what it would be like to make your own coffee, from scratch, that is. You have a
coffee grinder, and now you have to roast your coffee.Roasting and grinding your
own coffee will give you a perfect cup, and it is not as hard as it sounds.
There are many kinds of roasters, but something simple as a frying pan or
popcorn popper would work. The most important quality is that whatever you use
is very clean. You do not want to spoil the taste of your coffee with oils or
foods that were cooked before.Start with very good beans, and then decide which
type of coffee you want. A dark roast coffee will have less caffeine than light
roast coffee, but the lighter roasts usually have a bitter taste. You need to
roast your beans to a temperature between 460F (223C) and 530F (262C). At these
temperatures, you will create some smoke, so put your ventilator on, or have a
small fan running. You will also want to open all of your windows to get rid of
some of the smells. In addition, since the smoke and heat may set off your fire
and smoke alarms, you may want to disconnect them. Just remember to put them
back on when you are done.If you are using a coffee roaster, there may be a
temperature gage built in, but if you are using something else, you will need a
candy making thermometer to make sure you reach the right temperature. As you
are roasting you will see the green coffee beans turn yellow, then brown. If you
like a dark roast, you will leave the beans a bit longer.The moisture in the
bean will be released as the heat increases, and you will start to hear cracks
after about 5-7 minutes. Keep stirring so that the heat is evenly spread and you
roast all of the beans in turn.Now the sugars inside the coffee bean will start
to caramelize as they brown and even burn slightly. Check the color to make sure
you get the darkness of roast you want. If some of the beans are starting to
crack for a second time, you probably should stop roasting; this degree of dark
roast is too strong for most people.Now you will pour the beans into a metal
container till they are cool and then start to shake them. Roasting the bean has
removed some of the chaff, and you will now want to separate that away by
putting it through a mesh screen.You can try small batches at a time until you
find the exact degree of roasting that suits your taste. If you are using the
popcorn popper to roast your beans, be sure it is one that is not enclosed. You
want to be able to see the beans and agitate them so they are roasting evenly.
If you use a pan, a cast iron one works very well.Now you are ready to make your
gourmet espresso, with your own ground and roasted coffee beans.