Sunday, January 11, 2009

Coffee: Roast Your Own Beans

I am always attempting to expand my horizons when it comes to food, and the new year seems a perfect time to try new things. So we decided to try roasting our own coffee beans. You can buy green beans (pictured above) at some grocery stores, co-ops, local coffee shops, or you can order them online. To roast the beans, we used an air popcorn popper. Position the popper beside the sink, so that the chaff doesn't fly all over your kitchen (you may also want to disengage your smoke alarm). Place the green beans in the popcorn maker, and roast for about 5-7 minutes. There are more specific instructions on this website: www.sweetmarias.com.
Cool the beans in a metal colander or baking sheet. The color will vary, depending on what type of roast you want (light, dark, etc). After the beans are cool, place them in an air tight container and store in the pantry for about four hours before grinding. Our first attempt produced coffee that was slightly bitter, but pretty good! Overall, the process was very easy and provides the freshest coffee available.

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