Notes from a spare-room roastery

Two people, one popcorn popper turned pan roaster, and a lot of trial and error.

We started roasting our own beans about a year and a half ago because the good stuff at the local place kept getting more expensive and, honestly, we wanted to know what we were doing wrong with our pour-overs. Turns out: a lot. This is where we write down what we figure out, mostly so we stop forgetting it ourselves.

Recent posts

• March 2026 Brewing ratios, written down so we stop guessing

  The numbers we actually use for pour-over, French press, and the moka pot, plus why we ignore them half the time anyway.

• January 2026 A home roasting setup on a budget

  What we actually use — none of it was bought new, most of it was a compromise, and it still works fine.

• November 2025 Washed vs. natural, and why we keep buying both

  We used to have a strong opinion about this. We no longer do, and here's what changed our minds.

• September 2025 Getting first crack timing right (eventually)

  The batch that taught us to stop trusting our ears alone, and start actually timing things.