Coffee Bean Roasting Tips

Freshly roasted coffee beans offer a heavenly aroma and a satisfying start to a new day. In order to roast great coffee, it helps to know why coffee is roasted in the first place, essentials to roast coffee, different roasting methods and what to expect during the roasting process.

Instructions

History

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   Coffee beans have an illustrious and long history. As long ago as before 1000 AD, Ethiopians discovered that coffee beans were tasty. After that, Arabs boiled coffee beans and enjoyed the drink's energetic properties. Eventually Arabians and Europeans came to roast coffee beans, albeit in different ways. With the introduction of roasting equipment in the 1800s, enthusiasts began to enjoy coffee more widely. Today, avid coffee drinkers roast coffee beans at home, grind the beans and brew the freshest coffee possible.

Types

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   There are two ways to roast coffee, but those two options are available in a variety of appliances. The two types differ according to roasting methods. Hot air roasters or drum machines will roast coffee beans evenly to desired strength. Although it is possible to roast coffee beans in the oven on a baking sheet, the disadvantage is lack of uniformity in the roasting process. Coffee roasting appliances provide consistent roasting quality and, therefore, a consistently better tasting cup of coffee.

Significance

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   Roasting coffee beans is essential to enjoy an aromatic cup of coffee. The humble coffee bean, freshly picked, is green and not conducive to great tasting coffee. Processed, fermented and shipped to every part of the planet, coffee beans wait for the roasting process to release all that is excellent about coffee. Once roasted, coffee beans turn brown and smell heavenly. Coffee beans dry and expand during roasting, releasing gases and caramelizing the beans, creating layers of flavors. An argument for home roasting is that, once roasted, coffee beans begin to break down and are never as flavorful as immediately after roasting.

Features

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   In order to successfully roast coffee beans, certain basic requirements apply. Buy fair trade, certified organic green coffee beans, if those issues matter. Use a roasting appliance that gives an even roast. Begin with a favorite bean or experiment with something new, perhaps attempt a roasted blend. Ask the bean supplier for advice about blending beans. To get a dark roast, simply roast the beans longer.

Function

1. Roast the beans. As the beans begin to roast, notice the changes in aroma and in the beans. Aromas will change throughout the roasting procedure until the fragrance of a fully roasted coffee bean fills the air. Over a period of several minutes, the beans will change colors until they begin to swell, popping as they swell. When the beans turn light brown, this is a light roast. For coffee drinkers who prefer lighter coffee, this is the time to stop roasting. To continue to roast the beans at the nine-minute point begins a rapid process and the beans change color quickly. The beans will pop again and at the 15-minute mark, the beans are French roast. Just past that is Espresso roast. All that is left to do is to brew a pot and drink it up. Do not roast more coffee beans than will last a week.

Resources

• A Brief History of Coffee
• The Basics of Home Roasting
• Roasting Coffee Beans at Home