The Roast it Yourself Podcast

Episode 48: This week we address a question by a listener about how the Extension Tube affects the results he's getting with his Fresh Roast SR540. We discuss the differences between roasting with and without the Extension Tube, and offer tips on achieving the roast he's looking for with either setup! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:  questions@riypod.com NOTES: SR540/800 Extension Tube Fresh Roast Roast-a...

Episode 47: If you've ever thought about starting a roasting business, this is the episode for you! We dive into a story of coffee roasting success, from his first roast on a cookie sheet less than 4 years ago to his rapidly expanding brick-and-mortar coffee shop and roastery in a small Wyoming town. Dave Starcevich walks us through how he and his wife built this growing business, and we dive into...

Episode 46: In this episode, we answer a listener's question about roasting decaf coffee, discuss troubleshooting a roast profile, and discuss how the decaffeination process affects tasting notes.  SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:  questions@riypod.com NOTES: Colombia Decaf EA Process Follow Our NEW Instagram Account  @RIY_POD CHECK US OUT HERE: Coffee Bean Corral YouTube Coffee Bean Corral Website Current...

Episode 45: In this episode, we address a question from a roaster who's looking to level up and begin selling his coffee but wonders: Which roasters should I buy? He asks specifically about the Bullet, the Kaleido, and Coffee Crafter's Artisan/Valenta roasters. We discuss our experiences with the Kaleido and Bullet and the pros and cons of each. SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:  questions@riypod.com NOTES:...

Episode 44: Nobody likes wasting coffee, which is why any roaster who's planning to tackle a large batch should start with a few small "sample roasts" to figure out their roast profile. But once you nail the sample roast, how do you scale up the profile you've created for production? In this episode we answer this very question, so check it out! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:  questions@riypod.com NOTES:...

Episode 43: In this episode, we discuss quality control in the coffee world, especially making sure there are no foreign objects in your beans! We answer a question from a listener about whether he should get a de-stoning machine for his roastery and demonstrate the steps we take to remove foreign objects from our coffee beans before we ship them out. SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:  questions@riypod.com...

Episode 42: A brand new roaster/new listener sent us an insightful question about how to think about coffee degassing (or "resting"), how long coffee should rest for different brew methods, and whether roast level plays a part (hint: it does!) SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:  questions@riypod.com NOTES: Follow Our NEW Instagram Account  @RIY_POD CHECK US OUT HERE: Coffee Bean Corral YouTube Coffee Bean Co...

Episode 41: Today we've got a special treat as Stephen was joined by the wonderful folks behind Silver Run Coffee Crafters -- Bradley and Rebecca Ladnier! They started their roastery 9 months ago and are already shipping coffee all over the country! In this interview, we discuss how they started a successful specialty coffee roasting operation in a small town, how they found stores to carry their...

Episode 40: Following up on Episode 34, we answer a listener's question about how to get started roasting his first blend, how to choose which coffees go into a blend, and offer an easy way to adjust the blend until it's just right! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO: questions@riypod.com NOTES: Follow Our NEW Instagram Account @RIY_POD CHECK US OUT HERE: Coffee Bean Corral YouTube Coffee Bean Corral Website...

Episode 39: Record high coffee prices are here, so now is a PERFECT time to start roasting coffee yourself! But what goes into the price of your morning mug of joe? Listen in to our discussion on the factors that go into coffee pricing, why they're so high right now, and more! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:  questions@riypod.com NOTES: Follow Our NEW Instagram Account  @RIY_POD CHECK US OUT HERE: Coffee...

Episode 38: This week we tackle a question from a friend of the show who's afraid he's missing out on the intricacies of coffee tasting. Should he work on his palate, or tweak his roasting to bring out more of the tasting notes he's looking for? Let's dive in and discuss! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:  questions@riypod.com NOTES: Follow Our NEW Instagram Account  @RIY_POD CHECK US OUT HERE: Coffee Bean...

Episode 37: Ever wondered about highlighting the sweetness in a coffee while you're roasting it? This week we respond to a question from a listener about profiling on the Gene Cafe roaster, slow roasting without "baking" the coffee beans, and more! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:  questions@riypod.com NOTES: The Gene Cafe Coffee Roaster Follow Our NEW Instagram Account  @RIY_POD CHECK US OUT HERE: Coffee...

Episode 36: In this episode, we field a question from a couple of listeners about the industry terms you run across when trying to buy coffee, from names of coffee varieties, "MASL", bean size, grade rating, and more! Ultimately we discuss how to decide which of those notations are most important when choosing your next coffee! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:  questions@riypod.com NOTES: Follow Our NEW In...

Episode 35: This question is all about tasting (and enjoying!) coffee as espresso. We respond to a listener's question about tasting the cupping notes printed on the label in pour-over vs. espresso, and how to improve your palate! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:  questions@riypod.com NOTES: Follow Our NEW Instagram Account  @RIY_POD How to Cup Coffee CHECK US OUT HERE: Coffee Bean Corral YouTube Coffee Be...

Episode 34: Ever wondered what makes a great coffee blend? Does it matter if you roast the beans together, or should you roast them separately? What about blending different roast levels? Do the beans share flavors in the roaster, like the ingredients of a simmering stew? Find out in this week's episode as we respond to a listener question all about blends! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:  questions@riypo...

Episode 33: Ever wondered how to find a good single origin coffee to roast for espresso? What about a blend? In this episode we tackle a question from a listener about how to sort through green coffees to find the ones that make the best shots! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO:  questions@riypod.com NOTES: Follow Our NEW Instagram Account  @RIY_POD Ferdelance Blend (Makes Excellent Espresso!) Timor Organic...

Episode 32: In this episode we discuss dark roasting techniques, what's beyond 2nd Crack, and we dispel a common myth about Sumatran coffees! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO: questions@riypod.com NOTES: Follow Our NEW Instagram Account @RIY_POD Sumatra: Mandheling G1, Aceh CHECK US OUT HERE: Coffee Bean Corral YouTube Coffee Bean Corral Website Current Crop Roasting Shop Website Rancher Wholesale Website  

Episode 31: In this episode we discuss how to roast coffee in cold temps! We focus on the Fresh Roast coffee roaster, but discuss a few general hacks for achieving that perfect roast in frigged winter months. SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO: questions@riypod.com NOTES: Follow Our NEW Instagram Account @RIY_POD Join us for our New Year’s Q&A Livestream Event! Secure your tickets here! Use this Promo Cod...

Episode 30: In this, our thirtieth episode, we respond to an excellent question from a listener about how to recognize 1st Crack when you can't hear the cracking! We offer 4 tips on how to nail your roast even when the audible cues are minimal or missing entirely! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO: questions@riypod.com NOTES: Follow Our NEW Instagram Account @RIY_POD Join us for our New Year’s Q&A Livest...

Episode 29: In this longer-than-normal episode, we scroll through out YouTube comments and answer the questions we find there! Enjoy this rapid-fire, multi-question episode about all things roasting, tasting, and (most importantly) enjoying coffee. SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO: questions@riypod.com NOTES: Tanzania Peaberry Fresh Roast SR540   CHECK US OUT HERE: Coffee Bean Corral YouTube Coffee Bean Cor...

Episode 28: Listener Kyle asks some questions about the first Crack: how to know when it has really begun and whether you should increase or decrease heat during 1C to highlight fruity notes. We go off the deep end a little bit and discuss espresso, roast logging, and how to get reliably consistent results from coffee in general. Of course we manage to at least mostly answer Kyle's question in the...

Episode 27: In this episode, we answer a lister's question about roasting coffee at 6,000 feet! She's noticing that following roast guides online tend to yield darker roasts than she's expecting, so we walk through how roasting at altitude affects the finished product, how to tweak your technique to achieve the roast you want, and discuss the importance of RECORDING YOUR ROASTS! SEND YOUR QUESTION...

Episode 26: "If 2 roasters use the same beans, roasted to the same level, will they taste the same?" We respond to this excellent question from a newbie roaster, discuss roast profiling, and ultimately how to get the most out of your coffee roasting journey! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO: questions@riypod.com NOTES: Roaster specific Roast-a-Long Videos CHECK US OUT HERE: Coffee Bean Corral Website Curren...

Episode 25: Are top-dollar coffees really that much better than their less expensive Specialty Grade counterparts? Is there a direct link between price and quality? We dive into where coffee pricing comes from and how to answer the question of value vs. cost. SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO: questions@riypod.com NOTES: Coffee Bean Corral's Premium Coffees CHECK US OUT HERE: Coffee Bean Corral Website Curre...

Episode 24: We dive DEEP into green coffee defects, discuss the difference between defects and "ugly" beans, and discuss how to know which defects will actually affect the coffee-drinking experience. We also lay out our thoughts on the Behmor roaster and how to get the most out of roasting with it! SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO: questions@riypod.com NOTES: Old (but free!) SCA Defects Sheet Check out the...