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mdwest

mdwest

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been thinking about trying to roast my own beans lately..

I travel somewhat frequently to a variety of places where coffee is grown (kenya, ethiopia, costa rica, etc..).. and can pick up fresh beans right from a variety of farms if I want to... so I thought when I make my next trip (in about 2 weeks).. that maybe I would pick up 10 or 20 lbs.. and just play around a bit..

I found plenty of web pages that walk you though a variety of different ways to roast, etc..

but havent found anything that tells you what kind of roast is best for each kind of bean...

Ill be hitting ethiopia in a couple of weeks... I know a little road side stand not too far from the airport where I can get green beans for next to nothing in cost...

does anybody have a suggesstion on how to prepare these things when I bring them home?
 
mdwest

mdwest

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customs re-entry isnt a problem..

they get packaged and sealed and are treated as a food... other guys have done this several times.. I just havent since I dont roast..

not to mention, as long as you are bringing back less than $2000 in value in beans.. you are allowed to self import... you do not have to go through a customs broker to facilitate beans..
 
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mdwest

mdwest

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Import/export is a pain in the a$$ when dealing with the department of commerce... Mostly because they are a slow, bureaucratic monster... But the paperwork and processes really aren't that bad as long as you know what you're doing...

Import/export of defense products (state dept regulated as opposed to commerce).. Is actually even easier...

Import/export of defense services (also DOS regulated) however can be a freaking nightmare...

(I spent quite a bit of time importing and exporting services and products with what I do for a living...)
 
javajunkie

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dude, don't look at me! my kitchen is too small to bring in ANY more gear! i am just a high order predator in the caffeine world, not a producer.

PMing kev to get him in this. o)
 
thejavaman

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Where to begin without writing out a novel? :eyequiver

First of all, home roasting is a really fun hobby, IMO. You get to control all of the variables and experiment with a variety of coffees & roast levels and the reward when you "nail a roast" is some of the freshest & downright best coffee that you'll ever taste....period. Really, there's no set roast level for any coffee from any particular country - it's all really personal preference. I may prefer a light roast of a fruity/floral dry processed Ethiopian coffee and you may prefer to roast it darker to accentuate the chocolate roast tones and to enhance the body a little....I may also roast that same coffee to several different roast levels and taste them all to determine which one I like best....again, it's all personal preference. But being able to choose how to roast each particular coffee is another reason why home coffee roasting can be really fun.

Good coffee can be ruined at so many different steps along the way (seedstock, soil, planting techniques, over/under ripe picking, processing techniques, storage, shipping, roasting, etc.). I think it's great if you want to bring home a few pounds of a coffee from a place you've visited on your travels. However, I don't necessarily think that just because it's super fresh green coffee & that you got it straight from the farmer and that you're going to roast it fresh means that it's going to be great coffee though.....but finding out will be half the fun! Personally, if I were you, I'd buy a small sampler from a well respected vendor (coffees that have been thoroughly & rigorously "cupped" and that have all scored well). I'd also wait until I had a decent budget set aside for an entry level roaster and a decent stash of various beans so I could get the full effect. The coffee you bring back may very well be a really good coffee, so it's definitely worth a shot to bring some back (if for nothing else than experimentation purposes). Check out this link for a few "starter" home roasting sets:

http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/coffee-roasters/starter-kits.html

Here's another link with some "home roasting basics":

http://www.sweetmarias.com/instructions.php
 
mdwest

mdwest

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thanks for the links and the info java! good stuff there...

Im guessing the coffee I can grab in Africa is really good stuff... but even if its not.. I can get it dirt cheap (we're talking less than $1 a pound for fresh, green beans in Ethiopia.. and I think the last time I saw some in Kenya it was well less than $2 a pound..)... and I can buy in as small of increments as I like (maybe just grab 2 or 3 pounds this time around and see what I think).. so.. if nothing else, its a cheap way to get started and see if I enjoy tinkering around (or if I am going to continue to be lazy and let someone else do all the work..)..
 
Nacho Daddy

Nacho Daddy

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Roadside stand near the airport?

If it was "really good stuff" someone would have bought it and shipped it out.Coffee buyers have relationships with the best growers,you will not even get in the door at the better plantations.
If it is available on the street,you will be buying poor quality,poorly grown and processed coffee.Just like everything else in Africa,someone else has gotten the best products and all the locals have is the dregs.
However,you could have some luck if you can locate an exporter and source your purchase there......
 
mdwest

mdwest

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I have to ask...

how much time have you actually spent in Africa? and what parts? Do you have any personal experience in the countries mentioned above? Have you actually purchased products there? How recently?

I would argue that the best products Africa has to offer havent even begun to get tapped into.. And many wont for several years to come..

between 1980 and 2000 there were 28 Subsaharan African nations that experienced war.. there were over 9M refugees and internationally displaced people on the continent.. government corruption across the continent was the absolute worst in the world.. (the list of problems goes on and on...)

Most western companies shied away from Africa due to risk.. there was very limted trade between most countries in Africa and the US specifically (Europe did a little more trading than we did and took advantage of old colonial relationships, etc..)..

what you have seen traded in the US that comes from Africa in the past 40+ years has been what is EASY to acquire.. not what is of the best quality or even the best price..

Its only been within the past decade that we have really been trying to get in there and see what business can be done at any significant scale.. and only within the past 5 or 6 years that there has any real success in most market areas in many countries..

now that the continent has largely calmed down (only two countries currently dealing with a major military conflict (defined as a conflict with 1,000 or more deaths attributed annually), the continent's economy currently growing at over 2x the speed of the US economy (6 of the 10 fastest growing economies int he world in the past 10 years are in Africa), and corruption in many countries actually considered to be LOWER than corruption in some US states, etc..).. Everyone is rushing to the continent to try and grab a piece of the pie.. but are finding that Asian nations are way ahead of us in most places.. India and Pakistan are all over Tanzania for example.. China practically owns a couple of countries in Africa...

If you think the Kenyan bean you have been buying at the grocery store in the US is actually "the good stuff"... you are sadly mistaken..

even if you are getting products imported from a reputable company that is currently on the ground and operating Africa.. it is HIGHLY probable that the company hasnt even touched 10% of the product in their area yet.. and HIGHLY probable that the "best" stuff is headed east, not west.. at excellent prices.. due to long trading relationships with eastern countries..
 
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mdwest

mdwest

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Ive been thinking about this for a few minutes....

I propose a test/non scientific evaluation/study...

How about this...

understand that I am NOT a coffee connesieur.. I really dont have a clue what I will be looking at or have any knowledge or understanding of what is good or not.. I am going to have to rely on locals to tell me what they think (which may, or may not be truthful.. they afterall simply want to make a sale)... it is every bit as likely that I will get suckered into buying a bag of beans that was brought in from the field 65 years ago as it is that I will buy a bag of beans that was just harvested last week (I need to get myself educated..)...

I propose that I pick up a couple of pounds of beans.. some unroasted.. and maybe some that are already roasted and packaged.. but definately not any brands or product lines you commonly see in Europe or the US.. this will be stuff that you get at local markets.. stuff that either the locals use.. or that is sold to "tourists" passing by.. not something that is regularly imported here..

Ill provide photos of the shops where it is purchased.. and photos of the reciepts to prove location and price (wont be buying anything "premium" priced or buying anything from a place that deals with major exporters).. will just look for "common" stuff...

When I get back to the US.. Ill divide it all up, and send it out to a handfull of BOTL's coffee hounds.. and let them tell us if it is ok, excellent, terrible, poorly grown, poorly processed, etc.. and then compare it to common product found in the US (price, freshness, flavor, etc..)...

I need 4 volunteers...

the two Java's are obvious selectees for slots 1 & 2 (assuming they want in..)...

who wants slots 3 and 4?
 
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