How To Roast Your Own Coffee.

[richard10365]

MODS: Please keep this in the Chiang Mai, forum. I want this to benefit the Chiang Mai readers most.

I love coffee and coffee threads. Since I have been here I have experimented with various brands of coffee. Some that impressed on the first bag were disappointing the second time I bought it. Frustrated with having this experience 2 or 3 times, I decided to teach myself how to roast my own coffee beans.

Most people don't realize that roasting coffee beans at home is only slightly more difficult than cooking rice in a pot. In fact, it's so easy that most of you would probably wonder why you have been wasting money on expensive coffee from the stores.

I will try to explain how easy it is.

1kg of green coffee beans cost 150 baht from the dealer I buy from. She has a coffee farm in the mountains of Chang Dao. These beans are very easy to get in Chiang Mai. If you go to Doi Inthanon, you can get 1kg of beans for 120 baht.

When you roast coffee, you lose 20% of the mass of the coffee. So from 1kg of beans, you are left with 800 grams of beans.

The method I found works best at home is to cook the beans in a wok. Turn on the flame. Dump your beans in the wok and continually turn the beans with a long wooden or metal spoon. Slowly they will change colors. Continue turning the beans until they are the color you like. If you reach a point where the beans are dark brown to black, you will probably notice a popping sound as well as some smoke. This is normal. When the beans are the right color, (either a light brown or black) turn off the fire. There is also a lot of chaff (bean skin) produced from this process. You can remove that after the beans have cooled. This process takes about 40 to 50 minutes.

Dump the beans into a bowl and let them cool for about 3 to 4 hours. To remove the chaff, I pour the beans into a strainer that is large enough to allow the chaff to fall out but keep the beans inside. Cover the top with something do the beans cannot get out. Then shake the strainer until the chaff stops falling out. A faster way is to use an air blower and blow the chaff out of the strainer. This process takes about 3 minutes.

Seal your beans in a plastic or glass air tight container. Keep in a cool dark place.

If about 4 hours have passed since you took your beans off the fire, then they are ready to grind and brew your coffee.

So for 150 baht, I get 800 grams of coffee beans cooked to my specification. If I was to sell these coffee beans, I could sell for 150 baht for a 200 gram bag. The 800 grams of coffee would make 4 bags of coffee beans. 4 x 150 = 600 baht. Subtract my investment and I have 450 baht profit.

Of course you would still have to package and market your beans, but there is an interesting business opportunity here. As well as a way to get the coffee made to your specs. I hope this helps some people in Chiang Mai get the coffee they love at prices they enjoy.

Happy new year!

Edited January 4, 2011 by richard10365

[CheGuava]

Thank you! I would love to give that a try. Where can you buy green beans in small-ish quantities? (1 kg is fine). How long can you store green beans, do you need to roast them right away?

While on the topic od DIY, another highly expensive item (for unclear reasons) is peanut butter. This is also very easy to make yourself from a cheap 500 gram bag of peanuts and some oil.

Edited January 4, 2011 by CheGuava

[richard10365]

Thank you! I would love to give that a try. Where can you buy green beans in small-ish quantities? (1 kg is fine). How long can you store green beans, do you need to roast them right away?

While on the topic od DIY, another highly expensive item (for unclear reasons) is peanut butter. This is also very easy to make yourself from a cheap 500 gram bag of peanuts and some oil.

Hi CheGuava,

I have been buying my beans from the same dealer for about 2 years now. She just opened up a coffee shop on the road coming from Doi Saket. Right before you get to the 3-way traffic light next to the Sansainoi market there is a Texico gas station on the left side. There is a coffee shop there called Blessing Coffee. You can buy the beans there. Just ask for green coffee beans. They don't speak much English there. I usually buy 1 or 2kg at a time there.

Here is a map to the place. I am not too sure if I pinned the right place because it is hard to tell with google maps.

Lat/Lon

18.813528, 99.032106

They sell the beans in a clear plastic bag. I just keep them in the kitchen cabinet until I am ready to use them. You can keep for a while. I am not sure how long. Just keep them in a clean dry place and they should stay for a very long time. You don't have to use them right away. I have kept beans for 2 months before roasting.

Here is the website for Blessing Coffee.

http://www.blessingcoffee.com/

Edited January 4, 2011 by richard10365

[PoorSucker]

Do you know where in Chiang Dao.

I got a house up there.

[richard10365]

I said Chiang Dao in my original post. I need to correct that after looking at the website. It is Ban Doi Chang.

[lingnoi1977]

Most people don't realize that roasting coffee beans at home is only slightly more difficult than cooking rice in a pot. In fact, it's so easy that most of you would probably wonder why you have been wasting money on expensive coffee from the stores.

Well, stupid me for investing my time and money in sourcing green beans of the highest quality, buying a proper roaster with temperature profiling, and learning how to roast properly over a number of months. All I needed was a wok and some local beans!

The method I found works best at home is to cook the beans in a wok. Turn on the flame. Dump your beans in the wok and continually turn the beans with a long wooden or metal spoon. Slowly they will change colors. Continue turning the beans until they are the color you like. If you reach a point where the beans are dark brown to black, you will probably notice a popping sound as well as some smoke. This is normal. When the beans are the right color, (either a light brown or black) turn off the fire. There is also a lot of chaff (bean skin) produced from this process. You can remove that after the beans have cooled. This process takes about 40 to 50 minutes.

And we dont even need a second crack. Great, what a time saving!

If about 4 hours have passed since you took your beans off the fire, then they are ready to grind and brew your coffee.

Keep all that lovely carbon dioxide in the beans, it adds complexity.

Of course you would still have to package and market your beans, but there is an interesting business opportunity here. As well as a way to get the coffee made to your specs. I hope this helps some people in Chiang Mai get the coffee they love at prices they enjoy.

I hope all the legitimate coffee producers of Chiangmai appreciate that their investment is worthless. If only this post was made years ago.

Is there a wine equivalent?

I reckon all you need is a few grapes, some yeast and a bath tub at home. From a tonne of grapes costing 20,000 baht, you could make....

[WinnieTheKhwai]

^ Nice.

Truth may be somewhere in the middle.. Somewhat more attention/equipment may yield better results, but on the other hand it's not nuclear physics is it.. If you look around the Coffee geek forums then quite a few people roast their own beans in all kinds of contraptions.

Edited January 4, 2011 by WinnieTheKhwai

[richard10365]

Most people don't realize that roasting coffee beans at home is only slightly more difficult than cooking rice in a pot. In fact, it's so easy that most of you would probably wonder why you have been wasting money on expensive coffee from the stores.

Well, stupid me for investing my time and money in sourcing green beans of the highest quality, buying a proper roaster with temperature profiling, and learning how to roast properly over a number of months. All I needed was a wok and some local beans!

The method I found works best at home is to cook the beans in a wok. Turn on the flame. Dump your beans in the wok and continually turn the beans with a long wooden or metal spoon. Slowly they will change colors. Continue turning the beans until they are the color you like. If you reach a point where the beans are dark brown to black, you will probably notice a popping sound as well as some smoke. This is normal. When the beans are the right color, (either a light brown or black) turn off the fire. There is also a lot of chaff (bean skin) produced from this process. You can remove that after the beans have cooled. This process takes about 40 to 50 minutes.

And we dont even need a second crack. Great, what a time saving!

If about 4 hours have passed since you took your beans off the fire, then they are ready to grind and brew your coffee.

Keep all that lovely carbon dioxide in the beans, it adds complexity.

Of course you would still have to package and market your beans, but there is an interesting business opportunity here. As well as a way to get the coffee made to your specs. I hope this helps some people in Chiang Mai get the coffee they love at prices they enjoy.

I hope all the legitimate coffee producers of Chiangmai appreciate that their investment is worthless. If only this post was made years ago.

Is there a wine equivalent?

I reckon all you need is a few grapes, some yeast and a bath tub at home. From a tonne of grapes costing 20,000 baht, you could make....

Hi Lingnoi. Your sounding a bit sarcastic in your comments. There are plenty of ways to roast a coffee bean. I was just showing the cheapest and easiest way. However, if everyone did start to roast their own beans, this would be a threat to Starbucks. I can see why it might upset you.

However, I don't think Starbucks or Wawee is in any danger of losing their market share to this process. Not everyone will want to spend the time to roast their own beans. Even if it does produce delicious tasting coffee. Just like there are noodle stands all over Chiang Mai, people still buy mama noodles to eat at home.

I don't see any problem with showing people how to do something and saving them money at the same time. Apparently, you feel differently about the matter. Sorry about that.

[richard10365]

^ Nice.

Truth may be somewhere in the middle.. Somewhat more attention/equipment may yield better results, but on the other hand it's not nuclear physics is it.. If you look around the Coffee geek forums then quite a few people roast their own beans in all kinds of contraptions.

Hi Winnie, it's definitely not rocket science but it might take a few tries before you get it right. When I was having problems getting good quality beans from the stores in Chiang Mai, I looked to websites like the Coffee Geek on how to roast my own beans and that's how I learned.

The good thing is green coffee beans are incredibly cheap. Legitimate coffee producers have known this for years and make a huge profit from the farmers who harvest and prepare the beans for the market. This includes some very big brand name coffee shops who do buy some of their coffee from northern Thailand middle men. In fact, some parts of the coffee bean business in some areas is almost mafia style in how they control the coffee trade.

I don't think most people will want to roast their own beans so the threat to the big coffee producers is minimal. However, for the real coffee lovers, roasting your own beans is a great way to get delicious tasting coffee at a very low price.

[iSabai]

Most people don't realize that roasting coffee beans at home is only slightly more difficult than cooking rice in a pot. In fact, it's so easy that most of you would probably wonder why you have been wasting money on expensive coffee from the stores.

Well, stupid me for investing my time and money in sourcing green beans of the highest quality, buying a proper roaster with temperature profiling, and learning how to roast properly over a number of months. All I needed was a wok and some local beans!

The method I found works best at home is to cook the beans in a wok. Turn on the flame. Dump your beans in the wok and continually turn the beans with a long wooden or metal spoon. Slowly they will change colors. Continue turning the beans until they are the color you like. If you reach a point where the beans are dark brown to black, you will probably notice a popping sound as well as some smoke. This is normal. When the beans are the right color, (either a light brown or black) turn off the fire. There is also a lot of chaff (bean skin) produced from this process. You can remove that after the beans have cooled. This process takes about 40 to 50 minutes.

And we dont even need a second crack. Great, what a time saving!

If about 4 hours have passed since you took your beans off the fire, then they are ready to grind and brew your coffee.

Keep all that lovely carbon dioxide in the beans, it adds complexity.

Of course you would still have to package and market your beans, but there is an interesting business opportunity here. As well as a way to get the coffee made to your specs. I hope this helps some people in Chiang Mai get the coffee they love at prices they enjoy.

I hope all the legitimate coffee producers of Chiangmai appreciate that their investment is worthless. If only this post was made years ago.

Is there a wine equivalent?

I reckon all you need is a few grapes, some yeast and a bath tub at home. From a tonne of grapes costing 20,000 baht, you could make....

Hi Lingnoi. Your sounding a bit sarcastic in your comments. There are plenty of ways to roast a coffee bean. I was just showing the cheapest and easiest way. However, if everyone did start to roast their own beans, this would be a threat to Starbucks. I can see why it might upset you.

However, I don't think Starbucks or Wawee is in any danger of losing their market share to this process. Not everyone will want to spend the time to roast their own beans. Even if it does produce delicious tasting coffee. Just like there are noodle stands all over Chiang Mai, people still buy mama noodles to eat at home.

I don't see any problem with showing people how to do something and saving them money at the same time. Apparently, you feel differently about the matter. Sorry about that.

I appreciated your OP richard. Too bad that lingnoi chose to belittle you and your post rather than add to the thread in a positive way, with whatever expertise he may have on the subject, for the benefit of those of us that are interested. But then, this is TV innit...

[Johpa]

Truth may be somewhere in the middle..

Not really. When I am in-country and the locals are harvesting coffee beans I am able to purchase them for a pittance, actually the same price the folks in the wholesale market purchased them from the small growers. And it is indeed that easy to roast beans in a wok over a low heat. I have been doing that for the past 20 years with maybe only one or two failed batches. Alas, coffee has become a more commercialized product than in the past and the plants given out by the government to many folks in the Chiang Mai hill years ago as a means to supplement their income have not been replaced. Too bad, because there is nothing like roasting coffee beans that were harvested only days before off the plant and then brewing them one morning soon after.

[richard10365]

Most people don't realize that roasting coffee beans at home is only slightly more difficult than cooking rice in a pot. In fact, it's so easy that most of you would probably wonder why you have been wasting money on expensive coffee from the stores.

Well, stupid me for investing my time and money in sourcing green beans of the highest quality, buying a proper roaster with temperature profiling, and learning how to roast properly over a number of months. All I needed was a wok and some local beans!

The method I found works best at home is to cook the beans in a wok. Turn on the flame. Dump your beans in the wok and continually turn the beans with a long wooden or metal spoon. Slowly they will change colors. Continue turning the beans until they are the color you like. If you reach a point where the beans are dark brown to black, you will probably notice a popping sound as well as some smoke. This is normal. When the beans are the right color, (either a light brown or black) turn off the fire. There is also a lot of chaff (bean skin) produced from this process. You can remove that after the beans have cooled. This process takes about 40 to 50 minutes.

And we dont even need a second crack. Great, what a time saving!

If about 4 hours have passed since you took your beans off the fire, then they are ready to grind and brew your coffee.

Keep all that lovely carbon dioxide in the beans, it adds complexity.

Of course you would still have to package and market your beans, but there is an interesting business opportunity here. As well as a way to get the coffee made to your specs. I hope this helps some people in Chiang Mai get the coffee they love at prices they enjoy.

I hope all the legitimate coffee producers of Chiangmai appreciate that their investment is worthless. If only this post was made years ago.

Is there a wine equivalent?

I reckon all you need is a few grapes, some yeast and a bath tub at home. From a tonne of grapes costing 20,000 baht, you could make....

Hi Lingnoi. Your sounding a bit sarcastic in your comments. There are plenty of ways to roast a coffee bean. I was just showing the cheapest and easiest way. However, if everyone did start to roast their own beans, this would be a threat to Starbucks. I can see why it might upset you.

However, I don't think Starbucks or Wawee is in any danger of losing their market share to this process. Not everyone will want to spend the time to roast their own beans. Even if it does produce delicious tasting coffee. Just like there are noodle stands all over Chiang Mai, people still buy mama noodles to eat at home.

I don't see any problem with showing people how to do something and saving them money at the same time. Apparently, you feel differently about the matter. Sorry about that.

I appreciated your OP richard. Too bad that lingnoi chose to belittle you and your post rather than add to the thread in a positive way, with whatever expertise he may have on the subject, for the benefit of those of us that are interested. But then, this is TV innit...

I think a good bean roasting discussion could have been a good way to pick up some new customers for him. He sounds like he has some tasty coffee too. I would not mind trying it.

I enjoy trying coffee from shops all over town but I have found foreign owners tend to make the best coffee. I went to a coffee shop right outside of Wat Prasing last week and really enjoyed their coffee. The owner was a foreigner and I think his shop is one of the nicest shops in town. I cannot remember the name of it. Perhaps someone can help me with this.

Thank's for your support iSabai!

[Okertes]

thank you for the great post Reachard10365 I will sure try

[jaideeguy]

Truth may be somewhere in the middle..

Not really. When I am in-country and the locals are harvesting coffee beans I am able to purchase them for a pittance, actually the same price the folks in the wholesale market purchased them from the small growers. And it is indeed that easy to roast beans in a wok over a low heat. I have been doing that for the past 20 years with maybe only one or two failed batches. Alas, coffee has become a more commercialized product than in the past and the plants given out by the government to many folks in the Chiang Mai hill years ago as a means to supplement their income have not been replaced. Too bad, because there is nothing like roasting coffee beans that were harvested only days before off the plant and then brewing them one morning soon after.

I've heard from commercial roasters that the best flavor comes from aging the green beens 6 months before roasting.

And another little tip that I have read was that using a hand cranked popcorn popper is a good way to keep the beans moving in the pan.

Also read that an electric forced air popcorn maker can roast coffee almost the same way that the comercial roasters do. I did try that one and my cheap plastic electric popcorn maker melted, so wouldn't recomend that way unless you have a better quality popcorn maker..

[Pria]

Most people don't realize that roasting coffee beans at home is only slightly more difficult than cooking rice in a pot. In fact, it's so easy that most of you would probably wonder why you have been wasting money on expensive coffee from the stores.

Well, stupid me for investing my time and money in sourcing green beans of the highest quality, buying a proper roaster with temperature profiling, and learning how to roast properly over a number of months. All I needed was a wok and some local beans!

The method I found works best at home is to cook the beans in a wok. Turn on the flame. Dump your beans in the wok and continually turn the beans with a long wooden or metal spoon. Slowly they will change colors. Continue turning the beans until they are the color you like. If you reach a point where the beans are dark brown to black, you will probably notice a popping sound as well as some smoke. This is normal. When the beans are the right color, (either a light brown or black) turn off the fire. There is also a lot of chaff (bean skin) produced from this process. You can remove that after the beans have cooled. This process takes about 40 to 50 minutes.

And we dont even need a second crack. Great, what a time saving!

If about 4 hours have passed since you took your beans off the fire, then they are ready to grind and brew your coffee.

Keep all that lovely carbon dioxide in the beans, it adds complexity.

Of course you would still have to package and market your beans, but there is an interesting business opportunity here. As well as a way to get the coffee made to your specs. I hope this helps some people in Chiang Mai get the coffee they love at prices they enjoy.

I hope all the legitimate coffee producers of Chiangmai appreciate that their investment is worthless. If only this post was made years ago.

Is there a wine equivalent?

I reckon all you need is a few grapes, some yeast and a bath tub at home. From a tonne of grapes costing 20,000 baht, you could make....

Well done Richard0135.

Nice description of how to roast coffee at home. We used to do it this way for a restaurant I owned in another (coffee producing) country where the beans for commercial use were roasted in 44 gallon drums that were rotated manually over wood fires.

What we found worked best was to lower the heat once the beans start to change color and, based on the advice of a Brazilian coffee roaster who worked as a consultant to the Coffee industry in the country concerned, closely monitor the crease in the bean. The outside should be chocolate brown and the crease should stay a shade of white.

Locals tend to roast beans until they are totally black (burnt), whereas the fruit should be kept to a shade of brown.

Green beans will keep for several months minimum as long as they are dry. Roasted beans and ground roasted beans should be kept in the refrigerator in a sealed container to preserve their flavor.

As far as lingnoi1977's reply goes – it's absolute crap and a total waste of Forum members time reading such a spiteful, sarcastic and juvenile post. Though I have to agree with the self assessment -- "Well, stupid me...". I'm so glad you recognized your short comings in the opening to your reply.

Back in your box chocolate.

Totally out of line when someone posts something here to help other members. I'm sure your response compensates for other physiological short comings.

[LivinLOS]

There is (should be) a lot more to roasting a bean than simply cooking them brown.

Using different temps for different periods of the roast, 'sealing' the bean, etc etc etc..

There are home roasters getting cheaper.. Even interesting usb computer controlled ones (so you have super fine grained control over the roast for small quantity) and I wouldnt mind having a toy around with.

[harrry]

There are more than one way to cook an egg. You can throw it in hot oil till it congeals or you can skillfully make a light layered ommlette. There are more ways than one to roast coffee....you can rast it in a pan ignoring the science of the complex changes that occur in the bean when it is roasted correctly or you can roast it understanding the meaning of the first and second crack and the need to let the beans gas. I prefer the second in both cases..but then some drink nescaffe.

Edited January 5, 2011 by harrry

[richard10365]

Wow...so many excellent tips on how to roast coffee. I am sure I will incorporate some of them into what I am doing.

I will keep in mind about what Pria said about the crease of the bean being a shade of white. And my next batch I will store in the fridge to see how it preserves the freshness of the beans.

I saw my bean dealer last night at her coffee shop. I was mistaken about the gas station...it is not Texico but it is Caltex. The coffee shop is called Blessing Coffee. It is a green building next to the gas station. She has a sign out front that says green coffee beans are 180 baht per kg. She said she would sell to sell to ThaiVisa members at the price of 150 baht per kg. Just mention my name (Mark) and ThaiVisa for the discount.

[richard10365]

There are more than one way to cook an egg. You can throw it in hot oil till it congeals or you can skillfully make a light layered ommlette. There are more ways than one to roast coffee....you can rast it in a pan ignoring the science of the complex changes that occur in the bean when it is roasted correctly or you can roast it understanding the meaning of the first and second crack and the need to let the beans gas. I prefer the second in both cases..but then some drink nescaffe.

Harrry, can you explain more about the first and second crack?

[harrry]

There are more than one way to cook an egg. You can throw it in hot oil till it congeals or you can skillfully make a light layered ommlette. There are more ways than one to roast coffee....you can rast it in a pan ignoring the science of the complex changes that occur in the bean when it is roasted correctly or you can roast it understanding the meaning of the first and second crack and the need to let the beans gas. I prefer the second in both cases..but then some drink nescaffe.

Harrry, can you explain more about the first and second crack?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_roasting

This was not the source I used which was when I investigated roasting my own coffee when I was in Australia and then decided to buy from a specialist roaster in Rockingham. THe source however does tell what I meant.

Edited January 5, 2011 by harrry

[Asmerom]

http://en.wikipedia....Coffee_roasting

This was not the source I used which was when I investigated roasting my own coffee when I was in Australia and then decided to buy from a specialist roaster in Rockingham. THe source however does tell what I meant.

1. Earlier on Richard says the time needed to roast is 40/50 minutes but Wiki says :

For Light Roast : After several minutes the beans pop or crack and visibly expand in size and American mass market roasters stop here. It goes on to count in time spans of "a few minutes more" for the darker roasts.

"After several minutes" does not sound to me like 40 but more like 5/6 minutes. Can anyone clarify.

2. Blessing Coffee offers Green Beans (grade Arabica) at 180 and Green Beans ( grade Peaberry ) at 420baht per kg. and Butter is Better says that's the coffee he serves and so does Rimping Nim City. So there's green beans and green beans. Savings are not so obvious if using the best quality beans.

3. Wiki says roasting can be done in the oven. That sounds a lot easier to me than standing over a hot stove for half an hour holding a wok. Any comments on this method?

[Mighty Mouse]

If you click on the link for Coffee Snobs Websiteand scroll down to 'Home Roasting - Tips and Tricks. you'll find a wealth of information on the trials and tribulations of home roasters.

To roast beans perfectly and consistently is not as easy as some try to tell you.

[richard10365]

http://en.wikipedia....Coffee_roasting

This was not the source I used which was when I investigated roasting my own coffee when I was in Australia and then decided to buy from a specialist roaster in Rockingham. THe source however does tell what I meant.

1. Earlier on Richard says the time needed to roast is 40/50 minutes but Wiki says :

For Light Roast : After several minutes the beans pop or crack and visibly expand in size and American mass market roasters stop here. It goes on to count in time spans of "a few minutes more" for the darker roasts.

"After several minutes" does not sound to me like 40 but more like 5/6 minutes. Can anyone clarify.

2. Blessing Coffee offers Green Beans (grade Arabica) at 180 and Green Beans ( grade Peaberry ) at 420baht per kg. and Butter is Better says that's the coffee he serves and so does Rimping Nim City. So there's green beans and green beans. Savings are not so obvious if using the best quality beans.

3. Wiki says roasting can be done in the oven. That sounds a lot easier to me than standing over a hot stove for half an hour holding a wok. Any comments on this method?

Hi Asmerom,

About your questions.

1. I have no idea what happens in an industrial roaster. I looked at the article from Wikipedia and I believe they are talking about roasting beans in an industrial roaster and not the common wok that you probably have in your kitchen. The 40 to 45 minutes I mentioned is for cooking in a wok. The industrial roaster probably cost a few hundred thousand baht while the wok cost about 100 baht.

2. I called Blessing Coffee and the price of 420 baht for 1 kg is correct if you are buying roasted peaberry beans. But the price for green peaberry beans is 250 baht per kg. If you are using peaberry, you will pay more. My calculations are based on the normal (half) beans. Peaberry are called peaberry because they don't split in half like other beans do. Check out this wiki article on the beans.

3. About roasting in an oven, I don't see how it can be done. The beans have to roast evenly. In an over, they would not turn over. The roast would not be even. Maybe there is something on Google that would explain it better.

I have let my friends try my wok coffee. A couple of them said wok coffee does not give them stomach problems like other coffees do. Maybe it has something to do with wok roasted beans have the water vapor evaporate into the atmosphere while with barrel roasted beans, the water vapor stays in the barrel during the roasting process.

[Asmerom]

Hi Asmerom,

About your questions.

2. I called Blessing Coffee and the price of 420 baht for 1 kg is correct if you are buying roasted peaberry beans. But the price for green peaberry beans is 250 baht per kg. If you are using peaberry, you will pay more. My calculations are based on the normal (half) beans. Peaberry are called peaberry because they don't split in half like other beans do. Check out this wiki article on the beans.

Many thanks for your helpful answers.

However, re No. 2 ; On their website it clearly states Green Coffee Beans Arabica ; Grade Peaberry Doi Chang $14 ; 1000gms which is about 420 baht.

So, they need to correct their website if its only $4.30 (250baht)rather than the advertised $14 (420baht)

[Asmerom]

So, they need to correct their website if its only $4.30 (250baht)rather than the advertised $14 (420baht)

Sorry to bring this up again and I'm sure nobody cares a hoot but its too embarressing to leave such a glaring error uncorrected.

$4.30 (in the above post) should read $8.30 being the approx equivalent of 250baht.

[Johpa]

To roast beans perfectly and consistently is not as easy as some try to tell you.

There is no perfect "roast" as coffee is such a subjective and acquired taste. However consistency is another matter and for those who need consistency then they should just go out and purchase a commercial brand or invest in some fancy roaster that will give the same results each time for any given amount of beans. But hey, I don't need consistency, I just want the drug inside the bean cursing through my veins in the AM and I am just as happy with Nescafe as I am with my occasional home roast in the wok. I do appreciate the quality difference, but I don't need the better quality every morning just as I don't need to drink true Belgian Trappist ale every hot summer day.

[iSabai]

If you click on the link for Coffee Snobs Websiteand scroll down to 'Home Roasting - Tips and Tricks. you'll find a wealth of information on the trials and tribulations of home roasters.

To roast beans perfectly and consistently is not as easy as some try to tell you.

I'm sure there are lots of good websites to learn more about equipment and processes. Always a good place to start research.

Good point about consistency. Consistency always breeds quality, which can also mean bad quality. There would ultimately be a bit of trial & error involved. And depending on how serious one is about it, it would always be a good idea to use certain constants in the process; beans, gear, temps, times, etc. until you've found the taste you want. Would even be a good idea to keep notes and documentation on those processes. Once you've found that taste you're looking for, it would be easier to replicate in future batches.

[richard10365]

Hi Asmerom,

About your questions.

2. I called Blessing Coffee and the price of 420 baht for 1 kg is correct if you are buying roasted peaberry beans. But the price for green peaberry beans is 250 baht per kg. If you are using peaberry, you will pay more. My calculations are based on the normal (half) beans. Peaberry are called peaberry because they don't split in half like other beans do. Check out this wiki article on the beans.

Many thanks for your helpful answers.

However, re No. 2 ; On their website it clearly states Green Coffee Beans Arabica ; Grade Peaberry Doi Chang $14 ; 1000gms which is about 420 baht.

So, they need to correct their website if its only $4.30 (250baht)rather than the advertised $14 (420baht)

Thank's for pointing that out Asmeron, I will tell them to correct that.

[garyh]

Some good information on home roasting here including roasting in an oven.

[el jefe]

First, the math in the original post needs modification. if you read some of the prior threads on where to buy roasted coffee, you'll see than many, many people recommend Hillcoff. That's where I buy my coffee. You can buy 500 grams for 180 baht so 800 gms would be 288 baht. So there's really not a lot of savings for the risk of a bad batch.

As for Lingnoi's post, he's both right and wrong. Everyone wants things done fast, done perfect, and done cheap. You picked two. He picked a different two.

But to me, anyone who is going to roast their own coffee by trial and error might as well go down to the local market and buy a raw fish. Cut it up and put it on top of some left over cold rice. Much cheaper than going out for fancy sushi. And so simple!