Roasting Coffee Beans

**Gannon** · January-02-11, 11:10 AM

I'm going on another experiment, seeing the trends in worldwide instability which will very likely disrupt our quality of life here in the US, of buying green coffee beans in bulk and roasting them as I need them. Green beans can be stored from one to two years from purchase.

Today was my first attempt, and even though the equipment was meager...an aluminum frying pan with a lid, metal stirrer and strainer, and shear luck...after getting the grind right for the flat-bottom filter Mr. Coffee machine in my honey's kitchen, got some pretty decent results.

Does anyone else roast coffee beans? They say the taste goes down by HALF each hour after roasting, so if you've never tasted fresh-roasted, ground-before-brewing coffee...you have merely had a HINT of the taste.

I'd love to compare procedures and results. We sourced the beans from a neat website called The Coffee Project.

Unfortunately, I didn't read the warnings about the SMELL until well into the process...and my desire of waking my darlin' with some kick-ass joe was destroyed by her wonderful olfactory sense wondering if the house was on fire.

Oops.

Boy does the kitchen get COLD with all the windows open...when it's twenty degrees outside!

**princealbert** · January-02-11, 01:01 PM

I've roasted raw peanuts with great results. Probably much easier than roasting coffee. Good luck! I hate when experiments go wrong and you have to air out the house in frigid weather.

**Gannon** · January-02-11, 01:14 PM

I thought THAT was bad, then looked at my favorite frying pan...now stained from this silliness...and had to scrub it with a Brillo to get it clean.

So I could enjoy fresh aluminum-flavored scrambled eggs instead of coffee-flavored ones!

I had a friend make peanut butter with his kids one day, simply by blending fresh-roasted peanuts...and it was the best PB I've ever had, bar none.

There is something to this fresh roasting, fresh cutting, s-l-o-w processed and cooked food...maybe someday I'll dare fresh-picked, too!

So, the warning to anyone wanting to join in the fun, use a SMALL cast-iron skillet dedicated to the coffee roasting at the VERY least...in a well-ventilated area. I will be buying a campfire popcorn tin with stirring handle, though...so I can do this if the power goes off ever again. I already have the camping coffee percolator...

**gazhekwe** · January-02-11, 03:38 PM

According my barista brother, best results are obtained by waiting at least 36 hours after roasting before grinding. He is quite passionate about this. He writes on his fresh roasted coffee packs the time and date when you can begin to use the coffee.

Although he has a professional level roaster, he also enjoys roasting small batches in a cast iron skillet.

**Jimaz** · January-02-11, 05:44 PM

Sounds like a fun and rewarding hobby. I'm surprised you have an aluminum frying pan though. Isn't there some suspected link between aluminum and Alzheimer's disease?

A friend in Phoenix was very passionate about coffee chemistry. I never knew coffee was so fragile and complicated until chatting with him. He said it's all about maximizing the desirable oils and minimizing the bitter ones. Timing is critical at every step.

Let us know what you learn.

**oladub** · January-02-11, 06:10 PM

Basic brewing and storing tips.

Copyrighted by some very dedicated people serving a very good, in every way, product.

**Gannon** · January-02-11, 07:44 PM

Jim,

I only own Pyrex cookware, this kitchen is my partners.

I'm bringing in a few things out of storage soon...like my little espresso machine and some hifi!

This is something I've wanted to do since a client south of LA turned me onto it back in 2001...he had a wall FULL of bins of beans from all over the world. Made me two of the most amazing cups of espresso I'd ever had.

Other than the lingering smell in the house after a day, we're pretty excited to be on this adventure. I'm banished to the garage for my chemistry from now on.

**Big Dog** · January-02-11, 09:10 PM

I've been roasting for years. Get yourself a poppery air popcorn popper. It's a whole lot easier and faster too. You also can control your roasts for light, medium or dark beans and in between. You can watch them chage from green to tan to what ever darkness you want.

**rb336** · January-03-11, 11:41 AM

an air popper? what a great idea. the air blows away the chaff, too, right? how much can you roast at one time?

**Big Dog** · January-03-11, 06:59 PM

It depends on the air popper. Poppery II is one most used. It takes around 5 minutes, depending on how dark, you like your beans. You collect the chaff in a bowl, less mess. Google popcorn popper to roast coffee beans, to learn all about it. Also visit sweetmarias.com. They also have instructions and a lot more info about coffee. They sell coffee roasters too.

**GOAT** · January-04-11, 11:26 AM

For peanuts use hot sand and cover them up. They are fantastic! Not sure about the coffee beans though.

**Gannon** · January-04-11, 11:33 AM

No kidding?! Wow...another great use of one of our more abundant natural resources...Michigan has some of the BEST sand in North America. Seriously.

It's heat retention must be great...now you'll have me wondering what else we could do with it...LOL.

So, that would be one way for S-L-O-W roasting...I'll have to try it with coffee beans, although I'm not sure we can keep up the 400-plus degrees necessary to crack 'em and draw out the oils.