Roasting your own green coffee bean at home can be a rewarding and tasty experience!
Buying green coffee bean has never been easier and many people are developing a taste for quality coffee. I hope this article will entice you into the "next step" of coffee enjoyment.
Why roast green bean?
TASTE is the main reason to roast your own coffee. Most people do not realize that once coffee has been roasted, it starts to degrade. Coffee maintains peak flavor for about a week after roasting (some people claim an even shorter time). Do you really know how long that "gourmet" coffee in the megamart has been sitting in that bin? Vaccuum packaging or freezing can slow down the degradation, but just like in humans, time will take it's toll. Take that side by side comparison on flavor and you will find out the joy of roasting at home.
MONEY savings, yup that's right, MONEY is the next best reason to roast at home. Many local coffee shops sell quality fresh roast bean..... for a price. Green bean is, in general, less expensive than most of the fancy gormet pre-roast coffees you will find. (I'm am a bit more frugal than most, so you may prioritize this list differently)
VARIETY is the another reason to roast your own bean. I can't imagine any shop that can sell all of the different types of coffees that are available on the internets. Every coffee growing continent is available and the different types from each seem endless. You can also make different blends from the coffees you roast which greatly multiplies your options.
OUT-SNOBBING is another great reason to try this out. You don't have to know anything about the finer nuances of coffee but you can stop a coffee snob in their tracks with just a few words:
- Bill: "I strictly use a hand crank burr grinder on my Rwandan coffee and brew it in a french press, I find that the french press does not trap many of the essential oils like an automatic drip machine will"
- You: "I roast my own green coffee bean."
- Bill: "um.....errrr....aaaah"
What tools are needed?
Roaster: There are many different ways to roast coffee. From simple to elegant and from cheap to expensive. Here are a few of the basic types of roasters. I would like to explain them better, but "thats for another knol"
- Automatic Coffee Roasting Machine: There are several makers of automatic roasters and several general types of roasters. Some use a rotating drum and some use corkscrews. Prices range from about $80 USD for an inexpensive "one person" roaster with a mechanical timer to over $500 USD for a top of the line fully automatic one.
- Hot Air Popcorn Popper: Certain popcorn poppers work really well for roasting coffee bean. Many of these can be purchased for just a few bucks at a garage sale. This method is my personal favorite (did I mention that I'm frugal?)
- Cast Iron Skillet: We are talking old school cowboy method here. Put the bean in the skillet, put the skillet over the fire, stir the bean until done. Various different pots, pans or woks can also be used. I have also seen specialty roasting pots with cranks on them.
- Hot Air Gun: This is basically the skillet method only you direct the heat with a hot air gun. This way your gun arm can be just as tired as your stirring arm.
Measurer: The quantity of bean to roast in a batch can be crucial, or it can be trivial, depending on the method of roasting. If your automatic machine directions demands that you use 93 drams of bean, then you will need to have a scale. Pretty much with all of the other methods listed here, a measuring cup will do fine.
Stirrer. You will need an instrument to stir your beans as they roast. Automatic roasters and popcorn poppers will do this automatically. Some people use large spoons, some use heavy whisks. A friend of mine uses a metal spatula with a wood handle when roasting on cast iron.
Cooler: After the bean is roasted to perfection, it is important to cool the bean promptly. The roasting process must be stopped quickly to prevent the bean from over roasting. Most automatic machines have a cooling fan that will do this job nicely. For the other methods listed, you can either spread the bean out on a cooking sheet or drop them back forth between two bowls or mesh strainers. Some people speed the process up with a water mister. I don't recommend using water to cool your bean. I have my popcorn popper wired so than I can turn off the heat and the fan stays on to cool the bean quickly.
Thermometer-er. This is not needed. It may be fun to play around with at first, but like in the case of using one for grilling a steak, you'll end up ditching it over time. Some people use multiple thermometer hooked up to computers to try to get perfect roasts. These people have actually created databases based on each type of bean that the've roasted overtime. The nerd in me is completely fascinated with the idea, but it is not necessary
.
Where to purchase green bean?
Do a simple Google search for "green coffee bean" and you will find plenty. Some rare coffee shops also carry green bean. It can be overwhelming to try and figure out which coffees to buy when you first see all the different varieties offered. I recommend buying a sampler pack and just keeping some notes over time. You will eventually get a list of favorites.
Arabica or Robusta?
Arabica! There are two major species of coffee to choose from, arabica or robusta. The first and most important decision for purchasing coffee is to choose between the two. Arabica is the best choice. There is nothing more to say about this subject. Arabica is the one to choose. Most coffee you will find at an online retailer will be arabica. They might not label their bean as arabica, but all their coffee will be assumed to be arabica unless they specifically label it as robusta. If you choose arabica you will be happy. Arabica, arabica, arabica. Buy the arabica.
Which Continent, Country, Farm or Strain of Coffee?
As I mentioned earlier, the choices can be overwhelming. Coffee is grown on different continents and geographical regions. The major geographical divisions are: Central America; South America; Arabia; Asia; Africa; Indonesia and various Islands. Coffee is then categorized based on which country it comes from, then by the actual farm on which it was grown and also by different plant strains. Everyone's tastes are different, keep trying sampler packs until you find the ones you like. Most online retailer are very good at describing the differences in coffee with lots of fancy adjectives, so read what they have to say about each variety. In addition, buy arabica!
How to Roast?
Now that you have the tools and the bean, lets go over the roasting method. If you have an automatic roaster, you should follow the instructions that came with the machine. For all other methods, here is the procedure.
Since smoke is usually an issue for most people, I recommend roasting outside or in a very well ventilated area. Measure out your bean. The amount depends on the size of your roasting vessel. My popcorn popper can handle about one half cup of bean and still maintain it's spinning, stirring action. Trial and error is the best method to determine the amount you will need. For pans, pots and woks, I would recommend first starting with a layer of bean about an inch deep. I would always try pushing the quantity up each time I roast. If the results are an even roast then your good. If your roasting time is less than six minutes, you do not have enough bean in the pan or your fire is too hot. If its more than 20 minutes than....you know.
Put the heat to it and stir. Do not stop stirring until your roast is completed. Once you start roasting, there will be a few stages that your bean will go through.
- Cold Green Bean: this is where you start.
- Yellowing: The bean starts taking on a yellow hue. This happens after several minutes of roasting, the smell reminds me of a hay field and the beans may let off some steam.
- First Crack: You will hear a popping sound. Just like popcorn, the water inside turns to steam and forces it's way out. You can stop roasting anytime to suit your tastes.
- Continued Roasting: The bean will continue to darken over time.
- Second Crack: You will hear a crackling sound. This is a different sound then first crack. You may start to see some smoke developing.
- Continued Roasting: Smoke increases, the bean gets very dark and a film of oil starts to cover the bean.
- Burning: This is the next step, you went too far. Do not let them start on fire.
The depth of roasting is up to individual tastes. Here is a guide to follow
- Light City or Cinnamon: The bean is a light brown color. This happens just after first crack.
- City: The bean is a deeper brown than before but no oils have started to show on the surface.
- Full City: The bean is a dark brown and oil is just starting to show on the surface of the bean. This happens around second crack. This is my personal favorite.
- French: The bean becomes very dark and very oily. This happens when second crack is done.
- Italian: The bean is almost black and very oily. This happens very shortly after the French stage.
- Burnt: The beans are charcoal and useless. This happens very shortly after Italian.
Now that you roasted your bean to perfection, you need to cool them down immediately. Automatic roasters will most likely have a fan to perform this task. For all other roasting methods, I would recommend pouring the beans back and forth between two bowls or mesh strainers.
During the roasting process, you will notice chaff in your beans. Chaff is a thin skin that falls off of the bean during the roasting processs. Most automatic roasters will seperate and collect the chaff. My popcorn popper will blow it out the top (good thing I roast outside). You can cool your bean between two bowls next to a fan, and the chaff will blow it away.
You should age your coffee a minimum of 4 hours to let the flavors develop, I prefer overnight. Store your perfect bean in a sealed container and enjoy.
Anonymous
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Awesome article Dan.