Home-Roasted Coffee Beans Without Luxurious Roasters
Doing home-roasted coffee beans really is not a difficult task and, fortunately, the results are often as good as the professionals.
There are many types of roasters available and, although not as luxurious as designated roasters, a simple skillet or popcorn popper can be used as an alternative. It is important to always start with very clean equipment, though, regardless of what type is selected. Nothing spoils the authentic taste of coffee like that of butter of fish oils.
Lighter roasts contain slightly more caffeine than darker roasts, but the darker roasts lack the acid taste of the lighter style. Of course, be sure to use quality beans!
The beans should be heated to a temperature between 460 and 530 degrees Fahrenheit, so be ready for some smoke which can be easily taken care of with the stove top exhaust or even a small fan. In addition to the smoke, there will be an odor that occurs with the roasting process so your first time should probably be done when no one is at home and the windows can remain open for a time.
Place the beans in the roaster and turn up the heat, but be sure to temporarily disable the in-home smoke alarms. Some roasters come with a built-in thermometer, but you will need your own if you are roasting with a frying pan. Thermometers made for candy making work well.
During the roasting process, the green beans will first turn a yellowish color and, ultimately, a brown. But, how brown depends on how dark of a roast you prefer which is always on an individual basis.
As the beans being to heat, a moisture of oil and water will put pressure on the bean surface so that you may hear a loud crack. This is perfectly normal, so do not worry. You will hear this sound after four to seven minutes of heating, but be sure to stir every thirty seconds during this time.
As the roasting continues, the sugars inside will eventually start to caramelize but the extent of caramelization that occurs is, again, an individual preference. Check the color about every thirty seconds.
If you roast long enough, you will often hear a second loud cracking sound. At this stage, the beans will be fairly dark and, perhaps, overdone for some tastes. Regardless of preference, any longer beyond this second crack is really just burning which is usually too harsh for the palate of most.
Pour the beans into a colander to cool and then agitate the beans. You will need some method to detach the chaff produced during the roasting process. One option for removing this layer of "skin" from the bean is a mesh cooking screen.
To find the perfect flavor for your tastes, it is a good idea to experiment with several batches of varying times and darkening. Keep in mind that the heat trapped in the bean will continue to cook the bean for sometime, so try to stopping just slightly before the desired result. Soon, you will have perfectly roasted beans ready to make a fresh, delicious cup of well-deserved coffee!
Shopping for an Espresso Machine? Here's a selection at affordable prices:
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De'Longhi EC155 15 BAR Pump Espresso and Cappuccino Maker List Price: $140.00 Sale Price: $69.00 Used From: $68.99  |
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Enjoy delicious espresso made your way with De'Longhi's pump espresso and cappuccino maker. You can choose to brew ground espresso or E.S.E pods with the unique patented dual filter holder. The choice is yours, making your espresso truly made to order... |
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Mr. Coffee ECM160 4-Cup Steam Espresso Machine, Black List Price: $49.99 Sale Price: $34.89 Used From: $29.99 |
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Makes delicious espressos, cappuccinos, and lattes. Powerful milk frother. 4-Cup capacity: 20-ounce. Per shot. Removable drip tray. Easy to pour decanter. Removable frothing aid. On/off indicator light. |
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Urnex Cafiza Espresso Machine Cleaning Tablets, 100 Tablets List Price: $18.13 Sale Price: $12.69 |
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Cafiza espresso machine cleaning tablets, 100 1.2g tablets per jar |
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Capresso 303.01 4-Cup Espresso and Cappuccino Machine List Price: $59.99 Sale Price: $59.19 Used From: $47.59 |
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Experience the full taste of espressos, cappuccinos and lattes. The Capresso 4-Cup Espresso and Cappuccino Machine features an exclusive Coffee/Steam Selector that makes it easy to control both brewing and steaming, allowing the user to adjust coffee strength to their personal taste... |
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Espresso Tamper 50 & 60 Mm Sizes Cast Alloy Hand Coffee List Price: $7.99 Sale Price: $5.00 |
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Description: This sleek cast aluminum alloy Coffee Tamper fits beautifully in the hand. This was designed by a professional barista to tamp down espresso. You will love it in your kitchen or coffee bar and it also makes an ideal gift for the discerning coffee drinker!! One side is 50mm the other is 58mm Color: aluminum Content: cast aluminum alloy Measurements: 50mm top diameter and 58 mm diameter on the other side, and 2... |
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Tags: caffeine, cappuccino, coffee, coffee bean, espresso, roasted coffee beans
September 02 2008 06:52 am | coffee