How to Roast Coffee in a Popcorn Popper

This is how to roast your own coffee in an air popcorn popper. It is very simple and easy to do, I have been doing it for years and it is the best coffee you can brew. Coffee goes stale 2 weeks after roasting, so anything you buy in a store is going to be beyond its peak of freshness.

Green coffee beans are much cheaper than roasted coffee and you have a much wider variety of options to choose from.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Air popcorn popper
• Green coffee beans
• Large cookie sheet
• 1/4-1/2 cup measuring cup
• Wood stick for stirring

1. Fill your popper with green beans to the recommended amount of popcorn kernels. This should be about 1/2 cup. Turn the popper on and stir occasionally to keep even heat on all the beans.

2. As the beans start to heat up they will start to shed their skin, this is called chaff and it will go everywhere. Continue stirring to help remove the chaff, it will be blown out of the popper as it comes off. About 4-5 minutes into the roasting you will hear the beans start to pop. This is called first crack and it will sound like popcorn popping. If you stop at this point it will be the lightest of roasts.

3. Keep stir and first crack will start to fade away and after a minute or two you will start to hear and new sound. It will sounds more like sizzling instead of the louder popping of first crack, this is call second crack. If you stop the roast at the beginning of first crack you will have a medium roast. If you roast through second crack (when it stops sizzling) then it will be a dark roast.

4. To stop the roast turn off your popper and dump the beans onto the cookie sheet and slide them around on the pan to cool the beans quickly. Careful the beans will be very very hot.

5. Once cooled put the beans in a container overnight with the lid cracked. The beans need to degas, let them sit for 8-12 hours before brewing. The coffee will have a metallic taste if you brew too early. After 12 hours seal the container and store in a cool dry place.

Tips & Warnings

• There is a small amount of smoke and a lot of chaff created by roasting so it is best to roast outside.
• The beans will be extremely hot, like 400º-500º
• Do not freeze the beans

[soanyway]

on 12/10/2009 Oh... I just love this place! What a fun and New article....and believe me I have read thousands!! Is there a way to catch the chaff so it doesn't go all over the place? maybe a cheese cloth? anyway....I have recomn'd you, pay it forward to all! ;-)

[goodselfme]

on 2/3/2009 I learned from your 5* post. wonderful idea.