Roast Your Own Coffee
By Jim Cameron
For years, the idea of roasting your own beans has been kept a mystery by the roasting industry. It had been deemed “too hard” or “too complicated”. Well these are new times and the truth is out; it’s easy, fun and economical and can be done in a number of ways using items you probably already own!
There is nothing like a cup of coffee, which has been freshly roasted, ground and brewed to perfection. There are a growing number of enthusiasts who are roasting their own beans and enjoying the benefits of truly fresh at about one-third to one half the price of beans from your local shop.
All that is needed to roast your own beans at home is green beans, available from a number of sources, an oven, cookie sheet, oven mitt, metal colander and a wooden spoon. Preheat your oven to 500F, spread raw beans evenly one layer deep on a cookie sheet, place on middle rack of preheated oven and watch them roast. In about 8-10 minutes there will be a crackling noise and smoke with a essence. At this point the roast moves quickly and you need to pay close attention. About 2-3 minutes after the crackling, your beans should be at the shade you like them. Carefully (using the oven mitt) remove the cookie sheet from the oven and pour the beans into the metal colander. Stir the beans with the wooden spoon to help cool quickly. Do this over a sink or outside, as there is chaff that comes off the beans during roasting. And remember; NEVER leave your roasting beans unattended.
Almost any appliance used to pop popcorn can be used to roast beans. The hot air poppers are great, however, you may want to roast outside or in your garage as they blow the chaff out and can be messy. There are a number of manufacturers of home roasters, including several that use a gas grill and rotisserie.
The internet is full of sources to purchase raw beans, but you want to make certain the supplier you use knows their beans and “cups” their before selling it to you (see supplier list below). Many other sources can be found using your favorite search engine. If you’re interested in using a gas grill to roast your beans there are several manufacturers of drums fitted for gas grills that work great (See suppliers below
Green, raw beans last for years when properly stored. This allows you to build a collection of fine coffees to choose from as well as buy larger amounts of the great coffees and save more money. Keep your bean collection in a cool, dry place out of any direct sun light and they will last until you roast them. As ages it loses acidity and becomes more mellow. Many like the rich mild cup of a that has had a couple years to rest and mellow. More important than the year of the crop is the quality of the bean, the preparation at origin, transportation and warehousing in country of consumption. If all of these things are done correctly, your green will last for years. Suppliers who know how to cup samples of beans are able to determine if all of these criteria are done correctly before they purchase the beans.
Home roasting is one the fastest growing hobbies in the country and for good reason. It’s fun, easy, saves you money and delivers a cup of like you never thought was possible. Join in the fun and start roasting your own beans.
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List of reputable suppliers:
Green Beans www.u-roast-em.com
Gas Grill Roaster/conversions www.rkdrums.com
Electric countertop Roasters www.freshbeansinc.com
How to build your own roaster info@u-roast-em.com
Best book on home roasting Home Roasting by: Kenneth Davids
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Jim Cameron is a 30-year veteran in the specialty roasting industry. Jim has authored many articles on various aspects of the industry and traveled abroad to speak at international gatherings of professionals. Semi retired, Jim now writes on the subject of roasting and makes green beans available to the home roasting market at his web site: http://www.u-roast-em.com

About the Author

Jim Cameron is a semi retired Specialty Roaster who now shares his love of and his love of Costa Rica. His company in the USA sells these beans in raw "green coffee" form to the home roasting trade. He has a home and a small real estate business in the Southern Pacific side of Costa Rica on the OSA Peninsula.

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