Cooling Da Beans Two Ways
This is my standard cooling setup. A heavy duty fan forces air through the coffee beans, cooling them rapidly and blowing the chaff out. The disadvantage is that it is very messy, and is best done outdoors. I dump the (very) hot beans into the wire strainer, and use the handles to move the beans as they cool.
This is an inside friendly cooling setup consisting of a plastic bucket, a wire strainer with holes that have been enlarged with a Phillips head screwdriver, and a pot lid to limit the air flow through the bucket. A standard shop vac pulls air and chaff through the holes, leaving the coffee beans behind in the strainer. See thumbnails linking to full size pictures below.
Suction would be much improved with a shorter hose. It would also be improved if the bucket and the vac outlet were on the same level so that there would be a straight line between them. This way, however, makes for a better picture, and we all know how important that is.
I don't roast inside, except with my IR2 (which is self-cooling), but this does keep my garage or patio cleaner. Since I have a broom, it's not really a big deal to me, but making it was still fun.
It's
a little easier to see the holes I made with the screwdriver when it is against
a dark background. I used the head of the Phillips head and wedged it into one
of the spaces in the fine stainless steel mesh. Then I punched through it to
create spaces large enough to extract the chaff, but not so large that beans
would pass through. Other "modders" have used a solid stainless steel bowl, but
it is hard to punch holes in them.
I
used a utility knife to cut an x-shape into the side of the plastic bucket. The
vacuum hose needs to go into the bucket below the lowest point of the strainer.
It took me a few tries to get the x the right size, and I later trimmed away
some of the plastic.
This
is just the strainer inserted in the bucket. Note that you will need a pot lid
large enough to clear the handles to the strainer. If your shop vac is a bit
anemic, you may have to skip the lid so you can stir the beans.
