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Home roasters will be happy to hear that
roasting coffee beans is even easier than -- and the results are often as good
as -- the pros.
A variety of roaster types are available, but even a frying pan or popcorn
popper can be used. Be sure to start with ultra-clean equipment, though. Nothing
spoils the taste of coffee like left over fish oils or butter.
the roasting process
Dark roasts contain a little less caffeine than lighter roasts, but they lack
the acid taste of the latter. Be sure to start with quality beans, of course!
The beans will need to heat to between 460F (223C) and 530F (262C), so be
prepared for some smoke. That's easily taken care of with a small room fan or
stove top exhaust. Beyond the smoke there will be an odor, so your first
experiments should probably be done with the windows open and no one home.
Put the beans in the roaster and turn up the heat! (Take care to be ready to
temporarily disable those over-sensitive home fire alarms.)
For some roasters, the thermometer is built-in, but you may want to have an
extra for when it's open, or for those frying pan experiments. Candy making
thermometers work well for the purpose.
During the process, those green beans will turn yellow, then brown. How brown
depends on how dark you like your roast, which is always an individual choice.
"crack!" goes the bean
As they begin to heat up, moisture -- both oil and water -- will put pressure
on the bean surface and you may hear a loud crack when it bursts. Not to worry,
this is normal. Stirring every 30 seconds or more, you'll begin to hear this
after four to seven minutes of heating.
The sugars inside will begin to caramelize (turn brown and "burn" slightly) as
the roasting continues. Again the degree is a matter of taste. Check the color
every 30 seconds or so.
Roast long enough and sometimes a second loud crack will occur. At this stage,
the beans will be quite dark and for some palates a little overdone. Beyond the
second crack, you're really just burning the beans and boiling away the sugars.
The results will be too harsh for most.
Pour into a metal colander to cool, then agitate. Since the roasting process
produces chaff (a fine skin that detaches from the bean as they're agitated),
you'll want some method for removing it. Mesh cooking screens are one option.
Try a few batches with varying degrees of time or darkening. Experiment to get
the flavor you like. Keep in mind that the heat trapped in the bean will
continue to cook it for a short while, so try stopping a bit short of your
desired end goal.
For the popcorn popper style roasting, be sure to get one that allows you to
stir up the beans to keep them moving around and not sticking to the surfaces.
For the stove top style, a cast iron skillet works great. Be prepared for lots
of stirring and viewing. Roasting happens quickly!
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