Ethiopia Coffees Sample Pack

I'm learning to roast on a 6.5" Lodge cast iron skillet on medium heat. Higher temperatures smoke. I roast 1-2 cups at a time. Beans expand. I get a surprising amount of material that takes about twice as long to grind. I stir constantly, and roast to past medium. I toss the beans like salad with two little spatulas. Very easy to over do one side if you stop tossing. Have roasted to dark roast. Not bad, but maybe overdone. Most Ethiopans you buy are medium roast. The first 5-10 times were a learning experience, but I have 4 pounds left from a 5 pound sampler. I rub the hot beans through my fingers to knock off chaff, grind warm and drink black. About 15 grams makes a pleasant 11 ounce mug. If you want a big bold dark roast, choose a different country.

Children, do not attempt to roast coffee inside a building. It will smell of rancid oil for a week. My coffee roaster is low tech, mostly. A stove top popcorn popper sits atop a cast iron platter atop a large burner. The burner was part of the worst idea for cooking turkey. Picture 5 gallons of hot peanut oil that will be thrown away. Instead, it roasts coffee beans. The infrared thermometer reads about 420F for a medium / dark roast. Pouring the roasted beans between two cullenders cools it down and gets the chaff all over the dogs. 1/2 pound is a good size quantity. Each batch takes about 15 minutes.

My first attempt at roasting. I’m using an air popcorn popper. Bought this pack because it contained Yirgacheffe, which I had been reading about. It did not disappoint. Can’t wait to get others roasted and see what else is out there! Very impressed with Coffee Bean Corral as well. Easy to use. Good info. I look forward to more sample packs!

The sample pack was great. We were able to pick out our favorite Ethiopian coffee before buying a larger quantity.