Sunday, February 28, 2010

Bleh

It's chilly and gray here today. Bleh. I really, really, really want spring to come. I know, I know - me and everybody else, right?


But, we're roasting some coffee as I write this, and it smells wonderful. We started roasting our own coffee this winter after I emptied yet another plastic coffee container. I tried to reuse them, but they're ugly and we're trying to get away from the use of so much plastic. So, I started researching ways to get away from packaged coffee, and I came across Sweet Maria's. And our coffee-making was changed forever.

This is a photo of a coffee plant. I stole all the coffee photos in this post from Sweet Maria's website, and I will do penance for my theft by buying some Kona coffee beans. Wait, penance should be unpleasant, right? So maybe that's not such a good plan!

Coffee is actually very easy to roast at home. You can roast it over an open fire, on your stovetop, in a re-purposed popcorn popper (we have a secondhand Westbend Poppery popper found on Craigslist) or in a specially designed coffee roaster. And green coffee beans have a pretty long shelf life, while roasted coffee gets stale very quickly.

Look at the lovely green coffee beans - just waiting for someone to toss them into a hot roaster!

The taste of freshly roasted coffee is amazing. It's much more complex and flavorful than the national brand we used to use, and by buying from a reputable dealer we can reasonably expect that the coffee producer got a fair shake, as well. The initial set-up cost varies, depending on the equipment you use. We already owned a coffee grinder, so our only expense was the secondhand popper and a variety of green coffee beans to practice roasting. We got started in coffee roasting for under $20.
Here's a lovely dark roast! We were spoiled by living in the Pacific Northwest, where we acquired a taste for dark coffees.

A pound of freshly roasted gourmet coffee runs $5-$25 (or more, depending on the variety), so roasting your own nets a small monetary savings if you drink gourmet coffee. If you drink supermarket coffee, though, you might not see much savings. You will have much better flavor and a more environmentally-friendly coffee, though, and that does make a difference.

I took a pound of freshly roasted coffee to a party a couple of weeks ago and one of our friends said, "Don't tell me you're growing coffee out there on that farm of yours, now!" Well, no - I still haven't figured out how to grow a tropical plant in Tennessee without the aid of a greenhouse. But I can have a fresh cup of coffee on a cold gray day, and that's something!

12 comments:

Debbie said...

There is actually a blog I follow that the lady grows her own coffee and she lives a few hours away from me in Illinois. Her blog is at selfsustainedliving.blogspot.com . She makes cheese and soap. I really enjoy her blog.

Take Care,
*hugs*
Debbie

Terri said...

Thanks for the link, Debbie - I'll check it out! :)

Connie said...

You're so clever, Terri! Sounds like you have hit upon a great way to save money on your coffee and have better tasting coffee too!

Terri said...

Thank you, Daisy! :)

Heidi D said...

That sounds lovely. :) Wouldn't it be cool to be able to grow tropical plants though? I think so! Oooo your own pineapple bush. :9

Heidi D said...

I meant to say there's...sheesh, good thing it's getting deleted. I think I'm going to go take a nap now.

Unknown said...

DH will enjoy learning this & the other blog. TY for sharing.

Have a beautiful week ~
TTFN ~ Marydon

Thompson Owen said...

it's not quite photo theft anyway if you announce it so loudly. we even heard you over here at sweet maria's! no problem - use all the photos you want!

Susie said...

I bet the beans do smell wonderful when roasting. Where do you find green coffee beans?

Terri said...

Heidi, I have saved you from the crazy stalkers - your package will go out on Wednesday! Thank you so much for being patient!

Marydon, thanks for stopping by! I hope your DH finds some good info (as we did!) at Sweet Maria's!

To the folks at Sweet Maria's - thank you! Your coffee rocks! I'll place my next order Wednesday!

Susie, Sweet Maria's sells green coffee beans from all over the world. AND they tell you how to roast them. But, I warn you - if you're a coffee lover - it's addictive!

Anonymous said...

This is so interesting Terri. I can just imagine the fragrance!!! Thanks for sharing this info with us.

Terri said...

Mildred, I wish I could capture the wonderful fragrance and share it with you. I'm afraid you'd all become coffee addicts if I did, though!