How to Hull & Roast Coffee

Roasting and hulling your own coffee beans at home is easier than it sounds.

If you buy your coffee already ground in a bag or a can, you're missing out on the best flavor that the beans can offer. Serious coffee drinkers know that the best coffee flavor comes from the freshest beans. While you can buy small amounts of coffee beans online or in coffee shops, the absolute freshest beans are those you hull and roast yourself. You may think this is a complicated process, but you can roast your own coffee in about 10 minutes with a popcorn popper.

Things You'll Need

• Green coffee beans
• Measuring cup
• Hot air popcorn popper
• Large bowl
• Baking sheet
• Small opaque airtight container

Instructions

1. Measure 1/2 cup of green coffee beans into the bottom of a hot air popcorn popper. Place the top on the popper.

2. Place the popcorn popper on a level surface. Position the large bowl directly underneath the spout where the popcorn would normally blow out.

3. Plug the popcorn popper into an outlet. The machine will begin to heat up and rotate the beans inside. The hot air moving over coffee beans will roast them.

4. Wait about 3 minutes to hear the first cracking noises coming from the beans. When coffee beans expand they make a crack, almost like popcorn popping. This is the signal that your beans are roasting.

5. Watch for stray hulls to fly out of the machine into the bowl. As the beans crack, the hulls begin to slough off. The papery hulls will move around with the beans, then the hot air will blow them up the spout and into the bowl.

6. Watch the color of the beans after you hear the first crack. You will be able to tell when the beans are done roasting by the final color. Roasting coffee is very subjective. Perfect beans are acquired by trial and error. Start by roasting your beans until they are the color of your usual favorite coffee beans. Adjust subsequent batches after that, roasting for either shorter or longer periods.

7. Unplug the machine when your beans are done roasting. Remove the top and pour the beans onto a cookie sheet or other flat tray. Swirl the tray to move the beans around on the surface. Keep moving the beans until they are completely cooled. Transfer the cooled beans into an airtight opaque container.

Tips & Warnings

• Take your pan of beans outside to cool if it's a cool or windy day.

References

• Sweet Maria's: Air Popcorn Popper Method