A Common Occurrence

This evening I come home from some much needed girl time to find that my husband has been busy in my absence.

All I have to do is open the car door and I know what he has been up to.  The smell of burnt popcorn hits me as soon as I leave the car. Walking up to the house, I am surprised by how much the smell carries to the outside. I had always assumed it was just the 5 of us inside who were subjected to the lingering smell, but I guess our neighbors are also so blessed.

What has my husband been doing? Roasting coffee, of course.  We are major coffee fiends. So much that we have a budget just for coffee.  Sad, you may say, but it somewhat cuts back on our latte purchases. 4 years ago we bought a very nice espresso machine which also helps.  Especially on the weekends when all we want is a triple tall latte in the morning, one in the afternoon, and a shot of espresso at night. We may have a slight addiction.

While having our own espresso machine has helped, beans are still really expensive, and we go through a lot of beans. So, a few months ago, my husband decided he would start roasting his own.  And so it began.  He now has it down to a science and with some suggestions on fan placement from my mom, no longer sets off the fire alarm.  But it still smells. Really bad.

The coffee is good, I do sometimes miss a good Stumptown roast, but it is good. And it is saving us money.  All that is good, but at 10:30 at night, this is not the sight I want to see:

The aftermath of the roast.  Chaff, as my husband says, because obviously I am fluent in all technical coffee terms.  For the lay person that is the outer skin of the bean.

The 'tools of the trade' so to speak. My one and only cookie sheet, my pancake pan, and a heat gun.

As much as I roll my eyes at this, I will be happy in the morning when my husband hands me a steaming hot latte to take with me as I begin my day.