So you want to roast your own coffee – congratulations! Nothing beats the freshness of home-roasted coffee, and the ability to experiment with bean origins, different roasts, and more is extremely fun (and if you do it right, delicious!).
Many people who take an interest in coffee roasting try it once, only to become a roasting addict. Roasting your own coffee bolsters a lifelong passion and appreciation for the art of coffee, and we couldn’t recommend it more. Read on for a comprehensive quick-start guide on roasting your own coffee at home.
Why Roast Your Own Coffee
Roasting your own coffee allows you to experiment, and provides a level of customization you can’t get any other way. You can roast beans from any country, create your own blends, experiment with different darknesses, and more. Besides, coffee roasting is fun.
Another great reason to roast your own coffee at home is freshness. While green beans are able to be stored for months while staying fresh, roasted beans begin to lose some of their aroma and flavor after just a couple of weeks.
Roasting your own beans also gives you a better understanding of what you like in a coffee. You’ll begin to understand what makes your favorite coffee your favorite coffee, and alter you roasting accordingly.
If you want the best possible experience from your coffee, home roasting is the way to go.
What You Need To Get Started
While you obviously need green beans, you also need a roasting implement. There are a couple main ways to roast your own coffee at home. These are:
- Roast in a pan or a griddle
- Roast in an oven
- Roast in a popcorn maker
- Roast in a home coffee roaster
Roasting in a pan, griddle, or oven is an easy and economical way to get started, but the roasting quality and consistency can sometimes suffer. Getting the proper airflow and heat distribution can be difficult.
We recommend using a popcorn maker or a purpose built home coffee roaster for the best results.
Popcorn makers are excellent for coffee roasting, as they will automatically rotate the beans, ensure proper airflow, are easy to use, and are much cheaper than purpose built home coffee roasters.
For these reasons, if you’re just starting out, we recommend using a popcorn maker in your coffee roasting pursuits.
Understanding Different Roasts
Roasting temperature will usually range from 350 to 500 degree fahrenheit. This may vary depending on your roasting implement and target roast type. The beans must also be agitated, meaning they should be stirred for consistent heating and even roasting.
After 3 to 5 minutes, the beans will produce what is referred to as the first crack. This is the minimum possible roast time, and is ideal for white coffees.
If you continue roasting and agitating the beans, you will reach the second crack, which takes place a couple of minutes later. This is indicative of a medium roast.
If you want a dark roast, wait a little after the second crack, say thirty seconds to a minute. Be careful not to wait too long, as beans could become burnt and unusable.
Step By Step Roasting Process
1. Source Your Beans
When just starting out, you probably won’t know what your favorite kind of beans are. Experimenting with small lots can be a great way to find out what you like and become more confident in your coffee bean choices.
The internet is a great place to learn about, and purchase, coffee beans to roast. Doing research on different kinds of green beans can help you make more informed decisions about which beans to buy. Pay attention to harvest date, origin, and bean attributes such as moisture content and screening.
Once you have your green beans, store them in a dark, dry place at room temperature to ensure that they stay fresh.
2. Prepare Your Roaster
Whatever roaster you’re using, prepare it for the roasting process. Those using a pan or skillet can skip this step, as there is no preparation that needs to be done.
If using a popcorn popper, beware that roasting does void the device’s warranty. Also, be sure that your popper does not have a mesh screen at the bottom, as this could cause fires.
Purpose built roasters allow for roasting greater quantities of beans, and give you a greater level of control. If using a purpose built roaster, set it up according to the included manual.
3. Set Up Your Space
Proper ventilation is crucial not just for roast quality but also for your safety. Use a powerful fan, kitchen hood, open windows, or roast outside.
There are also a few pieces of equipment that can be immensely helpful in carrying out a smooth roast. Gather a kitchen scale so you know exactly how much you’re roasting, a sieve for cooling your beans, some oven mitts for handling hot materials, and a thermometer.
4. Roast Em!
If you bought a purpose built roaster, the manual will detail the roasting process, as all of them are slightly different.
If you’re using an air popcorn popper, roasting will usually take around 7-12 minutes (depending on the popper and how dark or light a roast you’re aiming for). If you’re using a stovetop popper, it could be longer, anywhere from 12-20 minutes.
If you’re roasting in a pan, griddle, or oven, constant stirring is a must for a consistent roast.
5. Post Roast
Once your beans are done roasting, take them out and allow them to cool. You’ll want to remove any excess chaff, the dried husk of the coffee bean. Once the beans have cooled, store them in a place with limited light, heat, and potential for oxidation. Ideal storage is in a foil lined, sealed bag but an airtight container in a cool dark place works as well.
You won’t want to brew your freshly roasted coffee for a few days. Waiting a couple of days gives it time to degas. When you roast coffee beans, gasses, including a lot of carbon dioxide, build up inside the bean. These gasses are released naturally after roasting, but brewing too soon can result in the gas being released in small bubbles into the brew. This can lead to the uneven extraction of the flavor compounds and is detrimental to its flavor.
Common Roasting Mistakes
While home roasting is fairly easy to do, there are a few mistakes that new roasters often make. These can spell certain doom for your roasting pursuits, and are better off avoided.
Don’t stick too heavily to any one roast time. Your roasting environment plays a big role in how long to roast. If your environment is colder, your roasting implement may take longer to heat up. Failing to adjust to your environment can have a very negative impact on your beans.
Beware of batch size. Changes in the size of a roasting batch can change how long roasting takes. This is really important to keep in mind.
Don’t just use higher temperatures blindly. Using the highest possible temperature on your roasting device may result in a quicker roast, but could just as easily lead to scorched beans. No one wants scorched beans.
Conclusion
Home roasting is a fantastic way to take your coffee hobby to the next level. Roasting imbues coffee lovers with a certain level of passion and understanding for the art of coffee that can’t be had in any other way. For anyone looking for awesome freshness, and to experiment with blends, roast types, and bean attributes, roasting is a run and rewarding pursuit.