Search
Recommended Products
Related Links


 
 

 

 

Informative Articles

Coffee Antioxidant - Friend or Foe
Before we get all excited over the recent news about coffee being our new antioxidant, we need to take a look at the “entire” picture. Is there truly a coffee antioxidant? If there is, how exactly is coffee an antioxidant? Does it become the...

Coffee Recipe: tips for perfect cuppa!
A perfect coffee recipe seems to be quite a tricky proposition! America is a coffee crazy nation and people here just love their cup of "Joe". So to make your coffee experiences more stimulating you need to experiment with various coffee recipes!...

COOLING YOUR COFFEE BEANS
COOLING YOUR COFFEE BEANS The most overlooked part of home roasting The process of roasting your own coffee beans is easy once you have a basic understanding of how it works. Home roasting is catching on rapidly and has been touted as the fastest...

Gourmet Coffee Habit Costing Consumers as Much as $1,500 Yearly
Copyright 2005 http://www.TastesofTheWorld.net Gourmet coffee consumers rarely consider the cost of their daily coffee in terms of the expense to brew premium whole bean coffee at home (50 cents to 75 cents) with prices of a pound of gourmet...

Gourmet Flavored Coffee
Coffee tastes great by itself, but for an extra special taste sensation, try gourmet flavored coffee. There are many flavoring substances which can be added to coffee to give your daily cup of Java an out of the ordinary flavor experience. Some...

History Of The Coffee And Espresso Machines
A large percentage of the population loves to drink both gourmet coffee and espresso drinks. We are all aware of the fact that coffee and espresso provide a boost of energy and they also warm your body up on those cold winter days. Most, however,...

Live the Life of a Civil War Soldier when You Drink your Mornin' Coffee
Live the Life of a Civil War Soldier When you Drink your Mornin’ Coffee by Paula McCoach The Coffee Customer Spoiler Civil War soldiers, Confederate and Union, used to make their coffee in pots. But on the march, they just used their boilers....

Maui Coffee Company Launches New Line of Hawaiian Teas
Maui Coffee Company, which has been roasting, flavoring and packaging high quality gourmet Hawaiian coffee on Maui for fifteen years, has launched a new line of premium teas showcasing authentic Hawaiian flavors. The teas, which are made from...

Munch Music's Recent Live Acoustic Performance Reminiscent of 60's Coffee House, But With a New Generation of Influences Including Nirvana and The Pixies.
Munch Music's Recent Live Acoustic Performance Reminiscent of 60's Coffee House, But With a New Generation of Influences Including Nirvana and The Pixies. Up and Coming Young Artists Embrace Rock Music with a Blend of New and Old Delta,...

What is the Big Deal With Coffee Makers?
When you go to the market you're not thinking about your coffee makers when you buy your favorite coffee beans. But did you know that the type of perculator that awaits you at home makes a huge difference in how the bean will taste once it hits your...

 
 
 
Roast Your Own Coffee

For years, the idea of roasting your own coffee beans has been kept a mystery by the coffee 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 coffee beans and enjoying the benefits of truly fresh coffee at about one-third to one half the price of beans from your local coffee shop.
All that is needed to roast your own coffee beans at home is green coffee 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 coffee essence. At this point the roast moves quickly and you need to pay close attention. About 2-3 minutes after the crackling, your coffee 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 coffee beans unattended.
Almost any appliance used to pop popcorn can be used to roast coffee 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 coffee 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 coffee 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 coffee 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 coffee ages it loses acidity and becomes more mellow. Many like the rich mild cup of a coffee 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 coffee will last for years. Suppliers who know how to cup samples of coffee 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 coffee like you never thought was possible. Join in the fun and start roasting your own coffee beans.
-------------------
List of reputable suppliers:
Green Coffee 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 coffee roasting Home Coffee Roasting by: Kenneth Davids
------------------
Jim Cameron is a 30-year veteran in the specialty coffee roasting industry. Jim has authored many articles on various aspects of the industry and traveled abroad to speak at international gatherings of coffee professionals. Semi retired, Jim now writes on the subject of roasting and makes green coffee 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 Coffee Roaster who now shares his love of coffee 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.