Roasting Coffee Beans Is So Easy

Roasting coffee beans at home is now so easy with the results often as good as those beans which have been professionally roasted. 

A variety of roaster types are available, but even a frying pan or popcorn popper can be used. Be sure to start with ultra-clean equipment, though. Nothing spoils the taste of coffee like left over fish oils or butter.

Lighter roasts contain slightly more caffeine than dark roasts, and they can also have more of an acidic taste than dark roasts.  Which ever beans you chose be sure to chose the best you can afford.

The beans will need to heat to between 460F (223C) and 530F (262C), so be prepared for some smoke. That's easily taken care of with a small room fan or stove top exhaust. Beyond the smoke there will be an odor, so your first experiments should probably be done with the windows open and no one home.

Put the beans in the roaster and turn up the heat! (Take care to be ready to temporarily disable those over-sensitive home fire alarms.)

Many roasters have an in-built thermometer, but having an extra thermometer may be a good idea when you use the frying pan method.  Candy making thermometers are ideal for this purpose.

Whilst roasting the beans will turn different colours.  The beans will start out green, then turn yellow then brown.  How dark you want your roast depends on how brown you let the beans become.

As the bean begins to get hot, pressure will build up on the surface of the bean and after a while you will hear a loud crack as the bean bursts.  This should happen around four to seven minutes after your begin roasting the beans.  This sound is normal so don't be alarmed.  Just remember to keep stirring the beans so they don't stick and get burnt. 

The sugars inside will begin to caramelize (turn brown and 'burn' slightly) as the roasting continues. Again the degree is a matter of taste. Check the color every 30 seconds or so.

If you roast the beans for a quite a while you will hear a loud second crack.  The beans will now be quite dark a too harsh for some people.  If you were to continue with the roasting at this stage you would just be burning the beans and the result would be to bitter to drink.

Pour the beans into a metal colander and 'rough them up'.  The roasting process produces a find skin 'chaff' that breaks away from the bean as they are roughed up.  You need to remove this skin before you use the beans.

Try a few batches with varying degrees of time or darkening. Experiment to get the flavor you like. Keep in mind that the heat trapped in the bean will continue to cook it for a short while, so try stopping a little short of your desired end goal.

When you use a popcorn maker to roast the beans make sure you can stir the beans so they don't stick and burn.  If you are roasting the beans on the stove top, cast iron skillets are fantastic.  Remember don't leave the beans for a second and keep stirring.  Roasting coffee beans is very quick.