How to Roast Coffee Beans at Home

Roasting coffee beans at home does not have to be an expensive or time consuming job. This article describes the quickest and easiest way to roast coffee beans at home.

In order to make the freshest coffee possible you need to roast your own beans at home. Ideally you would only roast enough at a time for what you would use for that day. However, not everyone has the time to roast coffee beans daily. The next best thing is to roast only as much as you would use in a week. I have found that after a week the roasted coffee starts to lose some of its freshness and flavor.

Roasting your own coffee beans at home does not have to involve a long process or expensive equipment. The easiest way to roast coffee beans at home is also one of the least expensive ways. This way involves using a hot air popcorn popper.

Using a hot air popcorn popper may seem like an unusual way to roast coffee beans, but it is a highly efficient and quick method for getting the job done. You need to make sure that the popper you use has the hot air enter through vents and not through a mesh screen at the bottom. Hot air poppers that have the mesh screen can cause the chaff of the coffee beans to catch on fire. I use the Poppery II made by West Bend
without any problems.

What you need to roast coffee in a hot air popper:

3 to 4 ounces of green coffee beans

Hot air popcorn popper

Metal colander

Large bowl

Large spoon

Airtight glass jar for storage

Directions for roasting coffee beans in a hot air popper:

1.Set the popcorn popper up as directed by the manufacturer for popcorn.
2. Add coffee beans in the same amount as directed by the manufacturer for popcorn.
3. Place the bowl under the chute to collect the chaff from the coffee beans as it is removed and sent out during the roasting period.
4. Turn the popcorn machine on.
5. Allow the machine to roast the popcorn. After about three minutes you should hear the coffee beans begin to crack.
6. Once the first crack has occurred you need to monitor the beans so you can remove them when they reach the desired color for your roast (see roast explanations below).
7. Depending upon the desired strength you will roast the coffee beans for a total of four to seven minutes.
8. Once the beans have reached the desired roast you need to turn off the machine and remove the beans to a metal colander. Plastic colanders will melt from the heat of the beans.
9. Beans will continue to roast until they are cool so be sure not to over roast them in the popper.
10. Once in the colander, stir the beans with the spoon until the beans are just warm to the touch.
11. Place beans in the glass storage jar but do not seal the jar tightly for at least 12 hours as the coffee beans continue to let off gasses.
12. Store the jar out of direct sunlight and use within one week for optimum freshness.

Time chart for specific roasts in the hot air popper:

Light brown or cinnamon roast: 4 minutes

Medium light brown or American roast: 4.5 minute

Full medium brown or city roast: 5 minutes

Medium dark brown or Viennese roast: 5.5 minutes

Dark brown or French roast: 6 minutesVery dark or Spanish roast: 6.5 minutes

No matter which roast strength you choose for roasting your coffee beans, you can be assured that this method will produce an easy way to roast coffee beans at home to give you the freshest cup of coffee possible.