With several tips and guides of creating your own coffee that can be found online nowadays, people have started to try making their own, purchasing various easy-to-use coffee equipment and different ingredients as well. They have also begun learning different coffee making processes, from coffee roasting, grinding and brewing. Actually, one of the best ways that you could ever hope to enjoy coffee is by roasting it yourself. You can enjoy more fragrant, dark brown beans that you will for sure love. Though you can just head to your local coffee shop or roaster and purchase ready-to-brew coffee that has already been roasted and grinded, there is still a different feel when you will be creating it on your own. Roast them yourself so you can begin to create sumptuous cups of coffee, from start to finish, in the comfort of your own home.
Coffee Roasting
Having to go through the coffee roasting by yourself can guarantee you that every cup of coffee you will be making is fresh. And with a little more practice, when you get used to roasting your coffee most of the time, you can be sure that it is roasted exactly to your taste. But before anything else, in order to roast coffee at home, you will need a few supplies, and a source of green beans. And of course, it is important to understand the entire process, from start to finish, so you can better understand how roasting it just before you make your cup of coffee, can impact the flavors and the taste it will give.
You might have to wonder why you will be needing green coffee beans at first. Green coffee tends to change drastically during the roasting process. When you go through the whole procedure, the moisture from the beans are forced out, causing it to dry and expand. Some of its natural sugars are also transformed into CO2 gas, while others are caramelized into some of the flavors that form the complex flavors within the coffee. Then, when the process is complete, the green bean will transform into a brown one. But then, it is ideal to consume the coffee immediately by grinding and brewing them. The fresh roast flavor may diminish. This is because when the roasted beans get exposed to the air, it begins to “degas”, which leads to losing its flavors and aromas.
Know Your Roasts
There are four common types of roasts which you can create from the coffee roasting processes you will perform — light, medium, medium-dark, and dark. Everyone has their own personal choice of which type suits their palate, depending on how strong the caffeine levels they prefer. Also, generally, coffee drinkers think that dark roasts have a strong, rich flavor, indicating a higher level of caffeine. But actually, it is the light roasts which actually have a slightly higher concentration.
Light Roasts
Light roasts are those beans which are characterized by their light brown color, lack of oil on the beans, and light body or viscosity. Though it is preferred for milder coffee varieties, it is known to be stronger on all counts. It is only roasted for a shorter period of time, hence its light color. But then, its natural flavors are still held by the beans. There will be no oil on the surface of the beans as well. They are not roasted long enough for the oils to break through the surface.
Medium Roasts
If you want to lessen the strength of the coffee taste, you may want to opt for medium roasts. Literally, coming from its name, it is medium brown in color. It starts to take on a bit of the taste from the roasting process. Then, it loses some of the bright floral flavors. They are roasted until just before the second crack. Just right before the body of the bean starts thinning and becomes overpowered by the roasting flavors. Which is why medium roasts are known to have a more balance. In flavor, aroma, and acidity, especially when compared to light and dark roast coffees.
Medium Dark and Dark Roasts
Moreover, with medium dark roasts, it is rich, and dark in color. They still hold some oil on the surface, but with a slighter bittersweet aftertaste. And with the production of dark roasts, it provides shiny black beans. It has an oily surface and a pronounced bitterness. Though the darker the roast, the less acidity will be found in the coffee beverage. This is the reason why this type of roast is recommended by most health care professionals. It does not contain too many harmful chemicals that can be critical for one’s body system.
What You Need for Coffee Roasting
As mentioned above, before starting the coffee roasting process, you will be needing a few pieces of equipment to help you perform the roast properly. Also, of course, you will be needing the primary ingredient you need for roasting — the green coffee beans. It might be difficult to find one in the market near you. But you can be able to check with your local coffee shops. Look to see if there would be any roasters in your area that sell green coffee beans.
Then, you will be needing a roaster. This is the equipment you will be using to perform the coffee roasting procedure. There are different types of roasters available in the market. You can select the best one you will utilize to create the best coffee. Then, you might also need to look for storage. Once you roast your coffee, you must have a place to store them until you make your cup of coffee. You must remember that when choosing the container where you will store the roasted coffee, you must take a look at how air tight it is. The more air tight, the better. But then, even the best container out there will not stop the coffee from losing its natural flavors and aroma after about a week. Especially if it is not used.
Cooling and Storage
After performing the coffee roasting procedure, once the beans have reached your ideal type of roast, you have to let it cool somewhere. Remove from the heat, let them cool down by dumping the beans onto a baking sheet. Then shake them to allow the beans to cool in natural air, or within a room temperature. Then, as mentioned, you have to store them in a quality air tight container.
It is suggested to not brew or grind the freshly roasted coffee beans right away. You might have to “degas” it first for just a few moments.
Key Takeaway
The entire coffee roasting process may be a long and complicated one, especially if it is your first time to roast on your own. But then, given how easy the roasters are to use, you can be able to effectively roast your coffee on your own, depending on how you would like them. It might seem to be like an intimidating step, but for sure, you will find it surprisingly easy. It allows you to tailor and customize your own cup of coffee.
