Cast Iron Bedouin Coffee Roaster from Saudi Arabia

1. Full length
2. Close up of the bowl end
3. Stirring paddle

Sorry about the quality of the photos, I used a webcam and not a regular camera so you could get an idea of the dimensions. I'll include a clearer photo in the next post!

I hope I'm not breaking any rules here. I do technically regard this as a form of cookware :wink:. I learned of these a while back. Being a coffee fanatic (and well, a pretty eccentric guy :lol: ) , I thought this would be very unique way to make fresh roasted coffee beans. I haven't actually used it yet but I plan to.


It's a coffee roaster made for a camp hearth, though I presume it would work on a large oven burner or a backyard fire pit. Along with the 'spoon', it came with a stirring stick/paddle . Roasters of this type have been used for a very long time in the Middle East by nomadic tribes to roast their coffee, which is then pulverized and brewed Turkish style. I have no idea how old it is, but it certainly looks as though it has seen a lot of travel.

For those interested here is a Youtube video detailing the elaborate ritual of Bedouin coffee preparation complete with roasting! It was actually this video that originally inspired me to buy it a while back.



Here are the promised clearer photos from the original Ebay auction. And another random internet photo of roasters in action.

While made of cast iron and technically "cookware", I afraid it's likely going to be only of marginal interest to and at the most outer fringes of what the typical user or visitor of this particular site and forum looks for.

Thanks Doug.
I sort of anticipated that this might be the case. It's funny, I noticed that collectors of coffee memorabilia are disinterested with cast iron items. Cast iron enthusiasts tend to be mostly interested in your traditional American cookware pieces. Dutch ovens, grills, skillets etc.

I myself happen to be an all-around cast/ wrought iron collector. Coffee grinders, cookware, candelabras, doorhandles, teapots. Basically anything made of iron that is practically useful as a functional item. There doesn't really seem to be a place for folks like me to share some of these unique pieces. I was pretty happy to even have found this site honestly, it's the closest I've found to a living community of people who specifically like and collect cast iron.

Anyway I just thought there may be folks here who would appreciate something like this. If it's too obscure I'll limit future posts to the more popular topics.

Christopher, I like it. When you get a chance to try it out let us know how it does. Interesting out side the box piece. Thanks for posting it.

I liked it, too. Thanks for posting it.

What? Not a skillet? Cool.

Hilditch

Thanks for posting this coffee roaster. While I do not have one of these, I do have green coffee beans and extra cast iron. I'll have to try roasting some in one of my cast iron skillets.

Thanks everyone!

It's just not something you see in the USA (or most places for that matter). Like a lot of old cast iron, you just will not be able to identify the maker of it. Which to me adds sort of a mysterious appeal to it. It makes me wonder about the past owners and the craftsman who cast it. There are minor decorative touches along the shaft and signs of use inside the bowl. This was an important tool for someone during their life. It was meant to serve someone, their family, and guests for a lifetime or more. The history of it really adds to its appeal for me.

When I give it a go I'll post an update and share some pictures. Dave, I have seen videos of people roasting in their skillets with a whisk! Awesome alternative use of a cast iron pan. For some reason I thought it would nice to have a dedicated roaster like this (and well it just looks cool). If I wasn't renting I'd mount in on the wall in my kitchen.

I saw this Dutch cast iron roaster on Ebay, it seems to be a much better match for my other cast iron cookware. But the inside looks pretty rusty and I can't tell if it's actually functional if I were to restore it (a deal breaker for me).

Nonetheless another very interesting piece:

I too would hesitate with that one. It appears to have had a rough life with a lot of outdoor time, and then the outside was painted. It is probably refurbish-able. My biggest fear would be holes rusted through. If stated there were no holes, no cracks, you could live with the pits and the price was right I’d buy it out of curiosity. Worse case, a great conversation piece sitting on the floor in a corner.

Hilditch

Thanks for sharing, Christopher. I love iron items too; you are not alone! Have read about the coffee ritual of the Bedouin, but this is the first chance I've had to see the actual item. There's something to this guys; why else would so many people haul around iron utensils in what amounts to a lifestyle of "camping out"?

I enjoyed your video, Christopher. I'm from the Seattle area, so OF COURSE I was interested in the coffee segment! (Actually, I'm interested in how other cultures do things anyway....)

PS--Now I'm going to have to get up and go make myself a cup of coffee!