Have you ever thought about how to roast your own coffee beans ? The fact is that it is very easy and you really don’t need a whole lot of equipment to do it. When you roast it yourself, it is the best way for you to get your coffee just the way that you like it. The freshness is on a whole other level than if you had bought roasted beans from the store.

There are some precautions that you might want to take before roasting. There are a couple of environmental annoyances that go hand in hand with the roasting of coffee beans. When roasting the beans a paper thin skin is released from the beans and that chaff can float in the air around the kitchen. Most if not all of the home roasting equipment prevents this annoying problem.

The other annoyance is the smoke that is produced when roasting which intensifies depending on how much you want to roast your coffee beans. If you use a normal pan to roast your beans remember to have the area where you roast well ventilated. If you use a home roasting machine the smoke is largely reduced, but there is always some smoke. If you use a home roasting machine it would be best to use it under the kitchen exhaust fan or out on your patio or verandah.

As you start to roast you will notice that these simple methods to start roasting listed below can quickly be expanded on as there are endless options for customization.

1. Get some good quality unroasted green coffee beans.

2. Choose your roasting equipment well. You can roast your beans using both a skillet (do not use coated or non stick skillets as it will affect the taste) on your stove top or roasting them on a baking tray in your oven. Neither of these methods are very good as the roast will not be even and uniform and require more work than other methods. You will need to be constantly stirring the beans to avoid them burning using the skillet or baking tray method.  If you acquire a taste for your own roasting and you roast on a regular basis investing in a home roasting machine is the next logical step. Although it is claimed that the home roasting machines are fully automated it is still a good thing to keep an eye on the process.

3. Darker roasts generally contain less caffeine and less of the character that the beans would have when lightly roasted. This is mainly due to the breakdown of sugars and other compounds in the beans. You can also judge the intensity of the roasting based on the crackling sounds, the beans make a sound based on how much they have been roasted. If you stop roasting just before the second crack you will have City+, or Full City roast and a Vienna roast if you stop roasting just after the second crack. If you roast just a little bit longer after the second you will have a French roast.

4. Remember that during the roasting the beans give off smoke when the internal sugars are burning and be careful that you don’t over roast the beans. After roasting is done, it is important to allow the beans to cool down. Then allow them at least 12 hours to went gasses before packing them. When you pack the beans remember to get an airtight container with a one way valve to allow the gasses to escape. There are a lot of different methods to store the coffee, ranging from bags to airtight coffee canisters like the Frescura airtight canister.

Whatever method you choose remember to take the simple precautions mentioned earlier to roast safely. Ventilate your area well.

When done right, home roasting can be very rewarding when you notice how the coffee is much fresher.