Have you ever wondered how to roast your own coffee beans? You may be surprised, but it’s actually easier than you think! In fact, many home-roasting enthusiasts say the most difficult part of roasting coffee is waiting for it to be ready. Home roasting may be time-consuming but if you love coffee you’ll spend countless hours enjoying all the aromas that go with the process. Plus, it is a very rewarding way of controlling your entire brewing process.
Why Roast Coffee at Home?
If you want to broaden your knowledge and become a coffee connoisseur, then roasting your own coffee beans can help you to understand how flavour profiles are created. Sure, there are many factors that go into the make-up of a particular brew of coffee, but roasting is one of the most significant.
Roasting your own coffee beans gives you greater control in creating a coffee that ticks all your boxes. It’s good to experiment as this will not only expand your palate but allow you to produce your perfect brew.
Furthermore, as soon as coffee beans are roasted, they begin to lose their freshness within weeks. Whereas green, unroasted coffee beans can stay fresh for up to a year. Roasting your own coffee in small batches will ensure you always have a fresh cuppa. Additionally, green coffee beans are much cheaper to buy than roasted beans.
The Art of Roasting Coffee at Home
Roasting coffee requires practice if you want to get it right. A good roaster knows the best time to take the beans off the heat, and the exact temperature it should be at. The time required to roast the beans depends primarily on how much coffee is being roasted, but there are also factors to take into account that affect the roast of the individual beans, for example, the strength of the heat and how long the roast is. Another point to bear in mind is that roasting coffee requires good ventilation as it gets very smoky—so be prepared!
The most important thing that you can do to get it right is to get a feel for what you are doing through experience. You can purchase a machine to carry out your own roasting, but before you commit to the expense of buying one, why not try one of these methods using equipment you are already likely to have in your kitchen to see if it’s something you’d like to do regularly.
Roasting Coffee Beans in an Oven
1: One of the easiest ways of roasting coffee at home is in an oven. Preheat your oven to as high as it will go. You can put your beans in a vegetable steamer or other perforated pan and place it on the middle shelf in the oven.
2: After a few minutes of roasting, your green beans will begin to change colour to a peanut colour and you should notice the aromas released from the beans.
3: Next, the surface of the beans should begin to dry out and steam is released. After 3-5 minutes, you will hear a cracking/popping noise and as water vapour escapes, sugars start to caramelise. At this point, the beans are lightly roasted and will make a perfectly drinkable brew.
4: If you want a darker roast, keep the beans in the oven to continue roasting. Remember to shake the pan and after a few more minutes, you should hear a second cracking/popping noise. You should remove the beans at this point. If you leave them for much longer than a few minutes, your beans will be burnt and useless.
5: Tip the roasted beans immediately into a metal colander. Shaking the beans and transferring them into another metal colander will help cool the beans quickly and remove any chaff. Chill the colanders in the freezer beforehand to help the process. Alternatively, you can spread the beans over baking paper, although this method isn’t as effective.
6: When they are warm to the touch, let them be and wait at least 12 hours to allow the flavour to develop and for carbon dioxide to be released before transferring to an airtight container.
Fascinating Fact:
In 1511, coffee was banned in Mecca because it was believed to encourage radical thinking and idleness.
Using a Stove Top
1: For stove to roasting it is preferable to use gas rather than electric and you will need a thick pain, such as cast iron. Use a medium heat to heat the pan for several minutes, then add the coffee beans in a shallow layer.
2: Stir the beans constantly to ensure the beans roast evenly. After around 4-5 minutes, you should hear the first cracking sound. At this point, you can remove the beans from the heat as they are now lightly roasted.
3: For a deeper roast, continue to keep the pan on the heat and keep stirring. At 6-7 minutes, you will hear the second cracking noise. Remove the beans within 30 seconds and pour into a metal colander. Shake vigorously and pour the beans into another colander and shake vigorously again. Keep moving the beans between both colanders, shaking as you go to remove the chaff and help the beans to cool down quickly.
4: Transfer to an airtight container at least 12 hours after cooling.
Using a Popcorn Popper
If you have a popcorn popper, you can use it to roast coffee beans in. However, you will only be able to roast a small number of beans—around half a cup—but it will give you enough coffee to make a fresh brew.
1: Place the beans in the popper and wait for the cracking noises at around 3 minutes. If you want a light roast, remove the beans at this stage.
2: For a dark roast, the second cracking noises start at around 6 minutes. You should take them out immediately or they will become burnt and turn bitter.
3: Cool rapidly using two metal colanders to transfer the beans between, shaking vigorously between each transfer to remove the chaff.
4: When the beans are warm to the touch, leave them to develop their flavour.
5: Transfer to a sealed container after 12 hours.
If you are a coffee addict and you can’t get enough of that delicious roasted bean flavour, or you just love the way coffee smells when you open up your bag the next morning, it might be time to consider roasting your own coffee beans. Roasting at home is inexpensive, simple and it allows you to take control of the quality of your coffee. If you have the passion and desire, you should definitely give it a go. Check out our site for further information on everything about coffee.
