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Roast Your Own Coffee Secrets Revealed
By By Jim Cameron
For
years, the idea of roasting your own coffee beans has been kept
a mystery by the coffee roasting industry. It had been deemed “too
hard” or “too complicated”. Well these are new
times and the truth is out; it’s easy, fun and economical
and it can be done in a number of ways using items you probably
already ownThere is nothing like a cup of coffee that has been
freshly roasted, ground and brewed to perfection. There are a growing
number of enthusiasts who are roasting their own coffee beans and
enjoying the benefits of truly fresh coffee at about one-third
of the price of beans from your local coffee shop.
All
that is needed to roast your own coffee beans at home is green
coffee beans, available from a number of sources, an oven, cookie
sheet, oven mitt, metal colander and a wooden spoon. Preheat your
oven to 500F, spread raw beans evenly one layer deep on a cookie
sheet, place on middle rack of preheated oven and watch them roast.
In about 8-10 minutes there will be a crackling noise and smoke
with a coffee essence. At this point the roast moves quickly and
you need to pay close attention. About 2-3 minutes after the crackling,
your coffee beans should be at the shade you like them. Carefully
(using the oven mitt) remove the cookie sheet from the oven and
pour the beans into the metal colander. Stir the beans with the
wooden spoon to help cool quickly. Do this over a sink or outside,
as there is chaff that comes off the beans during roasting. And
remember; NEVER leave your roasting coffee beans unattended.
Almost
any appliance used to pop popcorn can be used to roast coffee
beans. The hot air poppers are great, however, you may want to
roast outside or in your garage as they blow the chaff out and
can be messy. There are a number of manufacturers of home coffee
roaster, including several that use a gas grill and rotisserie.
The
internet is full of sources to purchase raw beans, but you want
to make sure that the supplier you use knows their beans and “cups” their
coffee before
selling
it to you. One of the most reputable sources for green coffee beans
is U-Roast-Em, Inc., a high quality, no frills supplier with 30 years
in the industry. They can be found at www.u-roast-em.com on the web.
Many other sources can be found using your favorite search engine.
If you’re interested in using a gas grill to roast your beans,
check out www.rkdrums.com or www.buzzroasters.com. For electric, countertop-type
coffee roasters, visit www.freshbeansinc.com.
Green, raw coffee beans last for years when properly stored. This
allows you to build a collection of fine coffees to choose from as
well as buy larger amounts of the great coffees and save more money.
Keep your bean collection in a cool, dry place out of any direct
sun light and they will last until you roast them. As coffee ages
it loses acidity and becomes more mellow. Many like the rich mild
cup of a coffee that has had a couple years to rest and mellow. More
important than the year of the crop is the quality of the bean, the
preparation at origin, transportation and warehousing in country
of consumption. If all of these things are done correctly, your green
coffee will last for years. Suppliers who know how to cup samples
of coffee beans are able to determine if all of these criteria are
done correctly before they purchase the beans.
Home roasting is one the fastest growing hobbies in the country
and for good reason. It’s fun, easy, saves you money and delivers
a cup of coffee like you never thought was possible. Join in the
fun and start roasting your own coffee beans.
Jim
Cameron is a 30 year veteran in the specialty coffee roasting industry.
Jim has authored many articles on various aspects of the industry
and traveled abroad to speak at international gatherings of coffee
proffessionals. Semi retired, Jim now writes on the subject of
roasting and makes green coffee beans available to the home roasting
market. |
