasting my own. While they tasted good, the effort far outweighed the benefit. We go through a 1KG bag a month.
I now buy Aldi 1KG bags for between $11-$13. I'm partial to the Columbia blend at the moment. They are roasted in Melbourne by Black Bag Roasters in Richmond and IMO taste great. https://www.smooth.com.au/life/aldi-take-home-gold-coffee-ro…
I grind them on a Rancillo Rocky and either stick them in a Mocka pot or on the Silvia. I also always have a pot of cold brew in the fridge ready to go using the same beans.
Columbia is my bean of choice at $13 /kg from Aldi. Taste great! Grind using the Breville Smart Grinder at 7 setting.
Is the No 7 setting good for cold brew?
Most cold brew should be medium fine grind so try 8-10 and see how you go.
Just bought Aldi Brazil 1Kg to try, and gotta say, given price, it is very good value. Like you, also use Rocky/Silvia for making.
Thought I will try Brazil first, as by description, it seems a bit stronger than Columbia. Will try Columbia next. (I usually go for Harris Signature, which is on the strong side, not too dark). Am wondering if the Columbia one may be weaker.
The Brazil is the stronger of the two for sure. But the Columbia has some nice balance to it without being overly wanky (sorry I couldn't think of a better term)
I mix coffee in with my morning protein shake, so I just use cheap home brand instant shit.
I buy green beans and have a 'professional' 3kg roaster.
I could 1 up you if I wanted to … ;)
I have a coffee tree in my backyard which produces green beans. The neighbour has said he's tried it but it didn't taste good. Not sure how he roasted it, but is there a quick and dirty way to test it that will give you an indication if it's any good? E.g. in an airfryer?
Inventive, as Coffee beans and Cocoa beans are two different products.
Almost every plant I try to grow dies, so good for you.
You could maybe find a friendly local roaster and ask if they would sample roast it for you. Even a quantity as small as 100gm could be put through a sample roaster, and along with the other data (e.g. moisture content pre- and post-roast, etc.) and a cupping session later would determine if any good.
Ideally a few small sample roasts (to determine the roasting profile for that specific bean) would be best.
Good luck.
there is still a process in harvesting and preparing beans before they get to the 'green' stage.
Yep, and that can affect the coffee beans.
As ihbh had already shared some beans with a neighbour, I assumed that they went through one of the relative processes.
Popcorn Air popper is your best bet. They are like $10 for target/kmart
Whole beans ground on demand. Wouldn't make it any other way, have a Nespresso but it never gets used as the pods are a total rip off and flavour is only average. I buy Aldi dark roast beans for $12 per kg and keep an eye on OzBargain for fresh roasted beans under $20 per kg delivered. I struggle to get through 1kg in a month and I drink 2-3 espresso per day.
I am also interested in getting into roasting.
so many junkies on ozb
Tried those choc coated Oreos? The mint ones are to die for and 10x more addictive than coffee. You should try both together 😊
i'm sure they actually taste good, unlike coffee.
i've always wondered if meth heads have started to now like the taste the same way coffee junkies do
I've got a rancilio set up. It does the job and has paid for itself easily on money saved from purchasing coffee.
I generally buy Toby's estate beans.
The only issue I have is trying to find my partner an alternative strong coffee blend set of beans. We nornally get it from a supplier at a local store who get their roasted beans from another supplier. Trying to look for cheaper alternative. Have tried many on OZB. Just received Flair from Bada beans. Hopefully that is good.
what do you mean by 'strong' and how does you partner drink their coffee?
if you're looking for a 'stronger' coffee try diluting it less.
Robusta tends to have more caffeine than arabica so maybe try a blend with more robusta?
I make a cappo. 30sec pore. The special blend we get from the coffee supplier probably is high in caffine. The taste as to be strong. She tried the Viktoria Mountain goat one as still wasn't impressed.
Trying to look for cheaper alternative.
Have you tried the Harris Signature? It has strong and intense flavor, but not as dark as the Espresso, and it is not bitter. Of course, you cannot really compare with on-demand roasted coffee beans, being so much cheaper. If you are a frequent coffee drinker, drinking many times a day, mixing it up save heaps.
Will try those next. I don't have an issue as I still drink instant as well. I can tell the difference between good and bad, but not as fussy compared to my partner.
If I had the time to actually make my own coffee, I'd use ready-ground coffee. My view is that roasting and grinding beans is something beyond my capabilities and best left to people who know what they're doing. In terms of the rest of it, instant coffee or coffee pods is for convenience and cost, not for taste.