Tuesday, January 18, 2011

#1 Jesus, #2 family, #3 coffee

Today I tried something new.
Something one of my favorite blogger friends 
has been nagging encouraging me to try.
Home roasting my own coffee beans.
Jayme, said friend, does it.
  She swears the stuff I have been mass consuming 
is inferior. 
She may have even said ... swill.
I trust her. 
She is who I want to be when I grow up. 
Technically she is younger than me,
but my story...my rules.
So, I ordered the beans a month ago
and then spun my wheels....until today.
I gathered the equipment, the beans, 
the roasting apparatus and ventured forward.
I was advised to do it in the garage.
Not to roast them in the kitchen 
because it smells like burnt popcorn.
I drug the gas grill into the garage. 
Mine has a burner on it.
 Yeah, I didn't bother to clean it.
Don't judge.
Next I measured out enough beans to last for 7 days.
That is supposed to be the maximum time frame
to store them for freshness.
Then the magic machine...
This is what the green java beans look like.
I put the beans in the pan on low heat.
Then, I started my arm workout.
In 2-3 minutes I had the first color change (orange).
Next, I heard them start cracking. 
In (about 30 sec.) increments they get darker,  
the crack in them changes color.
Oils come out. 
It steams.
It smells like over- microwaved popcorn.
Sorry for all the scientific terms,
but readers, I am very smart.
  After 10-12 minutes I decide it looks good.
I turn off the burner and head into the house.
I dump it on a paper towel to absorb the oil.
Next, I put it in a colander and stirred to cool. 
Lots of chaff falls out during the stir.
Luckily, being smart,
I stepped out on the porch into the cool air 
and the mess fell out there.
I think I could have skipped the paper towel step, 
but I didn't read all the tutorial until after I finished.
It's how I roll...remember, I am smart.
On returning from the porch, 
I see I have left the door to the garage open.
All the burnt scent has wafted into the kitchen.
Jane E. Smart.
While I wait for the beans to cool a bit more,
I decide to clean up my mess.
I need to air the garage, take out the grill 
and bring in my vehicle.
Story of my life. 


After the beans cooled I put them in a jar.
Then I ground and brewed my first pot.
I poured the first cup in great anticipation.
Then, for some unexplained reason,
I wanted an unusual coffee-time snack.
Most excellent!
It is official.
Janie = barista
Boom!

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5 Comments:

At January 18, 2011 at 6:54 PM , Anonymous Ellen ...aka Precious....LOL said...

WHAT! I want a cup! ;)

 
At January 19, 2011 at 6:20 AM , Blogger Farmgirl Paints said...

Was it good? That's a LOT of trouble to go to. Do you think it was worth it girl?? I'm so impressed with your gusto:)

 
At January 19, 2011 at 6:37 AM , Blogger Micah Jamie said...

Well color me Furious with Curiosity. Do you deliver Barista? I would love to say I'll try to roast some on my own, but what with Okaw, and JHI, highschool basketball and that online course I'm taking to become an astronaut I just don't have time to roast things like I used to.

 
At January 19, 2011 at 2:52 PM , Blogger Esther Goss said...

Hey how was the coffee?? :) Sounds like way to much hassle to me! But than again, I am no coffee drinker!

 
At January 20, 2011 at 9:59 AM , Blogger Jayme Goffin, The Coop Keeper said...

I'm so proud of you!! I hope you were using your hardware free arm to turn that with. I will never go back to 'store bought' coffee again. Amen.

 

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