Coffee Roasting 101

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Where and When

Next Coffee Roasting Workshop: March 31, 2023 5PM

Where: Noisebridge Front Patio

Reschedules in the event of rain!

RSVP: https://www.meetup.com/noisebridge/events/292035351/

Previous events:

  • 2023-03-03
  • 2013-10-10
  • 2013-06-27

Coffee Roasting

If you love coffee and you haven't yet tried roasting your own-- you're missing out! Roasting coffee beans in small quantities at home can be simple, quick, and low-cost.


Green Coffee!

What is discussed:

  • Brief history of coffee / SF's connections to the coffee trade
  • Where to get green beans
  • How to re-purpose small appliances, household items, kitchenware to roast coffee
  • Coffee flavors and different types of roasts
  • Demonstration of coffee roasting

We well bring some home roasted coffee for sampling so you can get wired and hack late into the night!

$10+ donation requested to support the space. NOTAFLOF.

Never been to Noisebridge before? the doorbell at the front gate!

Equipment

There are many ways to roast coffee. The basic requirements are heat and motion.

A few things that work well:

  • cast iron pot and spoon
  • heatgun, metal bowl, and spoon
  • baking sheet in your oven
  • stovetop or electric popcorn popper
  • rotating metal drum over a barbecue

Helpful hints

  • Though it may be tempting to immediately drink coffee after you roast it, wait at least a few hours. The coffee will off gas and taste will improve considerably. Taste will peak over the next several days.
  • Coffee roasting can produce a bit of smoke. Make sure the area where you roast is well ventilated or use a fan if you roast indoors.
  • A lighter roast will preserve more flavor and character of an individual coffee, medium and darker roasts give beans a familiar 'roasted' flavor.

Where to get green coffee

  • Your favorite local coffee roaster (many will sell you beans at less than the cost of roasted)
  • Sweet Maria's - Oakland (you can pickup your order at their warehouse in West Oakland)
  • Burman Coffee - Online green coffee seller
  • Green Coffee Buying Club - Semi-structured online coffee buying club.
  • We live near a major port (Oakland). You can buy bulk from a coffee importer but most won't talk to you unless you are interested in a pallet of 75kg sacks. While the most economical, logistically this can be really annoying.
  • Royal Coffee a big specialty coffee importer in the east bay!
  • Some Ethiopian and Yemeni grocery stores sell green coffee!
  • Rainbow grocery (they sell green beans in a small jar in one of the bulk isles)
  • You can buy direct from farmers, including several in the US - kona coffee, even coffee grown in California!