The Official Wall of Mark Keeler » Home Coffee Roasting

Presto Hot Air Coffee Roaster

Mark Keeler — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:33:48 +0000

Folks have been wondering if the Presto hot air popper will replace the ‘West Bend Poppery II as an at home coffee roaster. The Westbend Poppery II has long been the benchmark for home coffee roasting for years. I have been using this hot air popper for over 5 years to roast coffee at home. I switch between the Original Poppery and the Toastmaster hot air popper. The West Bend Poppper II seems bullet proof and indestructable. I took the Poppery II on a 3 week car camping trip and roasted coffee on the road. All I needed was an electrical outlet which was not hard to come buy at campgrounds with bath rooms.

I don’t think that you can find the Poppery II that is brand new. I usually find them available at thrift stores. They are becoming rare as new people discover the joys of roasting coffee at home.

There are many other brands available such as the Presto hot air popper at Amazon. I saw the Presto on sale for $13.90. Shipping charges are nominal and you will not have to be concerned about it dieing on you .

[ReviewAZON asin="B00006IUWA" display="fullpost"]

My Favorite Stainless Steel Coffee Tumbler

Mark Keeler — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 19:50:31 +0000

I am passionate about keeping my cup of joe hot in my coffee tumbler. I will not leave the house without mine. Whether traveling over seas, back packing, or driving cross country, I need my coffee tumbler.

Our cupboards are full of old stainless steel coffee tumblers. We have them stashed away for friends and relatives who desire a cup of coffee. Last year while shopping at a local store, a friend showed me a set of Contigo stainless coffee tumblers. I immediately bought them.

When I used the coffee tumbler the following morning I was amazed because when I tipped the tumbler over it did not spill. I stored it upside down in my back pack and it still did not spill! This coffee tumbler will keep your coffee hot for hours!

What makes the Contigo coffee tumbler so much better than anything else on the market?

Patented autoseal lid is 100-percent leak-proof and 100-percent spill-proof
Drinking made easy; Press to sip; Release to seal; autoseal automatically seals between sips to ensure no spills
Vacuum-insulated technology keeps beverages hot for 4 hours, and cold for 12 hours
Contoured body makes this mug easy to hold and easy on the eyes
Will hold up to 16-ounce of your favorite beverage and fits most standard car cup holders

Besides all that cool stuff that I just listed, the bottom line for me is that it will keep my coffee hot and spill free for as long as I need it. I purchased four of them for the rare times that either my wife or myself loose a coffee tumbler. Well, maybe not so rare. I seem to loose at least 1 coffee tumbler a year. This was killing me when I used to pay $30 each!

I searched out Amazon and they have the coffee tumblers available in a single and double pack.

The Taste of a Great Cup Of Coffee

Mark Keeler — Sat, 23 May 2009 18:18:12 +0000

Coffee roasting is more art than science. Each batch takes on it’s own characteristics. The same is true for a brewed cup of coffee. While I like a consistent great cup of coffee, I like to vary the taste for each and every cup. Why settle for the status quo when it comes to a cup of coffee?

I usually like to brew my coffee with the French press because I enjoy the flavor and the convenience of leaving the coffee sit for 4 minutes while I do something else. I find French pressed coffee full of body on the palette. I can feel the sediments slightly and this adds flavor and fun to the coffee drinking experience.

When I want a full flavor coffee with a clean taste, I like drip filtered coffee the best. The coffee flavor explodes in my mouth and tastes good the entire time that I drink it.

If I am feeling like a creamy cup of coffee, I tend to use my stove top mocha pot. The coffee flavor is intense-I don’t like to drink it plain. I add frothed whole milk or cream to the coffee. This is usually best enjoyed with a piece of dark chocolate or a scone.

I have even tried the much raved about Aeropress. It’s supposed to give an intense cup of coffee similar to espresso. The Aeropress is great for traveling because it is not messy. It literally squeezes all the water out of the grounds. The coffee is concentrated-water is added after pressing. What I don’t like about the Aeropress is that it takes about twice as much ground coffee to produce a good cup of coffee. Many people will argue against my opinion. That is fine with me. It’s just another gadget to me. I use it occasionally to get a variation in my coffee taste.

To really get the best cup of brewed coffee, remember to use filtered water since a cup of coffee is over 99% water. Bad water will produce a bad cup of coffee.

10 Things About Coffee

Mark Keeler — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 14:13:32 +0000

1. Caffeine Can Kill You
But you’d have to drink 80 to 100 cups in a hurry, health experts say. We advise not trying.

2. Coffee Can Be Good For You
A study shows that Americans get most of their antioxidants from their daily fix of java. One to two cups a day appear to be beneficial. Or, if you don’t like coffee, try black tea, the second most consumed antioxidant source. Bananas, dry beans, and corn wrap up the top five.

3. Caffeine Might Boost Female Sex Drive
It worked on rats anyway. But researchers say in humans, coffee might enhance the sexual experience only among people who are not habitual users.

4. Caffeine Might Cut Pain
Moderate doses of caffeine — the equivalent of two cups of coffee— can cut post-gym muscle pain, a small study found. But the research was done on people who were not regular coffee drinkers.

5. Caffeine Can Indeed Keep You Up at Night
Health experts advise avoiding it for 6 hours before bedtime.

6. Decaf Coffee Has Caffeine!
If you drink five to 10 cups of decaffeinated coffee, you could get as much caffeine as from one or two cups of caffeinated coffee, a study found.

7. Decaffeination Uses Chemicals
Beans are steamed, so that dissolved caffeine rises to the surface, where it is washed off using an organic solvent called methylene chloride.

8. Caffeine Is Not The Bitter Culprit
Caffeine is not the main bitter compound in coffee. Rather, the pungent perpetrators are antioxidants.

9. Great Coffee Depends on Roasting and Brewing
When it comes to great flavor, coffee chemistry boils down to roasting and brewing. During roasting, oil locked inside the beans begins to emerge at around 400 degrees. The more oil, the stronger the flavor. Caffeine content goes up as the water spends more time in contact with the grounds, so regular coffee often has more of it than espresso or cappuccino. Darker roasts also yield more caffeine.

10. Coffee Was Discovered by Goats
A millennium ago on a mountainside in Africa, a herd of goats kept a shepherd up at night after feasting.

Is Coffee House Coffee a Great Cup of Coffee?

Mark Keeler — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 21:21:59 +0000

I received a posting today in one of my coffee roasters users groups asking how to duplicate the great taste of a cup of coffee coming from a coffee house. This all depends. For myself, a great cup of coffee is an an experience to be relished. When I walk into a coffee house and see Styrofoam cups, air pot dispensers, and flavored coffee, I immediately think cheap and second rate. I want to see ceramic mugs and freshly brewed coffee that is dumped at least every hour. Both Starbucks and Peet’s coffee do this.

I like the music to be quiet and relaxing. I don’t want over head fluorescent lights burning out my eyeballs. I like comfy chairs to lounge in. I even enjoy the old fashioned wooden chairs and tables. They create a retro ambiance.

Even though I may think that I came in for a cup of coffee, I came for the atmosphere. A good cup of coffee can be made at home.

I have a favorite coffee shop nearby. The place has a real roaster in the rear. Large wooden tables are spread about. There is an old sofa that is so comfortable to sit in. The music is usually classical. There is an old veranda over looking the street with plenty of chairs to sit in.

Free WI-FI! How could I forget. When you want to get away for a few hours, free Internet can’t be beat!

The last thing on my list is a cup of coffee. It better not be bad or I will do a u-turn. I like the coffee strong, fresh, and not over roasted. I am brutal when it comes to quality. I drink my coffee black and like to sip it for 30 minutes or so while I read, talk with a friend, or surf the ‘net.

Arguably the Best Micro Roasted Coffee on the Planet

Mark Keeler — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 04:46:02 +0000

If you don’t like to argue politics because it’s too controversial, try arguing micro roasted coffee or micro brewed beer. Everyone that is a drinker has their favorite. Since I am not a BIG beer drinker, let’s argue a little about coffee. Let’ get one thing straight, I dislike over roasted coffee. If you are a liberal, socialist, or conservative, I can still tolerate you. However, if you drink burned coffee like $tar&ucks, then the party is over!

Are you ready for the best micro roasted coffee on the planet? It’s coffee that you roast yourself at home. I am not kidding. Scrape up$3.00 and head to the nearest thrift store. Purchase an old Original Poppery or Poppery II by Westbend. You will need to purchase green beans. I get them from http://sweetmarias.com/. Don’t worry, I am not an affiliate marketer from them or high pressure salesman. I just dig their beans and write ups about how they purchase their coffee beans from all over the planet minus the polar ice cap regions.

I use a Weber thermometer that goes up to 550 degrees F and insert it into a hole that I drilled in the butter dish. Most people don’t even do this as you learn to roast by smell and sound. I use it like an rpm guide. When it hits 440 degrees, I know that I am almost done. I smell the roast and listen for the cracks. It cracks and pops just like pop corn! I stop right in between the first and second crack.

Let the roast age for at least 12 hours. Use a quality burr grinder and brew in a French press or small cone drip filter. The taste will knock your socks off! You cannot go back to Fivebucks (oops I meant Starbucks) again.

Okay, for you hard core dark roast guys and girls, go ahead and roast ’til the beans are almost burned. I will forgive you and accept your friendship.

However, for the sake of argueing, please disagree with me. Let’s have some fun. It’s not like this is about Obama or McCain. It’s about life. Can you imagine a day without coffee? No way! Can you imagine a day without the government breathing down your back? Yes!!!