Video: Roasting Coffee with the Victorio/VKP Stovetop Popper

How to roast your own coffee with a hand-crank stove-top popcorn popper.

Since roasting your own coffee can be a “do-it-yourself experience”, we have all gotten used to modifications and workarounds when it comes to equipment, especially with manual machines like stove-top poppers. There are a few poppers on the market and they get the job done when it comes to roasting coffee but they all have their quirks.

This popper by Victorio (now named VKP) caught our attention because it offered solutions to all the minor issues users of stovetop roasters have been dealing with. I like it far better than the thin aluminum types, though they do also work fine for 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.... Here is the link to the VKP Stainless Stovetop Popper / Coffee Roaster on our shopping cart site.

Notable features of the Victorio / VKP Stovetop Popper for Roasting Coffee

• The handle opposite the crank allows for safe 2-handed handling of your hot popper.
• The lid flips up easily and is held open magnetically.
• No gears. The agitating arms are turned by a gear-less “Flex-drive” cable.
• The “Flex-drive” has a lifetime warranty, (but only for popcorn use 🙁
• The base works with all stovetops, including induction.

The magnet is such a welcome feature. It’s really nice to check on your roast without the lid falling down. Having it out of the way when emptying the roaster eliminates having to shake out the last beans which as you may know can be irritating when your popper is hot, the lid is floppin’ and the 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... is flyin’.

The handle on the non-crank side is a big help with the overall maneuverability of the popper on your stovetop and using both hands to pour hot, roasted coffee beans from a hot roaster just feels a lot safer.\

Problems with the VKP StovePop Stirring for Coffee Roasting?

VKP Popper jamming once it is heated up? The agitator tip assembly is supposed to have 1/4” free play on the shaft. See the instructions that came with the VKP Popper. You received a small hex head wrench, so just loosen the tiny bolt and adjust the free play.

VKP Agitator not turning? The same little bolt might have come loose from the shaft. Use that hex head wrench and tighten it!

VKP Popper bottom warping? Are you preheating above 200f or for more than 3 minutes? Are you using high heat settings? Turn it down … you might also scorch your coffee with preheating an empty StovePop to high temperatures

Stirring Trouble? Stovetop Coffee Roasting Fixes

Download our printable Stovetop Popcorn Popper Coffee Roasting Tip Sheet:

Also see our Stovetop Popper Roasting Article for more instructions!