Roasterocity

Thought I would do a quick blog about coffee roasting.

I have been buying green coffee beans and roasting my own coffee for 10 years now.  Below is just how I do it and by no means the only "correct" way to roast at home.

Here is my set up!  A FreshRoast SR500 and a 13 cup Chemex

This is actually my 2nd FreshRoast product.  When I first started out I had the old click timer FreshRoast 8.  It was a great machine and is still running.  I upgraded to the SR500 a couple of years ago.  Digital and all!

I purchase all of my green coffee beans from Sweet Maria's online.  It's not only because they travel and source all of their own green beans but also because they are a virtual university of coffee roasting knowledge!!

This is also a nice little stove top brewer, called an Ibrik.  They are traditionally used for brewing Turkish, Greek Arabic style coffees.  Makes very very strong coffee!!!

Here is the roasting process from Sweet Maria's.  It is spot on so I thought I would share it.

• Yellowing: For the first few minutes the bean remains greenish, then turn lighter yellowish and emit a grassy smell.

• Steam: The beans start to steam as their internal water content dissipates.
  

• First Crack: The steam becomes fragrant. Soon you will hear the "first crack," an audible cracking sound as the real roasting starts to occur: sugars begin to caramelize, bound-up water escapes, the structure of the bean breaks down and oils migrate from their little pockets outward.
  

• First Roasted Stage: After the first crack, the roast can be considered complete any time according to your taste. The cracking is an audible cue, and, along with sight and smell, tells you what stage the roast is at. This is what is call a City roast.
  

• Caramelization: Caramelization continues, oils migrate, and the bean expands in size as the roast becomes dark. As the roast progresses, this is a City + roast. Most of our roast recommendations stop at this point. When you are the verge of second crack, that is a Full City roast.
  

• Second Crack: At this point a "second crack" can be heard, often more volatile than the first. The roast character starts to eclipse the origin character of the beans at this point and is also known as a Vienna roast. A few pops into second crack is a Full City + roast. Roasting all the way through second crack may result in small pieces of bean being blown away like shrapnel!
  

• Darkening Roast: As the roast becomes very dark, the smoke is more pungent as sugars burn completely, and the bean structure breaks down more and more. As the end of second crack approaches you will achieve a French roast.
  

• Ack!! Too Late! Eventually, the sugars burn completely, and the roast will only result in thin-bodied cup of "charcoal water."

Green Beans Starting


Beans Starting to crackle and pop (first crack)


Almost done


The finished beans.  Smells so good.  Now optimally they need to sit with access to open air for 12 hours so they can release CO2.  Then they need to be bagged, jarred, canned, however you store them.  But if you are in a pinch, grinding and brewing right away is ok.

Freshly roasted coffee should be treated like fresh bakery goods or produce. Coffee needs a minumum of 12-24 hours rest after roasting before it is brewed. You can drink it before then but the body and flavor really start to develope after a a day or so. Don't wait too long to drink it though depending on the coffee the "cup quality" will show a loss in overall flavor after a week. Therefore, we call coffee "fresh" for 7 days if it is stored properly:

• Stir the hot beans in the collander until warm to the touch. When we're roasting another batch, we transfer them to a small bowl until they cool completely.
• After the beans have cooled put them into an open glass storage jar. Since we roast many varieties and blends of coffee in small quantities, we use the Mason canning screw-top jars. If you use the type with the glass lid attached to the jar with wire, make sure the rubber seal is intact and in good condition. Otherwise, the jar is useless.
• After 8-12 hours, we seal the jar tightly. Freshly roasted coffee emits C02 for the first 24 hours, keeping away the oxygen which will eventually make it stale. Some recommend sealing the container after a full 24 hours, but we have never had a problem sealing it sooner.