Stove
Top Roasting is a very hands on technique dating back to the origins of
Coffee Usage. It provides you with an interactive, hands on experience
where you really get a feel for the beans character and the entire
process of a roast. There are numerous methods used for Stove Top
Roasting ranging from a simple cast Iron Skillet to a Wok and through
to the Whirley Pop method. Whilst each method is essentially the same,
I will be concentrating on using the Whirley Pop method.
The Whirley Pop is designed as a PopCorn Popper primarily and is
well siuted to that purpose. However the ever rescourceful coffee
communtiy has adopted this for their own ends and rightfully so!
Basically the WHirley Pop is a large Aluminium Saucepan. It comes with
a lid that fits onto the pan by way of 3 clips. It has two hinged lids,
one fixed to the pan by way of a clip and another that is not fixed.
The mechanism is all contained upon the lid. Within the pan handle is a
crank which turns two plastic cogs, which in turn rotate the heavy
gauge wire paddles. The handle is wooden as are the fixings on the lid.
These go a long way to prevent any burnt fingers when roasting.
So how does one go about roasting with the Whirley Pop then?
As with all things coffee, there is a degree of preparation involved. I have found the following to be a good start:
Gather all the equipment you will need. This includes the WP, a set
of scales, some type of heat diffusser ( I have a cast Iron grill pan
that works a treat)the diffusser is needed so that you do not heat up
the WP too quickly and warp the bottom and end up burning the beans.
You will also need two colanders and of course some green beans.
I start out by opening windows and an exit door and putting the
grill pan on a high heat and placing the WP on top of it. It takes some
time to heat up but you achieve a greater displacement of the heat
rather than on to of the heat source directly. Whilst it is warming up
I measure out 8oz of beans. I did try 4oz, but I found they roasted too
quickly and some burnt. After about 10 mins of heating up the WP should
be ready to go. It is preferable to have a thermometre handy to place
in a hole in the top of the WP. This is something that you would have
to purchase and drill yourself though. Once it is up to temprature you
place the beans in the pan and start cranking. The temprature will
drop, however as you continue to crank it will steadily rise. The
temptation is to keep peeking to see how the bans are doing. Resist the
urge and keep cranking.
After 5-6 mins you will start to motice steam escaping through the
vents on the lid. This is a good sign. AT this stage I tend to lower
the heat a little. At about 8 mins take a very quick look. You should
see a chnage in the colour of the beans at this stage. Keep on
cranking...
At between 13-15 mins you should be entering first crack. Smoke
will be emmitting from the vents at this point, but not excessive
amounts. This is another good reason to avoid looking inside as it
releases a lot of smoke. You will also be able to start smelling the
roast process by now. It is difficult to actually hear when frist crack
begins due to the noise of cranking. However the more you use it, the
more you can tune yourself into the roast noise itself.
At about 18 mins first crack should be just about over. If you
prefer your beans a little darker then carry on for a couple of minutes
more. I prefer mine just after 1st Crack is over.
To de-cant the WP you need your two colonders at hand now. Using
all of your dexterity pick up the WP an colonders and head outside.
Simply de-cant the beans from the WP by tilting it. Place it on the
ground and exchange the beans between the two colonders. When decanted
a lot of smoke will escape and chaff will fly everywhere, so stay away
from open doors/windows etc. After a couple of minutes head back inside
and leave the beans to rest.
I have found it worthwhile to swill out the WP because of the
chaff. If left inside it will ruin your next roast with a burnt smell.
You do not need to wash it out everytime. You need to season it as you
would a wok. Every so often given the lid a scrub with hot water to
prevent too much of a residue build up.
All in all I love using the WP. It gives a real feel for roasting
and you feel very much a part of the process. It is a non expensive way
of introducing yourself to home roasting or even giving an alternative
method to use. Because it is a simple machine, very little can actually
go wrong such as beans getting caught in the paddles etc. As with
anything, look after the WP and it will look after you.
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