A Guide to Coffee Roasting at Home
Getting the perfect cup of coffee requires the consideration of many different factors. You have to look at the type of bean, where the bean comes from, how it is grown and processed, and how fresh it is. After that, comes the roasting of the bean. You can achieve coffee roasting at home by following some guidelines. Get it right, and you’ll be a popular hit with friends. Get it wrong, you’ll end up with a stale, bitter cup of coffee – and no one wants that.
The great thing about coffee roasting at home is that there’s no limit to the fancy concoctions you can create, right there in your kitchen. Pull a shot of the simple espresso for that intense hit of coffee, or get creative with some artistic foam on your latte. Combine your coffee with flavoured syrups and experiment with coffee beans from all over the world! See: no limit!
Make your coffee roasting at home easy and laid-back, or get technical and serious about it. I advise starting off with the basics and then honing your technique as you flourish into an expert barista!
How to Roast Coffee at Home
You will need:
- A roaster. Choose whichever coffee roaster you prefer – stovetop roaster, oven or a popcorn popper are the best options
- Green coffee beans. This is how the coffee looks in its unroasted state
- Storage container
- Thermometer
How to roast coffee at home
- For this tutorial, we’re going to focus on the stovetop coffee roasting process. Measure out the amount of coffee that you need and use a low-medium flame. This is important, burnt coffee is not the result we want! For a good outcome, your thermometer should read 400 degrees.
- Add the beans to the stove pan and be sure that the temperature stays between 300 and 400 degrees throughout the process.
- Watch the beans and be sure that they’re not popping too quickly or too slowly. You’ll become good at this with practice. At this point, we want to wait for the first “crack”. The first crack is the sign that the roasting process has begun. The following cracks then give you a hint to which stage you’re at. Here’s a quick guideline to what they mean:
First crack: The roasting has begun and sugars will start to caramelise. Oils migrate from the beans to draw out the flavour. At this point, you can class your coffee roasting as complete and call it a “city roast” or you can continue.
Caramelisation: Continued caramelisation gives the roast the title of “city plus”. At this stage, the beans expand in size and sugars are caramelised even more.
Second crack: The second crack is your sign that the roast character has begun to override the origin character of the beans. This is known as a “Vienna roast”. If you roast too far into the second crack, the beans can break into small pieces of shard!
Darkening roast: Going this far isn’t for the faint hearted. The sugars burn completely and the structure of the beans break down further. This is known as a “French roast”
- Once you’ve achieved your desired roast level, you’ll want to store the beans. Allow cooling time of 4-6 hours in a loosely sealed container. Then transfer the beans to an airtight container and store it in a cool, dark place. You want to minimise any air exposure to avoid oxidation of the beans, which can badly affect the taste.
Coffee Roasting at Home: The Benefits
“Why should I bother with coffee roasting at home, when I can nip to my local roaster or cafe, and let them do all the work?”
It’s a fair question, but, like many hobbies, coffee roasting offers you so much more than just a time filler.
You know everything you need to know about your beans
Buying raw, green coffee beans is an action that’s full of benefits. Of course, you have to do some extra work, but it’s exciting to take control of every part of the process. Knowing where your beans come from helps you understand why your coffee tastes the way it does; is it earthy, citrusy or woody?
Not only that, but when you come to brew your coffee beans, you know exactly how fresh they are. When you buy coffee from a store, you usually have no idea how long it’s been sitting on the shelf. It’s best to consume coffee within a week of roasting, as old coffee beans can taste flat and stale.
Raw, green coffee beans are cheap to buy
Save money by doing the roasting yourself. You can purchase the green beans at a low price, cut out the middle man and do all the roasting yourself! You only need to add extras like milk, sugar and syrups to create your desired cup of coffee.
You can personalise the coffee to suit your taste
The coffee roasting process can be different for each person. One individual may love a city roast, while another might go as far as a Vienna roast. When you’re in control, you get to watch the mesmerising caramelisation and roasting of the beans, and can stop whenever you’re ready.
Reduce waste
When you roast your own coffee, you can just make as much as you need. This benefits you and cuts down on messy waste, meaning you can just roast once or twice a week. Your coffee is always fresh and you don’t need to make as many trips to a roaster.
Health benefits
You may not know this, but coffee offers many health benefits. It is full of antioxidants and in fact, is the main source of antioxidants for many people. Not only that, but studies have demonstrated benefits for your mental health, too. It improves memory functions and helped those involved in studies during cognitive tasks. That’s why some people just can’t start the day without it!
Different Types of Coffee Preparation
In 2015/2016, The International Coffee Organisation estimated that 148 million (60 kg) bags of coffee was produced worldwide. People love coffee! And it’s not surprising. With so many different types of coffee that’s now available, there’s a cup to suit every taste.
Here is a breakdown of some of the most popular coffee varieties, so you can choose the best option for you:
- The Espresso. Craving an intense hit of caffeine to really wake you up and get you through that important assignment? The espresso is for the proper coffee lover and is simply a shot of coffee with nothing added (though some drinkers add sugar to sweeten it up.)
- The Americano. This is essentially a watered-down espresso. Take it black or white, depending on your preferences and feel free to add sugar if you feel like.
- The Latte. Or the “caffè latte”, if you want the proper term. This is a milky drink consisting of espresso and steamed milk. When you order this drink, some baristas can get really fancy and can carve latte art into the top layer of foam.
- The Cappuccino. The cappuccino often gets confused with the latte, but you can tell the difference by the way the milk is steamed. Cappuccino has a greater volume of micro foam and is usually served in a smaller container.
- The mocha/macchiato. This is the perfect drink for those with a sweet tooth! The mocha is a coffee drink combined with hot chocolate or cocoa powder. It’s a real luxury and a good starting point for those that aren’t keen on a full-on coffee taste!
How to Make Money from Coffee Roasting at Home
Since its humble and highly debated beginnings, the coffee industry has continued to boom. Most high streets are littered with both independent and chain coffee shops. With this skill, even you can capitalise on coffee roasting at home!
You can sell your roasted coffee beans to stores and wholesalers. You have the benefit of full knowledge of your product and you can pass this on to your buyer. Did your beans come from Vietnam, Ethiopia or Indonesia? Give buyers the full background and let them understand the real roots and heritage of your product.
Keep your vision simple and don’t quit your day job until you’re sure you’re ready to! There are a few things to keep in mind when starting a coffee roasting business:
- Where will you source your coffee supply?
- Which types of beans will you use in your blends? Or will you sell single origin beans?
- How much coffee will you need to buy? Does the supply match the demand?
The great thing is, you can start your business with the equipment you already own. You get the opportunity to experiment with different blends and roasts so your customers will have a range of roasted beans to choose from! If done properly, you’ll have an enjoyable and profitable business model in front of you.
The clock is ticking. Coffee lovers out there are just waiting for your unique roasted beans to be unleashed onto the market!
Begin coffee roasting from home for fun, or start your own business and you’ll be on your way to creating one of the most popular drinks in the world.
