Try Roasting Your Own Coffee - Easy & Inexpensive

If you have thought about roasting your own coffee at home, you are not alone! If you are wondering why in the world would someone roast their own coffee, see our blog “Advantages of Roasting Your Own Coffee” to learn more.

There are many methods for roasting coffee, from a skillet to an expensive drum roaster. This article will cover roasting coffee on a stovetop which is a great introductory method that uses common supplies found in most kitchens.

Guidelines For All Roasting Methods

  1. Smoke! Roasting coffee produces smoke so take this into account when you select your location. Make sure you are in a well-ventilated area; consider fans, open windows, an open garage or even the outdoors.
  2. Pre-heat your roasting device to 400-450 degrees.
  3. The best results come from roasting at a high temperature for a relatively short amount of time. Longer periods at lower temperatures bake rather than roast the coffee and result in a poor, flat taste.
  4. Watch, smell and listen. Watch for that medium brown color to develop alongside that familiar fresh coffee smell. Listen for the beans popping or “cracking.” Most coffee drinkers prefer a roast that falls between the first and second crack. Stopping the roast well before the first crack will result in an under-roasted coffee that will taste grassy. Very quickly after the second crack, the coffee will be burnt.
  5. As soon as your roast level is reached, quickly remove the beans from the heat source and cool them down quickly as they will keep cooking.
  6. The roasting process will result in chaff. During unroasted coffee processing, bits of silver skin remain on the bean, primarily in between the two sides of the bean. As part of roasting, this dried skin will flake off. It is very lightweight and will fly all over. To remove the chaff just pour the beans from one container to another in front of a fan or simply blow the chaff out of the beans.
  7. Let the beans rest for at least 24 hours. Flavors will continue to develop over the next few days.
  8. Coffee beans lose moisture during roasting and will weigh 16-18% less after roasting. Similar to popcorn, the beans lose density when cooked and become much larger and lighter.
  9. Take notes on your beans, temperatures, times and rest period to hone in your preferred profile.
  10. Enjoy the process and expect trial and error. Ultimately, it will be rewarding for you and those with whom you share the most delicious cup of coffee! 

Stovetop Roasting

Supplies:
  1. Unroasted coffee beans
  2. Skillet or pan with lid
  3. Oven thermometer
  4. Wooden spoon or metal whisk
  5. Metal colander
  6. Oven mitts. 
Directions:
  1. Preheat the pan or skillet over low/medium flame to 450 degrees. Place a lid on the pan with an oven thermometer inside to measure the temperature.
  2. Remove the lid and thermometer. Place a single layer of beans inside the pan.
  3. Constantly move the beans to help ensure an even roast; shake, stir with a wooden spoon or move with a metal whisk.
  4. Listen for first crack and reduce the heat. Keep stirring, watching for that familiar color and smell, then remove the beans from the heat.
  5. Immediately pour the beans into a metal colander. Continue to shake and stir them and/or use a fan to cool them down quickly, and remove the chaff.

After you have perfected your hand at home roasting with little investment, now you can consider purchasing a roasting appliance and expanding your new found hobby! These appliances can help deal with the common challenges like smoke reduction, chaff collection, temperature control and an even roast.

A key to roasting success is starting with high quality unroasted beans. No need to look further than Primos Coffee Co! We take pride in our coffee and go to great lengths to meet the highest standards.

Our specialty grade coffee is grown on our farm in Nicaragua and directly imported to our facility in Texas. On our website, you'll be able to learn about our farm and processes and buy green coffee beans when you are ready to enjoy the roasting experience. We only offer Arabica coffees, and have a variety of choices. Our coffees are classic, clean, well-balanced, crowd-pleasing, the kind you want to drink daily.

START HOME ROASTING NOW