Do-It-Yourself Coffee Bean Roasting

Do-It-Yourself Coffee Bean Roasting FARM HOME Food 31-5-31 If you grind your own coffee beans because you like your coffee fresh, then roasting your own beans is something you should check out. Green coffee beans cost half as much as roasted and end up tasting better. "Do-it-yourself roasting is growing by leaps and bounds as people realize it will give them the freshest-tasting coffee," says Terry Wall, owner, U-Roast-Em, a Web-based source for green beans and roasting supplies. "You lose 15 to 20 percent of the weight through moisture loss when you roast green beans, but dollar for dollar, you are better off roasting your own. You will pay up to $40 for a pound of roasted Kona coffee beans in Hawaii. We sell the fanciest estate grown, green Kona beans for $18.50." Roasting beans is easy, too. While Wall's site sells commercial grade roasters and modified air popcorn makers, he also gives instructions on using cast iron skillets and ovens. The key, he says, for whatever type of roaster you use, is to "watch, listen and smell." Beans go through a process where they start to crack or pop like popcorn. Left on the heat, they quiet down before entering a second, subtler cracking stage. The longer they are left on the heat, the darker the roast. With pan or oven roasting, the beans require constant stirring. Equally important once the beans are roasted is to cool them quickly. Again, Wall both sells a cooling system and offers instructions for building your own. Wall's Home Roasting Starter Kit includes a pound of green beans, roasting instructions, a guide to coffee blending, instructions on building your own roaster and a $2 coupon for your next purchase. Shipping is included in the $8.95 price. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, U-Roast-Em, Inc., 16790W U.S. Hwy. 63, Hayward, Wis. 54843 (ph 715 634-6255; info@u-roast-em.com; www.u-roast-em.com).

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