Roasting your coffee beans at home! Seems a bit out of the ordinary and far-fetched. Coffee roasting could be the easiest and most satisfying activity you can engage in at home as a coffee lover. You will feel so connected and involved in the actual process of preparing coffee at home.
You will require a few tools and little knowledge to roast your coffee beans at home.
Requirements for home roasting coffee beans using an air popper
- Home popcorn popper
- Tray for cooling the roasted coffee beans
- Bowl to collect chaff as coffee is roasting
- Green coffee beans
- Airtight container
- Kitchen scale
- Wooden spoon
What You Need to Know
- Space
When you are up and ready with all your tools, you need to know that roasting the coffee beans may not be appropriate in a closed room with no ventilation or window. It is safer to be outside where there is open air like a veranda or a balcony, unlike indoors where the smell of roast beans can be quite overwhelming.
Also, the smoke and smells that will be produced during roasting may suffocate you. Do not be alarmed though, as home roasters such as popper roasting machines can be used outdoors.
You will need a large work area so that you can have all the tools in place as you begin roasting.
- Home roasting with a popcorn popper
Ever tried popcorn popping at home? Well, you can also roast coffee beans at home with a popcorn maker. Using a popcorn maker is a simple way of getting perfect home roast coffee beans. Although you typically use popcorn makers to pop popcorn seeds, they’re ideal for baking beans at the comfort of your house.
The air popcorn popper needs to have a metal popping chamber and preferably air ventilation on its side rather than on the bottom. Also, the manufacturer’s warranty that comes with the popcorn popper will be invalidated because of roasting coffee beans instead of popcorn.
This means you may need to make a new purchase if you happen to break the machine while roasting coffee.
However, an air popcorn maker is quite affordable for home use, unlike a big coffee roaster. You can find a brand new one for less than $30 in a local store or an online outlet such as Amazon. A great option on the market today is the West Bend Air Crazy. Regardless, there’re many models to choose from.
Second-hand popcorn poppers are also as valuable and efficient. You can find a second-hand model from local garage sales for a great deal.
- Time
It takes about 4-10 minutes to roast coffee beans using a popcorn popper on a stovetop or electricity. The length of time varies depending on the number and type of beans, desired roast levels, and the specific popcorn popper you are using.
A light coffee roast will take less time as opposed to dark roasting. A large size of beans will also take longer than a smaller size. Lightly roasted beans tend to remain fresh for a long time, while dark roasted ones may go stale quicker. City roast beans can also last longer than dark roast.
If you allow the beans roast longer than necessary, they may turn dark like charcoal. Thus, you need to pay special attention to the roast process. In any case, just roast the beans to your preferences when using a home roaster.
- Degassing
Degassing is a very important part of the roasting process. At this point, the roasted coffee beans release the gases they form during roasting. If you give in to the temptation of brewing the coffee immediately after roasting, you will notice some bubbling as the gas (carbon dioxide) repels the water. This results in uneven distribution of flavor. Hence, the brew may become a bit sour.
The trick is to allow the roasted coffee beans to rest for 2 days before brewing to degas during the cooling process. After all, you deserve to get the full flavor and rich aroma that coffee offers after working so hard!
How to roast coffee beans at home with popcorn popper
Here’re the instructions to follow for home coffee bean roasting with air poppers:
- Use an air popper for this method of home coffee roasting. Turn on the equipment and let it warm up a little before starting to roast. You can heat it up on a stove top.
- Measure out the beans, about 100g. This is a safe batch to start with because a large number of beans may require more time to roast and make it hard to evenly roast them. Remember not to leave the beans unattended on the machine as they may fail to attain a uniform roast level.
- Pour the green beans into the appliance, slowly observing how they are behaving. They should dance around randomly as they bake. You can shake the popper a little bit or use a wooden spoon to stir them. That way, you’ll prevent them from sticking to the popcorn popper’s metal chamber and burning.
- Keep stirring to disturb the beans to release the chaff. Chaff or silverskin is the skin that covers a coffee bean. It comes out during roasting. It comes out through the top of the popper.
- Listen to the beans to hear the first crack. This occurs after about 5 minutes and is a good indication to stop the roasting. They’ll turn brown. Extending the roasting time could easily burn the beans. Thus, don’t wait for more cracks.
- Observe the color change of the beans so that you can stop the roast at the desired color.
- Once you are satisfied that the beans are ready, switch off the machine and dump them out carefully onto the tray for them to cool off.
- Place the beans in an airtight container after they have cooled off. Place the container in a cool dark place and not in the fridge or freezer. You want to preserve the flavor of the coffee.
- Wait patiently for 2 days before you brew coffee with your home roasted coffee beans.
Beginners can use Youtube videos, or Facebook and Instagram recipes to find it easier to use the popcorn popper method. Also, you can find detailed information on any website dealing with popcorn machines on how to use them.
Although roasting beans requires some practice to achieve the right temperatures and roast color, you can perfect it with the above steps for popcorn maker home coffee beans roasting.
Also, roast a batch size you can consume soon. Rather than storing excess beans in a refrigerator, keep them in a humidity-free environment in an airtight container or a jar with an airtight lid to prevent moisture from getting into the beans. Also, the container should be kept away from direct sunlight.
Roasted coffee beans with a popcorn popper will still brew a cup full of rich flavors, notes, and oils that anyone who loves coffee will appreciate.
Alternatively, you can roast coffee beans in your oven after placing them on a cookie sheet. Just ensure you wear oven mitts when handling the hot cookie sheet.
Summary
Roasting coffee beans at home using a popcorn popper can be greatly fulfilling. You will need a few tools and an open place to roast the beans. Besides, home roasting using a popcorn machine at the right temperature can give you the best coffee roasts for tasty coffee.
Remember to let the beans rest so that they can degass and achieve the best flavor. As you can see, it’s quite easy to roast coffee beans with a popcorn popper. Also, roasting coffee beans with a popcorn popper is an inexpensive way to roast coffee beans.
Whether you want to make cold brew, coffee blends, chocolate ice latte, espresso or other coffees, you can roast your own coffee beans. Once roasted, you’ll grind the beans to get coffee grounds for making coffee drinks with your preferred method and recipe.
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