Wine Article

Roasting your own coffee beans is far easier than making wine at home. You can achieve excellent results.

There are many varieties of roasters available
but it can be done in a popcorn maker or frying pan. However
you must assure that your equipment is spotlessly clean. There is nothing worse than coffee infused butter or fish oil.

Get good quality beans. Darker roasts have a lot less caffeine than the lighter ones
but they are not as acidic.

Heat your beans between 223ฐC to 262ฐC
and be fully prepared to have plenty of smoke. Ventilate your room using a fan or your stove’s exhaust. There should be no real odour
but you may also want to open your windows wide and make sure no one else is home.

Add your beans
espresso maybe and turn the heat up. Don’t forget to disable any smoke detectors.

Some roasters have thermometers
but having a portable one is best for using a frying pan. Try a candy thermometer.

As the roasting progresses
your beans will start to turn a yellow colour and then go brown. How dark they get is your choice.

As your beans get hotter
they release water and oil. This will cause pressure within the bean. You will hear loud cracking sounds. This perfectly normal
but to ensure perfect roasting
to not over roast or burn some of the beans
continuously stir them. This will happen after about 4 to 7 minutes.

Your beans will start caramelising inside as the sugars begin to burn. Check the colour about every 30 seconds
but the degree of brownness is up to your personal taste.

If you keep roasting for enough time
you may hear a second very loud crack. The beans will be overdone and very dark. If you continue you will not be roasting
but burning them
removing the sugars. Most of us would not be able to stomach coffee made from this.

Empty your roasted beans into a colander
preferably metal to cool down. Jostle them a little to help cool them. You will notice that the beans’ thin skins will detach as you jostle them. These will need to be removed
usually using a cooking screen (meshed).

Experiment a little with small amounts of beans at a time to get varied levels of darkening and time. This will help you to develop the flavour that you prefer. However
stop the roasting process early
as the beans will continue to roast due to the heat that they still contain inside.

If you opt for the popcorn maker
get a machine that lets you jostle the beans to keep the air circulating and prevent them from sticking to the sides. Alternatively
use a cast iron frying pan for stovetop roasting. However
this method requires lots of watching and stirring. Once the roasting begins
it will continue rapidly. However
once your beans are cooled you can throw them into your coffee grinder and prepare that perfect homemade cup of delicious coffee.