Brewed coffee has only one limitation – the quality of the beans you start with. If you want the freshest, tastiest beans, the only option is to roast your own coffee at home. It sounds like a difficult task, but it’s actually way easier than you could imagine. Just to follow these simple steps and you’ll be on your way to drinking the freshest coffee you’ve ever had!
Buy Green, Unroasted Coffee Beans
The first step is buying some small, hard unroasted coffee beans. They don’t resemble the final roast very much, but it doesn’t matter at this stage. Many local places roast their own beans, so you could start there – or take a look at the wide variety available for online purchase. The beans increase in size and decrease in weight when roasted, so buy about two pounds of raw beans for every pound of roasted coffee you want.
Do some research before buying the beans to ensure that their particular flavor profile fits what you are looking for. Then it’s on to the equipment!
The Equipment
Commercial coffee roasters use large, complicated roasters to process an astounding number of beans per day. We’re just looking for a way to do this without breaking the bank. If you have some cash laying around, a countertop roaster runs about $200. You could also just grab a popcorn popper or a cast iron skillet for a low-cost roasting option.
Grab your roaster of choice, some metal bowls, a pair of gloves, and a wooden spoon and let’s get roasting!
The Roasting
Roasting your own coffee means you have control over everything. You can ensure that the beans are exactly to your preferred boldness and caffeine level by adjusting the time and roasting temperature. Once the beans have been placed into your heating element of choice, increase the temperature. The beans will start to crack as you stir and change color from green to light brown.
At this point, you should start hearing some popping sounds. This is referred to as the “first crack,” and soon you’ll see the “husk” of the bean rising to the top. Simply blow it off or remove it and continue to stir.
Remove From Heat
Once your beans are dark enough, remove them from the heat. Keep in mind that the darker the roast, the less caffeine your coffee will have. You can roast beans until they are black, but they can easily be over roasted so be careful not to go from French Roast to straight up charcoal.
Let Them Cool
Let your beans cool for a few hours after your remove them from the heat. They will be incredibly hot, so choose your technique wisely. I prefer to lay them out on a large cookie sheet personally. This will take a bit of time, so don’t rush it or you can get burned.
Start the Brew
Once your beans are room-temperature, it’s time to let them air out a bit. They let off carbon dioxide for about 2 days, so leave them out for about that long. Once the CO2 is gone, they will be safe to roast, brew, and drink!
Try out this easy technique today and let us know what you think!
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