Abstract: An improved apparatus for separating chaff from coffee and cocoa beans is designed for use in combination with either the hot air blowing base of the common household consumer appliance, the electrical popcorn popper or the larger volume coffee roasters. The apparatus comprises a hopper having an open top, an open bottom mountable over the hot air blowing base of the popper for roasting beans, at least one exhaust gas outlet, a transparent or translucent lid for covering the top and allowing the user to observe the color of the roasting beans and a screen mounted over the exhaust gas outlet. The screen is coated with a material that causes its surface to become electrostatically charged during the bean roasting process. In addition, a protective outer coating is deposited to completely cover the dielectric material to prevent this material from being destructively removed or electrochemically altered by the chemicals in cleaners for the lid.

Abstract: An improved apparatus for separating chaff from coffee and cocoa beans is designed for use in combination with either the hot air blowing base of the common household consumer appliance, the electrical popcorn popper or the larger volume coffee roasters. The apparatus comprises a hopper having an open top, an open bottom mountable over the hot air blowing base of the popper for roasting beans, at least one exhaust gas outlet, a transparent or translucent lid for covering the top and allowing the user to observe the color of the roasting beans and a screen mounted over the exhaust gas outlet. The screen is coated with a material that causes its surface to become electrostatically charged during the bean roasting process. In addition, a protective outer coating is deposited to completely cover the dielectric material to prevent this material from being destructively removed or electrochemically altered by the chemicals in cleaners for the lid.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for separating chaff from coffee and cocoa beans is designed for use in combination with the hot air blowing base of the common household consumer appliance, the electrical popcorn popper. The method comprises a hopper having an open top, an open bottom mountable over the hot air blowing base of the popper for roasting beans and an exhaust gas outlet, a lid for covering the top and a screen mounted over the exhaust gas outlet. The screen is coated with a material that causes its surface to become electrostatically charged during the bean roasting process. The chaff from the beans becomes separated during the roasting process and then is entrained in the exhaust gases which pass upward from the hot air blowing base for roasting the beans and through the open bottom. The chaff is collected on the electrostatically charged screen and is easily removed after the roasting process.