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Roasting
Coffee Beans
This
is something I have been interested in for many years and just got started in
short time ago. WOW! What a difference! I love a good cup of coffee and for
some reason even though coffee prices have steadily increased over the years
the quality of the coffee has declined significantly.
Years ago we didn’t have much choice. There were maybe a dozen
brands of coffee on the super market shelves full of 1 and 3 pound cans of ground coffee products. Many of these brands seem to have
disappeared over the years.
There was one store the A&P (The Great Atlantic
& Pacific Tea Company Inc. ) that seemed
to be ahead of their time. They were the third largest seller of coffee in the
US for many years. They had four varieties of their own
brand of coffee beans a light roasted Breakfast (which they stopped selling in
1919), 8 O’clock (in a red bag), Red Circle (in a yellow bag) and Bokar (in a black bag). You would select a bag of beans and
they would grind right there in the store. One of the
pleasantries of going to the store – the smell of fresh ground coffee.
I remember as a kid my Dad always got a big bag of their 8
O’clock coffee beans, handed them to the clerk and she would open the bag, pour
it into the big grinders hoper, turn the huge dial to select percolator grind,
put the bag under the spout and the huge machine would come to life grinding
and shaking until mysteriously the ground coffee would shoot out the bottom into
the bag. What a glorious smell! Nothing like the smell of fresh ground coffee –
except perhaps roasting the coffee beans! The A&P filed for chapter 11 for financial and operational restructuring,
12-10-2010.
These day there are literally thousands of ways to get a cup of
coffee – some good some not so good. The store shelves are lined with bags of
Gourmet coffees at premium prices trying to lure you into their snares. Coffee
shops are lined along the streets selling there coffees and their wares with menus
that would put a NYC restaurant to shame. Gone are the days of walking up to
the counter and simply asking for a coffee, black, or regular.
I used to love coffee from Duncan Donuts. They have either
changed their coffee or I just got spoiled. A few years ago when they first
rolled into town I had 4 family members working at Starbucks. They didn’t drink
coffee so I got 4 free pounds beans a week from their long list of coffees.
Sumatra was my favorite, but I really dislike the flowery Kenya. I like strong full flavored coffees. This
again peaked my interest in roasting my own coffee
beans.
I went online a
searched for suppliers of green coffee beans. I found many suppliers and spoke
with many on the phone but one vendor stood out in my mind and was very helpful
when I placed my first order. If you’re just getting started or even an
experienced roaster I highly recommend you contact Burman Coffee Traders in Madison
Wisconsin. Very friendly people, very knowledgeable and a pleasure to deal with
– they also have some great prices on green coffee beans and a nice T-shirt
too!
Another coffee vendor that came highly recommended by a few DSP
forum member is Sweet
Maria’s in Oakland California. I don’t have any personal experience with
them yet but they do have a pretty nice library of information on roasting coffee.
They are a bit higher priced than Burman’s but come
highly recommended and have put a lot of time in their website info.
Coffee
Bean Basics
It
may surprise you to learn that coffee is actually a fruit. It grows on a tree
much like a cherry or apple tree. It is carefully cultivated and nurtured until
after about 3 to 5 years when it finally blooms and produces a tiny red cherry.
Inside of the cherry there are normally two seeds, these are what we know as
coffee beans. The reason I said normally two seeds is that there are
occasionally abnormalities just like everything else in life where only one
seed is formed. That malformed bean is known as a peaberry. Some people consider
these beans to be highly prized and others consider them garbage. I guess it’s
an individual thing. We shall see …
Here is a picture of what a coffee cherry looks like. Only the
very center of the cherry is used to make coffee – the bean.
As
the cherry is roasted the skin, pulp, parchment and silver skin shrink and
dehydrate this is known as the chaff. The action of the cherry bouncing around
eventually loosens and dislodges the chaff leaving only the bean behind. The
bean will then continue to roast hopefully until just the right level of roasting
is achieved.
Different
beans have different levels of roasting to achieve the perfect roasted flavor
profile. These different levels are known as Roasts. The beans will be roasted from between 370°F
to 450°F degrees for up to 20 minutes. During this time they will actually lose
18 to 23% of their weight, but swell and increase in size by as much as 35 to
60%. The color of the bean will go from a light straw green color to medium
brown. Some coffees may even become a dark brown, depending upon the degree of
roasting you choose.
*Chaff
is just a thin layer of skin that surrounds the bean and doesn’t add anything
to the coffee so it gets removed.
Chaff
kind of looks like those little skins that come in a can of Spanish peanuts and
can make a mess as it blows around easily and no matter how careful you are –
it gets everywhere!
Different
beans have different levels of roasting to achieve the perfect roasted flavor
profile. These different levels are known as Roasts. The beans will be roasted from between 370°F
to 450°F degrees for up to 20 minutes. During this time they will actually lose
18 to 23% of their weight, but swell and increase in size by as much as 35 to
60%. The color of the bean will go from a light straw green color to medium
brown. Some coffees may even become a dark brown, depending upon the degree of
roasting you choose.
Storing Coffee Beans
Green beans
will last for around two years without any appreciable loss of flavor.
Green coffee beans should be stored in some sort of container that will allow
them to breathe, but not impart another flavor to the beans. Burlap or paper bags are recommended. Avoid
plastic containers as they will hold in humidity allowing the beans to develop
molds and they will impart a plastic smell to the beans. Storing them at room
temperature is fine a cool place out of direct light around 70°F with a
relative humidity of 50% is ideal.
Roasted coffee beans store best in a sealed canister at room
temperature. You should never roast more than you can drink in 4 to 7 days!
Ground coffee beans only grind what you're planning to brew
right away.
Stages of Bean Roasting
At
approximately 398 to 402°F the moisture in the beans will begin to release and
the beans will begin pop and crack open. Once the bean splits open you will
begin to smell the rich aroma of the coffee. Up until that point it smells more
like wet grass. This is called the first
crack. It sounds very similar to popcorn popping and is much more pronounced
than the second crack which is more subtle and should take place at
approximately 453 to 455°F. Once the second crack is heard you should really
consider stopping the process because at this point you are looking at very
darkly roasted beans.
The
degree of roast will go from City Roast at about 435°F, to Full City Roast at
445°F, to Vienna French Roast or Continental Roast at 465°F, to a Full French
Roast at 474°F, to burnt at 486°F.
Common Roasts and Characteristic:
Bean
Color |
Name
of Roast |
Bean Properties |
Final
Bean Temperature |
Bean
Acidity |
Body |
Aroma |
Sweetness |
Comments |
|
Raw bean |
Raw 12% moisture |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
NA |
Smooth green bean |
Light Brown to Cinnamon
Roast |
Beginning to expand 1sr crack begins |
380-
402oF |
High |
Weak |
Medium |
Low |
Dry bean surface, very
light roast Rarely used, more tea like. Can taste
can be grainy and sour. |
|
Medium light Brown
American Roast |
1st Crack |
402- 415oF |
High |
Full |
Full |
Mild |
Dry bean surface,
commonly used in the eastern US |
|
Full Medium Brown City
Roast |
1st Crack is
finished |
415-
435oF |
High |
Full |
Strong |
Mild |
Dry bean surface,
commonly used roast in the western US |
|
Medium-dark brown Full
City Roast Viennese or Light French Roast |
2nd Crack begins |
435- 445oF |
Medium |
Very full |
Strong |
Strong |
Slightly oily bean
surface, a little bittersweet, most common roast in Pacific northwest |
|
Dark
brown French Roast or Espresso |
2nd Crack
finished |
445-460oF |
Low |
Full |
Medium |
Full |
Shiny bean surface,
popular for espresso, burned undertones, acidity diminished, commonly used
roast in France and Italy |
|
Very dark to black Dark
French, Spanish or Italian Roast |
Very burned charred bean |
460- 480oF |
very low |
Weak |
Mild |
Low |
Very shiny bean surface,
burned, bitter flavors are predominant This is not very popular in the US. |
Descriptions Used For Coffee
Acidity |
This
is the tangy flavor similar to lemon, orange or grapefruit. Known as the
‘high notes’ in coffee, this can be both a positive or
a negative. Does the tanginess enhance the overall flavor or detract from it?
Does it lend a sweetness to the flavor or is it
sour? Acidity in coffee might be described by terms like bright, clear,
snappy, dry, clean, winey, etc. Coffee
with little or no acidity taste flat, while too much can taste sour. |
Aroma |
Coffee
should smell like coffee. Is it a slight smell or does it smell strong? Does
it smell nutty, earthy, floral, fruity, rotten, smoky, or leathery? Aroma is
greatest in the middle roasts and is harsh or has burnt smells in darker
roasts. |
Balance |
Coffee
may have several different strong attributes present but no single attribute
that drowns out the others – this would be a balanced or mellow coffee. If it
lacks any strong attributes might be considered dull. |
Bean Descriptors |
Musty,
Dirty, Rioy, Rough. A bunch of bad words. The first two terms relate
to poor storage conditions, improper aging, or unpleasant earthiness. "Rioy" is an industry term for harshness, (pronounced
ree-o-ee after Rio De Janiero), like poor quality low-grown Brazilian arabicas. |
Bitterness |
Coffee
should not be bitter. Bitterness is one of the four taste sensations, sharp,
unpleasant, like the taste of quinine. |
Body |
Body
is how the coffee feels in your mouth; like comparing cream to skim milk. It
is perceived as a heaviness to the coffee. |
Complexity |
Complexity
is the combined presence of attributes in a coffee. Acidity, body,
earthiness, sweetness, etc., combine to make a coffee complex. It could be
different types blended to create the overall complexity. |
Finish |
This
is how long the aftertaste lasts. Is it short and weak, or long and strong?
Does it leave you ‘wanting’ for another taste right away or are you still tasting the coffee several moments after the
swallow. Is it smooth or harsh? A long, smooth finish should be a few seconds
and leaves you anxious for the next sip. |
Flavor or Balance |
Here you measure how all
of the above harmonize with each other to create balance. Wild, Earthy, Natural or Spicy may relate
to the processing method used, when the fruit of the coffee cherry is allowed
to dry on the beans before removal. Earthiness can also be detected, I
presume, based on the soils the coffee grows in (there are earthy Indonesian
coffees that are wet processed). Earthiness can quickly become dirtiness.
Dirty coffee is unpleasant. The winey flavors of some wild
coffees is called sour when it becomes unpleasant. |
Plant Species |
Arabica: This is one of the two
main species of coffee known for better flavor against its sister Robusta. It
has less caffeine, and depending on the variety within the species, the bean
can be very versatile in roasting profiles. ALL Hilo Coffee Mill coffees are
Arabica. Robusta: The other of the two
main species, has primarily been known for its inexpensive cost. Because it
is known to be higher in caffeine and inferior in the major flavor
characteristics, it is often used for blending, or filler to reduce the cost
of a quality coffee (Arabica). Hilo Coffee Mill does NOT sell Robusta. |
Roast Descriptors |
Sweet
- caramelized flavors in balance with
other characteristics of a coffee. Baked
or Bready -
Under-roasted coffees, coffees roasted with too little heat leaving the inside under roasted and
the outside scorched or simply scorched beans . Bittersweet
- The
bitter-sweetness developed as the roast gets darker until all acidity is gone
but the caramel taste of burnt sugars form like dark chocolate. Think
Starbucks! Burnt: No description necessary! |
Coffee Bean Descriptions By
Origin
Australia |
Delicate
and well balanced; soft acidity; mellow sweetness; full body; bright; fruity;
flowery aroma; delicate, wine-like feel in the mouth. |
Brazil |
Brazilian
coffees have nutty, dark/bittersweet cocoa characteristics and good body.
Being lower-grown coffees, the beans aren't as dense and tend to roast up a
bit faster. |
Colombia |
Colombian
coffees are generally medium-bodied, sparking and rich, with a winey characteristic
and good complexity. |
Costa Rica |
A
smooth, rich, subtly fruited and well-balanced. slightly
nutty, and fruity. |
ETHIOPIAN |
Ethiopian and Yemeni
coffees are arguably the most complex in the world. Harars
are dry-processed coffees that are intensely fruited, intoxicatingly aromatic
and have a great complexity of flavors. |
Guatemala |
The Antiguas include the subtle, complex, chocolaty and
fruity to nutty , floral and bright. |
Hawaiian |
Hawaiian
coffees
are known for being soft, smooth, rich and complex, yet subtle; in a word
"fragile". Careful though, it's very easy to over-roast these
coffees and roast out the subtlties and
complexities, especially the larger Typica
varietals, i.e. Konas & Jamaican Blue Mountain.
In
general, these coffees are very well-balanced, with delicate fruity or red
wine brightness and subtle notes of nuts, chocolate and spice. Brightness is key to a great Hawaiian/Caribbean. Brightness in a coffee
is what is responsible for, or what "carries" the flavors. As these
coffees are delicate and subtle, if there isn't enough brightness, they can
taste "flat". Lighter
roasts tend to preserve the the brightness, hence
the varietal subtleties well. As previously stated, it's very easy to
over-roast Hawaiian/Caribbean coffees, destroying the subtle flavors that
make them so wonderful. |
India Malabar |
Aged
India coffee exposed to monsoon conditions, with a golden color and a unique
mellow flavor. |
India Mysore |
The
India coffee district of Mysore coffee tends to be sweet, spicy, and super
rich with a light body and full aroma; Arabica |
Jamaica |
The
best Jamaica Blue Mountain coffee is characterized by a nutty aroma, bright
acidity and a unique beef-bouillon like flavor. Jamaican
High Mountain is a term that applies to coffees of lesser quality that are
grown at a lower altitude than Jamaican Blue Mountain. |
KENYA |
Kenyan
coffees have long been known for their intense (albeit fairly thin-bodied),
bright, complex, fruity/red wine character. This fruity character can show up
in a wide range of flavors from citrus to apricot to berry, depending on the
particular lot. If you're a fan of bright, bold, in-your-face coffees, then
Kenyans can be right up your alley. |
Mexico |
Typically,
Mexican coffees are soft and smooth, yet bright, with a light to medium body.
The vast majority of good, specialty-grade Mexican coffees comes
from the Oaxaca and Chiapas regions in the very southern end of the country,
although we will occasionally run into good coffees from Coatepec
in central Mexico as well. Chiapas borders Guatemala on the south, with
Oaxaca bordering Chiapas on the north. |
New Guinea |
Unmistakable
cup; great body; herbal acidity; wonderful light finish; Arabica |
NICARAGUA |
Nicaraguan
coffees are typically Central American, smooth, and well-rounded, with nice
brightness; medium-bodied with a trademark floral quality. |
PANAMA |
Panamanian
coffees can range from subtly fruity to sparkling and winey. They are complex
and smooth, well-rounded, rich and satisfying. |
Sulawesi |
Sulawesi
coffees, though very similar in characteristics to Sumatrans, are a bit
lighter, mellower and more balanced. |
Sumatra |
Heavy,
almost syrupy body, pronounced earthiness, trademark "funk"* (not
as a defect though, as a good thing!), and despite the brighter, winey
character of many Lintong coffees, low acidity. Many
people who shy away from coffee because of the acidity can actually drink
Sumatran coffees without the unpleasant "acid stomach". |
YEMENI |
They are intensely
fruited, with flavors running from banana to berry. Yemens
can also exhibit a musky earthiness that adds a nice balance to the cup.
Should be given extended rest after roasting. |
Coffee Roasters
It
seems there are a multitude of gadgets used for roasting coffee beans. From
what I have read this could be anything from a cast iron skillet to a popcorn
popper. They also have dedicated coffee roasters for home use that are not too
terribly pricey. I even saw one guy that adapted a rotisserie for a charcoal
grill into a coffee bean roaster.
It
seems that one of the most popular methods for DIYers
to roast green coffee beans is to use a whirly bird type or hot air popcorn
popper. That’s right - an everyday popcorn popper. The only requirement is that
they must be the side-vented
models .These things can be bought for
less than $50 new or picked up at Good Will or yard sales for around $5 so this
doesn’t have to be a costly venture. I am not recommending any brand or models
but they might look like this.
Whirly-bird stove
top Whirly-bird fireplace Common Hot Air Popper
You
could also use a dedicated cast iron skillet and constantly stir the beans and monitor
temperatures with a candy thermometer but getting a consistent or even roast
would be difficult. It is claimed that this method will produce a roast with
more body and deep notes but will lose some of the bright notes. Once the
proper color has been achieved just pout the beans into a large metal colander
and toss in the air to cool and remove chaff.
It
is important to use a dedicated skillet as the coffee will absorb the flavors
from the pan. Hmmmm bacon flavored coffee … That may
be another article for later.
Another
method you could use is gas or convection oven roasting. This method requires
your oven go to at least 550°F and you have a pan baking sheet with holes
spaced ½ inch apart. You must put one layer of beans on the pan at a time and a
raised lip so the don’t fall out. This will do large batches of beans but is
very difficult to get even roasting. Once the proper color has been achieved
just pout the beans into a large metal colander and toss in the air to cool and
remove chaff.
Coffee
roasting does produces some smoke and fumes and should be done in a
well-ventilated area. Many home roasters do this outside but I find my roaster
works well on top of the stove with the vent on high. The smell although rather pleasant at first
tends to change to more of an unpleasant burnt smell after the first day. So if
you can’t open a window to exchange the air you might want to rethink where you
are going to roast your coffees.
The
two most popular methods for home roasting coffee beans are the Fluid Air Bed roaster and the drum
roaster. It is a common belief that fluid bed roasters produce more “acidity” in the coffee
beans, and drum roasting tends to produce more "body".
The biggest drawbacks in home roasters is the capacity of
the roaster, the
ability to cool the beans quickly and stop the cooking process and the price
tag. Much like meat the beans will
continue to roast due to residual heat stored in the beans after the roaster
had been turned off, so I believe one important feature it is to have method of
quickly cooling the beans built into the machine.
Fluid Air Bed Coffee Roasting
The
Hot Air Popcorn Style Coffee Roaster
The
advantage of this unit is that it keeps the beans moving so they don’t burn and
it gives you a fairly even roast. While the beans are jumping around in the
popper it knocks off the chaff and sends it flying out the front of the popper.
The
plastic cover needs to be replaced with a tin can or something as it will melt
but it seems to work rather well although limited to roasting one rather small
batch of coffee and must be cooled down before using again.
I
have also heard of people using modified bread makers to stir the beans and
heat guns to roast them but I haven’t bothered to research this one.
There
are also dedicated commercially built, fluid air bed roasters available that
are basically redesigned popcorn poppers. These roasters have built-in controls
for time, temperature, blower speed and a cool down mode to stop the cooking
process of the beans. Many parts are built of steel not plastic so they should
last much longer and due to these changes they will allow you to roast one
batch right after the other unlike the home modified versions.
Here
are a few examples of the fluid bed roasters available today to the home
roaster:
FreshRoast
SR 500 - $160 Nesco Pro – $135 Hearthware I
Roast - $180
Model |
Capacity |
Adjustable
temperature |
Adjustable fan
speed |
Smoke
Reduction |
Built in
Memory |
Price |
FreshRoast SR 300 |
4 oz. |
preset |
preset |
No |
no |
$110 |
FreshRoast SR 500 |
4 oz. |
yes |
yes |
No |
no |
$160 |
Nesco Pro |
4 to 5 oz. |
preset |
preset |
No |
no |
$135 |
I Roast |
5.3 oz. |
yes |
yes |
Yes |
yes |
$180 |
Drum Roasters
Drum roaster tend to roast coffee beans at a slower rate
but they have a larger capacity and larger price tag. While fluid air bed roasters
are limited to 4 or 5 oz. batches drum roasters can roast up to 16 oz. at a
time. Your choice may be simply based on the amount of coffee you drink, and
the price you are willing to pay. Time may also be a consideration. You can
conceivably roast two batches of coffee in a fluid bed roaster in the same
amount of time it will take one batch to roast in the drum roaster. So if your
plan is to roast more than one type of bean you could save time by buying a
fluid bed roaster. If you predominately drink only one type of coffee you might
just want to roast a larger batch in the drum roaster.
Model |
Capacity |
Adjustable temperature |
Adjustable fan speed |
Built in Memory |
Programable |
Price |
Gene Café |
12 oz. |
yes |
yes |
No |
no |
$495 |
Behmor 1600 |
16 oz. |
yes |
yes |
No |
no |
$300 |
Hot Top Basic |
9 oz. |
yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
$730 |
Hot Top Programmable |
5.3 oz. |
yes |
yes |
yes |
yes |
$930 |
Roasting Your First Green Coffee Beans
When
roasting coffee beans there are a few thing you need to carefully watch and
they will be pretty much in this order:
1)
Bean Color – as the bean are roasted they will gradually change color from
green, to yellow, to tan to brow to black. Some color changes will occur faster
than others.
Here
is an example using some Costa Rican Honey Palmares
beans an excellent coffee!
Green Yellow Tan Brown
2)
Temperature - If you
are using a process which does control temperature automatically you will need to
monitor temperature based on the style chart at the end of this section.
3)
Aroma - the beans will
start out smelling much like wet grass and as they get closer to the target
temperature your will smell the aroma of a good fresh roasted coffee.
4)
Sound - the beans will
crack as they release moisture. The first crack is fair loud and similar to
popcorn popping. The second crack is
least distinct but more rapid sounding more like bacon frying. The first and
second crack will determine what levels different varieties are roasted too.
5)
Time – as you use your
roaster make a note of the time it takes to get to the first crack, and
different color levels and the second crack if needed. When roasting the same
variety of coffee you will be able to duplicate or make subtle adjustments
until you roast your perfect cup.
Once the beans have been roasted they need to be cooled as
rapidly as possible to stop the roasting process. A metal colander works well
for this if you don’t have a cool down mode on your roaster or a chaff
collector, just
toss the beans up in the air and at the same time blow off the chaff or use a
small fan or even a light wind. The beans are light so be
careful.
Once the beans are roasted you could grind up the beans and brew
a pot but it is best to allow the built up carbon dioxide to be released from
the beans. This is known as degaussing the beans. Some people recommend a few
hours while other suggest a few days. I generally wait overnight although I
have brew a pot or two with new beans to see what they taste like right out of
the roaster.
Roasting Green Beans Using the Fresh Roast
SR 500
Roasting coffee is a simple process. Using the
Fresh Roast fluid air bed coffee roaster makes it even easier.
Simply add 4 scoops of beans, turn on the timer, turn the heat
up to full, fan up to full and let it go.
As the beans cook and become lighter you can turn down the fan
if you wish. This could conceivably prevent the beans from smashing themselves apart.
AT some point you may also like to turn down the temperature. Different beans
will require slightly different roasts. Often the vendor will have suggestions
for where to start.
As I said this is pretty simple but the smell and taste are
amazing! I should have done this years ago!
Got questions?
Want to share what you've leaned?
Looking for a recipe?
For more comprehensive information and personal
guidance in your quest for the perfect “Q”
join some of the most experienced and the friendliest
folks on the net!
Just click
on the link above to go the DSP forum!
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