How To Roast Your Own Coffee:

Hello coffee lovers,

today, lets talk about how you can get started roasting your own coffee and merge onto your own coffee road. It's simpler than you think, so lets get to it!

Here is what you will need and I will explain below:

1. green coffee beans of your choice;

2. a heat source of some kind (ex: stove, BBQ);

3. a receptacle for your beans (ex: sauce pan);

4. a way to ensure an even roast (ex: whisk);

5. a way to rapidly cool your beans (ex: cookie sheet);

6. a storage container for after.

You won't need much and my list is pretty vague I know; but it can be as simple or as extensive as you want it to be. When coffee was first discovered hundreds of years ago, they didn't have fancy roasting machines but they did have fire and some cooking tools. Before we talk about all the different ways you can roast your coffee, I'll share with you the method I got started with and still use to this day.

First, find yourself a type of green coffee bean and order a 1lb or 2lb bag to start. Many places online sell green coffee beans including Amazon. Some of my favorites so far have been: Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, Burundi Kayanza, Costa-Rican Tarrazu, Yemenese, and of course Jamaican Blue Mountain. They will vary in price but bottom line, when I started, I used single origin Costa-Rican Tarrazu beans. You'll want to get a good quality bean, but you don't won't want to spend too much in case your first batch doesn't turn out the way you wanted it to. Do not to worry though, if I can do it, I'm confident you'll get great results too.

Next you'll need a heat source. Of course, there are off-the-shelf coffee roasters you could buy. This option was too pricey for me to begin with, plus I like the challenge to learn using old fashion methods. So in my case, I chose using the side burner on my BBQ with a large saucepan. I've also used my stove inside, especially when outdoor conditions are poor to keep a steady heat throughout the roasting process. Just be aware that you'll absolutely need a good ventilation system if you choose this method because of the smoke created by the final stages of the roasting process.

Okay, so now you have beans and a way to roast them; lets dive into the process shall we? Here are very simple guidelines that I use:

• Pre-heat your pan before you drop your beans in; about the same temperature butter would melt and bubble, but not burn. The size of your batch should also be proportional to your equipment. I use about two to three cups of beans for this 3.3L saucepan you see above; just enough to cover the bottom of the pan with about a half in of beans.

• Once you drop your beans in, the clock starts and you are now committed to stir them slowly in the pan for an even heat distribution; I'll refer to this as the "drop". Now is the time to enjoy and get immersed in the roasting process by seeing the colour changes in your beans and taking in the different smells. I hope you'll find it as satisfying as I do!

• Aim for your beans to go from green to yellowish/light brown within three to four minutes of your drop. This indicates that the moisture has now left the bean. Continue to stir and observe your bean getting brown and aim to hear the first crack (similar to popcorn) around the seven to nine minute mark. At this point, you are entering the light roast stage of the bean. For medium and dark roasts, continue stirring and use the second crack as a guide to judge when to stop. I like my coffee to be on the darker side of medium, so I'll typically start the cooling process no more than a minute after I hear the second crack.

• The picture below was from one of my recent Honduran bean roasts. From left to right, you have the different stages from green in the far left bowl, to the first crack was in the far right bowl. I had reached the second crack at around fifteen minutes and the result is what you see all around the bowls. This roast had lively fragrances and smooth tastes.

• It'll be important for you to adjust your heat during throughout to avoid roasting your beans too quickly or too slowly.

• When you've reached your desired roast, it's time to cool the beans quickly to stop the roasting process. I transfer my beans from the saucepan to a large cookie sheet and continue to stir them on the sheet until they stop smoking. At that point, I'll bring them inside in the air conditioning to help expedite the cooling process. Once they are cool enough that you can pick them up without burning yourself, you can then start packaging them. That's also when I'll brew my first espresso to taste that batch. I know that you're supposed to let the coffee age a while before you use it, but I don't because I want to taste the different stages of the coffee aging. It doesn't get fresher than that!

• To store them, I use simple mason jars and keep them away from sunlight. The size of batch I make last us about seven to ten days.

So that's it! I hope you'll have fun getting started on roasting your own coffee. Feel free to check out how other people get creative with their existing household appliances to achieve their roast. Share with us what worked for you! If you'd like a video, please leave us a comment.

Cheers,

Pascal from 27-43 Coffee Road