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Coffee Bean Roasting for Dummies (who happen to love coffee)
Simple Roasting Anyone Can Do
If you think grinding your own whole-bean Starbucks "we roast everything until it's so dark it tastes the same" coffee is a great improvement in taste over pre-ground... Well the next step up is to roast your own and the improvement will be *unbelievable*. Roast, grind, and drink in one sitting!
Get a hold of some unroasted beans. Sometimes coffee shops & coffee roasters will sell you some, otherwise see the list at the bottom of this page.
Set your oven to 500 F... but do not set to "broil"; the heat should come from below, not above. Yes, you can even use your toaster oven, and although the results certainly won't be consistent, you will have a pleasant blend of slightly different roasts. Lay out the beans on a cookie sheet one layer thick so they are not stacked. If you have a mesh pizza pan, this is even better... I've tried a thin pie-pan that I poked holes in with a fork too, and this is fine too, although the edges will cook faster. Cook in oven on highest shelf. After about four minutes, you will hear delicate crackling, like miniature popcorn. Wait and it stops. Wait some more and it starts again. The bean will be maturing from green to yellow to light tan, and by now it will be getting dark brown. Smoke after the second crackling is the result of some of your precious oils burning away; this is where you judgment comes in-- I like darker French or Espresso roasts-- anyways wait until the beans are slightly lighter than you like them, then remove-- the internal heat of the beans will keep cooking them. It has been my experience that the most common error is over-cooking, so be extra generous on the light side for the first small batch you roast! The beans look deceptively light in a dark oven, so don't go for the dark Espresso/Full-City/French roast your first time.
You will probably remove the beans at about 9-10 minutes total time. Dump into a collander, then cool by tossing or even tossing next to an electric fan. If you want to, you can *begin* the cooling process by spritzing at most three sprays of cold water onto the beans (toss after each spritz). If you use too much water, you will have beans which stale easily; the water will steam away instantly-- finish cooling by tossing, not more water.
Some notes: This makes LOTS of smoke. If you like dark coffee, wait until you see a thin film of oil accumulate on the surface of the bean-- a flashlight is handy if your oven light isn't strong enough. After the second crackling, be vigilant for even a minute too much may mean an over-burned (and ruined) batch. Using a conventional oven may require you to stir the beans along the tray to roast evenly, turning some of them over by just pushing them around with a spatula-- if you have a wire mesh roasting tray (I'll have info soon), this is not required, as the hot air circulates even on the bottom side of the bean... A convection oven would be great too.
Grind immediately, brew immediately, espresso, french-press, drip, whatever. Enjoy the best coffee you have ever had the pleasure of tasting. If you wait about 3-4 hours, the taste will mature and be a little bit better...
And for when you don't have time to roast on your own, find a local small coffee roaster near you (not a big chain), who preferably roasts the same day or at least within 72 hours of your purchase... Why? Because now you know the difference fresh-roasted makes! When I'm in San Jose, California, I go to Willow Glen Coffee Roasters, which is often packed despite the Starbucks across the street.
Check out the book: Home Coffee Roasting by Kenneth Davids.Saint Martins Griffin Press. $14.95. Has instructions for several methods, including stove-top popcorn popper, air popcorn popper, and convection oven. Also includes sources, some on-Net, for equipment, and most of all, green coffee beans.
Also see these hot links and non-Internet info for green coffee bean sources...
Willow Glen Coffee Roasters in San Jose, California on Lincoln Ave (in downtown Willow Glen neighborhood). No internet link. I don't have the phone number yet, but the area code is (408), and you can dial information (555-1212). If you live in the SF Bay Area, go there! They will sell you green beans at about $5/lb. Also, their roasted coffees are also The freshest I've seen anywhere, and worth the drive if you are in the Bay Area. Even if you are a Peets (SF) fan, try Willow Glen Coffee.
Lucid Cafe and their extensive Cafe Forum, a list of coffee sources
California Trading Co.; Green coffee importer - 1731 Adrian Road, Suite 2, Burlingame, CA 94010 ; (415) 697-4615
Europa Malvina Coffee Imports; Importer of Fine Coffee. Open 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday - Friday - 1411 Minnesota Street, San Francisco, CA 94107 ; (415) 285-9376 - Fax: (415) 285-0938
Royal Blue Organics; Importers and mail order of certified organic coffee - P.O. Box 21123, Eugene, OR 97402; (503) 689-1836 - Fax: (503) 689-1836 E-mail
Equator Coffee Co.; We will send you green coffee if you want to experiment with roasting - P.O. Box 5188, Eugene, OR 97405 - (503) 302-6568
Bayview Coffee; Coffee farm on the Kona coast of the Big Island of Hawaii; P.O. Box 680; Honaunau, HI 96726; Toll-Free (800) 662-5880; also (808) 328-9658 and Fax: (808) 328-8693
Harold L. King & Company; Importers of Green Coffee Since 1958 - 1420 Stafford Street, Redwood City, CA 94063; (415) 368-2233 - Fax: (415) 368-3547
Knutsen Coffees, Ltd. ; Importers and brokers of the finest specialty green coffees - 660 Sacramento Street, #302, San Francisco, CA 94111; (415) 362-4414 - Fax: (415) 362-8652
CafŽ San Juan 100% arabica coffee from Puerto Rico. Green and custom roasted. Wholesale/retail - 3808 Duval, Austin, TX 78751; (512) 4596395 - Fax: (512) 459 6395 E-mail
COMEXIM Ltda Santos, SP, Brazil; Green/Raw Coffee Exporter since 1965. Top 25 Brazilian Exporter - Rua do Comercio , 55 2nd Floor, Santos, SP 11010-141 - Tel: 55-13-2323469 - Fax: 55-13-2342255 - E-mail
E-mail me with questions or your results!