Coffee Cuppa :: Cuppa Tea

Roasting Coffee Beans Is It Easy

October 2, 2008 – 8:50 pm

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.

Dark roasts contain a little less caffeine than lighter roasts, but they lack the acid taste of the latter. Be sure to start with quality beans, of course!

When roasting coffee beans for the first time it is probably a good idea to do so in a well ventilated room.  The beans need to be heated to between 460F (223C) and 530F (262C), therefore this may cause some smoke and quite a strong smell!

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.)

For some roasters, the thermometer is built-in, but you may want to have an extra for when it’s open, or for those frying pan experiments. Candy making thermometers work well for the purpose.

During the process those green beans will turn yellow, then brown. How brown depends on how dark you like your roast, which is always an individual choice.

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.

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.

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.

Transfer the beans to a metal colander, then agitate them.  The reason you need to agitate the beans is to remove the fine skin ‘chaff’ that results from roasting.  Once this skin is removed the beans are ready to use.

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.