Roasting great coffee at home requires a roaster and some good beans. You also need plenty of time to roast the beans and let them degas before storing them.
Even if you grind your own beans and make coffee at home, you can still save money. Ever since I learned how to roast coffee beans, I’ve reduced a ton of trips to the coffee shops, and has nothing to do with laziness. I’ll tell you that.
Learning how to roast great coffee isn’t as hard as you may expect and the results are worth every second invested.
In this article, I’ll teach you why you should roast your own coffee beans, what you need, and how to do it. We’ll go through the most common mistakes and how to avoid them. After you finish reading, you’ll be left questioning why even go purchase coffee ever again. Maybe.
Why Roast Coffee
Before you start roasting great coffee at home, you should consider why you should roast it. If you’ve ever bought coffee, you most likely had some that had been roasted before you purchased the beans or the coffee itself.
Consider the following reasons why you should roast coffee.
Better Taste
Whether you roast it yourself or buy coffee that’s been roasted, you can enjoy a better-tasting drink. Coffee beans can be very bitter and acidic, which makes coffee hard to consume.
If you want the beverage to taste better, you should roast your beans. Then, you can get the level of roast that you want.
You can roast coffee as much or as little as you want to get the specific flavor you desire. Some people prefer a light roast, while others prefer dark. While you can find those roasts ready to go from your neighborhood grocery store, doing it yourself may help you get the taste you want.
Fresh Coffee beans
When it comes to roasting coffee at home, you know the date when you roasted it. You don’t always know how long it’s been if you buy coffee after someone else roasted the beans. While large commercial roasters don’t normally print the roasted date on the packaging, smaller roasters sometimes do.
By roasting and then grinding the coffee beans yourself, you’ll have some of the freshest coffee possible. Now, you do have to let the beans sit for a while between roasting and grinding them.
However, you won’t have to worry about the coffee sitting for weeks or months. After a few days, you should be able to grind the coffee and make a cup of Joe. Even if coffee grows far from where you live, roasting the beans lets you enjoy a bit of extra freshness.
More Control
Of course, roasting coffee at home also means you have control over the process. You can figure out how long you need to roast the beans to your liking. Yes, roasts you find at the store come in a variety of options, from light to dark.
However, maybe you’re picky and like a very specific type of roast. Or perhaps you want to try out different roasts but want to do so in small batches. Knowing how to roast great coffee means you get to make those choices.
You won’t have to rely on another person or company to roast the beans how you like. And you won’t have to waste money trying bigger bags of different roasts.
Dark Roast vs. Light Roast
As you roast great coffee at home, you have to consider the type of roast you want. On the more acidic end, you have light roasts. Other names include cinnamon, half city, and light city. These roasts usually have no oil on the surface, and they’re quicker to roast.
At the more bitter end of the roast spectrum, you’ll find dark roasts. You may also hear names such as Italian, French, or Viennese roasts. These take the longest to produce, but they aren’t as acidic as other types of roasts.
You can also find medium-dark, or full city, roasts. Roasts in this category are similar to dark roasts, but they aren’t quite as bitter. Finally, there are medium roasts, such as American or breakfast roasts. They have a nice balance of flavor.
What You Need to Roast Coffee
If you want to learn how to roast coffee beans at home, you’ll need a coffee roaster. You can use a popcorn maker if you want to test roasting your own coffee. Then, you won’t have to waste money on a different device until you’re sure you’ll keep up with it.
Of course, you will also need plenty of green coffee beans that you can roast. You can find green coffee beans at a variety of coffee shops or online.
Green coffee beans are nice in that they can stay fresh for much longer than roasted beans. Up to twelve months if you store them properly.
Finally, you’ll need space to roast and store the coffee. Having space when you roast the beans can keep you safe and reduce the risk of a fire. After you finish roasting, the roasted beans will need space to rest for a day or so before you put them into a storage container.
How to Roast Great Coffee at Home
Once you know why you should roast coffee at home and what you’ll need, you can start to learn how to roast coffee beans. Fortunately, the roasting process isn’t too difficult, but it could take some practice.
If you want to get a fresh taste and control the roast, you should follow these steps to make your own coffee.
Gather Your Materials
First, you’ll need to organize all of your coffee roasting materials. Make sure you have a roaster or a popcorn maker; in either case, the device needs to be big enough to roast as much coffee as you want.
Consider how many green coffee beans you have that you want to roast at once. If you only want to roast coffee every week or so, you may need to do a bigger batch. And if your roaster or popcorn maker is small, you can do multiple batches each time.
It also helps to have two colanders ready to go after roasting. You’ll use them to help cool the beans and get rid of the chaff. If you only have one colander, you can use a wooden spoon to cool down the beans.
Choose the Right Spot
Next, you should consider where you want to roast your coffee beans. You need plenty of room so that air can circulate around the roaster. If possible, open the windows to help with ventilation to reduce the risk of a fire.
Another option is to use an extractor fan to ventilate the room if you can’t open a window. When the weather is really nice, you may even choose to roast the beans outside. That way, there’s plenty of space for fresh air.
Add the Beans
Once you decide where to roast the coffee, set up your roaster and turn it on. Wait for it to warm up enough before you add the green coffee beans.
If you’re using a popcorn maker, you can follow similar steps. However, you should avoid overfilling your popcorn maker with coffee beans. And keep in mind that using a popcorn maker to roast coffee beans will void the warranty.
Using a popcorn maker also has a higher chance of fires than a roaster. Still, it can be a good option if you already have a popcorn maker. You get to try out roasting your own coffee before you spend money on another appliance.
Cool the Beans
After you finish roasting the green coffee beans, you’ll need to let them cool down. If you have two colanders, pour the beans into one colander and let the chaff drain.
Pour the beans between the two colanders a few times to help get them to a cooler temperature. Switching between colanders can also help get more of the chaff out. It’s okay to have some left, but too much can affect the taste of the coffee.
If you only have one colander, you can instead pour the coffee beans into a bowl. Use a wooden spoon to stir the beans to help them cool down.
Cool beans.
Remove the Chaff
After you finish roasting the coffee and cooling the beans, consider checking for chaff. You may have removed most of it if you used two colanders.
However, if you stirred the beans, all of the chaff will still be in the beans. You can use one colander to get the chaff out. It may take longer to get it all, but it’s an essential step in roasting great coffee.
Coffee Roasting Mistakes to Avoid
Before you start to roast your own coffee beans from home, you should consider some common mistakes. A lot of these things are easy to do, and they may seem like the correct roasting process.
However, these mistakes may negatively affect that batch of coffee beans. Here are some things you should avoid doing when roasting your own coffee.
Not Letting the Roaster Warm Up
One of the most significant mistakes you can make when learning how to roast coffee beans is not letting the roaster warm up enough. It can take a while for your roaster to reach the right temperature. The process takes even longer if you choose to roast the beans outside.
If you don’t let the roaster warm up, you might end up with under-roasted beans. That may be okay if you like a light roast. However, if you prefer a medium or dark roast, you may find you don’t like the resulting coffee.
Read the directions that come with your roaster. If there aren’t any, you can search online to figure out how long you should let a specific roaster warm up before adding the beans.
Being Impatient
You also need to have plenty of time to roast coffee overall. Even after you put the beans in the roaster, it can take time to roast the beans evenly.
This is especially true if you use a popcorn maker to roast your beans. Those appliances may not cook the beans as evenly and efficiently as an actual coffee roasting machine.
Give yourself plenty of time to let the beans roast. Of course, you’ll need even more time if you like a medium-dark or dark roast. But even a light roast can take time, and you need to watch the roaster carefully.
Using the Highest Temperature Setting
Another thing that can make or break your roasting is using the wrong temperature. It may seem like a higher temperature will roast the beans faster.
In some cases, it might save you a bit of time. However, you run the risk of scorching your coffee beans, especially if you set the temperature too high.
When you are first starting out roasting coffee beans, take it slowly. You can always experiment with the temperature later, but you don’t want to mess anything up or waste a batch of coffee beans.
Only Relying on Temperature
Setting the right temperature is important, but it’s not the only factor in roasting coffee. You also need to pay attention to the status of the coffee beans.
Consider the aroma and the color. Then, you can figure out if you want to roast the beans a bit longer or if they’re perfect and ready to cool down.
Assuming you’ve had a lot of coffee, you may know the smell and color of your favorite roasted coffee beans. Then, you can think about the aroma and color to help match your roast to what you know you’ll like.
Roasting Too Many Beans at Once
When beginning to roast coffee beans, you also don’t want to roast too many beans in one batch. If you overfill your roaster, a couple of things can happen.
First, the beans may not roast evenly since there isn’t much space between them. That can make the coffee not taste as good, and it can be hard to tell which roasted beans are good or bad.
Depending on the size of your roaster, you might also run the risk of a fire. If there are too many beans, some of the chaff can collect at the bottom of a roaster. The next time you use the appliance, you may burn some of your coffee beans.
Doing Other Tasks
While you let the beans roast, it may be tempting to do other tasks. Maybe you need to start preparing dinner, or your child needs help with homework.
Before you leave the roaster, find someone else to either watch it for you or to do the other tasks around the house. Sometimes, the beans can change significantly in a short period.
If you aren’t there to watch and remove the beans, you may roast them more than you prefer. So make sure you roast the beans when you don’t have to worry about other tasks.
Storing the Beans Too Soon
After you finish roasting a batch of your own coffee beans, you need to let them cool down. However, you also need to give the beans time to sit and degas before you store them.
Degassing gets rid of excess carbon dioxide. If you don’t degas the beans, your coffee may taste different and not be as enjoyable.
Having too much carbon dioxide can also cause the storage container to pop open. The gas will build up and force the lid off. So while you should store the coffee somewhere safe, keep the roasted beans container free of lids for at least a few hours or up to a few days.
Not Cleaning the Roaster
Another major mistake you should avoid is never cleaning the roaster. Over time, chaff may build up at the bottom. That can affect the results of future roasts since the extra chaff could change the flavor.
However, too much chaff at the bottom may lead to a small fire. It may seem annoying to have to clean the roaster every time you use it.
But doing so can save you a lot of time and stress. You won’t have to replace the roaster because of a fire, and you can enjoy a relatively consistent flavor from each batch of coffee beans.
How to Roast Better Coffee
Once you’ve roasted your first batch of coffee beans, you can do a few things to make the next one better. Then, you can keep making better and better coffee from home.
Here are a few things to think about to help improve each new batch of beans that you roast.
Learn Where to Source Beans
First, you should figure out where to source the best coffee beans. You can find beans from a variety of places, so getting started is easy.
However, you may want to source different types of beans. Consider if you like Colombian coffee or Ethiopian coffee. Then, you’ll know what to look for when shopping for your next bag of green coffee beans.
Even with the best roasting process, you can’t always change how the coffee will taste. So if you’re craving a specific variety of coffee, be sure to buy the proper beans for it.
Start With Small Batches
The first few times you roast coffee beans, do small batches. You’re still learning how to use your roaster and how long you need to be roasting beans.
Smaller batches allow you to experiment with different roasts. Then, you can determine what type of roast you prefer. But you’ll keep from wasting a ton of coffee green beans if you find that you roast them too long.
Of course, each batch needs to be big enough to produce a few cups of coffee. However, smaller batches are great for beginners. They’re also fantastic if you have a smaller roaster since you can roast the beans more evenly.
Make Small Changes
After you finish your first batch, consider what you do or don’t like about it. Keeping notes will help a lot. Then, choose one thing to change the next time begin roasting coffee beans. For example, maybe you roasted the beans at 370 degrees Fahrenheit, so you adjust the temperature to 380.
Or you might determine that you could roast a few extra beans in the next batch. Changing one thing at a time lets you compare different batches with each other. Then, you can figure out what made one batch better than another.
As well you can note the color changes on each coffee bean. It gives you an indication of how much you roasted each bean. I find that some beans roast quicker than others while learning how to roast coffee beans.
If you change everything, you may luck out and like the second batch. But you may not know if it had to do with the temperature, the batch size, or the time you roasted the beans.
Document What Works
As you test out different batches, take note of what you did to roast the beans. Write down the time, temperature, batch size, and even the appliance you use. You may also want to record where you bought the green beans.
Then, you can compare different batches and figure out the specifics of each. If you find you like batches that use beans from a specific store, you can buy more of those beans. On the other hand, if you like the darker roasts, you’ll know to make more batches like that.
You can document your findings in a notebook or in the notes app on your phone. Either way, be sure to reference those notes when making future batches. Then, you can recreate previous batches or experiment with something that you expect to do well.
Buy a Roaster
If you’ve been using a popcorn maker, it may be time to invest in a roaster. Having a dedicated coffee roaster can be a lot safer than using a popcorn maker.
You won’t have as big of a risk of fires, though there will always be some risk. Plus, you can use the popcorn maker for popcorn and roast coffee at the same time.
Using a popcorn maker is suitable for beginners. However, after you know you’ll roast your coffee frequently, you need to buy a device just for that purpose.
Will You Start Roasting Great Coffee at Home?
Roasting great coffee at home can help you make fresh coffee and have more control over the darkness of the roast. Whether you’ve drank coffee for years or are new to it, you need the right tools to roast your own beans.
Then, you need to know where to buy good green coffee beans. Combine those items together to start roasting coffee you can’t wait to drink.
Once you finish your first batch, let it sit for a couple of days. Then, grind those roasted coffee beans and make yourself your first cup. If something doesn’t work, you can always experiment with your next batch to make it better.
Do you want to start roasting coffee beans at home? Buy a coffee roaster today!