Poppo is a low-cost electric air popcorn popper can be transformed into a DIY coffee roaster when paired with the Poppo Coffee Roasting Sleeve!
The new Poppo Air Popcorn Kit is an inexpensive way to try out coffee roastingThe application of heat to green coffee seeds (beans) to create palatable material for brewing a great cup!: Coffee roasting is a chemical process induced by heat, by... ...more at home. The Poppo system roasts coffee quickly and evenly, for light, medium and dark roast levels.
People have been using air popcorn machines to roast coffee for nearly 50 years now, since they came on the market. By itself, the Poppo machine is a fairly standard air popcorn popper. By inserting the Poppo coffee sleeve in the roast chamber, it redirects coffee into an effective flow to roast quickly and evenly. Poppo roasts fast: Most roast batches are done in under 5 minutes.
The Poppo Air Popcorn Popper kit for coffee roasting is just $28.50, or $39.50 with a starter green coffeeGreen coffee refers to the processed seed of the coffee tree fruit. Coffee is a flowering shrub that produces fruit. The seeds of the fruit are processed, roasted,... ...more sampler set of 4 coffees!
How to use Poppo with the Coffee Roasting Sleeve
- Insert the food grade aluminum sleeve into the popping chamber of the machine.
- Add 110 grams of green coffee (about 1/4 Lb.) and place the clear hood on top.
- Turn it on at the switch and start your timer!
- Medium roast levels take 3 to 4 minutes. Dark roast levels take 5 minutes.
- When the roast is done, turn off the machine, take off the hood, and carefully pour your fresh roast into a colander or pan to cool down.
Quick Video Intro to Poppo Air Popcorn Kit
Important Air Roasting Information and Safety Tips
- Using a popcorn machine to roast coffee is a quick process, and you should never leave the machine unattended when roasting coffee!
- Do not let chaffChaff is paper-like skin that comes off the coffee in the roasting process. Chaff from roasting is part of the innermost skin (the silverskin) of the coffee fruit... ...more fall around the base of a popcorn popper. Poppers take in air from vents in the base. They will suck in chaff if it falls around the base of the unit, and it can eventually damage the machine.
- Allow the popper to cool completely between batches. We recommend 15 minutes down time.
- The surfaces of the unit are hot. Be careful when handling it.
- Inevitably the clear top hood will start to become distorted by heat. This happens to all popcorn poppers used for coffee roasting, because they are exposed to more heat and for longer durations than when they are used for popcorn.
- Allow at least 15 minutes of cooling time between roasts. Like most coffee roasters Poppo is not made to be used with back-to-back roasting.
- Using a popcorn machine for roasting coffee will shorten its lifespan. Poppo has a 30 day manufacturer defectIn coffee, a defect refers to specific preparation problems with the green coffee, or a flavor problem found in the cupping process. Bad seeds in the green coffee... ...more warranty only.
Poppo FAQ plus Tips and Tricks
Are your roasts inconsistent? Is the roast time too fast? Is the sleeve not fitting snug, and falling out when you dump your fresh batch in the cooling pan? We’ve been there, and want to share our tips with you! If you have Poppo air popcorn kit for roasting coffee and have some questions, we have created a FAQ page as well as a Poppo Tips and Tricks video.
13 Responses
hello! can i just buy the sleeve? thank you.
We hope to have the sleeve available separately soon, but it has to be paired with the same type of popcorn machine, where air comes straight from bottom vent. It is not made for poppers that swirl coffee. Also the popper chamber diameter must match the sleeve, and it must be tapered. I only know 2 popper brands that fit. One brand is DASH and the other AICOOK
Thanks bud! Mine happens to be DASH!
great – if its the 1400 watt model it should fit. https://www.sweetmarias.com/coffee-roasting-sleeve-for-poppo.html
I use a soup can with cuts about every 2″ about 2″ in, to make it fit better, with my thrift store poppers.
To fit the sleeve into other types of poppers? that’s a good idea. Only thing that concerns me with cans is that they are sprayed with a liner to prevent direct food contact and rust. So when it’s heating up that compound is heating up around the coffee too. I used to use cans as chimneys in poppers but stopped when I realized that, and researched about the can liner chemistry a little.
Ah, didn’t look into can liner chemistry. Used to be corn that was used, but that was in the 70s.
Could maybe get a piece of metal ductwork at a hardware store, and cut to fit it.
I wonder if just using a bunch of tin foil could help keep the sleeve in place?
Possibly, although it’d be fragile to store. Then again, just smooth it out. Definitely worth trying.
Poppo is a major upgrade for me from Nostalgia in terms of roast time and consistency. I was reluctant to buy Poppo since I have been getting decent results roasting in Nostalgia but I’m glad I did.
I get best results with Nostalgia roasting fifth pound (90.7g) batches at a time. I stir for the first 30 seconds until the beans swirl independently then roast 7-10 minutes depending on bean type and desired roast level.
No stirring with 90.7g batches in Poppo and the roast time is 3-4 minutes. The cracking is louder and the beans expand more rapidly which makes the audible and visual ques of roast progression easier to monitor.
Highly recommended for anyone looking to get into home coffee roasting. After years of DIY tests with oven, stovetop and popcorn air roasting this is by far the easiest and most consistent budget option I’ve encountered. I know this sounds like an advertisement but it is honest feedback! lol
Thanks for sharing those results. I do think it does a better job than the Nostalgia. Actually with the latest Nostalgia I was only able to roast 45-50 grams without stirring or shaking the machine. Poppo plus the sleeve moves the coffee around vigorously, and doubles the batch size. It is a very fast roast time, but I think generally its a better situation to be slowing down a fast roaster, vs trying to get an underpowered popper to speed up, and not bake the coffee.
My Poppo air popper has stopped producing sufficient heat to roast coffee after a year and a half of regular use. Is it fixable? How long has your lasted?
If it seemed to slowly lose heat it might be that the heat coil has simply worn out. It can happen with this type of heating element after much usage. The metal, which I think they call nichrome wire, just simply stops conducting heat as efficiently. I have seen it in used poppers I bought at thrift stores that didnt get as hot as they should. Its hard to repair because it might require soldering.