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The Best Kept Secret - Roast Your Own Coffee Beans.....
.....and taste the difference!
It was a discussion that piqued my curiosity. After all, it was about the one thing I simply do not compromise on: coffee. Good coffee is a must, my one and only must have. So when the discussion started on roasting coffee beans I became curious. I wanted to know if it was a worthwhile endeavour, would the end result really put a smile on my face and have me reaching for the coffee pot for a top-up.
I decided it was worth the risk and started looking for a reputable, reliable and cheap source of coffee beans. Google gave me a starting point and a few phone calls provided me with the information I needed to feel confident ordering the raw (or green) coffee beans online. Some time spent reading up on home roasting and I was ready to give it a go.
As it turns out it's a very simple process. All you need to roast coffee beans at home are the green coffee beans (naturally), a pan and a source of heat. A cookie sheet and your oven or a frypan and the stove will do the job but a hot air corn popper is much easier to use.
You can roast coffee beans indoors but moving the pop corn machine outside may be a better option. The aroma from roasting coffee beans is not unpleasant but it's not one I would like through my house. I run an extension cord out onto the back verandah and plug the pop corn popper in out there. Then if there's a lot of chaff or clouds of smoke I'm not worried.
To roast your coffee beans just add 3/4 cup of green coffee beans to the pop corn popper and put the top back on. Turn on popper, the beans will begin to stir. You'll get covered in chaff (which is why I do it on the verandah). After 3 to 4 minutes the beans will start to pop like popcorn. This is known as "first crack." Turn the machine off now if you like a light to medium roast. The pops will continue for a couple of minutes, then stop. If you stop roasting at this point, you'll have a medium to dark roast. After another minute or so, a quieter popping/crackling will start. This is "second crack." Stopping the roast at second crack will give you a basic dark roast, about 6 minutes from the start. As you go longer into second crack, oil will appear on the beans (this is normal) and clouds of blue smoke will billow out, with the bean colour getting darker until the beans are black. Stop the machine as soon as all the beans are covered in a fine film of oil (it happens very quickly so you need to keep watch). Immediately pour the roasted coffee beans into a metal colander or sieve and toss back and forth into another sieve until they are cool to the touch. They'll be smoking, but that's OK, they are supposed to (another reason for roasting coffee beans outside).
It is recommended that the roasted beans be allowed to mellow for at least two hours before grinding. Store the roasted beans in a tightly sealed container and grind only the amount you need to make a pot of coffee. Use the roasted beans within two weeks to ensure the fullest flavour.
If you can't find green beans locally, you can buy them online from around $16/kilo, a bargain when you consider a 200g pack of roasted beans averages $8. Green coffee beans can be stored in an cool, dry location. They don't need to be in an airtight container and they should never be refrigerated or frozen.
There's nothing quite as decadent as a cup of coffee made with truly freshly roasted coffee beans. Once you've drunk a cup of coffee made from beans you've roasted yourself you'll never go back. It's a delicious treat that meets all the criteria of living the Cheapskates way - it saves you money, it saves you time and it saves energy. A bonus is the smile it will put on your face.
It was a discussion that piqued my curiosity. After all, it was about the one thing I simply do not compromise on: coffee. Good coffee is a must, my one and only must have. So when the discussion started on roasting coffee beans I became curious. I wanted to know if it was a worthwhile endeavour, would the end result really put a smile on my face and have me reaching for the coffee pot for a top-up.
I decided it was worth the risk and started looking for a reputable, reliable and cheap source of coffee beans. Google gave me a starting point and a few phone calls provided me with the information I needed to feel confident ordering the raw (or green) coffee beans online. Some time spent reading up on home roasting and I was ready to give it a go.
As it turns out it's a very simple process. All you need to roast coffee beans at home are the green coffee beans (naturally), a pan and a source of heat. A cookie sheet and your oven or a frypan and the stove will do the job but a hot air corn popper is much easier to use.
You can roast coffee beans indoors but moving the pop corn machine outside may be a better option. The aroma from roasting coffee beans is not unpleasant but it's not one I would like through my house. I run an extension cord out onto the back verandah and plug the pop corn popper in out there. Then if there's a lot of chaff or clouds of smoke I'm not worried.
To roast your coffee beans just add 3/4 cup of green coffee beans to the pop corn popper and put the top back on. Turn on popper, the beans will begin to stir. You'll get covered in chaff (which is why I do it on the verandah). After 3 to 4 minutes the beans will start to pop like popcorn. This is known as "first crack." Turn the machine off now if you like a light to medium roast. The pops will continue for a couple of minutes, then stop. If you stop roasting at this point, you'll have a medium to dark roast. After another minute or so, a quieter popping/crackling will start. This is "second crack." Stopping the roast at second crack will give you a basic dark roast, about 6 minutes from the start. As you go longer into second crack, oil will appear on the beans (this is normal) and clouds of blue smoke will billow out, with the bean colour getting darker until the beans are black. Stop the machine as soon as all the beans are covered in a fine film of oil (it happens very quickly so you need to keep watch). Immediately pour the roasted coffee beans into a metal colander or sieve and toss back and forth into another sieve until they are cool to the touch. They'll be smoking, but that's OK, they are supposed to (another reason for roasting coffee beans outside).
It is recommended that the roasted beans be allowed to mellow for at least two hours before grinding. Store the roasted beans in a tightly sealed container and grind only the amount you need to make a pot of coffee. Use the roasted beans within two weeks to ensure the fullest flavour.
If you can't find green beans locally, you can buy them online from around $16/kilo, a bargain when you consider a 200g pack of roasted beans averages $8. Green coffee beans can be stored in an cool, dry location. They don't need to be in an airtight container and they should never be refrigerated or frozen.
There's nothing quite as decadent as a cup of coffee made with truly freshly roasted coffee beans. Once you've drunk a cup of coffee made from beans you've roasted yourself you'll never go back. It's a delicious treat that meets all the criteria of living the Cheapskates way - it saves you money, it saves you time and it saves energy. A bonus is the smile it will put on your face.
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