If you’ve ever crafted your own beer, you may also be intrigued by the idea of roasting your own coffee starting with raw green coffee beans. Now that you have a coffee grinder, it’s time to roast it.
A perfect cup of coffee will be yours when you roast and grind your own coffee. You can use anything simple like a frying pan or popcorn popper as a roaster. Whatever you use, you need to make sure that it is very clean. You don’t want to ruin the taste of your coffee with oils or food that has been cooked earlier.
Choose very good beans, and then decide what type of coffee you want. Lighter roasts usually taste bitter, but dark roasts typically have less caffeine. Ideally, your beans must be roasted between 450F (232C) and 530F (262C). If the temperature reaches these levels, there will be some smoke, so make sure you have a ventilator on or a fan running. It will also be a good idea to open all of your windows so the smell can escape. Moreover, you should disconnect your fire and smoke alarms, since smoke and heat can set them off. Don’t forget to put them on when you are finished.
In some coffee roasters, a temperature gauge is built in, but if you’re using another gadget, you’ll need a candy making thermometer to ensure that you reach the right temperature. Roasting will turn green coffee beans yellow, then brown. Dark roast beans will require a little more time.
After about 6-8 minutes, you will start to hear cracks as the moisture in the bean is released. As you stir, the heat will be evenly distributed and all of the beans will be roasted.
It will then start to caramelize the sugar inside the bean as it browns and even burns a little bit. You should check the color to make sure the roast is the right darkness for you. It may be time to stop roasting if some of the beans seem to be cracking again; this degree of dark roast is probably too strong for most people.
The beans should be poured into a metal container until they are cool and shaken well. In addition to roasting the beans, you’ll need to put them through a mesh screen to separate the chaff.
Until you find the level of roasting that suits your taste, you can try small batches at a time. You should use a popcorn popper that is not enclosed if you plan on roasting your beans in it. It is important to be able to see the beans and to agitate them evenly so they roast evenly. When using a pan, use a cast iron one.
Your coffee beans have been ground and roasted, and now you can make your own gourmet espresso. Roasting your own coffee can be easy and delicious!!