Green coffee beans are roasted to make them flavorful in readiness to grind them and brew coffee. If you like brewing coffee at home, you can choose between buying green coffee beans and roasting them yourself or buying already roasted coffee beans.
Generally, the cost of green beans differs from that of roasted beans. But is it cheaper to roast your own coffee? In this article, we will discuss what is cheaper between roasting your own coffee and buying roasted beans.
How Much Do Coffee Beans Cost?
You need to know the cost of both green and roasted coffee beans to understand whether you can save any money by roasting your own coffee. Generally, buying roasted coffee beans from a local roaster costs about $20 per pound.
On the other hand, unroasted coffee beans cost about $5 to $10 per pound. These figures show that green coffee beans are cheaper. If you want to save money without compromising the quality of fresh coffee, consider roasting coffee beans at home. In fact, you won’t need to buy a specialized coffee roaster. You can roast coffee beans in a pan or the oven.
Even if you buy a specialized coffee roaster for home use, it will be a one-time cost. As a regular coffee drinker, the coffee roaster will eventually pay for itself from the savings you will make by buying green beans.
Tips for Buying Green Coffee Beans
Green coffee beans are more affordable since you will do the roasting at home. When buying green coffee beans, only buy an amount you can finish consuming sooner. Although they can last for several months before going bad, you should consume them soonest possible for maximum freshness.
When buying green coffee beans, you will have to choose between Robusta and Arabica beans. Robusta beans have more caffeine than Arabica, but Arabica is superior in quality.
Benefits of Roasting Your Own Coffee
Is it cheaper to roast your own coffee? Yes. Roasting coffee beans is cheaper. Besides the cost savings, there are several other benefits of roasting coffee beans at home including:
1. You Can Choose From Several Varieties
If you prefer roasting coffee beans at home, you can try countless varieties of coffee beans. You can order green coffee beans online from almost any coffee-growing country. You can experiment with raw coffee beans from different regions until you find the ones that taste best. On the contrary, buying roasted beans from a local roaster will limit your choices.
2. It Is a Learning Experience
As you practice roasting coffee beans, you might make some mistakes. You will learn from those mistakes and eventually roast the beans like a pro. You will feel proud upon learning to roast coffee beans to various roast levels until you figure out the best one for you, be it light roast, medium roast, or dark roast.
3. Your Coffee Will Taste Fresher
Coffee beans start losing their natural flavors and oil as soon as they get roasted. Much of the deliciousness of coffee comes from these oils. Thus, you should brew coffee with freshly roasted coffee beans to enjoy maximum deliciousness. If you buy pre-roasted beans, they may have been sitting on the shelf for several days or weeks and will not brew fresh coffee.
4. Longer Shelf Life
Green coffee beans last longer than roasted coffee beans. Roasted beans only retain much of their freshness for about two weeks. By the time they are a month old, they will have lost much of their flavor. On the other hand, green beans last for about 6 to 12 months depending on how you preserve them. Thus, you can buy raw coffee beans in bulk. Then roast them in small batches that you can consume within a week or two.
Summary
Is it cheaper to roast your own coffee beans? Overall, roasting coffee beans at home is cheaper than buying pre-roasted coffee beans. Besides, you can roast them to a custom roast level to match your taste preferences. Additionally, brewing coffee with freshly roasted beans will allow you to enjoy the most delicious coffee. Also, roasting coffee beans is a great and satisfactory learning experience.
