Yes, you’ll want it in an area with good ventilation. It is safe enough for a kitchen area but could cause some issue with smoke; your whole house will smell like roasting coffee.
I’d like to think I save money; at an average of $5-8\lb ,for green beans, depending on the origin, quality, and scarcity it’s seems to be far less expensive than going to a boutique roaster. I’m more focused on quality and uniqueness of the cup and not as concerned about the caffeine level. Coincidentally, the darker the roast the less caffeine in the cup.
I often make a pasta sauce - starting with sautéing garlic and onions. Don’t use a vent fan, and that garlic will cover most grow related smells for hours!
I started roasting coffee about fifteen years ago and made the decision based off a couple factors: cost, quality, and control. I love coffee and would always buy whole roasted single origin beans from Java City and Charbucks and a few other small operations. I returned from a trip from Hawaii and brought back a few pounds of their local coffee. I was commuting on the train and struck up a conversation with another coffee lover that happened to roast coffee. He said to me that he didn’t want to hurt my feelings but for the money I paid for those coffees that I could do it myself for a fraction of the cost not to mention that the coffee wasn’t optimal. He then explained the volatility of the coffee once roasted and that it is at it’s prime 3-5 days after roasting and slowly degrades from there. He said unless there was a roast date posted you really don’t know how old the coffee is. This got me thinking and researching for a good six months before I pulled the trigger and I’m happy to say, for me, it was the right decision. I enjoy coffees from all over the world at a fraction of the price. A pound of Ethiopian Harar at Chocolate Fish is about $21\lb where I can roast it for $8.50\lb. Now I’m not saying that I can produce the roasts that a big roaster can but it’s pretty close and for me that alright.
So I’m having issues uploading my videos and will learn to upload to YT and post the link soon.
That being said, here is a vid from Sweet Marias about the Behmor https://youtu.be/U6ajrQnTgII
I strongly recommend to anyone looking to get into coffee roasting to visit Sweet Marias, they tout themselves to be a coffee university and I would have to agree with their claim. Just a wealth of information about everything coffee.
Decided to try fresh ground beans, man it’s something else compared to basic Folgers or maxwell house. Not sure if I like it yet but man was that an interesting tasting cup of coffee. Like a weird but not unpleasant combination of wood, berries and cocoa.
Single origin light roasts is where it’s at! Sometimes I bounce around between beans from Peru, Columbia, or Mexico, but I always go back to Ethiopian. Also been using a French Press for years and I don’t see that ever changing.
That little Encore is a perfect match for the Chemex.
I pulled the Barista out for a while to help get me through the darker days of winter…still makes a good shot twenty years later…and I recently started messing with a bottomless portafilter, so that has been fun/messy.
I make a mean cup a really easy way. First off you need real good beans. Next a good grinder, and lastly just a glass container and filter. Boil filtered water, and put a few scoops good quality coffee in glass container. Pour over and stir a few times, adding a little bit more water to the desired level. Let sit for 5 mins. Filter into cup, add heavy cream and sugar(not for me) or not and ENJOY! If you want some flavoring get natural vanilla extract or the beans themselves. Add several drops to final product, add 3 to 6 drops stevia, or a tablespoon honey…
I rarely have coffee, but when I partake I do the whole Chemex deal with a scale, timer, and digital gooseneck. Froth up some milk and boom, I’m good to go for hours like a tweaker. Haha.
I was a daily Chemex user until we invested in a nice espresso machine (Lelit Bianca - I posted a pic earlier in this thread). I still keep the Chemex around in case the power goes out!
