How to roast coffee beans at home?

Coffee Roasting

The process of using heat to bring out the flavor and aroma of coffee.

The beauty of coffee is not only the difference in the origin, tree species, and brewing methods of the coffee beans themselves, but the roasting of the coffee beans has the greatest impact on the flavor of the coffee. In fact, since coffee roasters are quietly standing in the background, unlike baristas who make coffee in a glamorous way, most people greatly underestimate the importance of roasting .

There are many benefits to roasting coffee beans at home. Not only can you get unparalleled freshness, but most importantly, by doing it yourself, you can intuitively understand the characteristics of coffee beans from different producing areas, and find your favorite unique flavor through constant exploration and experimentation. At the same time, you can get great satisfaction in the process of purchasing raw beans and roasting them. Pack a bag of roasted beans for a friend as a gift, and give the roasted beans a name you like. I believe that such a gift is unique.

☕️Understand the process of coffee roasting

What is coffee roasting? Many roasting enthusiasts like to call it "roasting beans", but the "roasting" here does not require the use of oil, water, or seasonings. Simply put, it is actually the process of directly heating the coffee beans. Put the coffee beans in a heat-resistant container, and then heat them with fire or other heat sources, and turn them over at the same time. The various substances inside the coffee beans undergo chemical and physical reactions until they reach the desired level. Imagine that it is no different from roasting meat, except that I am targeting coffee beans.

The color of raw coffee beans looks green and whitish, and they smell green and grassy, ​​with no coffee aroma at all. All the magic actually occurs during the heating process, and it is not an exaggeration to describe the roasting process as turning stones into gold. The process of roasting raw beans into fragrant roasted beans is called "caramelization". During this process, sugars, fats, proteins, amino acids and other substances begin to interact and combine with each other, from the more than 200 substances that can be detected at the beginning to more than 800 substances, which are the dark-colored roasted coffee beans that people are familiar with.

The theme of the 9th issue of "Coffee Magazine": "Bean Roaster Purchasing Guide", introduces the current hot trend of bean roasting in Taiwan. Many coffee professionals in Taiwan advocate roasting their own coffee, so that consumers can drink more diverse and fresher coffee. Most coffee shops nowadays roast their own beans or hire roasting factories for OEM. The craze of importing European and American roasted beans in the past is no longer seen. Home-made or local roasting is the kingly way. This is the power that pushes the wheel of time forward.

For example, the owner of Angle cafe in Taiwan, Ren Rong, shared many practical baking experiences and suggestions. First, he recommended the considerations for beginners in choosing a baking machine. He suggested that you should consider whether the purpose of baking is for "home use" or "opening a shop". If you don't plan to open a shop, you might as well start with a hand net or a small hot air blower. The investment cost is not high. If you are very sure that you want to open a shop, you can directly buy a better machine. Excerpted from "Coffee Magazine" P73

Using the burst point to determine the degree of roasting

One criterion that is still often used to judge the degree of roasting is "crackling". During the roasting process, the crackling sound is produced by the release of gas. As time goes by, the temperature also rises, and the so-called "first crack" and "second crack" will appear, which are commonly known as the first crack and second crack. In most cases, the suitable range of coffee is within the range before and after these two cracks, that is, from the beginning of the first crack to the end of the second crack, which is the lightest to darkest range acceptable in the market.

If you continue to heat after the second crack, you will enter the deep roasting process. At this time, a lot of smoke will be produced, and the temperature should be over 240 degrees. The surface of the coffee should be black now, which is the limit of deep roasting. If you continue to heat it, it will not be coffee bean roasting, but charcoal roasting. Therefore, there are sayings such as "first crack intensive roasting", "between first and second cracks" or "roasting to the end of second crack", which mainly refers to the depth of roasting. Excerpted from "Coffee Magazine" P79

Roasting coffee beans at home is actually a very fun way to get started. To learn how to do it, please open "Coffee Magazine" to learn the skills. If you like roasting coffee beans, you can try other more professional equipment. Becoming an excellent coffee roaster is not something that can be achieved overnight, but the fun in the process is endless. I hope you can soon make a cup of your own roasted coffee for your beloved TA.

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