Coffee is a stimulant and non alcoholic drink that has been around for a long time. Its stimulant effect comes from the caffeine that it contains and it is a good way to warm up on a chilly day. The taste of coffee varies depending on how the coffee is brewed and the type of beans used for brewing it.
Home roasting of coffee beans is a do it yourself process where the raw coffee beans are actually roasted in a pan or over a fire. The raw coffee beans are obtained after the coffee is picked from the tree. The outer skin is then fermented and the inner bean seed is dried. You buy coffee beans from your local store and roast them to remove the acidity. You can then use this to brew coffee.
During roasting the water is forced out of the bean and then the bean expands to almost 100 per cent of its original size. Some of the complex sugars are broken down to release carbon dioxide while the others form the flavour and essence of the coffee. After roasting and staying for over a week, coffee starts to lose some of its flavour and appetising aroma. This is what makes home brewed coffee so much better than industrial coffee. The flavour is still intact.
For a good roasting experience the following conditions must be met: the coffee beans must be heated to over 3700F. They must be kept in constant motion to prevent over roasting or uneven roasting. This means you should be personally present to keep turning them over. Make sure the kitchen is properly ventilated to clear the smoke emanating from the roasting.
Roasting coffee at home requires you to have a standard frying pan. The pan's size determines the amount of beans roasted simultaneously. The quality of the coffee beans will depend on the altitude at which they are grown besides the country of origin. Low altitude and high altitude coffee beans all have different tastes. A seasoned coffee taster will tell you the altitude at which coffee beans were grown when he or she tastes the coffee.
The most important point when roasting coffee is to know when to stop the roast. Here are some guidelines you can use to know when your coffee is completely roasted:
Colour: you could use some already roasted beans to see how your beans should look after roasting. The colour normally changes from light green or brown to a darker shade of brown. As the roasting proceeds they will become greasy as they lose their natural oils.
Smell: the smell will change from the fresh vegetable smell to that of industrial coffee.
Time: the time you spend to fully roast beans is typically 15 minutes. After it lapses and if you correctly roasted your beans turning them constantly, they are ready for making coffee.
Roasting coffee beans is a learning process, and the more experience you have the better you will become at it.
Home roasting of coffee beans is a do it yourself process where the raw coffee beans are actually roasted in a pan or over a fire. The raw coffee beans are obtained after the coffee is picked from the tree. The outer skin is then fermented and the inner bean seed is dried. You buy coffee beans from your local store and roast them to remove the acidity. You can then use this to brew coffee.
During roasting the water is forced out of the bean and then the bean expands to almost 100 per cent of its original size. Some of the complex sugars are broken down to release carbon dioxide while the others form the flavour and essence of the coffee. After roasting and staying for over a week, coffee starts to lose some of its flavour and appetising aroma. This is what makes home brewed coffee so much better than industrial coffee. The flavour is still intact.
For a good roasting experience the following conditions must be met: the coffee beans must be heated to over 3700F. They must be kept in constant motion to prevent over roasting or uneven roasting. This means you should be personally present to keep turning them over. Make sure the kitchen is properly ventilated to clear the smoke emanating from the roasting.
Roasting coffee at home requires you to have a standard frying pan. The pan's size determines the amount of beans roasted simultaneously. The quality of the coffee beans will depend on the altitude at which they are grown besides the country of origin. Low altitude and high altitude coffee beans all have different tastes. A seasoned coffee taster will tell you the altitude at which coffee beans were grown when he or she tastes the coffee.
The most important point when roasting coffee is to know when to stop the roast. Here are some guidelines you can use to know when your coffee is completely roasted:
Colour: you could use some already roasted beans to see how your beans should look after roasting. The colour normally changes from light green or brown to a darker shade of brown. As the roasting proceeds they will become greasy as they lose their natural oils.
Smell: the smell will change from the fresh vegetable smell to that of industrial coffee.
Time: the time you spend to fully roast beans is typically 15 minutes. After it lapses and if you correctly roasted your beans turning them constantly, they are ready for making coffee.
Roasting coffee beans is a learning process, and the more experience you have the better you will become at it.
About the Author:
This article was written on behalf of Whittard. For more information see Coffee coffee beans