Great timing with your latest video Mike. About to undertake some home roasting of my own. Just doing my homework as to what to order. Your piece about the different altitudes and it’s effect on the roasting process was most interesting. Thanks also for the Royal Coffee website information. The great thing here in New Zealand is how many businesses offer green beans in 1kg (2.2 pound) lots or even smaller.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Sean, I'm glad my video was helpful! I'm also glad you have a great selection of coffee available to you in NZ. Yea, altitude is a big factor!!! I was just sharing with Dustin (comment below) how much I enjoyed Papu New Guinea coffee I had a while back. I just realized that royal only shows the roaster recipe suggestions for their "crown jewels". Still valuable and helpful.

very informative and well organized. thank you, very much appreciated. I took lots of notes.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching my video! I hope to do another video similar to this with more tips and some new green coffee sources for home roasters. Glad my video was helpful!

Thank you very much for your efforts, your content is very helpful

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

You're very welcome! I'm glad it has bee helpful . Thank you for watching!

I have purchased most of my green coffee from Sweet Maria’s. I also purchased some coffee from Nicaragua you suggested in one of your videos through Amazon. I am new to coffee roasting. Thanks for all the information and knowledge you continue to share .

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Eduardo, Sweet Marias is a great source. They have a huge selection and the information is a goldmine to help all home roasters continue to learn about green coffee.

Great information Mike

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for the encouragement Shane. Glad it was helpful.

Awesome video! Very well done!

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you very much Jason. Glad my video was helpful. Thanks for watching!

The other thing I like about getting coffee beans from sweet Marias is that they have pictures of the families and or farmers that raise the beans as well as pictures of the farms and pictures of how they handle the beans. Seeing the faces of the families that grow the beans I roast for me really enriches the coffee roasting experience. I also enjoy your enthusiasm for the hobby and showing how you do it.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

6 ай бұрын

The coffee farm and family trails are pretty cool. Thanks for sharing and your encouraging words.

@kishorkhadka2019

Ай бұрын

I have hamalayan arabica hand pick coffee green beans grom in Nepal that's my family business i love surve to US brother and sisters we have a very good high-quality coffee beans and I am really excited to send Coffee beans to US market please let me know. How can I get connected to you? and thank you

Very very interesting video.Thanks

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it

Wow, you have a huge library of really great videos. I haven’t even started roasting yet but thoroughly enjoy your content. Better than watching tv.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

6 ай бұрын

Thanks so much!

Love the video! Have been learning a lot, thanks. Been using Burman since purchasing my Behmoor. I do like what you have to say about Royal. I need to check them out especially since they have some roast plans to work with.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Frank, yea, I really like Royal. They are great resources for both professional and novice alike. They are big on education and it shows in their coffee product page details. They seem to have changed their default roasting devices so I have not seen the Behmor on their list in a while BUT the information can still be translated and helpful for everyone, regardless of their roaster. Thanks for watching my video.

Tks Mike so much for your video

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 ай бұрын

You are very welcome. Thank you for watching!

Great video my friend! Thank you for your passion. Just subscribed to your channel. 😁👍🏻

@VirtualCoffeeLab

5 ай бұрын

Thanks and welcome to my channel. What are you using to roast coffee?

Excellent video Mike very informative as I’m setting up my home coffee roastery, greetings from London UK, I have subscribed to your channel and looking forward to learning from your channel Cheers Mario

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Hello Mario. Thank you for subscribing! I am a triumph TR six fan BTW. What type of roasting device do you plan on using to roast coffee at home?

really enjoyed the video

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Hello Rusty, Thanks for watching. I'm glad it was helpful. What are you roasting on?

Just ordered a Fresh Roast st540 and extended tube ( OEM version ) and so looking forward to the journey ahead. Thank you so much for shortening the learning curve in so many areas concerning the home roasters coffee experience. Salute

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 ай бұрын

I really appreciate your comment. I’m so glad my videos have helped you!

Great and timely video Mike. I'm definitely a newbie and never realized how much information was available about green coffee, but now I will be looking for it. And of the information I have seen, I didn't know which things were important in roasting. Selecting the coffee to buy is yet another parameter in my extremely fun and relentless pursuit of the best cup of coffee ever (for me, of course!). Like @garygardens mentions below, it seems the coffee varieties I like have the rounder diagrams.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Lou, thanks for sharing your comments. Yea, I never connected the round shape of the web with being better so I will have to keep an eye on that one. It seems like this hobby offers endless parameters and enjoyment!

Amazing Channel 👍Nice Nice video , a lot to learn here👍

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

I'm glad you are enjoying the content. Thank you!

great discussion on coffee beans & roasting informative video thanks & love from Pakistan 💕💕

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

Glad you enjoyed the video Ashar. Thanks for watching!

Great video! Another great place for green coffee beans is The Captain's Coffee.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

I looked at the Captains Coffee this week. It has been a while since I visited and looked things over. I like the information they provide on each of the coffees. That seems to have been an improvement. I did notice a coffee I purchased from another supplier was also offered at the Captains Coffee and the price was quite a bit higher at the Captains. It could be they are offering free shipping (I didn't look). It also could be a slightly different coffee. I was comparing the Ethiopian Sidama Keramo washed coffee. Price isn't a deciding factor. I'm sure they offer some great values and I am really glad to see their website has good detail of the farm information. Thanks for sharing Clark.

Great job, sir

@VirtualCoffeeLab

10 ай бұрын

Thank you for watching Michael. I’m glad it was helpful!

Mike, I took a few years off from roasting but have gotten back into the lifestyle within the last couple of years. Your channel has helped me tremendously improve my roasting skills. I have been a Sweet Maria's customer for more than 10 years. I usually buy an assortment of 1 lb bags. I am definitely considering purchasing larger amounts so I can experiment more using the same bean. I will definitely check out Royals. Keep the videos coming, and I'll keep watching!

@VirtualCoffeeLab

4 ай бұрын

Hi Dennis, thanks for sharing your roasting journey. I think that is a wise decision. Trying different roasting profiles is part of the learning process. I'm walking down that path with my channel right now in my "profile" series. I'm glad my channel has been helpful for you. :-)

Another nod to Sweet Maria's. I like how they describe the beans as well as their recommendations for roasting. I'm no expert, so I really rely on them. I'll have to start using the filters next time. I know what I like, but I'm not sure I can describe the qualities. I'm still learning.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Adrian, you are absolutely correct. We rely on sweet marias to provide us with tasting information to help us decide what to buy. We can then take our tasting experience and compare that to sweet marias and learn how to describe what we are tasting. It is a strange ability, easier for some. This week I was drinking a coffee and i could taste peach and watermelon. It's these experiences that we can "catalog in our tasting brain" for other coffee experiences. As our catalog get's bigger and we correlate that information with the information about the beans we buy, we can then start to venture out to other sources of supply. But, if your happy with one source then that is fine too! Thanks for sharing.

this guy seems legit. thanks for the video

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for the info, I've been roasting for a long time and have never heard about how elevation affects coffee. I do get my green beans from a place called Sweet Marias, that has it grown from specific farms and pays them a fair price so they can grow good coffee.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

6 ай бұрын

Yep, sweet marias is a good source. When you are looking at their coffees, read the farm details. You will see the farm elevation listed there.

I’m just staring out roasting coffee. This information is helpful. I bought coffee for the first time from Burman because they had the specific bean I was looking for. I am using a popcorn popper to roast and even my first attempt was more tasty than what I was buying at Whole Foods for significantly more money. If I never got any better I would still be happy.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

10 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing and watching. I remember saying the same thing when I roasted on a hot air popper. It is a great place to start and you are right, it is better than store bought coffee.

I orered my coffee roaster yesterday and it will be arriving next week Luckily i have a few options to buy locally when it comes to raw beans. This video is still a good start to know what kinda coffee might work for you

@VirtualCoffeeLab

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching and congratulations on your new coffee roaster? Which one did you buy? Is this your first roaster?

Very important thoughts and research! There are many beans one cannot roast successfully. I often have problems roasting mixed beans-very different in ripeness, size, density etc. The more you know in advance the better for roasting.Very often sellers do not provide enough data about their coffees.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for your comments Erhard. Mixing beans before roasting can create problems. You are correct. Bean size, moisture content and more will all affect roast levels and many times cause uneven roasting. The more we know about the coffee the better chance we will plan and execute our roasts successfully.

@erharddinges8855

3 жыл бұрын

Recently I got beans from Bali and from JAVA from Mocca-Brasil in Vienna. Both were a mixture of some overripe and a lot of unripe greens. So I had to learn by the hard way. Seems that you have much better sources to buy than here in AUSTRIA. But now I got wise.

Great Video! Right now I m doing some research, machine roast, beans, etc. I’m also taking some courses so this video help me a lot. Thanks!!

@anagabbi1475

2 жыл бұрын

Can you send me information about the farm you are buying.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Ana, I share a few links to sources I purchase my coffee from. I also provided a link to a large importer called cafe imports who provides farm details on many of their coffees. I'm not buying a coffee farm. Please read the video description here on this video and you will see the resource link there. Thank you for watching my video.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

see response above....

I typically order 5-8 pounds at a time. I'm roasting only for myself, so that amount lasts a while. Sweet Maria's was a go-to for a long time, but I've recently ordered from Roastmasters. They have a *lot* of very expensive and high end coffees (think Geshas, microlots, etc.) but I stick with their more traditional and reasonably priced lots. I tend to favor "clean and classic" coffees and stick to washed Central & South American coffees but also enjoy coffees from Burundi as well. Eventually I'll probably branch out to dry process coffees and some Indonesians, but I'm feeling pretty comfortable right now. Bodhi Leaf is also an excellent supplier with great informational resources!

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Dustin, Roastmasters seems to be a really good coffee source as far as information goes. I have not ordered their coffee to be able to comment. I love how they even share how old the trees are! Pretty cool. I have heard many people talk about Bodhi Leaf and will have to take a closer look. Thanks for sharing! I have had some really good Papua New Guinea coffee. Kind of Sumatra but more hemp like and a little sweeter. Of course that all depends on what farm it's from but still an interesting coffee none the less.

I've roasted green coffee that has been in my house for several years and it still roasted well and tasted good. As long as it's stored in a sealed plastic bag in dry and cool conditions, it's ok.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Great point. I had an Ethiopian that started to lose its sparkle after almost 2 years. If it would have been in an air tight vacuum sealed bag it might have lasted longer. With the pandemic affecting everything from coffee processing to shipping suppliers are going to get their fresh greens later and that means our "fresh harvest" won't be so fresh. You are right, proper storage is important and sealed bags in a dry cool environment will help.

I just ordered a batch of Gold Star coffee in different varieties.I’ve tasted all there good stuff when they send it roasted and it’s yummy.So I’ve been buying their green offerings since I recently purchased a Behmor.The only thing is I’m not so sure of a lot of their details so much.I will have to keep a sharper eye from now on.Thanks for the video.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

If you talk with them about where they are sourcing the coffee, it likely comes from a large importer like cafe imports. Once you know the source you can find their website and many time find the details of the coffee. I have a local source for greens and that is how i am able to get the farm details.

Thank you for all the information, new sub here for sure! I’m rom MI and getting back into roasting again, still very green :) what is the roaster in the background that you use, thank you! I’m doing a marathon of your videos, presented very well and easy to understand.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

10 ай бұрын

Hello Michigander, thanks for watching. Sorry for the slow reply. I’ve been traveling the last couple of days. The roaster in the background is a mill city 500 gram coffee roaster running on natural gas. I’ve had it since 2017.

Just starting out. Subbed

@VirtualCoffeeLab

7 ай бұрын

Welcome to my channel and thank you for subscribing. What roaster are/will you be using to roast?

Thank you! ;-)

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Interesting and informative Mike, another excellent video, thanks. My main source is Sweet Maria's and for the same reasons you mentioned in the video. Just a wealth of information there. My go-to bit of information they provide is the cupping diagram. I've found that if the coffee has an almost round design on the diagram, I'll most likely enjoy it. Of course, I look at everything, but the cupping diagram has not let me down. I've looked at Royal several times but haven't bought anything from the yet. I will soon, I'm sure. I buy in 2 Lb sizes for new beans and typically roast one pound at a time, so two pounds gives me two tries to get it right. Old standbys I know I like I will buy in five-pound sizes. A pound of roasted beans will last me about ten days in the cup. I check density myself with new beans and keep a running log of the results so I can estimate a good starting point for a roast profile. Thanks again and cheers!

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Gary, thanks for your comments. Yea, Sweet Marias is a good source for greens and probably has the largest share of the home roaster market. That is interesting of you to say the ones you like have the most rounded scores.... Did you notice how last year there were very few coffees that scored over 88? I found that interesting. What are your standby's? Just curious. I'm roasting about 4 lbs a week lately so may have 5 or 6 different coffees to rotate each week. I'm also buying more than a pound for each because I like to try different roast profiles and see how that impacts the cup. How are you calculating density? I'm hoping to do a video on density in the future. I'm also hoping to do more roasting videos soon. Thanks again for your encouragement Gary!

@garygardens

3 жыл бұрын

@@VirtualCoffeeLab I did not notice that Mike but it is interesting. The actual score isn't as important to me as the shape of the wheel. I know that sound strange but it works for me, ha. I seem to gravitate to the African varieties, especially Ethiopian for my standbys. My density calculation is not very scientific or probably even that accurate. I have a 100 ml beaker that I fill to the same mark for each bean and mark the weight after zeroing out for the beaker. Then, I log it by the origin, altitude, processing method and the weight I got. It's only useful to compare the date against other beans I've roasted but it gives me a good idea of how a bean will perform in the roaster. A more accurate method would be doing much the same only with water in the beaker to a given level and then adding how many beans it takes to reach the 100 ml mark. That wastes beans though and I hate doing that, ha.

We use Coffee Bean Corral out of Mississippi. They have a lot of varieties from around the world, and we've had no issues with the beans we've ordered from there. You get some information about the farm/estate/co-op/region, cupping notes, and flavor profiles. They have a coffee bean matrix that is nice to use for selecting different ratings and attributes that you are looking for. Their prices are fair, and one thing we really like is that you can order 1/2 lb samples to try out before you purchase a larger quantity. There's also a "coming soon" page that I watch for beans that we like that are out of stock/season, so we know when we will be able to order that variety again.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

I've used Coffee Bean Corral before. They do have a nice variety of greens and they seem to be one of the more popular suppliers with good info and fair prices. Thank you for sharing!

@jlantz3691

2 жыл бұрын

Coffee Bean Corral is my go-to. Tons of varieties, shipping in two days, specials every single week, e-mail or call with questions, very responsive.

@twhdvm

6 ай бұрын

I also like CBC, especially the ability to buy sample sizes and they do have a good variety of beans. My only “issue” is they don’t list the date the coffee was received in their warehouse, so no way to know how old the coffee beans are.

@kishorkhadka2019

Ай бұрын

I have hamalayan arabica hand pick coffee green beans grom in Nepal that's my family business i love surve to US brother and sisters we have a very good high-quality coffee beans and I am really excited to send Coffee beans to US market please let me know. How can I get connected to you? and thank you

While I like them all, I have really developed a love for fruity Ethiopian naturals. And I just do pourovers. I order from Sweet Marias because I have come to totally trust Tom's description. This last two years I have ordered a 20 pound bag of whatever Ethiopian Tom raves about the most. And you have to because the best ones will be snapped right up. You won't be able to order a pound or two for testing then get a bigger bag because it will be sold out. From reading his reviews for a while now I think he is partial to Ethiopian coffee too. This last year was Hamasho village. It was the highest cupping score of the entire year. Wow! Home run! Ordered 20 pounds the night I got the email. Since I don't go through coffee very fast I have started vacuum packing 8 ounce bags for freezing. This keeps the greens at peak level for a long time (use the deep freeze, not that thing over the frig). It completely eliminates the seasonality from the equation. It's great having my favorites on hand for whenever I want to roast some up. PS. Thanks for the Cafe Imports tip. Great source of info.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Hello Slpardee10, thank you for watching my video. Glad the Cafe Imports tip was useful info. I agree about the coffee at Sweet Marias and Tom. They have done a nice job of marketing themselves to home roasters and have some very nice selections.AND their tasting notes actually represent the products they are selling. If you see a good coffee there you have to snag it quick!

Mike, hey just checking in and checking out some more of your videos as things begin to take off here, I've ran a bunch of samples from CB corral and Genuine Origin so far and getting ready to look at Royal a bit more as well.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

7 ай бұрын

Nice. Depending on your bag size, coffee shrub (sweet Maria’s bulk order) could be an option as well.

@goldrushfevercoffee

7 ай бұрын

@@VirtualCoffeeLab 10/4 have looked at Sweet Maria's and will check out the other you mentioned as well.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

7 ай бұрын

Ultimately your best value for buying bulk greens will be with an importer who sells large bags. You could pay as little as 4.50-5.50 per pound depending on volume. A seller like Cafe Imports could be worth looking into. Their sister company who sells small bags is called La Bodega. They could be another source for you. bodega.coffee/

Here in Wichita as far as I know the only place to buy green beans is the spice merchant. They have a great selection but the info is limited from what I see. Upon request they may provide more info but not sure. $9/lb is pretty good price. I’ve been roasting their Nicaragua coffee for around a year and really like it. Roasting in a whirlypop for the moment while I wait for my bullet to arrive.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

There are quite a few great sources for green coffee that is "specialty grade" which are higher quality beans. A great place to start is sweetmarias.com which has a huge selection and you can buy one pound at a time. Average price per pound is about 7 dollars. There is shipping but there is a 8 dollar UPS option. So if you buy 5 lbs of coffee you are still paying less than your 9 dollar per pound and getting a better quality bean and a huge selection with great information about what you are buying. Enjoy your bullet. There is a big difference between the whirlypop and the bullet!

It's sad that I have just now been whating this video. I am a small Brazilian grower in a Caparao region and although I have just started my coffee production, I am having some important results with high quality so far. The altitude I am is runing around 3600 feets and I am producing a 100 % organic coffee though it is not easy considering some nutrition needs of the crop. But I am still insisting in mantain it organic. As I am a am the only trout producer in Espirito Santo State, recently I have manage to produce a fish hidrolise from the trout residue which brought me some more expectative to continue as a organic grower coffee. Congratulations for your very clear video informations Francisco Faleiro

@VirtualCoffeeLab

10 ай бұрын

Hello Francisco, thanks for your comment. High quality coffee is what most home coffee roasters enjoy. Thank you for being diligent in producing organic coffee with the fish residue as a nutrient. Pretty cool stuff.

I recently found Bellwether coffee. While their green coffee is too large for typical home roasters, I have to say that I love their flavor wheel with very detailed information. You can pick different roast levels (Light, Medium, Medium-Dark, Dark), and the flavor wheel changes. I hope many other green coffee sellers adopt this.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

Bellwether roasters start around 75,000 dollars and James Hoffman's video & promotion of this type of roaster will have an impact on roasting in the future. If you haven't seen the video you should check it out. I didn't see the flavor wheel you were talking about. The SCA and others have published flavor wheels for years and years. I did a search for the bellwether flavor wheel and couldn't find it?

@clarkkent7973

Жыл бұрын

@@VirtualCoffeeLab Look for the green coffee that Bellweather is selling. Basically, "store period" in front of their address and click on one of the green coffees. To navigate there from their main page, pick the "product" drop down at the top, select "Green Coffee", scroll down and pick the "Browse our store" button to the left of the phone image, and click on one of the coffees. The flavor wheel is the new SCA one from 2016 which is much more detailed. Also, you get a different flavor wheel based on the roast level that you pick (Yes, I found this due to Jame's Hoffman's video)

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

​ @Clark Kent I see it now. Yea, that is a nice tool. Places like sweet marias talk about the changes to the tasting notes with at different roast levels but don't provide a visual. Their 24 lb box is definately within reach for many home roasters. I think the bigger question might be how accurate their descriptions are and what type of "cup quality" you are getting. I think sweet marias is usually pretty accurate and I have a trust level of what I order is what I will get. Their cupping scores seem to be pretty accurate. When I order a 92 point coffee from them, my experience matches. The coffee really is a high quality experience. I'm sure Belwether is a good source or James Hoffman might not want to associate with them. I'm tempted to give them a try. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

I've tried the bouquet thing with wine, and it all just tastes like wine to me. My palette isn't so refined. I just want a a decent tasting cuppa coffee. Thanks for all this info!

@VirtualCoffeeLab

6 ай бұрын

You are welcome. Thanks for sharing.

I’ve been buying coffee and equipment from Tom & Maria even before they moved to California. I order 15-20 pounds at a time. It’s been over 20 years!

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Sweet Marias is a great resource for the home coffee roasting community.

@kishorkhadka2019

Ай бұрын

I have hamalayan arabica hand pick coffee green beans grom in Nepal that's my family business i love surve to US brother and sisters we have a very good high-quality coffee beans and I am really excited to send Coffee beans to US market please let me know. How can I get connected to you? and thank you

I buy coffee from Burman coffee also Roast masters and sweet Maria's

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching my video And for sharing where you buy greens. What type of roaster do you have?

Thanks for this video! You mentioned bean size as a consideration when roasting, but what to do with it? In what way(s) are lg vs small bean sizes treated during roasting?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Michael, as far as unroasted green coffee goes, larger beans usually have more mass and it takes longer for heat to penetrate. Then there is the whole issue of bean density that can change everything. But, unless there is a smaller dense bean and a larger less dense bean, this principle holds true. So, generally speaking, smaller beans will roast quicker. I think that was the point I was trying to make. It isn't a hard fast rule so pay attention to altitude where your beans were grown. High altitude (over 4,000) usually are more dense beans and heat takes a little longer to penetrate. I hope my comments were helpful.

Just started roasting with a Behmor 2000AB Plus a couple months ago, but had a little bit of a leg up from working as the wholesale rep for a local roaster a couple decades back. Being in Alaska, shipping costs are a big consideration - and that has knocked Sweet Maria's straight out of consideration. ($120 to ship a small roaster? Sorry...) I'm waiting on an order from Burman, since they sell the Haitian green from Singing Rooster who I've bought roasts from for many years. I ordered 19# of a mix of coffees - mostly 1# and 2# lots, aside from the Haitian Savane Zombie (5#) - to give me a better idea which origins and processes i prefer roasting. My roaster came from Bodhi Leaf (free shipping to Alaska!) and the coffees that came with the roaster were largely excellent. I've reordered a 5# bag of their Costa Rica Palmichal, which is giving me some lovely floral tones on lighter roasts. I've also ordered from Slack Bag in San Francisco, as they were one of the only sellers with Congolese green. I've been using 25% of their Tanzanian Peaberry and 25% of their Congolese in combination with 50% Cental American coffees to solid effect. Putting them all in the roaster together has led to the Peaberry roasting darker and imparting chocolate tones while the Central Americans provide fruity and/or floral notes. Just this morning, I had a former coffee shop owner tell me how much he enjoyed this blend. Anyway, very beginning of the journey from the roasting side and trying to "drink from the firehose" with all the information out there. This video gives me more to consider, but with nearly 25# of coffee en route it'll be a while before I can put these notes into practice.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

7 ай бұрын

Hi Eric. Thanks for sharing your coffee roasting journey. Congratulations on your roaster, Behmor brother! It sound like you enjoy some unique coffees and support some great causes though singing rooster. I know that shipping to Alaska can be expensive but I’m glad you found some suppliers with reasonable or free shipping. I’m not familiar with slack bag. I’ll have to check them out. Wow, 25 lbs on your Behmor is a lot of coffee! Enjoy your roasting Eric. 😉

Also try burman coffee

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Jesse, Thank you for watching my video & thanks for suggesting Burman Coffee. I have visited their site in the past. They seem to have a nice selection of coffee! Curious, what are you using (equipment) to roast coffee?

I just decided to buy a lot of different kinds and test them all. Biggest thing for everyone is to know that the coffee will not taste good for the first few days after roasting. Most of the negative comments on any of these I searched for where most likely due to this.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Hello Mr Blank, thank you for your comments. I have heard a lot of people say you should let your coffee rest for several days. In my experience I have found that it varies from coffee to coffee. This week I roasted a Guatemala HueHue and drank it the next day and it tasted delicious. Two weeks ago I roasted an Ethiopian washed coffee. The next day it tasted weak and thin body. 2 days later it was delicious. I think the best thing we can do is experiment and try the coffee on different days and see how long that coffee needs to rest. Honestly, I have had some coffees that were wonderful the next day and 4 days later start to fade. So, if I would have waited 2 or 3 days before drinking that coffee I would have missed a great cup and been stuck with weak thin coffee. I would encourage everyone to try their coffee an not wait. You might be surprised.

what machine are you roasting with ? machine looks amazing

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Hello TheGlitch, The roaster in this video is a Mill City 500 gram coffee roaster that runs on natural gas. I have had this machine since 2017 and is a great roaster.

Really informative video as always. One question: you mentioned bean size as a variable, but didn't go into any detail as to what adjustments might be necessary between a larger bean and say, a peaberry. I've noticed that peaberry beans do roast differently, but not sure how to 'pre-emptively' prepare to attack them. Thanks for any guidance you can provide

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Peaberry beans are round and generally smaller than a typical coffee seed. This is because the coffee cherry only has 1 single smaller seed inside rather than 2 or 3 typical "half" beans. So, my comment about a peaberry roasting different relates to both size and density. I would pay attention to the density as well as the size when deciding what charge temperature and what total roast time you want for this bean. You might find that because of it's small size, the beans roast quicker. I would imagine that the smaller size allows for more conductive heat from bean to bean and if using a drum, contact with the roasting drum too...... That is what i meant. You will need to experiment. Pay attention to how long it takes for those beans to get to dry end compared to your other coffee (assuming the settings are all the same). You may also notice the coffee wants to move quicker through the roast so consider watch your ROR to make sure you don't have a run away roast. What have you noticed while roasting a peaberry?

@jlantz3691

2 жыл бұрын

@@VirtualCoffeeLab Thanks for the reply. My experience (limited, I've done 3 batches with a Guat Peaberry) kinda mirrors what you said. They do seem to proceed through the roast a little quicker vs a 'standard' bean. I've ended up a little darker than I wanted each time I roasted. Not burnt, and still very tasty, but I probably need to be even more vigilant with them. I've been putting your advice on the drying stage and approximate %s of the 3 stages into my recipe, but still need a little more refinement. One of the reasons I asked about this is I recently bought a pound of Kona Peaberry, and at $35/#, want to be pretty confident in what I'm doing. I use a FR SR800 with ext tube to roast. Thanks again for taking the time to respond. I've learned a lot from your vids. They make me think.

Thank you for the video ! I can't find the tasting cloud in Royal coffee site. Sort of found the roaster profiles (indirectly). Is there a more direct method ?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Randy, here is an example of the tasting cloud I was talking about. royalcoffee.com/product/cj1416/ Royal has a category of coffee they sell called "crown jewels". These are their "favorite" coffee selections from the staff. On the product detail page of any of the crown jewels, There are several tabs including: overview, taste, source, green, diedrich ir-5, quest m3s, ikawa The taste tab has the cloud and they have also added a meter for sweetness, acidity, viscosity and balance. There is a lot of good information. Once a coffee is sold out, it seems like some of the info disappears? Anyway, if you checkout their site, look at the crown jewels. They also sell some in smaller bags as well. By the way, when you click on the taste tab, let the info load for a few seconds. The info loads slow. Hope that helps.

@randykirstuk8978

3 жыл бұрын

@@VirtualCoffeeLab awesome found it! Thank you !

👍

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

Hi Mike! Love your videos. I'm a local roaster here in Ca. Was wondering how I can buy the big burlap bags of coffee. Whenever I shop for coffee, I can't find anything bigger than 12.5lbs. Is thete a way I could buy direct from the farms? TIA!!

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

Hello @New You. Contact Cafe Imports. www.cafeimports.com/north-america They have a big selection in the large bags. Royal Coffee in California might also have them. There are other importers near you (California) like King but I have no experiences with them. There are farms that do sell direct but I’m. It sure how those relationships are initiated.

@newyou9914

Жыл бұрын

@@VirtualCoffeeLab Thank you very much! I will give them a try! I already see that Cafe Imports has Guatemala Huehuetenango which is the one I really need in big bags now. People go crazy over the Italian blend that I make with the Guatemala bean, so I sell a lot of the Guatemala. I use the Behmor 2000AB too! lol Thanks for all of your amazing videos!

Great video! Where can I find green beans for a good price and ship it to The Netherlands?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Unfortunately I don't have a good answer. I would suggest you ask this question here. They may have first hand knowledge that will help you find greens. kzread.info

Genuine origin

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Steve, So you buy beans from Genuine.... Are you ordering the sample packs or larger quantities? We have purchased some of their sample bags before but nothing more. I do like how they have details about each coffee and a cupping score. Nice source for coffee! Thanks for sharing.

@Stevesbe

Жыл бұрын

@@VirtualCoffeeLab I'm ordering boxes mostly brazil

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

How long will a 65 lb box last you Steve? Your selling right?

Hi Mike! Curious if you have any tips for sourcing green coffee beans for those of us living in Europe?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching my video. I don't have any direct contacts for European green coffee suppliers at this time Louie. Sorry about that.

I’ve ordered from Royal for two years and never knew they offered any of that you mentioned. Even spoke to the owners on several occasions and no one ever asked or mentions we the benefits of their website to us roasters.😵‍💫 Correction: Royal NY

@VirtualCoffeeLab

4 ай бұрын

I was referring to Royal Coffee royalcoffee.com/ I have been to the royalny.com site and it is different. At royalcoffee.com when I look at the crown jewel coffees I see the resources I spoke about in my video.

@kishorkhadka2019

Ай бұрын

I have hamalayan arabica hand pick coffee green beans grom in Nepal that's my family business i love surve to US brother and sisters we have a very good high-quality coffee beans and I am really excited to send Coffee beans to US market please let me know. How can I get connected to you? and thank you

I have hamalayan arabica hand pick coffee green beans grom in Nepal that’s my family business i love surve to US brother and sisters we have a very good high-quality coffee beans and I am really excited to send Coffee beans to US market please let me know. How can I get connected to you? and thank you so much for posting this videos. I get a lot of information from this one.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Ай бұрын

Hello Kishor. Thank you for watching. unfortunately I am not am importer. You would need to reach out to a coffee importer like cafe imports.

I've started watching videos on roasting, and I have watched several of yours. I was on the verge of buying an fresh roast 800, and then I started looking into beans. I realized I cannot get any beans shipped to me. At all. From anywhere. I live in Hawaii. They have such insane restrictions, that I am limited to only purchasing green beans from here in Hawaii. And only a few select people are allowed to sell them. Roasters can lose their license if they sell green beans. Such a bummer.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

6 ай бұрын

That’s unfortunate and hard to believe. I thought Hawaii imports and blends Colombian coffee with Kona to making it more profitable. Is that true?

@lym3204

5 ай бұрын

I get unbeatable pricing on my green coffee beans with shipping included by buying from coffee bean sellers on eBay. When I buy 5lbs my favorite seller always sends more and I am pretty sure a retail coffee company would not do that Actually, until I read your post I didn't know there were some restrictions on shipping coffee beans to Hawaii because I've never had a problem getting them.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

5 ай бұрын

That is really helpful info for Hawaiian Home Coffee Roasters. Thank you for sharing @lym3204 !

@kishorkhadka2019

Ай бұрын

I have hamalayan arabica hand pick coffee green beans grom in Nepal that's my family business i love surve to US brother and sisters we have a very good high-quality coffee beans and I am really excited to send Coffee beans to US market please let me know. How can I get connected to you? and thank you

Mike, you do mention how good the Guatemalan (Hue Hue??) as something to try. Where do you order it from and am I spelling it correctly? Also, when would be a good time to order it (month)? Thanks so much.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

Paul, Guatemala Huehuetenango is the region. Occasionally sweet marias will have it. Coffeebeancoral has it as well as burman. Like all coffee, just because the beans come from a region doesn't mean they are good or taste similar. You will notice that the tasting notes for Coffee Bean Coral and Burman are different. Carefully read the information and decide which you like. I am getting my Huehuetenango from a local roastery who is buying through Cafe Imports. The Coffee Bean Coral notes are similar to what I am buying. Here is the cafe imports detail sheet - www.cafeimports.com/europe/beanology/view/huehuetenango-waykan-10813. The coffee is generally available most of the year.

Hey there Mike, hope your Friday is going well. curious how should I store my coffee beans (green ones) before roasting? I live in Far Northern California almost to the Oregon border. in winter our house is about 65-67 degrees . we like it a bit cool, and our humidity is about 67% but in summer it is very hot here 100-115 almost every day July - Sept. and the Humidity is extremely low probably 5-10% it is a very dry area. we use an AC to cool the house to about 76 degrees in the summer but the AC also reduces the humidity. I do have a couple of aquariums in the house so that helps add some humidity in the summer. so the question of how to properly store my green beans has popped into my head. any thoughts?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

Dry cool place out in the sun Steven. Low humidity to prevent mold, room temperature is great, sealed in air tight bag like a zip lock.

@stevenreeves4766

Жыл бұрын

Just watched this video again, you mentioned a consistent temperature environment. I was wondering in your basement do you have it temperature controlled? I am creating a roasting room in a sectioned off part if my garage, itvus fully insulated but I usually only heat it when using it. So it's probably in the 50's at night is that ok?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

@@stevenreeves4766 Yes, my basement is temperature controlled. 65-70 degrees. There are a few things to consider with roasting environments. First is where you are storing your beans. That was my focus in this video. If you store your beans in the garage, I am assuming there will be fluctuations in humidity and temperature. It is ideal to have a consistent environment that isn't hot or cold and has reasonably lower humidity levels if possible. Also, you don't want to charge your roaster with cold beans. That is my opinion an I have no science to support why. Consider storing your beans inside the house. The other consideration is warming up your roaster and, if really cold, more energy will be needed to reach your target temperatures and times for your roasting events. If you don't have a choice then just be aware that hot days will change the way your coffee roasts compared to cold days and be prepared to compensate. 50's at night isn't that cold.

Donde compro una tostadora de café similar a la que usted muestra en su video

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

Olá. Comprei meu torrador na Mill City Coffee Roasters. É um torrador a gás de 500 gramas. Hello. I bought my roaster from Mill City Coffee Roasters. It is a 500 Gram gas roaster.

Could someone please recommend their top three Coffee beans that would fall into the rich, Bold, low acidity? The closest I have come to my liking would be on the order of a Colombian coffee but Columbia doesn’t quite have enough for me may be a little too early? I’m not good at explaining my likings yet, sorry

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Tom, there are quite a few good sources to find great green coffee. One of the most popular is Sweet Marias. At their website they have some nice "filters" you can use based on flavor or characteristics of the bean. Most of what you have described follow a typical Central American coffee bean. So based on that, this URL will include central american coffees that have low acidity, some chocolate and nut notes. It isn't a perfect search but it gives you an idea. www.sweetmarias.com/green-coffee.html?sm_flavor_profile=2163%2C2164&sm_process_method=7644&sm_status=1 As far as "rich, bold, low acidity" attributes, much of this can be accomplished based on your roast profile (how you roast your coffee). It sounds like you prefer a darker roast? Darker roasts will offer these types of notes and roast out acidity as well. Spend a little time looking around the sweet marias site. They offer a lot of into about the bean, farm, region and even some suggestions about how tasting notes based on roast levels. I hope that helps.

Hey! I personally grow beans in the coffee capital of Colombia. If anyone is interested in getting to know my farm, let me know.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

Hello Juan. Please, no solicitations on this channel. Sorry about that. Are you currently working with an exporter or coop?

Mike, how much green coffee do you keep on hand and how many different coffees do you roast weekly?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

6 ай бұрын

Currently I have about 60 lbs of coffee on hand. I roast about 5 lbs of coffee per week giving me a 12 week inventory. I currently have about 8 different coffees and as these deplete, I rotate in new coffee. Generally I don't have any green coffee that I have had longer than about 3 months. I roast 5 lbs per week because I am roasting for my church cafe. That is about 2 lbs of coffee per week consumed. Then, family and friends consume the rest. I generally roast at least 4 different coffees each week.

How does coffee from Chiapas rate in your opinion? I’m referring to higher quality sources of course.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Hi Rudy, I have enjoyed several Chiapas Mexican coffees in the past. Chocolate and some sweetness I think? Kind of has some similarities to a Guatemala hue hue I roast often

What are the commercial sources for lets say Folgers? How do we know at what altitude their coffee was grown at? I just turned 61, and will retire in a year after being in the trades for over 40. I want to treat myself to the finer things in life now that I can afford it. Roasting my own beans will fit with growing my own cannabis. 😅

@VirtualCoffeeLab

6 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching. Folgers does not roast specialty coffee. It is a lower quality of coffee sources from all over the world. Accordimg to sources on the web, they use both Arabica and Robusta types of coffee. Their “blended coffee” consists of African, Indonesian, Central and South America. If you want the finer things in life (as far as coffee goes) specialty grade coffee is your jam. If you are a Folgers fan, I would start with a central or South American single origin bean. Go to a source like many mentioned in the comments found for this video. Enjoy!😉

@Atouk

6 ай бұрын

@@VirtualCoffeeLab I am in no way a fan of Folgers. We even had Chock-full-O-Nuts coffee in the office. I now typically grind whole beans at BJ's, but I'm still not overwhelmed with "damn, that's a good cuppa coffee." I've tried most of them from there. I no longer use a drip with plastic touching the water everywhere. Instead, I have an ancient Corning ware percolator, several of them, that I use on the gas burner. I use the original glass viewing cap over the basket, but don't use the original plastic that the glass twists into. Once it starts to percolate, I turn down the heat so that it just rolls out instead of wanting to geyser. I even have a French press, but haven't used it in ages. The things I will consume my time with after retirement will be many, but I'm just too busy now. Work occupied at least 14 hours of my day, or more, which is why I'm a coffee drinker. Oh, and a rotating shift worker for the last 30ish years, also. Operating crew in a power plant capacity. Hope you have an awesome new years. 😅

Any Guatemala beans are fine by me.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Yea, I love Guatemala Huehue coffee. Thanks for watching!

Organic coffee recommendations?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your message. I don't have a particular recommendation. The availability of specific coffees change frequently based on the time of year and even from harvest to harvest. Weather, processing, handling and other conditions all impact the coffee. All of the common green coffee suppliers offer Organic greens. What i did notice is you have to search on the keyword "organic" to see their availability. Most don't have filters for organic selection. Sorry I can't provide a recommendation for current organic greens.

Hi Mike, other day I took a few green coffee beans, break it into few pieces and leave it in water. The next day the water has a very artificial looking green colour to it. Is my beans being dyed?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Tenzin, I have never soaked a bean in water so I don't know what to expect. I have not heard of beans being dyed. More than likely, the natural pigment in the bean is what you see coloring your water? I could imagine a "natural process" bean having some of the cherry residual that was left on the bean washing off into your water BUT I think a washed coffee wouldn't have much if any of the cherry remanants left on the bean. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

Hi, should we wash/rinse the coffee beans before roasting? What is the impact ?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

@ E equal MC2, When you hear "washed coffee" they are talking the processing of the bean after the cherry has been picked from the tree. A washed coffee is one where the bean is removed from the cherry, soaked and washed in water and then laid out to dry. A dry process coffee is one where the bean is left in the cherry and laid out to dry and then removed after it has dried. I have read about some people soaking their coffee beans before roasting them in a frying pan. I can't say why they would do this other than to protect the beans from being scorched in the frying pan. I don't know how this might impact the rest of the roast. The goal of roasting is to remove water/moisture from the bean and this process using heat, air and time cause chemical reactions that develop flavors and make our coffee taste delicious. If you are a frying pan roaster have you soaked your beans? Anyone? I would be interested to hear why.

@Presso99

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Sean, I watched some videos, they washed the beans with water, use kitchen towel to dry it and then load it into the roasting chamber right away. Strictly speaking, From hygienic standpoint, I would prefer to do that if there is no impact on the quality. I am not a frying pan roaster, I am using hot air roaster.

Hi Mike, greetings from the mountains of Costa Rica. We would like to help local coffee farmers here that grow, harvest, and process their own coffees. We would love to connect them directly to the roasters with direct relationships. Do you think this would be of interest to roasters?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

Hello Green-Protocol, Please contact me through email. If you go to my channel on youtube and look for the "About" tab, you will see a button that says "email me". We can talk more about this offline. Thank you.

Does Sweet Maria ship to Canada?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Yes. See this link: www.sweetmarias.com/shipping-policies

Does coffee have a longer shelf life when left green or will it last longer after being roasted? Do you know?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your question. I believe green coffee has a longer shelf life. From harvest there is about an 18 month window for good fresh greens. After I roast coffee the freshness roast begins to loose it's life after about 7-10 days. My coffee is simply stored in an air-tight container, not nitrogen filled to preserve the coffee. I have no science to support how long roasted coffee stays fresh. The stuff you buy in the store is not fresh as far as i'm concerned. For me, best freshness results in green beans that were harvested within the last year and after roasted, consumed in the first 10 days (my opinion)

I watched a couple from Ethiopia roast beans in a regular frying pan on their electric stove. Before they started the roast, the lady hand washed the beans for at least ten minutes continuously changing the water. Then they poured off the water and began the roasting. What was the purpose of so much washing of the already clean beans?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

4 ай бұрын

Yes, I have read about the water on the beans. Watching videos of "Ethiopian style roasting" is pretty shocking. The coffee is roasted super dark. I think water is used to help reduce scorching but honestly i am speculating. I think there was a good explanation somewhere in the comments on my channel but I can't find it.

@jerryhubbard4461

4 ай бұрын

Thanks for you reply and comment. I thought about trying this method just to see what happens. I was suprised at the amount of washing she did to the coffee. I was like she was trying to infuse the coffee. @@VirtualCoffeeLab

Can't freeze it in a vacuum bag after roasting?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

6 ай бұрын

Yes, you can do both. Freezing gives a longer shelf life. Home roasting usually consists of smaller roast batch size so if you roast small batches you may have more time to practice roasting.

Try using an Anti-Static clothes drier cloth on your grinder

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching my video Karen. Hmmm, are you referring to my opening clip where there is a little chaff on the grinder? Not sure I understand. I saw James Hoffman use a spoon that had a small drop of water on it to stir his beans before grinding them and that cut way back on the static electricity.

@karenmay5240

2 жыл бұрын

@@VirtualCoffeeLab to be clear , some people get static when grinding and powdery coffee stick in the plastic cup. So i use an anti-static drier laundry slip to abate the static. it works. just rub the plastic cup.

@VirtualCoffeeLab

2 жыл бұрын

Interesting. Thanks for sharing!

So where should someone who’s never ordered before order from?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

I guess it depends on where you live. If you are from the United States, there are many options. I don't have any suggestions for specialty coffee sellers outside the USA. In no particular order, here are a handful of sellers. I have not purchased from all of them so do your research by reading reviews, looking over their websites, compare the information they make available for each of the coffees they are offering, and of course the total cost (greens and shipping. Also consider the resources they provide to help you understand what you are purchasing. There are some sellers who sell specialty coffee but they only sell larger quantities. You will want to find a seller who offers 1, 2, and 5 lb bags of coffee. Here are just some of the green specialty coffee sellers here in the USA. I'm sure there are others I have not listed. In alphabetical order: Burman Coffee Coffee Bean Corral Primos Coffee (see my link in the description of this video) Sweet Marias The Captain’s Coffee My video offers some helpful information to look for when you start to look for the coffee you want to roast.

Good information how can start coffee business u have any suggestion thx வாழ்த்துக்கள்

@VirtualCoffeeLab

Жыл бұрын

Start roasting at home. Learn how to roast. Share your coffee with friends. Start to sell your coffee and establish your brand. Unfortunately my channel isn’t about starting coffee business. You should consider talking with a local coffee roasting cafe and get advice there. Hope that helps.

@SHAHULHAMEED-pp8ee

Жыл бұрын

Thank u very much valuable advice

Any good sources in EUROPE?

@VirtualCoffeeLab

3 жыл бұрын

Hello Marcus, Unfortunately I am not familiar with European coffee distribution sources. Sorry about that.