Roasted Coffee Beans: How to Roast Your Own Coffee Beans

If you are a serious coffee lover you may soon think about roasting your own coffee beans.  Making your own roasted coffee beans gives you the chance to blend the coffee bean varieties of your choice.  It also allows you to experiment with the roasting process to determine the roast level that you like best.

As a rule, the darker you roast the coffee bean, the stronger and richer the flavor.  A dark roast has a harsher flavor and may have a slight burnt taste.  For coffee with a more mellow taste, the coffee beans are medium roasted.  Many people prefer the medium roast as it preserves the coffee’s natural flavors.  In contrast, the darker roasts tend to burn off some of the coffee’s natural oils and caffeine.

Most commercial roasted coffee beans in the United States are roasted to a light roast known as American.  As long as you use good quality coffee beans, you will be able to get a palatable cup of coffee from a light roast.  Coffee lovers, however, prefer the natural and true coffee flavor of medium roast.

Lower quality coffee beans can actually benefit from a darker roast.  The burnt flavor in the roasting process adds to the bean’s own flavors.  The dark roasting process improves the flavor of average grade coffee beans.

Roasting your own coffee beans will allow you to enjoy a good cup of coffee at one-third to one-half the price of roasted coffee beans that you get from the local coffee shop.

To roast your own coffee beans, you need green coffee beans that you can obtain from the local coffee store or online.  Preheat your oven to 500°F and spread the raw beans one layer deep on a cookie sheet.  Place the coffee beans in the middle of the preheated oven.  After 8 to 10 minutes you will hear a crackling sound and there will be some smoke with a coffee aroma.  Continue roasting for 2-3 minutes or until the beans reach the desired shade.

Remove the roasted coffee beans from the oven and pour the roasted coffee beans into a metal colander.  Allow the beans to cool completely.  You can now use the beans or you can store them in an airtight container.

You can find many sources of green coffee beans on the internet.  Find a reliable supplier who can provide different varieties of quality coffee beans.  Raw coffee beans can last for years if stored properly.  Keep them in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight.  Coffee loses acidity as it ages and its flavor becomes mellow.

Buy only quality coffee beans that have been properly processed and stored.  You can roast your coffee beans at home with your own home coffee roaster and enjoy a rich cup of coffee prepared just the way you like it.