Roasting Coffee Beans Is So Easy

Home wine makers will be happy to hear that roasting coffee beans is even easier - and the results are often as good as the pros.

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.

Get those beans in your roaster and turn the heat up until it is really hot. (Disabling your home fire alarms for a little while may be a good idea).

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.

How strong you like your roast depends how long you let the beans roast. The beans start out green, then turn yellow then brown. The darker brown the bean the darker your roast.

When the beans begin to heat up you make hear a loud back when the bean bursts. This is because the heat puts pressure of the surface of the bean. Don't worry, this is perfectly normal. You should here this sound after about four to seem minutes. Make sure you keep stirring the beans every 30 seconds or so.

As the sugars in the beans heat up they will begin to caramelize (this means the beans turn brown and 'burn' a little). The caramelization needs to be to your own personal taste. Remember to check the beans every 30 seconds or so.

Continuing to roast the beans will sometimes result in a second loud crack. By now the beans will be very dark, some people will consider them to be overdone. Roasting after the second crack will just burn the beans and make the result too harsh 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.

Roasting is a trial process. You will need to try a few batches with different roasting times before you find your perfect roast to get the perfect flavour from your coffee. It may be an idea to remove the beans for the heat a little early as the heat within the bean will mean they still continue to cook for a little while after you have removed them from the heat.

A cost iron skillet is great for roasting the beans on a stove top. When using a popcorn maker make sure you have a style that allows you to stir then beans so they don't stick and burn. Remember to keep watching and stirring the beans. Roasting coffee beans is very fast!