by Don Holly
At the turn of the century, roasting coffee at home was as common
as scrambling eggs, and special pans that fit into your Franklin-style
wood burning stove were readily available for this purpose. Industrialization
brought consolidation of roasters, and canned, roasted and ground
coffee appeared in the marketplace. Eventually everyone forgot not
only how to roast coffee but, even worse, what freshly roasted coffee
tasted like. The growth of the specialty coffee industry over the
last 15 years has largely been based upon the rebirth of regional
and local roasters, and it is about time that coffee fanatics rediscover
the art of roasting coffee at home.
Roasting coffee competently is no more complicated than making a
good omelet. Sure, it takes practice, but after a few initially frustrating
(but interesting) trial runs you will begin to produce something that
is infinitely more satisfying than anything you could ever find in
a can. Even with the relatively crude implements (relative to the
more controllable commercial roasting machines available to the professional)
in your home, you will be able to create custom roasts and blends
that will be ultimately enjoyable. After all, freshly roasted coffee
prepared by an amateur is still ten times better than stale coffee
roasted by a professional.
What is fresh? At the Specialty Coffee Association of America we
define fresh-roasted coffee as coffee that has been roasted within
the last three to seven days. Coffee requires the first three days
after roasting to de-gas and take on its full flavor profile, much
like a good red wine needs to breathe before all of its character
comes alive. After seven days the coffee has decomposed to a point
where it no longer can be called "fresh." Many of its aromatic properties
have degraded and the coffee seems to have lost its "spark." Storing
the coffee in an opaque, airtight container at room temperature keeps
it from staling more rapidly, but your senses should not be fooled
by the claims of roasters who say their packaging keeps the coffee
"fresh" beyond a week. It is not true; they only say that because
they are unable to get it to you more quickly. This, of course, is
the big argument for roasting at home.
So, how do you do it? Roasting is the application of dry heat. We
are used to roasting chicken or even vegetables, but coffee beans
require a different application of heat because they are small, dense
objects. The best roast profile is usually a fairly low temperature,
about 300† F. Roast the beans at this temperature until they are uniformly
heated throughout, and then increase the temperature to about 400†
F until the development of the beans reaches the desired point. It
is important that the beans are constantly stirred during roasting
so that they develop evenly. When the beans reach the desired darkness,
cool them quickly or they will continue to roast in their own heat
energy.
I recommend two methods for roasting at home. The method that requires
the least capital investment is roasting the beans in a pan on the
top of a stove. Use a heavy saute pan that can distribute high heat
evenly. Put only as much green coffee in the pan as will cover three
quarters of the bottom at a thickness of one bean. Start at a medium
high flame or burner setting, stirring the beans with a wooden spatula
or shaking the pan enough so that the beans turn over and mix regularly.
They will start to loose their green color as the chlorophyll heats,
and about the time that they are golden-beige you can turn up the
heat to about three quarters flame. As they turn brown the beans will
start popping. This is called the "first crack," although it really
sounds more like a pop. You will also notice that a paper like substance,
referred to as "chaff," will be shed by the beans. This chaff can
float away and make a bit of a mess in your kitchen, but otherwise
it is fairly harmless (we will discuss later how to separate the chaff
from the beans). As the beans darken, they will begin to smoke, and
if you like a really dark roast, you could set off your fire alarm
if you don't turn on an exhaust fan.
How dark do you roast? That is very much a matter of preference,
similar to how spicy you like your food. Some roasters will swear
that every coffee, based on its individual character, has a "best"
roast. For example, they may say those coffees that have "brightness"
will not exhibit that quality if roasted too dark or coffees with
heavy body may taste best at a medium-dark or darker roast. A "second
crack," that does sound like a crackling of the beans, begins at the
medium-dark to dark phase. Like any discovery in cooking, the best
advice is to experiment with any given coffee and a variety of roasting
profiles: more heat, less heat, longer roasting times, etc., tasting
the difference that it makes to the finished product and forming your
own opinion of what you like best.
The second recommended method for home roasting, and the one I prefer,
requires an air popcorn popper. Several manufacturers make them, and
every model I have tried works equally well. Because the chaff gets
blown out fairly readily with an air popper, my wife likes me to roast
out on the patio, which also makes it unnecessary to take the battery
out of the smoke alarm. Remove the attendant hood from the popper
and plug the popper in, giving the chamber half a minute to heat up.
Pour a couple of ounces of green beans directly into the chamber.
The beans should start to spin around in the bottom of the chamber,
stirred automatically by the air popper's fan. Use the maximum number
of beans that the chamber will hold up to the point that the beans
just barely stir at the beginning of the roast. As the beans are dried
out by the heat of the popper, they will also lighten up and expand,
rotating more quickly and actually jumping around fairly vigorously
in the chamber. I like to keep the chamber uncovered to keep the heat
down until the beans start to turn light brown. Then I balance a stainless
steel cover loosely over the top which effectively increases the heat
during the second phase of roasting. By smelling, listening and every
once in a while lifting the cover and looking at the beans, you can
judge when they are done to your preference.
When the beans have reached their desired doneness, dump them into
a metal colander or wire sieve and blow on them or place them next
to a fan. By throwing them into the air a little bit, like farmers
used to do with their wheat, you can separate any remaining chaff
as well as cool them faster. It will take five to seven minutes to
roast, and another three to five minutes to cool. Finally, seal them
in a mason jar or similar container and let them sit for three days
before brewing.
Home roasting is certainly not for everybody, and if there is a
good local roaster nearby there may be little reason to do so because
their equipment and professional skill can probably do better than
you can at home. But just like the growth of home beer brewing has
enhanced rather than replaced the success of local brew pubs, your
experiments in home roasting will yield a greater understanding and
appreciation of this magical product we call coffee. Have fun!
Don Holly is administrative director of the Specialty Coffee Association
of America in Long Beach, CA. He can be reached at 562.624.4100 or
dholly@scaa.org
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