I hope the prices for these coffees come down, though I get why business-wise it makes sense for them to target the ultra-high-end market at their stage. The idea of good coffee from somewhere as close as California is a bit exciting to me.
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Sorry if the rest is slightly off-topic. After reading all the comments here about the coffee prices mentioned in the article, and seeing what every considers "normal" prices, I feel compelled to make the following PSA:
Save your money and roast your own coffee at home, if you are able to (* more on that below).
I've been doing this for about 3 years now. There's a small learning curve, but as Kenneth Davids puts it in his book [1] (paraphrasing): "The difficulty of roasting coffee is somewhere between frying an egg and making a good hollandaise".
I buy my favorite coffees from around the world as dried green beans for around $5-7 per pound. Furthermore, coffee greens can last quite a while in your pantry if kept in well ventilated burlap sacks (a couple years, or more). This allows me to stockpile like 50 pounds of coffee to roast throughout the year. Also, there's really nothing that quite compares to coffee a day or two after it's been roasted. I can easily brew way better coffee than most coffee shops here in Austin, TX (though there's a couple exceptional ones here with more time/skill/resources than I).
To roast coffee, my low-budget setup is:
- A heavy pan / popcorn popper (mine: https://www.amazon.com/Zippy-Pop-Stovetop-Capacity-Stainless/dp/B00PFRRA0Q)
- A portable heat source (I use an induction range)
- Colander / wooden spoon / shop fan
- A well-ventilated outdoor space (a balcony does just fine), there's smoke / messy chaff
(* if you don't have access to outdoor space, it can be a deal breaker)
Every week, I spend about 20 minutes total roasting a new batch of coffee (end up with ~12oz roasted). Total equipment investment for me was like $150. I can also enjoy some really great espresso with my budget setup (manual lever machine + Pharos hand grinder), but doing that well is a steeper learning curve.
What might need to be emphasized is that much of the "exotic" $25/lb to $50/lb pre-roasted coffee is produced with green beans that you can likely buy online in single pound quantities for around $5 to $10 per pound.
You do lose a little weight in the roasting process, but it's still quite a difference. Here's an article with a summary of the economics, which concludes that the "all in" price of home roasting $6/lb beans is less than $8/lb: https://ineedcoffee.com/the-quick-economics-of-home-roasting...
Plugging a friendly business, Sweet Maria's is nice place to order from, with a large online selection of excellent beans in that $5-$7 per single pound range: https://www.sweetmarias.com/category/green-coffee
I've tried (I use the coffee popper), and it's very satisfying, but also I'm pretty bad at it. I'm pretty sure I can't get the heat to evenly distribute right - I ended up with some beans way scorched. Still, fun.
These were my early experiences as well using a butane stove. The induction range I use gives me fine control over the heat level. That, plus proper preheating and technique at the beginning of roasting ensures you don't scorch the beans, but roast them uniformly.
There's lots of videos on Youtube, and you get the hang of it after a little practice.
That must make one hell of a mess in the kitchen. I got an outdoor power point put in pretty much for this reason - then my mess with the heat gun and colander can be blown all over the porch and though our shoes and bike helmets instead.
Have you tried the stainless steel colander and heat gun method?
Stir 4-5 handfuls of green beans with a wooden spoon until done. If looking done in 5 minutes they are scorched, if not done in 10 they are baked. Setup cost of about $10-20.
Cool. I've watched videos, but I haven't yet tried that method. It does appear to be ultra low budget. Since the roast happens so quickly, is it difficult to control roast levels if you want a light roast at the end?
It is very cheap to do. After 10 years I'm on my second heat gun, first colander and 3rd wooden spoon (though the end is burnt right off).
If you do it during the day it's easier to control as artificial light seems to make it harder to tell how dark a roast is. Also, the sound is a good clue. First crack means I'm close, so I go a bit easier after that.
I've only had a couple that are way off in about 10 years of doing it. I'd estimate that I get it where I want it 80% of the time, not quite right 10% and absolutely perfect 10%. With more effort I have managed better but the extra time didn't justify the effort for me.
Bigger roasts seem to average the temperature better so that helps too.
---
Sorry if the rest is slightly off-topic. After reading all the comments here about the coffee prices mentioned in the article, and seeing what every considers "normal" prices, I feel compelled to make the following PSA:
Save your money and roast your own coffee at home, if you are able to (* more on that below).
I've been doing this for about 3 years now. There's a small learning curve, but as Kenneth Davids puts it in his book [1] (paraphrasing): "The difficulty of roasting coffee is somewhere between frying an egg and making a good hollandaise".
I buy my favorite coffees from around the world as dried green beans for around $5-7 per pound. Furthermore, coffee greens can last quite a while in your pantry if kept in well ventilated burlap sacks (a couple years, or more). This allows me to stockpile like 50 pounds of coffee to roast throughout the year. Also, there's really nothing that quite compares to coffee a day or two after it's been roasted. I can easily brew way better coffee than most coffee shops here in Austin, TX (though there's a couple exceptional ones here with more time/skill/resources than I).
To roast coffee, my low-budget setup is:
(* if you don't have access to outdoor space, it can be a deal breaker)Every week, I spend about 20 minutes total roasting a new batch of coffee (end up with ~12oz roasted). Total equipment investment for me was like $150. I can also enjoy some really great espresso with my budget setup (manual lever machine + Pharos hand grinder), but doing that well is a steeper learning curve.
[1] Kenneth Davids. Home Coffee Roasting. https://www.amazon.com/Home-Coffee-Roasting-Revised-Updated/...
http://www.home-barista.com/home-roasting/ is also a great resource.