New Trend of Micro Roasting Green Beans - THINK ABOUT IT

[NobHillNotary]

Today I received a coffee roaster I bought on eBay with too many red flags for potential fire I read in its manual. After what I read it would be like playing Russian roulette with fire. The odds are too great for a potential igniting of the beans on fire with just one electrical outage of the machine's potential malfunction or power supply. The beans would be left without movement or cooling and would catch fire. Ironically, the day prior to receiving the machine the electricity went out in my unit. My apartment can't accommodate the machine's operation safely.

I really wanted this machine and prayed to God waiting for a sign I could buy it for months. I believe He gave me a green light but there's a lesson to be learned here, that I've done the right thing not to jeopardize my neighbors safety of such a risk. I wonder about a young adult, whether they'd have the same kind of thoughtful consideration of the potential of a fire and I don't think so. The machine I had was manufactured in Korea that made it look innocently safe for home use. It almost looks like a fun toy. The beans aren't ever safe from catching a fire so its really what happens when the beans are left hot without movement in the chamber.

I think there should be a law to prohibit home coffee roasters in apartment units. Sorry, but coffee roasting's not worth the risk to human life and property. :shock:

2015 Article:
Five Coffee Trends Raising the Coffee Bar
The five coffee trends below cover a spectrum of professional and personal choices that are influencing the way people drink their coffee. Many are focused on the quality and freshness of the extraction, often with a desire to brew a single cup or smaller volume of coffee more effectively and delicious-tasting.

Micro Roasting Beans
Small batch roasting is spreading across the country as a growing trend. Coffee shops are micro roasting green coffee beans. Coffeeroasters are using equipment to brew smaller, more consistent batches ofcoffee, much as NewYork Cafe does. This trend has gone sofar that many coffee fanatics are starting to roast green coffee beans at home.You really can’t get any fresher than that.

Pastedfrom <5 Hottest Coffee Trends Now (2015)>

 

[Mr.Peaberry]

Home roasting coffee? OMG....what in the heck is this world coming to?

 

[NobHillNotary]

More RED FLAGS

The concern started back in 2007 from what I have found posted on the Internet: This article's advice doesn't go far enough in my opinion. Roasting coffee in an apartment is NO option whatsoever. Only on one's private property should it be allowed.


Coffee Roasters: How Not to Become a Stupid Statistic
Oct 19, 2007

It’ll never happen to you, right?

Annabell Ramirez said it all started with a small fire in a coffee-bean roaster. She said she tried to put it out, but the glass shattered and the fire spread quickly.

"Before I knew it, flames were coming out of the window…”

​

Whether you’ve got the latest in commercially-available coffee roasters, or your own, custom-built rig, it’s important to remember that when you’re roasting coffee, you’re playing with fire. Every professional roaster I know has a story to tell about either a full-on roaster fire, or a damn close call. Every. Single. One. It’s only a matter of time.

Here’s my top five tips for home-roasting fire safety.

• 1) Get a fire extinguisher. Even if you never roasted coffee, a fire extinguisher is the best insurance you can buy for less than 20 bucks. If you’re a coffee roaster, it may just be your best friend. Choose a fire extinguisher intended for kitchen or garage use… more specifically, a dry chemical model that’s rated for oil, electrical and wood fires.
• 2) Mount that extinguisher near your roaster. Note that I don’t say *above* your roaster, but *near* it. You’ll want to be able to grab that extinguisher without having to reach over a burning roaster. Better still, get two, and place one near, and one on the other side of the room. (While I’m not exactly paranoid, I have three extinguishers strategically located in my garage where I do most of my roasting.)
• 3) Never leave your coffee roasting unattended. Never — ever! — walk away with a roast in progress. I’ll admit it… I used to have a laissez faire attitude toward roasting. I’d start a roast and wander off to do other things for 10 or 15 minutes while the roast progressed. I got an attitude adjustment one day when roasting a batch of Yemen coffee — a batch that had some odd-sized and curiously-shaped beans — some of which wedged between the seams and completely jammed up the drum in my roaster. I was lucky. I was just the other side of the garage when I heard the jam occur. If I hadn’t been on the scene it may have been only a matter of moments before those beans — no longer happily tumbling — burst into flame.
• 4) A clean roaster is a happy roaster. Not only does a clean coffee roaster do it’s job more efficiently, it’s also far, far safer. No matter what kind of roaster you have, regularly clean-up the chaff — the papery skin that’s released by roasting coffee beans. I clean chaff from my roaster between each and every roast. Bonus tip: Don’t vacuum chaff out of a hot roaster! Smoldering bits of chaff that would probably be of no consequence at all left in your roaster until it cools could ignite in dramatic fashion should you fuel them with a lot of wind. While your roaster can probably take the heat, chances are your shop-vac won’t.
• 5) Don’t disable your home smoke-alarm just because your coffee roasting sets it off. Get better ventilation, roast outdoors, or just learn to enjoy the occasional test of your smoke alarm. That way you can rest assured it’ll be there if you need it

 

[NobHillNotary]

Read the text in the image, I noted people are trying to hide the real danger of home coffee roaster fires on the Internet. Here's an example of a coffee espresso company taking down their article leaving up a blurb.

 

[NobHillNotary]

View attachment 6240 (click on image) Read the text in the image, I noted people are trying to hide the real danger of home coffee roaster fires on the Internet. Here's an example of a coffee espresso company taking down their article leaving up a blurb.

 

[edtbjon]

Let's see. You've posted 5 posts on this forum. (Probably more than me... ) In four of them you are trying to warn us (in red letters) that coffee roasting can cause a fire. You're even going as far as saying that home roasting (indoors) should be prohibited. Well, what's next? Putting a ban on gas stoves?
It's all very nice that you've found out about the dangers with home roasting. I guess we all applaude you for that. But please, please.... Most of the audience in this forum are very seasoned coffee roasters and some are professional roasters. I'm pretty sure that none of us never ever walk a pavement without wearing a seat belt, a crash helmet and safety goggles.

 

[topher]

Thanks edtbjon! I wasn't sure if Nobhill was being sarcastic or not. I can't imagine 4 oz of coffee causing such a fire that it could not be put out by someone. Yes its true if you lose electricity during a batch you can have an issue. I have had it go out while I was roasting on a 120 kilo roaster. It was just about to get to second crack and the power went out. My whole body went cold. Not a nice feeling. Did I burn my roastery down? No. I stayed calm and handled the issue. I guess when toasters first came out people thought it was witchery or dangerous. Just be smart about what you are doing and you will be fine. Worst case scenario you have a fire and have to dump water on your roaster...but if you keep a small spray bottle next to your roaster you should be good. I bought a toy/home roaster from Korea. I have roasted on it about once a week for the last 2 years..when I roast I do at least 4 batches. Never had an issue. I even roasted a marathon session on it once and knocked out 5 lbs 4 oz at a time. I haven't had one issue.

 

[namballe]

come on, really? coffee roasting is about as hazardous as barbecuing.

 

[JumpinJakJava]

come on, really? coffee roasting is about as hazardous as barbecuing.

I don't know Greg. I think barbecuing is much more dangerous. Too many flare ups with the burgers and dogs.
Not to mention those marinated chicken thighs!

 

[namballe]

I don't know Greg. I think barbecuing is much more dangerous. Too many flare ups with the burgers and dogs.
Not to mention those marinated chicken thighs!

lol! true ;-)

 

[Mr.Peaberry]

Since we live in a world where hand held blow dryers have warning labels advising consumers not to use while bathing or in the shower, I'll give Nobhillnotary a pass for at least recognizing the ever present danger of disaster due to an intellectually challenged human thinking that roasting coffee is as safe as making toast and heading out to do some grocery shopping while the coffee roasts. Nice smell to return home to...freshly charred apartment.

 

[coffeeroastersclub]

It has been said that the majority of adults operate at a 3rd grade level. So to solve the issue of mass destruction at the hands of an idiot attempting to roast coffee, prior to purchasing a coffee roaster one must ask a group of friends if they believe you are one of those 3rd graders. If the MINORITY of them say yes, then by all means DO NOT PURCHASE OR USE A COFFEE ROASTER!

:lol::lol::lol::lol:

Len

 

[NobHillNotary]

The Gene Cafe has a closed glass system you can't reach the beans with water easily. So one would have to lift the tumbler out of the machine first, then open it in order to put out the fire.

 

[NobHillNotary]

The Gene Cafe I purchased was especially dangerous due its design of not being able to get to the fire inside an enclosed glass chamber easily. You have to pull it out to get to the beans, there is no fire safety access feature whatsoever. I read two instances of the machine being destroyed by fire and that it spread fast. I've read accounts of people having close calls being asleep at the wheel that they could turn on the machine, leave the room, do errands only to come back to observe the chaff was blocking the air intake.

I don't see anything wrong in giving newbies a heads up at possible dangers, especially with certain machines. Apartment dwelling is not a place to use the Gene Cafe due to its design especially. I watched a few very casual YouTube videos demonstrating the process as if it was like turning on a coffee brewing machine and walking away. I don't know about other machines, but no Landlord would feel comfortable with a tenant taking such a risk. Not everyone is gifted with a cautious approach to these matters, it's best to overdo warnings than to risk loss of life and property.

As far as my being an "idiot", I see nothing wrong with giving a heads up to potential dangers, not to be so conditioned with technology to think of it like any other appliance. All appliances forewarn of potential fire, but this is far more dangerous. All it takes is chaff blocking the air in-take or the electricity going out. They don't allow cigarette smoking in apartment dwellings, neither should they allow coffee bean roasting because there are too many people who don't recognize the dangers being drugged up on medication, wine or whatever else.

Since micro roasting is trending, more people have access to new technology they've never used before far more dangerous. One could think of it like the laser pen technology that can bring down planes from blinding pilots sight. Seemed innocent enough to have a laser pen, technology isn't something human beings are well adapted to and never will be. I provided articles citing the dangers and did not act on my own only conveying information I found on the issue. I'm concerned for my neighbors in an accidental fire, there's nothing wrong with that. Mockery only reflects poorly on anyone who has an issue with my posts. I'm not trying to hurt the home coffee roasting industry.

 

[NobHillNotary]

After I was being mocked, I felt a need to support my initial post statements with facts through other articles.