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Let’s Get Ready to Roast! – Home Roasted Coffee Beans Made Easy
Welcome to Part 2 of 2 of my guide on to how to roast coffee beans at home. In Part 1, we set the stage by uncovering the “why” behind home coffee roasting and explained how the roasting magic happens. If you did not get a chance to read Part 1, please take a look. You can further explore cost savings, roast types, what ‘crack’ means, and how important degassing is. In Part 2, I get into the hands-on part of things. Below I explain the methods and equipment for roasting coffee in the oven.
Essential Tools: Your Home Coffee Bean Roasting Gear
To roast coffee beans in an oven, you’ll need to gather a few essential tools.
An Oven
First things first, your oven. Home coffee roasting offers various methods, each with its unique charm. Among these methods, the convection oven method stands out for its accessibility and consistency. Unlike pan roasting or air popper methods, the convection oven provides even heat distribution, allowing beans to roast uniformly. This method helps you closely monitor the roasting process. While specialized roasters are available, your oven is a great budget-friendly alternative, offering precision and convenience. If you do not have a convection oven, feel free to use your oven as is and let us know how your roasting goes, (know you may have to tweak some of the timing elements below as you roast).
Kitchen Scale to Measure Coffee Beans
Next, when roasting coffee at home, ensure accurate measurements with a kitchen scale. This is the way to achieve consistency in each roast. The first few times we roast a new bean, we will log the timing, color, and flavor observations. Our logs help us decide the timing for future roasts. Likewise, an oven thermometer will allow you to gauge an accurate oven temperature. This ensures your oven’s heat matches the exact temperature you want the bean to roast (we like 400 degrees F (204 degrees C)).
BBQ Gloves for Handling Hot Coffee Beans
Invest in grill heat aid BBQ gloves to handle hot beans and equipment. These gloves are designed to protect your hands from the searing heat while giving you dexterity. The mesh bags we list below cool quickly, but they have metal snaps that can sear your fingers if you aren’t careful. Plus, the steam/smoke from the oven is also quite hot.
Grill Bags for Air Circulation
To roast your coffee beans in the oven, large mesh grilling bags (like the ones used for grilling fish or vegetables) are your best friends. These bags allow the beans to roast evenly and also provide easy monitoring of the color change. AwareHouseChef’s technique inspired our approach to using non-stick mesh grilling bags in their YouTube video “Easy Coffee Roasting At Home For Under $20.”
As you embark on roasting, you will find which tools and methods work best for you.
Knowledge of Coffee Roast Types
For determining the right color for your preferred roast, check out this guide that helps distinguish between different roast types.
Sourcing Quality: Our Trusted Green Coffee Bean Supplier
The selection of high-quality green coffee beans is the heart of exceptional home roasting. When we started roasting coffee at home we discovered Sweet Maria’s Home Coffee Roasting – a trusted name for premium well-sourced beans. Their commitment to sourcing beans from renowned coffee-growing regions ensures that every roast emanates the distinctive flavors of its origin. With an array of beans to choose from, including various origins and processing methods, we would without a doubt order from them again.
At first, we sampled a few bags and then decided on a few flavor profiles and regions that we liked. You can sort their beans by many different filters which helps when choosing. To save money on shipping, we buy in bulk every six months. The more pounds of a certain bean you buy the better the price. The great thing about green beans is their shelf life is considerably longer than roasted beans. We leave them in the bags/boxes they come in in a cool spot in our house.
Explore Sweet Maria’s green bean selection and let us know your thoughts. We love using them and don’t receive anything from promoting them.
How to Roast Coffee at Home with a Convection Oven
With a few essential tools and our step-by-step process, you can master the art of roasting coffee beans at home using a convection oven.
Total Time Needed :
25
Minutes
Total Cost:
$6-7
USD/lb coffee
Tools for Roasting Coffee Beans at Home:
Materials Needed:
Step-by-Step Process to Roast Coffee Beans:
Preheat your convection oven to 400 degrees F (204 degrees C).
Measure out 150 grams of green beans per grill bag (300 g for two bags @150 g each).
To evenly distribute the beans, shake and flatten in the grill bag as shown.
Place the bags in the oven and listen for the first crack, occurring around 4-6 minutes. (the crack will depend on many factors with your bean so keep an ear out and make note of the crack time for future roasts)
Pull and flip the bags for even roasting shortly after the first crack, checking color to ensure you are on track with your roast type.
Please note:
-A well-ventilated space is ideal to keep smoke at bay. The smoke will plume but dissipate. It leaves your home smelling a bit toasty but not obscene.
During the second pull, shake off some chaff over a sink. Be careful not to lose any beans. And expect a bit of mess.
Let the beans roast for another ~6 minutes.
-Like the first crack, you’ll want to play around with how long you leave the beans in depending on the roast type. You can check the color depending on what the color looked like the first time you pulled them—meaning if they were a light cinnamon roast on the first pull, another 4-6 minutes is probably fine. If they looked a city roast color, check again in 4 minutes. It’s best to make notes to get clarity each roast time. For determining the right color for your preferred roast, check out this guide that helps distinguish between different roast types.
Again, pull the beans from the oven and check their color to see if they have reached your desired roast type. If needed, follow the same process as above but roast for 2-4 minutes before checking the preferred color. You may or may not hear a second crack depending upon your roast choice. Once you are satisfied with your bean coloring it’s time to move to cooling and storing.
When satisfied with the roast color (e.g., full city roast), use a high-power fan to blow off the chaff outdoors. This step is optional – you may not need a fan if you can shake most of the debris away in your kitchen sink. But the fan speeds up the process.
Allow the roasted beans to cool indoors before transferring to a glass jar with a silicon lid (store in a dark place).
Burp the jar daily for at least 3 days to facilitate degassing. This step is a must! Do not skip degassing to drink your coffee the day you roast or the next. It will lack any flavor.
After at least 3 days you should be ready to grind the beans and enjoy a cup of freshly roasted coffee using your preferred brewing method.
Tailoring Home-Roasted Coffee Beans
Every bean is unique in size, age, and characteristics. After the first crack, frequent checks ensure a personalized roast. Modify the roasting time for different roast levels. Either shorten your roast time for city roasts or extend it for darker roasts like Vienna or espresso.
Tips and Tricks for Your Home Coffee Roasting Exploration
- Timing Matters: Plan your coffee roasting cycle wisely. Roasted beans need about three days to degas for optimal flavor. To avoid disappointment, roast your beans at least three days before your current supply runs out.
- Breathing Space for Beans: Remember that your coffee beans need room to breathe in the grill bags. Overcrowding can impede the circulation of hot air, affecting the evenness of the roast. We have found that for the bags we use, 150-200 grams is a good amount of green beans to use per bag.
- Chaff Awareness: Coffee chaff, the husk that sheds during roasting, can surprise you with its messiness. It’s like a caffeinated snowstorm that finds its way onto everything. Be prepared for extra cleaning and maybe even a laugh at your chaff-covered self. It’s ended up in my hair numerous times!
- Roasting Journal: Keep a journal of your roasting experiments. Note down the type of beans, roast times, and any observations. This further helps refine your process and replicate successful roasts with specific bean origins.
- Pre-Roast Prep: After roasting, don’t forget to check and vacuum any coffee chaff that may have accumulated in your convection oven. Neglecting this step could lead to unexpected smokiness during your next culinary venture.
- Unlocking Aromas: Don’t be disheartened if your freshly roasted coffee beans don’t exude a strong aroma right away. The magic happens during degassing. As each day passes, a new layer of aromatic aroma emerges. Patience truly rewards the senses in this journey.
Want to Try Our Coffee?
Would you like to experience the flavors we’ve uncovered in our home roasts? If you are interested in some of our carefully crafted home-roasted coffee, drop us a comment below and let us know! Your feedback will help us explore the possibility of sharing our small-batch coffee with fellow coffee enthusiasts like you.
Keep Us Posted on Your Coffee Roasting Journey
Each batch you roast represents a step towards a more personalized coffee experience. Each roast gets easier with repetition and practice. Try roasting coffee beans in the oven and see what happens to your morning cup!
Feel free to also reach out with questions, share your experiences, and let’s continue to explore how to roast coffee at home together.
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