Popcorn Popper Roasting


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Popcorn Popper Roasting


	Hot Air Roasting I have been roasting coffee in Proctor-Silex hot air popcorn poppers. I have found the Proctor-Silex to be capable of roasting slightly more beans than the popular West Bend Poppery II. The Proctor-Silex has 1250 watts and slightly more air flow than the 1200 watt Poppery II. The roasting chamber is slightly deeper, keeping more of the roasted beans in the chamber. Roasting in Pennsylvania during the winter months in my basement the ambient temperature drops into the upper 50’s, near the limits of popcorn popper heating capabilities. I have four Proctor-Silex poppers and about a dozen Poppery II’s, and they all have a slightly different roasting profile. The greatest difference is heating and the amount of air the fan moves thought he roasting chamber, the more the better. The poppers have a thermostat that will cut the heating element off at what ever temperature they are activated. For some popper’s this thermostat setting is above roasting temperatures and of no concern as it will not interfere with the roasting temperatures. However on many poppers the thermostat will kick in around 380- 400 degrees F and shuts off the heating element. This prevents the popper from reaching the temperatures to complete the roast. Some have overcome the low temperature of the popper by jumping or remove the thermostat. See Chris Beck's page for information about modifying a popper. There is a thermo couple fuse that is suppose to shut of the electricity if the unit gets too hot. Never leave a popper running unattended, and have a plan of action should something go wrong or you have a fire. Know which circuit breaker your popper line is connected, and have a fire extinguisher. In ten years of popcorn popper roasting, I have never had a fire or electrical problem, but the temperatures reached during coffee roasting is higher than popping popcorn, a malfunction or fire is not out of the realm of possibilities. None of the popcorn popper manufactures endorse roasting coffee in their machines. Keep the base and vent slots clear of chaff. I will blow in through the bottom vent slots of a cold popper to clear out any chaff that is accumulating inside the base. Remove any chaff from the area around the base of the popper between batches. The top and sides of the popper can become hot enough to cause a burn, consider using a pot holder or glove if you touch these parts. Most poppers will produce a full city roast around 425 F, and a dark or Vienna roast around 445-460 F. There is plenty of information posted on the Web regarding roasting coffee in a hot air popcorn popper, I am only going to give an overview of my experiences. I like to roast as much as possible in a batch, the amount of air the popper fan blows through the chamber as a lot to do with the amount you can roast in a batch. The greens beans need to move or begin floating in the air stream very early in the roast cycle. Normal amounts I roast are 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup of green beans. Many experienced hot air roasters weight their beans for consistent roasting. The green beans may not circulate at first, but should begin to loose some moisture and begin to circulate in the first minute or so. I would recommend stirring the beans to ensure that they heat evenly and loose moisture evenly. If the beans do not begin to circulate in around 90 seconds, you probably have too many and should cut back on the amount next time. If the beans are not circulating, they need to be stirred frequently to ensure an even roast, eventually they become lighter and circulate. Unique to popcorn popper roasting is that more beans in a roast will hold more heat, the roast will be faster, and potentially darker. Too few green beans in the batch will result in longer roast times. Monitoring the Roast My normal roast time for a full city roast is around 6-8 minutes. I live in the NE and the ambient air temperature will make a big difference in the roast times. Temperatures below 60 degrees F greatly increase the roasting time, and some poppers do not have the BTUs to achieve roasting temperatures. Some will put a box over the popper to overcome the low ambient temperatures and recycle some of the heat. I have not tried this, I will only use my hottest poppers if temperatures are in the upper 50s. A thermometer mounted through the butter melting tray is the most scientific method to monitor the roast progress and achieve consistent roast results. Sweet Maria's library has information on how to retrofit the thermometer into the popper lid. They also sell thermometers suitable for the roasters.It's Messy The roasting process is quite messy as the silver skin covering the bean will separate and blow out of the popper as chaff. I put a bucket in front of the popper to collect the majority of the chaff, but some will inevitability float away. The darker you roast the coffee, the more smoke the popper will create, and some type of exhaust to the outside is recommended. I roast in my basement in a small room under the front porch. I have two separate 110 volt lines, and will run two poppers at a time. I installed a ventilation fan through part of a glass block window. I had to train my neighbor, a firefighter not to call 911 as he would come over and observe the white smoke pouring out of the vent. I did watch two elderly women starring at the smoke walking on my side walk, walk into a parked car. My neighbors have commented that they can smell the coffee roasting, but no one has told me that the smell is offensive, some have stated that it makes them want a cup of coffee. I have given some neighbors samples of my roasting, they can better appreciate what I am doing.Cooling the Roast The hot coffee beans will continue to roast in the popper or in a pan or bowl. Quick cooling is critical to stopping the roast and having the sugars crystallize properly for maximum flavor. My preference to cool a small popper batch is to pour the hot beans from the popper into a shallow disposable aluminum baking pan, and place the pan on the cold cement cellar floor. After a minute or two I shake the pan and move the pan to a new cold section of the floor. This works quite well, especially in the winter. Some will mist the hot beans with water, cool in a colander, even put them in the freezer. I read on alt.coffee that a home roaster in California was cooling his beans by floating them in a bowl in his swimming pool, I knew I was missing something. Freshly roasted beans should be rested several hours to a couple of days to allow the body to develop. Freshly roasted beans give off carbon dioxide for a couple of days and can cause a thick layer of foam to form on the top of the grounds during brewing, much like foam on a draft beer. Foaming grounds in a drip coffee maker can overflow the filter and can deposit enough grounds in the bottom of the brew basket that the basket drains too slow resulting in a coffee flood and mess to clean up, bad way to start the morning! Store whole bean roasted coffee in an air tight container, it should remain fresh for at least a week. Ground coffee begins to oxidize immediately, grind only the amount you need before you brew. There is quite a controversy among the coffee professionals as to the length of time coffee remains fresh, however once roasted and exposed to air the volatile oils that are the main flavor components begin to slowly oxidize. Keep it for several months and it will begin to resemble the coffee from the supermarket. \| Return Home \| Popcorn Popper Roasting \| Building a Gas Grill Roaster \| Bean Cooler \| Gas Grill Roasting \| Growing a Coffee Tree \| Links \| Contact \|