You have bought a coffee bean roaster and begun to roast your beans, but you are having a hard time figuring out if your beans are ready to be ground and brewed. Thanks to modern technology, it is fairly easy to determine if your coffee is roasted properly. Fresh coffee beans will be green, unlike the pre-roasted coffee you can buy in a store. Roasting your coffee yourself is an easy process and will take you only a few minutes.
Years ago, it would have taken quite a bit of skill to roast your coffee beans to perfection. Now, however, some roasters have a built in thermometer that will alert you when your roaster has reached the proper temperature. When the coffee beans are roasted, they will turn from green to yellow, and then progressively darker shades of brown. The dark brown color comes when the sugar inside the beans is caramelized.
Unlike the roasted coffee, fresh dried coffee beans will be green. Put your coffee beans in your roaster of choice and roast them until they are brown and covered with oil. There will be a strong coffee smell and sounds of cracking from your roaster. Wait at least twelve hours before you grind them to brew your coffee.
It only takes a little time to roast your own coffee. In about fifteen minutes, the coffee beans will have turned into the familiar dark brown bean you know and love. Be sure to smell the delightful aroma of the coffee as it roasts – this will keep you from burning your coffee beans. Once the beans become slightly greasy, remove them from the roaster and wait for them to cool. After you clean out the extra oil from the coffee beans, you will be ready to grind them.
By roasting your own coffee this way, you will be able to make great coffee in your own home in only a few minutes. What a great way to save some money and get a fresh cup of coffee!