It’s now easier than ever to source small bags of specialty-grade green coffee at a reasonable price, making it easier than ever to roast your own beans from the comfort of your kitchen.

With this surge in popularity, we have also seen an evolution in the technology that home roasters use. To learn more, I spoke with experts from Kaffelogic, Aillio and Sweet Maria’s. Read on to see what they had to say.

You might also like our guide to fluid bed coffee roasters.

The history of home roasters

The first patents for commercial roasters were filed in the late 19th and early 20th century. Before this, pan or skillet roasting was still relatively common.

Home roasters, however, have only been available on the open market since the 1970s. In the 1970s and 1980s, Siemens launched a marketing campaign for a home roaster called the Scirocco.

Byron Dote is the Marketing Manager at Sweet Maria’s, a business that specialises in supplying home coffee roasters.

“One of the first machines was the Melitta Aroma Roast,” Byron says. The Melitta was a fluid bed roaster, using technology that has since become popular with some businesses.

However, Byron adds that eventually, the Aroma Roast was taken off shelves and the home roaster market went quiet for another decade or so. 

Then, Byron says, there was a boom.

“Home coffee roasting had a large spike in popularity in the late 1990s and early 2000s and there was even a large surge in patents for home roasting appliances,” he notes. 

“This all happened around the mid to late-1990s when smaller amounts of green coffee started to become regularly available to more people.”

Naturally, Byron says, there was another boom in 2020 thanks to the Covid-19 pandemic. With more people at home, he says interest surged once again.

Into the 21st century

Byron says that since Sweet Maria’s was founded back in 1997, it has sought to take full advantage of the home roasting market. He says: “Our main focus is selling the best green coffee we can, but it [also] makes sense to sell roasters and home roasting supplies.

“[Since we started], manufacturers have become more innovative and started to provide more features that home roasters want. We have also seen an increase in batch sizes; there are now machines that roast over a pound, which was unheard of in the early 2000s.”

Alongside this, Byron also notes that dedicated coffee roasting software is also becoming more and more accessible for home roasters. The ability to monitor roast curves and dial in specific profiles has allowed them to become more and more precise.

Byron says: “With a lot more people getting into home roasting over the past few years, manufacturers have been looking beyond the DIY, tinkerer, and hobbyist markets to create machines that are easier, safer, and cleaner to use.”

Jacob and Jonas Lillie are the founders of roaster manufacturer Aillio, and are responsible for designing the brand’s proprietary Bullet product. The design, they tell me, was driven by one core concept: “roasting autonomy”.

Jacob says: “I had a Gene Café, Jonas had a Behmor, and we were both looking for something more powerful and versatile. There was nothing on the market that was reasonably priced and could roast larger batches.”

He says that as avid home roasters themselves, they were in the best possible position to understand the market.

Jonas adds: “It was only after I started working for another coffee company that was making espresso accessories that I began looking into developing a product that was a bit more advanced than a tamper.

“In the beginning, Jacob kept shooting down my ideas because he was not impressed. However, when I came up with the idea of using induction to heat the roaster, it caught his attention.” 

Traditionally, most coffee roasters use gas power to heat the drum and roast the beans. Induction heating has emerged as an alternative in recent years. With induction heating, electromagnetic currents are instead used to create resistance in the metal. This resistance produces heat, and therefore eliminates the need for gas.

After building and improving on several prototypes, Jonas says they made a breakthrough. But the market, he adds, wasn’t initially there; the prototype Bullet was a niche, specialist product.

To market it, Jonas says that they went to online coffee roasting forums, and tried to discuss the principles behind the Bullet.

“Many forum users were full of doubts,” he says. “I got some flak from people who told me I ought to quit lying about what I was doing. It took some back and forth, but in the end, some of the biggest doubters wound up becoming pre-order customers.”

The demand for home roasting

Kaffelogic is a firm based in New Zealand that has developed its own micro-roaster: the Nano 7. 

Product Development Director Chris Hilder says that it was his need for freshly roasted coffee at home that motivated the design.

“It started as a home project,” he says. “The system I developed started delivering outstanding coffee. Both home users and roasting professionals began requesting a manufactured version.

“[The Nano 7 is] a professional machine. There is some professional gear you wouldn’t want in your home, but this is a piece of professional kit that sits well in a domestic kitchen.”

Chris also notes that the two markets obviously have different demands. 

“The commercial user demands reliability and roast replicability above all,” he says. “They are busy people and don’t have time for a lot of fiddle-faddle, so our software needs to be easy to use and intuitive.

“Home roasters are usually happy to spend time becoming deeply engaged with the roasting process, but at the same time demand [amazing coffee] straight out of the box,” he explains. “The home users expect every single 100g batch to be drinkable.”

How is the home roaster market set to change?

Byron says that there’s plenty of interest in software and app-driven coffee roasting. Some established manufacturers have already successfully implemented mobile control, making it easy to adjust heat application or fan speed by tapping your phone screen.

He says easy-to-use technology will always remain a priority for home roasters, and notes that accessibility is high on the agenda for manufacturers.

Chris says that growth in the home roasting market shows no signs of slowing down. He also thinks it has the potential to become a highly lucrative sector.

“Home roaster price points are expanding,” Byron adds. “It seems like there are customers who are looking to pay more for more features and larger batch sizes, as well as folks that want dependable, small machines that won’t break the bank.”

Continued growth in the home roaster market could mean more people deciding to roast beans at home, especially as equipment and green coffee become more accessible.

If 2020 was anything to go by, coffee education and awareness among consumers will continue to increase. Hobby roasters with time on their hands have brought on a recent boom in the home roaster market – but only time will tell if another is on the way.

Enjoyed this? Then try our article on how we can minimise waste in the coffee industry.

Photo credits: Aillio, Kaffelogic, Sweet Maria’s

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However, experienced home roasters will also know that it comes with something of a steep learning curve. There are a number of common pitfalls and obstacles that many people fall prey to time and time again.

To learn more about these common mistakes, we spoke to Royal Coffee’s Evan Gilman. Read on to find out what these mistakes are and look at how to avoid them.

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Mistake #1: Not Preheating Your Equipment

Depending on where you are roasting, or what time of year it is, your equipment’s temperature will naturally fluctuate. Setting out a preheating routine will help you ensure consistency when roasting a few batches. 

“You should always preheat your equipment before roasting,” Evan explains. “This allows for better consistency when you charge the roaster with green coffee, and you can be sure the temperature reading you’re getting is the actual temperature of the roaster. 

“When roasters aren’t preheated, the heat can [end up being] unevenly distributed.”

Mistake #2: Not Taking Notes

Roasting coffee at home understandably involves repeating a number of routines and procedures, so it might be easy to think that you’ve got it all committed to memory. However, without proper documentation, you might find that the next batch of beans tastes wildly different to the last. 

Evan explains that taking detailed notes is very important. “When I roast, I log temperatures from the beginning to end, starting with the charge temperature and ending with the temperature when I drop the beans out of the roaster and into the cooling tray. I also record all changes to heat application and airflow. 

“If you’re using a program like Artisan or Cropster, you can annotate these changes, and temperature will be automatically recorded throughout the entire roast. If you’re documenting temperature by hand, I would recommend at least every 30 seconds, if not more often!”

Mistake #3: Rushing To Drink Your Coffee

After you’ve finished roasting, it can be hard to stop yourself from immediately tasting your latest batch. While freshness is important, roasted coffee needs to release CO2 before it is truly ready to drink. 

Every batch will act differently; the amount of time it will need to be rested for depends on a number of different factors, including roast profile, variety, and altitude, just to name a few.

Evan tells me that he has found that finding a “sweet spot” when resting your beans will allow you to taste the coffee with a lot more clarity. “I like to let my coffee rest for a few days after roasting; ideally, at least five days. A good rule is to drink darker coffees [more quickly], and let lighter coffees rest for longer. 

“[Resting is important] because there is residual CO2 trapped in the cell walls of the coffee. This CO2 releases on contact with water, and can interfere with the brewing process. However, you don’t want to lose all your CO2, since this gas also helps to carry away volatile aromatics.”

Mistake #4: Under & Over-Roasting

This common home roasting mistake is one of the hardest to get right. Knowing what you are looking for in your roasted coffee will help you to identify what coffee will look like when it’s under or over-roasted.

It’s important to note that these are very fine lines with home roasting. Sometimes, it will come down to personal taste. 

Evan says: “There are some signs you look for to tell if your coffee has been under-roasted or over-roasted. Physically, under-roasted coffee will be lighter, and you won’t be able to crush it with your thumb when pressing up against a table. 

“Over-roasted coffee will be covered with oil, and if extremely over-roasted, you could even write or draw with it since it has been reduced to carbon!

“In terms of flavour, under-roasted coffee can be grainy or bready tasting, with a sort of brothy consistency when brewed. Over-roasted coffee will be quite thin when brewed, and will taste quite bitter.”

Learning to avoid fundamental mistakes like this takes time. While there’s no substitute for experience with home roasting, there are a number of educational resources and courses out there for people who want to learn more. 

One such example is The Crown, an open-source coffee education centre based in Oakland, California. As well as operating a “tasting room” and coffee lab, it also provides online coffee resources and hosts regular webinars.

Mistake #5: Not Understanding Your Green Coffee

When you’re sourcing new coffee for home roasting, it can be hard to build a roast profile to match. The more details you know about a coffee (variety, elevation, processing, and so on) the better you’ll be able to roast it. 

Evan tells me that small variables make a huge difference, and that no one green bean is the same. “Every bean will be different. Learning the little idiosyncrasies of each coffee you work with is half the fun.”

He gives me some basic tips: “Coffees with a wider spread of screen sizes will take longer to heat up in the roaster. Coffees with a lower density will take on heat more easily at the beginning of your roast. High-density coffees, however, can take on heat later in a roast, and fly through post-crack development. 

“Coffees with high moisture content will need more energy to get to first crack. [I even find that] sometimes Kenyan coffees [reach first crack] earlier than any other origin. There’s an infinite number of these little differences, and it just takes time to get used to them. This is where taking notes really helps.”

However, beyond note-taking, there is no substitute for simply roasting a lot of different coffees from a range of origins. While often the minimum order size for green coffee can be comparatively high for home roasters, some suppliers have started providing lower minimum order sizes to cater for this audience. Royal Coffee, for example, recently launched 1lb bags of green coffee as part of their Crown Jewels range.

Mistake #6: Baking Beans

“Baking” is a common term for a roast defect that can destroy the complex flavour profiles contained within green coffee. If heat is taken away from the roast at the wrong time, the temperature of the bean can stall, rather than changing as it should.

Evan explains how baking happens. “The general consensus is that ‘baking’ occurs when your rate of rise (degrees per minute) either stalls or drops to a negative late in your roast, usually before first crack.

“This means you’re either keeping coffee at the same temperature or losing temperature before you have properly developed the sugars in your coffee.” 

And how do you avoid it? Evan says: “Avoid stalling your temperature before first crack, and you’re likely to avoid baking, though you can also bake a coffee out in post-crack development [if you’re not careful].”

Mistake #7: Scorching

While baking occurs when the rate of rise stalls or drops, scorching occurs when we use too much heat in the early stages of the roast. When a bean is scorched, it burns on the outside while the inside remains raw. 

Evan has experienced this first hand. He gives us some advice on what to concentrate on to avoid scorching. “Scorching happens when a coffee takes on heat too fast in the beginning of a roast. High charge temperatures can scorch your coffee by cooking the outside of the coffee to a crisp before allowing heat into the center of the bean. 

“Too much heat at the beginning of a roast is almost always the culprit here, but you can also scorch a coffee later in roast by applying too much heat too quickly. Watch for this in roasters with very powerful burners.”

Mistake #8: Not Keeping Your Equipment Clean

While many of these mistakes will lead to little more than bad-tasting coffee, home roasting equipment that isn’t properly cleaned can be highly hazardous.

As well as cleaning your home roaster regularly, you should also keep a vacuum cleaner close at hand to ensure the area in which you roast is clean and tidy. Chaff in particular is highly flammable. 

Evan has worked professionally as a roaster, and he tells me that the importance of good health and safety procedures cannot be understated. Seemingly harmless waste can become dangerous if it is ignored. “The biggest danger is fire,” he explains. “When chaff accumulates anywhere, it [becomes a major fire hazard].”

He adds that this is a bigger problem with certain coffees. “The ‘chaffiest’ coffees I’ve experienced are always natural or honey processed coffees,” he says. “With these, the silverskin is still often clinging to the bean a bit because of the processing method that has been used. There is less to worry about with most washed or wet-hulled coffees.

“Remember to clean all the time, too, just like you would in a commercial kitchen. It might already look clean, but it never hurts to clean up just a little more than necessary.”

As well as this, keeping your equipment clean will help you avoid having anything left over from previous roasts that affect the flavour of your next batch.

Honing your skill as a home roaster takes time. However, eliminating some of these mistakes will put you in a great position to roast a variety of different coffees and unlock their true potential. They will also lead to greater consistency and repeatability when you roast. 

While everyone will have different techniques, there is no substitute for experience and hands-on time when roasting coffee. Keep practising, taking notes, and working with a variety of different green beans, and soon enough, you’ll be able to taste the difference.

Enjoyed this? Then read Five Questions Roasters Should Ask Their Green Coffee Importer

Photo credits: Nicole Motteux, Oscar Jimenez, Neil Soque, Josef Mott, Bax + Towner

Please note: Royal Coffee is a sponsor of Perfect Daily Grind.

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While the difference between a filter and espresso roast can be as simple as the former being lighter and the latter being darker, this is not always the case. Although espresso roasts are generally darker, some people still want to be able to taste the acidity in their cup, and choose light or medium roasts as a result. Conversely, some coffee drinkers prefer to use darker roasts for filter coffee.

To learn more about how to roast at home for filter and espresso, I spoke to Evan Gilman at Royal Coffee. Read on to see what he said.

Lee este artículo en español Cómo Tostar en Casa Café Para Filtro y Para Espresso

The Rise Of Home Roasting

Between the growth of specialty coffee and global lockdowns as a result of Covid-19, it doesn’t look like home roasting is going anywhere.

Today, budding home roasters have easier access to specialty grade green coffee than ever before. Furthermore, home roasting equipment is more affordable and accessible than ever. 

As a result, green coffee suppliers are adapting to this growing demand by offering smaller quantities for home roasters. 

As well as being an educator for Royal Coffee, Evan is an experienced roaster (both in and out of home). He notes that Royal have seen even more demand in recent months for smaller and smaller quantities – and have adapted to offer the “Crown Jewels”, a range of 1lb (453g) bags.

Evan’s number-one piece of advice for any home roaster – whether they’re roasting for filter or espresso – is to “embrace failure”.

“Not every roast is going to come out perfect. In fact, no roast will ever be perfect,” he tells me. “That’s half the fun. Always improving means never reaching perfection.” 

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Basic Differences Between Roasting For Filter & Espresso

The first thing to acknowledge with roasting for different brewing methods is that personal preference will differ from person to person. Some people will want bitterness in their filter coffee, while others will look for complexity and acidity in their espresso.

Today, many modern roasters simply aim to “unlock the full potential” of a bean, and instead let the consumer decide how they want to brew their coffee. This means moving away from more traditional terminology like “filter roast” and “espresso roast” and instead just providing the roast level (light, medium, dark, or somewhere in between) on their packaging.

“This is a huge area of contention,” Evan explains. “Among professional roasters, you’ll hear about roasting for solubility or for different attributes of the coffee. 

“Many people use the phrase ‘omni-roasting’ to denote a roast that could be used for either filter or espresso. This is a roast which simply tries to bring out the best in the coffee, regardless of the situation. Currently, this is a popular method for roasting.”

However, as much as the “omni roast” is popular among specialty coffee drinkers today (especially those who brew more coffee at home), there are still those who want a bit more direction.  

Evan says: “In older schools of thought, roasters would tend to ‘bake out’ espresso roasts in order to mute the acidity in the coffee.” 

And how do you achieve this? Evan says that that “baking out” is accomplished by “stalling the rate of rise and allowing the coffee to dwell in the roaster for some time, ideally after first crack”.

However, Evan adds that today, “baked” flavours in coffee are considered to be a “sensory roast defect”. He says that the flavours associated with baked coffee are “muted acidity, a lack of sugar development, and a generally stale flavour”. 

“The idea is that baking a coffee will lead to a smoother espresso,” he adds. “However, you have to remember that roasting is a reductive process. The longer the coffee stays in the roaster, the more you are taking away from it.”

Consider The Coffee’s Origin

As Evan says: roasting for too long “takes away” from the coffee. But what does this mean? Well, the darker you roast your coffee, the more you mute and hide the origin characteristics which are present in the green coffee. 

In the specialty coffee world, many people believe that lighter roasts showcase the “full potential” of the green coffee and highlight how and where it was grown. So, are there certain origins or countries which grow coffee that is best suited to espresso or filter?

Evan notes that while certain flavour profiles might be more appealing for certain brewing methods, it’s not as simple as dividing origins into two distinct categories. “While different types of coffee tend to work better for different [brewing methods], I don’t think this is true across an entire origin.”

He tells me about some of the traditional examples: “Brazilian coffees have (traditionally) been used for espresso blends because they often have a mellow and sweet character. Ethiopian naturals have traditionally been used sparingly in both espresso and drip blends to add a deeper, fruity flavour, but were generally not accepted as a single-origin filter.” 

However, things are changing. With the emergence and growth of third-wave coffee in recent years, more and more people look for brighter or “funkier” coffees that offer new and unfamiliar flavour notes. This means looking at more specific traits, such as variety, processing, and various other parts of a coffee’s terroir.

Choosing to roast a coffee a certain way based only on its origin is reductive. The more information you have about a coffee, the better equipped you will be to roast it. Evan adds that origin shouldn’t be a way to categorise or profile coffees, but rather something that should help us gain a deeper appreciation of the coffee world. 

“Each origin produces a wide range of coffees,” he says. “Half the fun is in exploring, finding what you like, and deciding how you like to brew each coffee you come across. They’re all unique.”

Light, Medium, And Dark: What’s The Difference?

This is one of the most argued points in coffee roasting. Many coffee drinkers across the world have become accustomed to drinking dark roasts, with all the bitterness and intensity they offer. Conversely, specialty and third-wave coffee champion light and medium roasts as being more delicate and subtle.

Lighter roasts are roasted for a shorter period of time, and use more heat during the process to reach first crack (which occurs at 196°C/385°F) more quickly. The aim is to “seal in” the natural acidity of the bean, resulting in a brighter cup. However, lighter roasts will generally lack the body that a longer, darker roast will produce.

Medium roasts generally occur between the end of first crack and the beginning of second crack (between 210°C/410°F and 220°C/428°F). These will have slightly muted acidity, and will preserve some of the coffee’s origin characteristics, but the flavour from roasting will be noticeable.

Medium-dark roasts begin around the beginning or middle of second crack (225°C/437°F to 230°C/446°F), while the end of second crack (240°C/464°F) is when we start to get dark roasts. Coffee is generally not roasted beyond 250°C/482°F, at which point it will begin tasting of charcoal or tar. 

As coffee is roasted to second crack and beyond, its body will increase, and it will become bitter and smoky. It will also start to lose its recognisable origin characteristics and acidity. 

So, when roasting for filter espresso at home, what should you do? Well, firstly, you need to consider which flavours you want in your cup, rather than which flavours historically suit a particular brewing method.

For instance, if you want acidity, subtlety, and to showcase more of the origin, go for a lighter roast. Similarly, if you want bitter and smoky flavours in your coffee, a dark roast will be more suitable. 

Either can be used for filter or espresso; just remember that espresso will be brewed with less water, and therefore offer a more concentrated flavour and a heavier mouthfeel.

Evan says: “Higher priced coffees might fit better for lighter [or filter] roasts. You’re paying more for the nuanced acidity, gentle aromatic qualities, and deep sweetness of a high quality coffee. 

“Roasting to darker levels will only subdue the acidity, remove inherent aromatics in favour of the flavours of the roasting process, and eventually carbonise sugars past the point at which they caramelise.”

Data Is Important: Keep Records & Educate Yourself

Today, in commercial roasteries, computer software and spreadsheets will often hold years’ worth of data. Having access to the minor details of previous seasonal coffee lots can sometimes hold the key to fine-tuning a roast profile.

Evan recommends doing something similar throughout your home roasting journey. “Take notes for every roast! You won’t believe how valuable these will be for your future roasts, whether or not you’re roasting with the same coffee or on the same machine,” he says.

“The more rigorous notes you take, the more you’ll start to notice patterns emerging in your roasting and the coffees you use.”

However, education is just as important. One of Evan’s biggest tips for aspiring roasters: “Read as much as possible.

“It can be fun to reinvent the wheel [and do things slowly]. However, if you want results right away, the best way to get them is to look at all the information you have at your fingertips.”

He adds that Royal have created an online learning platform for aspiring roasters and coffee professionals. The Crown is an open-source coffee education centre based in Oakland, California. As well as hosting a “tasting room”, it also operates online classes and hosts podcasts.

“At The Crown, we analyse many of our offerings, look at different brew methods for different coffees and publish our findings and recommendations online,” Evan says.

Roasting at home is a great way to experiment with origins and flavour profiles you might not have considered before. The rise of home roasting and the increasing availability of small quantities of green coffee just means there are more opportunities than ever to experiment.

And while having a brewing method in mind might help you dial in your roast, it’s important to understand that the ideal “filter roast” and “espresso roast” will differ from person to person. Rather than roasting dark for espresso by default, consider what you look for in your cup. Think about what’s important to you when brewing with a certain method, and roast to your taste.

Enjoyed this? Then read The Rise Of Home Coffee Roasting

Photo credits: Ana Valencia, Neil Soque, Evan Gilman

Please note: Royal Coffee is a sponsor of Perfect Daily Grind. 

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While the average person can purchase a range of different beans and prepare them for consumption from the comfort of their home, some are also starting to take interest in the roasting process, and how it impacts the end result.

Here’s why consumers are increasingly eager to explore home roasting for fun and how this could impact the specialty coffee industry at large.

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Roasted beans after a sample roasting, ready to be cupped. Credit: Georgi Djalev

Home Roasting Defined

Before examining why the popularity of home roasting is increasing, the difference between home roasting and micro roasting must be defined. Micro roasting involves purchasing small lots of quality green beans directly from importers or traders and roasting small amounts of it for cafés and businesses. Home roasting is something undertaken recreationally, without the goals of profit, and purely for enjoyment.

Home roasting offers several benefits for coffee enthusiasts. It offers a sense of personal satisfaction and can lead to a deeper appreciation of specialty coffee. As it encourages experimentation, it can lead to a better understanding of how different roast levels impact beans and how different varieties respond to the roasting process. In some circumstances, it could save money in comparison to purchasing already roasted beans.

Depending on the sophistication of the machine used, developing a roast that meets specific goals will help a home roaster develop certain skills which can only be acquired through experience, such as being able to discern a roast’s level according to bean colour, or control the degree of roasting taking place by judging the level of smoke emitted. 

As many home roasting machines don’t offer as much control over specific roast variables as commercial machines do, it will likely produce diverse results, and no two batches will be the same – something that could appeal to those looking to explore various qualities of a particular bean.

Green beans roasted at home and cooled down in a colander. Credit: Georgi Djalev

A History of Roasting & Today’s Landscape

Roasting coffee at home dates back to the 1400s in Africa and the Middle East and is almost as old as the discovery of coffee itself. It was time-consuming and required careful attention, as the beans had to be placed in a thin, perforated pan over an open flame and turned with a spoon to ensure even roasting. As it produced messy and inconsistent results, it was abandoned in favour of the cylindrical roaster in the 17th century. Beans were added to the cylinder, held over an open flame, and hand-cranked for even roasting. With the 19th century came industrialisation, and gradually commercial roasters took over coffee roasting. 

Byron Dote is the head of Marketing at Sweet Marias, a home coffee roasting company that was founded in 1997 in Columbus, Ohio, in the USA. He says that while the development of the specialty coffee industry and artisanal roasting in the sixties and seventies led to a brief interest in small-scale roasting, it didn’t take off in earnest. 

Since then, the international coffee roasting market has been growing and will increase by an estimated 6.3% over the next four years, with most of this growth concentrated in the USA and Europe. According to Europe’s Centre for the Promotion of Imports, Europe accounted for over a third of global coffee consumption in 2018, which has been accompanied by a rise in specialty roasting. Currently, Germany has the largest coffee roasting industry in Europe (with a roast coffee production volume of 551 thousand tonnes), followed by Italy (with a roasted coffee production volume of 414 thousand tonnes). 

Stefan Bracht owns Kiez Rösterei, a micro-roastery in Berlin, Germany. He attributes this growth to quality green beans becoming available in affordable and smaller quantities, and customers starting to pay attention to their coffee’s sustainability, transparency, locality, and freshness. Claus Fricke is the author of the book Home Roasting, and says, “As a result of the current abundance of high-quality freshly roasted coffee, coffee lovers became more demanding. Now they are searching for a way to enjoy a brew that is ever fresher, with an ever-varying taste profile, and even custom roasted to one’s taste.”

The interior of Kiez Rösterei in Berlin, Germany. Credit: Georgi Djalev

The Pros & Cons of Home Roasting

The current home roasting scene is ripe for development for many of the reasons listed above. Another more specific reason is that it’s never been easier to acquire quality home roasting equipment at a mid to high price range. Brands such as Gene, Hottop, and Aillio are all known for manufacturing home roasting systems that are accessible and produce a quality result. 

Other established brands demonstrate that the industry has plenty to offer those interested in home roasting. US-based Roastmasters has been selling a wide range of home roasting equipment and green, unroasted coffee since 1985. Behmor was founded in 1997 and has developed their own range of home roasting machinery.

Byron says, “While this is still a hobby market, we see growth in it and this growth goes hand in hand with consumers’ awareness and education. For example (and to our surprise) among the groups that we’ve recently added to our customers are baristas, who are looking for a way to kickstart their coffee roasting careers.”

These brands (as well as others like Sweet Marias) offer customers an extensive online knowledge and resource base to refer to, in addition to an after-sales support network. This, in addition to the wealth of roasting information available online through videos, social media, and messaging forums, means that information on learning how to roast is available to anyone interested in it.

However, this is not without its pitfalls. Roasting without formal training or guidance could result in green beans not developing their flavour potential, or getting burnt. A lack of knowledge on roast coffee storage can also result in a failure to degas the coffee sufficiently, preventing the coffee grounds from being fully extracted during brewing. As Stefan says, “Roasting isn’t magic; everyone can roast at home if they wish to. The question is whether they have the time and equipment to reach consistently good results”.

A freshly brewed espresso shot. Credit: Coffee And I

Whether a person is partaking in home roasting purely for the fun of it or wants the satisfaction of being able to roast and brew their own coffee, investing in equipment and experimenting with it is a useful way to gain a better understanding of coffee and its origins.

The development of more affordable and user friendly roasters will be instrumental in helping home roasting become more accessible. As a result, coffee will become more demystified and decommodified, leading to a deeper appreciation of the specialty coffee in general.

Enjoyed this? Check out A Guide to Different Heat Types in Roasting Equipment

Written by Georgi Djalev of Caventura Coffee. Featured photo: An ancient home roasting device shown on the shop-window of the Kiez Rösterei in Berlin. Featured photo credit: Georgi Djalev.

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The coffee.

As a home roaster, you have the thrilling ability to select which green beans you roast and accentuate their best characteristics, all ready for you to make your very own brew (or give the beans to a lucky friend).

But the world of green bean purchasing can seem overwhelming at first. How can you find the right coffee for you? Fortunately, there are some simple ways to understand the differences between green beans and find (at least) one lot that will suit your tastes.

Lee este artículo en español Guía Para Tostar En Casa: Comprar El Café Verde Adecuado

Using a Hottop roaster for sample roasting. Credit: Roast Rebels

Not All Green Coffee Is The Same

A Colombia or an Ethiopian? A washed or a honey? A Bourbon or a Typica-Caturra blend? There are so many types of green beans and the differences between them affect both how the coffee tastes and how you should roast it.

Here are some of the most important points to consider:

1. Origin: The conditions in which a coffee is grown, including the climate, humidity, and soil, have an effect on its aroma and flavour. Go from big to small – taste coffee from different countries, then try different regions, before comparing the differences between farms and lots from one area.

Find out more in our One-Stop Guide to Terroir & Why It Matters!

2. Varieties: The coffee species and variety (which is the genetic category below species) have a remarkable impact on the brewed coffee. Drinking a yellow Bourbon, an SL-28, or a Gesha are completely different experiences.

Learn more! Read A Crash Course in Coffee Varieties

Sorting through freshly picked coffee cherries on a Honduran coffee farm. 

3. Altitude: In general, the higher the elevation, the lower the temperatures. This can cause green coffee to grow more slowly and allow the sugars to develop more. The result? Brews with more complex taste profiles, sweetness, and often more acidity than those grown at warmer temperatures.

When considering altitude, though, don’t forget that different regions have different temperatures. For example, it’s too cold to grow coffee higher than around 600 m.a.s.l. in Hawaii, yet Kona coffee is well-regarded. On the Galápagos Islands, specialty coffee can grow at around just 200 m.a.s.l. Keep this in mind when comparing coffees, especially if they’re from different countries or even continents.

Discover how to roast high-altitude coffees in Roaster Basics: How to Roast Hard & Soft Beans

4. Processing: This is how the coffee beans – or, to be more accurate, seeds – are removed from the fruit.

In natural/dry processing, the entire cherry is dried before the outer fruit is removed, giving it a sweeter and fruitier flavour. Wet/washed coffees have been removed from the fruit before drying, and so they tend to be less sweet but much more clean. In turn, this allows the acidity to shine. Honey processing removes the skin but leaves some of the mucilage, or flesh, around the beans during drying. This creates a sweet and full-bodied flavour, compared to washed coffees.

You may also encounter other processing types: monsooned, wet hulled, experimental… These are often specific to one farm or region. For example, monsooned beans have been stored in warehouses in the humid Indian monsoon season.

Check out How to Roast Honey & Natural Coffee

Washed and natural processed lots dry side-by-side in Honduras.

How to Find The Right Green Coffee For You

Knowing which coffee you like starts with tasting. A lot of tasting, in fact.

Try a range of different coffees and take notes on each one. Rate every cup on a scale from one to ten. Then add notes on the acidity, sweetness, body/mouthfeel, and aftertaste. You could also comment on the flavours and aromas in the cup (both those you liked and those you didn’t). Where possible, write down the origin, variety, elevation, and processing method.

Do you see any patterns? You’ll soon develop an idea about which coffees you like and which you don’t.

If you’re brewing coffee that someone else has roasted, inspect the beans and take notes about the roast degree. Are they oily? Chocolate-coloured or more like cinnamon?

Roast level affects the flavours and aromas of a coffee. Generally, the lighter the roast, the easier it is to taste the beans’ unique profile, including any fruitiness and acidity. This is because the roasting process introduces more toasty notes, which can easily overwhelm the delicate natural flavours of the bean. A darker roast will usually have greater body, less acidity, and an oilier surface.

You might also like Everything You Need for a Home Roaster Starter Kit

Where possible, drink at specialty coffee shops and opt for single origin coffees rather than blends. This will allow you to both ask baristas questions about the coffees and clearly taste the differences in the origins.

Different coffees being cupped at Roast Rebels. Credit: Roast Rebels

Practical Points to Keep in Mind

There are a number of online suppliers who can ship worldwide. But before you commit to an order, consider the cost, availability, and other practical points.

Some green beans may be harder to find during certain seasons. Coffee is an agricultural product, which means it has a harvest season. Different countries, however, have different harvests. And just like with bread or fruit, freshness affects quality. You don’t want to be buying coffee that’s a year old or more.

Other coffees may be unrealistically expensive for your daily drink. And some suppliers only sell large quantities. Are you really going to roast and consume all those beans? And even if you would, do you have enough room to store them?

Sample roasting coffee. Credit: Roast Rebels

Once You’ve Bought Your Beans

Now you know a bit about green coffee beans, you’ve sampled several, and you’ve taken notes. That means you’re ready to purchase some and begin roasting.

Start with experimentation: take one lot and roast it with three to five different profiles. Then, take a few lots and roast them all with exactly the same profile. Take notes on the results of both these tests to help you understand the impact of roast profiles on different beans. Then, do all this again with different beans and profiles until you craft your perfect coffee.

A cupping is also a great way to learn a lot in a short time. These events allow you to try a bunch of coffees in one session and take notes on what you taste. Oh, and learning how to cup will help you evaluate your own coffee’s quality.

How do you find out about cupping events? Watch out for coffee festivals, follow local specialty coffee shops and schools on social media, and keep an eye on your country’s Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) website.

The SCA also offers courses on coffee sensory skills and roasting. These can be valuable tools for home roasters. And, of course, you can find a lot of information on typical profiles online and in books.

Want even more tips? Read Learn How to Roast Coffee With These Resources

Before and after: the green and roasted coffee beans. Credit: Roast Rebels

There’s nothing quite like roasting your own coffee. It dramatically expands the range of green coffee you get to choose from and allows you to find – and craft! – the perfect brew for you.

And remember, research is useful but the best way to learn is by experimenting. The more you taste and compare, the easier it will be for you to find your favourite bean. What are you waiting for?

You might also like Everything You Need for a Home Roaster Starter Kit

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The post A Home Roaster’s Guide to Buying The Right Green Coffee appeared first on Perfect Daily Grind.

True mastery relies on practising, experimenting, and really getting to know your roaster. But that doesn’t mean you have to go it alone. There are many resources that will speed up your roasting journey and provide support when you’re struggling.

Not sure where to begin? Don’t worry – I’ve got you covered! I’ve created a list of useful resources for home roasters and professionals alike, including books, apps, YouTube channels, and forums. Let’s get started.

Lee este artículo en español Aprende a Tostar Café con Estos Recursos

Inside the roastery at Floozy Coffee Roasters. Credit: Floozy Coffee Roasters

YouTube Channels

YouTube is a great way to learn just about anything, and coffee roasting is no exception. Of course, no one moderates or fact-checks YouTube videos so you have to be careful not to pick up bad advice from amateur videos. But if you can separate the, ahem, beans from the chaff, you’ll find some valuable knowledge given away for free.

Start off by trying these:

Manufacturers & Suppliers

Find out if your roaster manufacturer, green bean supplier, and so on has a YouTube channel.  Take Behmor, maker of the 1600 Plus home roaster: it has a whole series dedicated to instructional videos in both English and Spanish. Their channel also features useful videos from other people. And another great option is the green bean supplier Sweet Maria’s Coffee, which uploads videos about roasting, production, and green beans.

Mill City Roasters

This channel belongs to a commercial coffee roaster manufactuer that is dedicated to improving specialty coffee quality through education and training. Joe Marrocco and Dave, two respected roasters in the industry, publish monthly videos targeted towards professional roasters. Each video is highly detailed, accessible, and technically sound.

SEE ALSO: Everything You Need for a Home Roaster Starter Kit

Looking for more videos? You can also check out PDG’s Video category.

Taking in the aroma of freshly roasted beans. Credit: Morrow Coffee

Books

There are several writers who have not only taken coffee roasting to the next level but generously shared their knowledge with readers. These ones are a good place to begin:

Home Coffee Roasting, Revised, Updated Edition: Romance and Revival ~ Kenneth Davids

This book, while a few years old by now, is a great introduction to the craft of home roasting. Joe Behm of Behmor tells me that he recommends it as one of the original instructional books about roasting. It contains advice on equipment, bean storage, blending, and more.

The Coffee Roaster’s Companion ~ Scott Rao

Scott Rao is one of the most well-known names in coffee, and this book is for many the bible of coffee roasting. At the time of writing, Rao had more than 20 years of roasting experience and had used over 250 machines. The information in this book is at times practical and at times highly technical, as Rao dives into the chemistry of coffee roasting – but no matter what, it’s always useful.

Modulating the Flavor Profile of Coffee: One Roaster’s Manifesto ~ Rob Hoos

If you’re looking to control the flavour profiles of your coffee, highlighting acidity or enhancing body, Rob Hoos’ book is a must-read.

There are of course many other books you can also read. The Book of Roast: The Craft of Coffee Roasting from Bean to Business is one option, although at US $125 it’s a pricey investment. Then there are books on coffee in general, such as James Hoffmann’s The World Atlas of Coffee.

And let’s not forget that Perfect Daily Grind has a wide range of roasting articles, if you’re looking for something a bit more bite-sized.

The World Atlas of Coffee by James Hoffmann. Credit: Ana Valencia

Apps & Software

There’s no denying that technology is now helping roasters to achieve consistency. The following apps and programmes will help you keep track of your roasts, whether you’re a home roaster or a pro.

Roast Buddy

This free tool was created by home roaster, developer, and designer Ben McMahen to use himself – making it perfect for home roasters. It records your profile history and can also generate statistics. It’s easy to view previous data points.

Roastmaster

If you’re looking for something a little more advanced than Roast Buddy, you can turn to Roastmaster. While not free, it is a cheap alternative and offers detailed analysis and tracking – assuming you’re using Apple products. You can record roast, bean, blend, and cupping data, and even connect it to a thermocouple.

Typica  

The passion project of Neal Wilson, a coffee roaster and SCA roasting and brewing instructor, this helps you track roast/production and inventory data, calibrate across different machines, plan roast profiles for new coffees, and even print labels. Since it’s open source, programmers can also customise it to their exact needs. It’s free and updated periodically.

Cropster

One of the most well-known roasting apps, this smart roast profiling software is ideal for businesses. It allows you to track and visualise four temperatures, Rate of Rise, gas, rotations, speed, pressure, and more. Matt Swenson, Coffee Director at Chameleon Cold-Brew, tells me, “We use it for all of our sample and contract management, our physical and sensory evaluation database, as well as to track inventory over multiple warehouses throughout the country.”

SEE ALSO: Effective Data Collection for Coffee Roasters

Roasting with a Behmor 1600, the Roastmaster app, and an iCelsius BBQ probe. Credit: Orange Cactus Coffee

Forums & Bodies

Never forget that you’re not the only roaster out there. Lean on your community to help you learn more about this craft and troubleshoot any problems.

Home Barista

Don’t let the website name fool you; this forum has an active Home Roasting section where you can share problems, experiences, and ideas.

Roasters Guild

With a forum, events, training programmes, and more, the Roasters Guild is part of the Specialty Coffee Association. It’s targeted towards professional roasters and membership costs US $200 a year.  

Facebook Groups

Haven’t tried searching for Facebook groups yet? You should! There are many groups full of roasters happy to connect with you, share knowledge, and problem-solve.

The Perfect Daily Grind Facebook group. Credit: Ana Valencia

Whether you’re using a 60-kilo Probat in your own roastery, or a Behmor 1600 Plus in your kitchen, there’s always more to learn about coffee roasting. And the good news is that it’s easy to do so.

The tools are there ready and waiting for you. So start cracking open those books, watching those YouTube channels, and putting your newfound knowledge into practice.

Please note: This article has been sponsored by Behmor.  

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The post Learn How to Roast Coffee With These Resources appeared first on Perfect Daily Grind.

However, home roasting isn’t easy. This hobby comes with a whole new set of skills and concepts to master. And no matter how competent you become, there’s always something new to learn.

So let us introduce you to some of the main concepts to come across in a home roaster’s journey. We’ll be looking at equipment, roast profiles, roast stages, green beans, roast defects, and roast and flavour characteristics – let’s get started.

Spanish Version: Diccionario Para el Tostador Casero: Del Primer ‘Crack’ a la Cascarilla

Roasted coffee beans inside a drum roaster.

Equipment

Stovetop Roaster
This is how most home roasters begin, with either a pan or a Whirley-Pop roaster that sits on top of their hob. On the plus side, it’s a cheap and hands-on way to begin roasting. However, it’s difficult to control your roast and can be laborious.

SEE ALSO: Everything You Need for a Home Roaster Starter Kit

First of all, a pan is exactly what it sounds like. A Whirley-Pop is like a saucepan but with an in-built crank for moving beans around and a hinged lid that will let you check the bean colour. It’s actually designed for popcorn.

You need to be constantly moving those beans to ensure an even roast. What’s more, many people find light roasts hard to achieve with this method. You should be prepared for a lot of smoke – you may find it easier to do this outside on a camp stove, although the wind may then make it harder to achieve a consistent heat.

Air Roaster
In an air roaster, the machine heats the air which in turn heats the coffee. It’s a popular home roasting method and, in fact, many people start with this rather than with a stovetop roaster. It’s easier to control and offers more consistency. However, it doesn’t give you as much control over the roast development as drum roasters, our final option.

Drum Roaster
Drum roasters have a drum that slowly rotates the beans. They normally allow you to roast more coffee at a time than air roasters or stovetop roasters. What’s more, you can start to manipulate more factors, such as temperature. They may come with smoke suppression technology so you can use them indoors.

The Behmor 1600, a drum coffee roaster. Credit: Amec Velásquez

Chaff Tray/Collector
Chaff, or silverskin, is the tiny layers of dried skin or husk on the beans. These will come off during roasting. A chaff tray/collector will catch chaff.

Cooling Tray/Pan
Unless your roaster comes with a built-in cooling cycle, you’ll want to cool your freshly roasted beans as quickly as possible. This will prevent them from continuing to develop/roast due to the hot environment. A cooling tray or pan is ideal for this.

Bean Probe/Thermometer
You can attach a thermometer to some drum roasters, which will help you keep track of your roast development.

Scales
Many roasters like to compare pre-roast and post-roast weights to help understand the changes in their beans.

Roasting Log & Apps
What happens if you do your best ever roast… but don’t remember how you did it? Logging your roast times, temperatures, cupping scores/thoughts on the coffee, bean type, and more will help you to replicate roasts, experiment with styles, and so on. You can use a notebook or one of several apps, such as Roast Buddy, Roastmaster, and (although it’s designed more for professionals) Typica.

Valve Bags
Valve bags are the best way to store your roasted coffee since they will keep the beans airtight. Find out more here.

A roasting log can help you to improve quality over time.

Roast Profiles

Light
A lightly roasted coffee won’t have been taken far beyond first crack (more on that to come). This roast level will probably highlight the bean’s distinctive fruitiness and acidity. However, the beans also face the greatest risk of being underdeveloped and having grassy or sour notes.

Medium
The beans will be approaching or just reaching second crack (more on that to come).

Dark
The beans will have surpassed second crack. They will be oily and have more “toasty” characteristics. They’re often associated with greater body, less acidity and, when done poorly, more bitterness. Dark roasts are unpopular in the third wave coffee industry, but you can still find them.

Espresso, Filter, and Omni Roasts
Some roasters will roast a coffee slightly darker if it’s going to be used as an espresso or slightly lighter if it will be used for pour over. (Find out why here.) Other roasters like to find a roast profile that they believe is suitable for both espresso and filter: something called an omni roast.

Cinnamon/Blonde Roast
More names for light roasts.

City/City +/Full City
Generally speaking, a City roast is a light roast, a City + a medium-light roast, and a Full City or Full City + a medium roast.

Vienna/French/Italian
Generally speaking, a Vienna or Light French roast is a dark roast, a Full French roast even darker, and an Italian even darker still.

Coffee beans roasted to different levels. Credit: Roastworks Coffee Co

Roast Stages

Here are the major stages in chronological order:

Charge Temperature
Charge temp is the temperature of the drum when you first add your beans. So okay, it isn’t actually a roast stage and, with many home roasting machines, you can’t actually control it. However, we’ve included it here because you’re likely to read about it in roasting articles. You may find you want to experiment with it as you get more into your roasting, because it can have a dramatic impact on the rest of your roast.

SEE ALSO: Coffee Roasting Guide: How to Control Charge Temperature

Rate of Rise (RoR)
This is the speed at which heat increases inside your roaster. Most home roasters won’t be able to directly control this but, like charge temp, it’s a key term in the industry and therefore worth knowing. It helps you to control acidity, body, and more. As you get more and more into your roasting, you may begin to get curious about how this affects the final flavour profile of your coffee.

SEE ALSO: Coffee Roasting Essentials: A Guide to Rate of Rise (RoR)

Yellowing
This is early on in the roast, when your beans start to dry. Shortly afterwards, they’ll begin browning.

Maillard Reaction/Browning
The Maillard reaction is a chemical process that browns your beans and creates many of its delicious flavour compounds – especially the savoury ones.

Caramelisation
Often confused with the Maillard reaction, caramelisation also creates many flavour and aroma compounds. However, the chemical process is different. You’ll know it’s happening by the slightly more caramel notes wafting from your roaster. It begins soon after the Maillard reaction.

First Crack
First crack is a moment that you should definitely be watching out for. A literal auditory crack, it’s a sign that your coffee is nearly at a “consumable” stage.

SEE ALSO: What Is First Crack and How Do You Recognise It?

Roasted coffee beans.

Second Crack
Second crack is the second set of cracks you’ll hear during roasting. It has a bad reputation in the third wave coffee scene since, after second crack, all roasts will be dark. (You can scroll up to recap light vs dark.)

Resting
After you’ve roasted your beans, it’s standard to allow them to rest and de-gas for a few days before grinding and brewing them.

SEE ALSO: What Roasting Dates Can & Can’t Tell You About Coffee

And one bonus concept:

Development
This can refer to both the amount of development that the compounds in your beans have undergone and the period during roasting when those compounds are developed. Matt Perger of Barista Hustle argues that development refers to the interior of the beans and roast level (light/dark) the exterior.

People often confuse dark roasts with over-developed ones and light roasts with under-developed ones. However, there is a difference and, although rare, you can have under-developed dark roasts.

From green beans to a dark roast.

Green Beans

This topic is so big we had to divide it into three: the green bean anatomy, the types of green beans, and green bean defects (although you hopefully won’t have to deal with those).

• Green Bean Anatomy

Green Coffee Beans
Green coffee beans are unroasted coffee beans or, to be more accurate, coffee seeds.

Peaberry
You normally get two beans to a coffee cherry. However, in roughly 5% of cases, the two beans don’t separate. This results in one large, round bean. While technically a defect, some people argue that this creates a unique flavour profile. Many people consider this belief to be purely marketing, however.

Chaff/Silverskin
The tiny skin around the green coffee beans. It will fall off during roasting.

Coffee Cherry
The coffee fruit: technically a berry, this sweet fruit contains the coffee beans or seeds. When ripe, it’s typically a vibrant red. However, some varieties are yellow, orange, or pink instead.

SEE ALSO: Origin Insight: Dissecting the Coffee Cherry in 2 VIDEOS

Green coffee beans. Credit: Ana Valencia

• Types of Green Beans

Robusta & Arabica
Robusta and Arabica are the main species of coffee in a home roaster’s dictionary. While there are hundreds of species out there, it’s unlikely that you’ll come across anything other than these two. Arabica is known for its more aromatic and delicate flavours. It’s also less resistant to disease and pests. Robusta is known for being more bitter, caffeinated, and hardy. The vast majority of third wave coffee is Arabica but there is also a small level of interest in Fine Robustas.

Coffee Variety
Variety is to species as V60 is to pour over. Within every species, there are multiple varieties with their own distinctive characteristics. These include flavour profiles, growing regions, and bean size. Common coffee varieties include Caturra, Catuai, Bourbon, and Typica.

SEE ALSO: Geisha vs Bourbon: A Crash Course in Coffee Varieties

Hard & Soft Beans/Bean Density
Bean hardness, or density, gives us information about the coffee’s quality and how we should roast it. Harder beans developed more slowly, creating more complex flavours. They can also be roasted quicker and at higher charge temperatures.

SEE ALSO: Roaster Basics: How to Roast Hard & Soft Beans

Elevation
Generally speaking, the higher the elevation, the denser the beans and the better the coffee quality. However, this isn’t always true.

Processing
Coffee processing is the method by which the coffee beans are removed from the coffee cherry. They affect the coffee’s flavour and how you roast them.

• Wet/Washed: The cherry flesh was removed by waster and then the beans were dried. This offers a clean flavour profile.
• Dry/Natural: The coffee was slowly dried under the sun while still in cherry. These offer a sweet, fruity taste. They tend to either be poor quality due to uncontrolled and inconsistent fermentation or high quality due to careful drying and monitoring by the producer.
• Honey & Pulped Natural: These coffees were dried with varying amount of the cherry still attached to the seeds. The more cherry was attached, the greater the sweetness and body.

SEE ALSO: How to Roast Natural & Honey Processed Coffee

Coffee from different origins.

Country of Origin
Different countries have different flavour profiles, altitudes, and more. Knowing the country of origin will help you to both anticipate the flavour profile and, as you become more proficient, how to roast it.

SEE ALSO:  How to Roast Coffee From Different Origins 

Single Origin & Micro Lot
A single origin coffee has come from a particular region in a country or sometimes even a particular farm. A micro lot has come from a particular area on the farm.

Blend
Coffees from multiple origins have been blended, often to achieve a more desirable flavour profile and add any characteristics that were considered “missing”. This can be done before or after roasting.

Past Crop
Coffee that is from the previous harvest: you can expect the flavours and aromas to have faded. 

Bags of Colombian green beans.

• Defects

Professional roasters who buy green beans direct from producers or importers will be responsible for ordering samples and checking for defects. But as a home roaster, if you are ever unfortunate enough to experience these, there’s just one thing you have to do – send the beans back!

Insect Damage
Holes in your beans indicate that one of several potential pests has damaged them.

Full/Partial Black
Beans are shrivelled and black or brown, often due to issues in processing.

Full/Partial Sour
Beans are a light to dark brown, often due to issues in storage or processing.

Quakers
The beans from unripened coffee cherries, these are unfortunately hard to spot in a green bean sample. However, after roasting, they’ll be a lighter brown than the rest of the batch. This is because there won’t be as many sugars, which are necessary for the Maillard reaction (scroll back up to recap this). Quakers have a dry or papery flavour.

SEE ALSO: 7 Green Bean Defects Roasters & Producers Need to Recognise

Quakers that were discovered and removed after roasting due to their lighter colour. Credit: pea.berries

Roast Defects

Baked/Stalled
This happens when the temperature in the roaster plateaued or dropped around first crack. It creates a doughy, bread-like flavour in the cup.

Scorched
The surface of the coffee beans will, as the name suggests, be scorched. This is normally because the charge temp was too high (scroll up to recap charge temp). If you see this, start your roast with a lower heat.

SEE ALSO: 6 Common Roast Defects & How to Recognise Them

Scorched coffee beans. Credit: Suksit Thep-aree

Roast & Flavour Characteristics

Acidity & Sourness
Acidity is when a coffee creates the same sensation on your tongue as, say, eating a nectarine or a slice of lemon. There are different types of acidity in coffee. Acidity is often a desired trait among specialty coffee drinkers; if the experience is unpleasant, it can be considered sour. This trait can be manipulated through roasting, although it is challenging.

SEE ALSO: VIDEO Guide: How Do You Roast for Acidity?

Body
This is a brewed coffee’s texture. It may be described as rounded, silky, full, and so on. It can be enhanced through roasting.

SEE ALSO: Coffee Guide: What Is Body? & How Do I Brew & Roast for It?

Sweetness
A desirable trait, this can be enhanced through roasting.

SEE ALSO: Why Are Some Coffees Sweeter Than Others?

Bitterness
Bitterness is generally seen as a negative trait in specialty coffee, although not always. Over-developed and overly dark roasts tend towards bitterness.

Nutty, Spiced, Floral, & Fruity
Common coffee characteristics, you’ll find certain beans tend to have certain flavour profiles.

Toastiness
The flavour characteristics most associated with the roast process. As of such, this is a trait most common in darker roasts.

Grassy
This suggests that the coffee was under-developed.

Faded
The flavours and aromas are less vibrant. This often indicates that the green coffee was old.

Coffee being brewed in a Chemex

We’ve covered some of the main concepts that, as a home roaster, you’ll encounter. They’ll help you to understand your profiles, discuss roasting with other people, and experiment with new techniques.

Of course, the world of roasting is far vaster than this list. If you’re interested in becoming a professional or semi-professional roaster, you’ll need to look beyond this glossary – but that’s a topic for another article!

Perfect Daily Grind

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The post A Home Roaster’s Dictionary, From First Crack to Silverskin appeared first on Perfect Daily Grind.

So we scoured the web to find this video from Home Roast Coffee. It gives a beginner’s guide to choosing green beans to roast at home. From processing methods to coffee regions, it explains the basic flavours you can expect.

How to Choose Green Coffee for Roasting

A couple of points: although this is a basic guide, there are many factors that affect a coffee’s flavour: micro climate, variety, production practices… and, of course, how you roast it! Never forget that, as a roaster, you get to choose the characteristics you want to emphasise. From deciding between light and dark roasts to controlling your rate of rise, there are many ways to affect the final flavour profile.

Also, while Home Roast Coffee recommends starting with certain origins, this is all subjective. Many people are familiar with Latin American coffee profiles, which can make them a “comfortable” beginner coffee… but really, it’s down to your personal preferences!

Oh, and once you’ve selected and bought your new beans, check out our guide to density to help you roast them.

SEE ALSO: Everything You Need for a Home Roaster Starter Kit

SEE ALSO: What Is First Crack and How Do You Recognise It?

Please note: Perfect Daily Grind does not own the rights to these videos and cannot be held accountable for their content.

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The post A Home Roasters’ VIDEO Guide to Choosing Green Coffee Beans appeared first on Perfect Daily Grind.

What’s more, you’ll discover all the notes and flavours you can bring out in a coffee. You’ll find the differences between origins, altitudes, varietals, processing methods, your roast profiles, and more. And this will push you even further.

So if you’re ready to begin home roasting, I’m here to help you out by sharing the essential items you need to buy. Note: there is one more you’ll need that’s not listed here, but you can’t buy it. And that’s because your five senses are key for developing your craft. The rest, though, you can add to an online shopping cart right now. Let’s get started!

Spanish Version: Todo lo que Necesitas para Comenzar a Tostar Café en Casa

A starter roasting kit ready to use. Credit: Jason G.

1. A Sample Roaster

You have a few different options here, depending on how much you want to spend and what features you’d like.

Some people like to start with a popcorn machine or even give pan roasting a go. These are inexpensive options that won’t give you a lot of control over your roast, but will provide some insight into how the beans react to heat. Once you know you’re committed to roasting, and it’s not just a fad, you can then upgrade.

If or when you’re looking for something with a little more potential, you need a home roaster. These will allow you to control the temperature and time of your roast, as well as offering additional functions.

Take the Behmor 1600 Plus, for example: it’s an affordable machine that allows you to roast up to a pound of coffee, provides pre-set profiles for particular bean types as well as the ability to overwrite them, and has smoke suppression technology. Having been designed for coffee rather than for popcorn, it has a built-in cooling period and a drum that ensures even roasting.

Home roasting? It can be a fun new hobby! Credit: Brian Kendall

2. Green Beans

You can’t roast coffee without the beans! But remember that they’re not all the same. If you’re at the stage where you want to start home roasting, no doubt you’re aware of the impact of origin, varietal, production practices, processing methods, and more on the flavour. But these also affect the roast profile you need to use.

For example, Bean density is affected by multiple factors – the most easy-to-measure one being altitude. Denser beans generally have better flavour development, and because they’re denser they absorb heat differently. Use too low a charge temperature and they’ll bake. However, use too high a temperature on soft beans, and they’ll scorch.

Fortunately, you can recognise density by looking at the green bean’s centre line. The more open it is, the softer the bean. Alternatively, to compare different beans, you can try this cheap DIY hack.

There are several books and online sources for information like this. Certain home roasters will also come with different set profiles, so you can ease your way into roast profile manipulation.

Get to know your green beans before you roast them. Credit: roastworks.coffee.co

3. A Scale

Scales aren’t just necessary for brewing. So if you don’t have one yet, get it ASAP. It’ll allow you to measure the weight of both your green and roasted beans – letting you know both how much you’re roasting and how much weight your beans are losing in the roast.

Scales: not just for brewing coffee! Credit: friedricebanzai

4. A Cooling Tray or Colander

This one is only necessary if your roaster doesn’t come with a cooling tray. Since your beans will continue reacting to the heat even after the roast has finished, it’s important to bring down internal temperature as quickly as possible.

Some home roasters already have cooling trays and phases built in. But if yours doesn’t, purchase a tray or colander. It won’t be as reliable, but it’s the next best thing.

Cool your roasted beans quickly to avoid post-roast development. Credit: Mark Headrick

SEE ALSO: Jen Apodaca: How to Improve Your Roasting Skills

5. Coffee Bags/Airtight Jars

After the cool down phase, your beans will need to degas. There are many different opinions on how long this takes: Sweet Maria’s recommends 8–12 hours, while other people say 24 hours or even longer.

How you store your beans will also impact their shelf life. Keep your coffee in resealable and, preferably, one-way valve bags to protect them from light, moisture, heat and air. Another good option is an airtight jar, so you can reuse it. Just make sure the jar is in good condition and that you keep the beans out of the light. Otherwise your coffee will quickly become stale.

Good storage will keep your beans fresh for longer. Credit: Jeremy and Farrah

6. Roasting Log/Notebook

Want to know your coffee is going to taste the same way every time? Or to work out why you’re getting unpleasant notes or defects – and how to change it? Then you need to keep a roast log.

You can use the same beans, and the same roaster, and the same basic parameters for each roast. But there are some variables you can only control and replicate if you have a record of them.

Record everything so you can replicate your roasts. Credit: Risteriet Coffee

Home roasting is a wonderful experience. It will transform your relationship with coffee – and, for some, it may even be the start of a new career! So if you’re feeling even just a little bit curious about it, pick up the items on this list – or, for the first time, borrow a friend’s – and give it a try.

Perfect Daily Grind

Please note: Behmor is a sponsor of Perfect Daily Grind. Perfect Daily Grind is not affiliated with any of the other individuals or bodies mentioned in this article, and cannot directly endorse them.

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The post Everything You Need for a Home Roaster Starter Kit appeared first on Perfect Daily Grind.

With such astounding rates of growth, it’s no wonder the coffee community is looking towards this East Asian country. Next week, it will host Cafe Show and the World Coffee Leaders Forum 2016; next year, it will hold the World Barista Championship.

Yet with all this focus on coffee consumption, the growth in home roasting has gone largely unnoticed. And that, too, is booming.

We spoke to Beom Kyu Heo, CEO of Waveon Coffee, 2015-2016 Espresso Italiano Championship, Korea Official Sensory Judge, CQI Q-grader, and Trainer at the International Institute of Coffee Tasters. He told us about the growth of this sector, what the rest of the world can learn from it, and his tips for home roasters.

SEE ALSO: The S-Curve Roast Profile: Exploring Roasting Basics

A Korean café. Credit: Seoul Café Show

Hi Beom, can you tell us about Korea’s home roasting community?

We live in an IT nation nowadays, and there are many active Korean internet communities. This is an important part of our home roasting scene.

The community “Coffee Naru” on the website Naver has been growing since 2010. Today, it has 13,000 members. The members meet up in person, they talk about roasting profiles, and they share information about green beans. They upload pictures of their roasted coffee and express their love of it.

Another aspect is competitions. In June 2016, the first Dr. Mahn Handy Roaster Championship was hosted in Seoul. Competitors had to roast with their Dr. Mahn Handy Roaster [a stainless steel ‘pan’ designed specifically for coffee roasting, with users supplying their own heat source]. Approximately 600 people took part. This showed us how much home roasting has grown in Korea.

The Dr. Mahn Handy Roaster. Credit: jeong275

How accessible is home roasting in Korea?

The trend of roaster-cafés really took off in Korea, and ever since then people have been interested in roasting. At that time, many companies developed small batch roasters to suit the size of a roastery-cafe in Korea. And these roasters naturally work for home roasting too.

Easyster Coffee Roaster is one well-known roaster that is also made in Korea. This company started with a 300g and 500g roaster, but now they also offer a 1.8kg roaster.

Behmor are releasing a Korea-specific roaster which will be more affordable than many others. It has smoke suppression and automatic controls, which will be convenient for beginners and hobbyists, and is approximately the size of a toaster oven.

Besides that, Kaldi Coffee Roaster is one of the earliest coffee roasters in Korea. It’s a compact machine that comes with either a manual or a motor-powered roaster. You also have the electric-powered Genecafe and the Dr Mahn Handy Roaster I mentioned before. The J3 two-way coffee roaster can be operated with only one button, making it convenient.

These small machines make it very easy for home roasters to experiment with roasting and new profiles. For example, with the Behmor there are set roast profiles on the Behmor app, and with the Dr Mahn you can see the coffee as it roasts.

The online community is also useful for providing feedback and advice.

The Behmor coffee roaster in action. Credit: Plague Coffee Roasters

How does home roasting fit into Korea’s increasingly large specialty coffee industry?

The growing home roasting scene has naturally led to an increased interest in green beans, and how the quality of both the green beans and the roaster affects the coffee. Home roasters are sharing more information on green beans and on importers. Also, more and more people are buying their green beans from specialist importers. All of this leads to greater interest in the origin of the beans, the processing methods, and more.

A Brazilian and a Colombian single origin purchased by a Korea roaster. Credit: _bycomet

What’s the future of home roasting in Korea?

The future of Korean home roasting is bright. We are thriving and will continue to do so. However, we need to overcome one issue.

Many Koreans live in multiplex housing, such as apartment blocks. This means that home roasting can cause problems, especially for those with upstairs neighbours, because roasting normally comes with chaff, dark smoke, and a strong smell. It’s the home roasters who can overcome this limitation that will lead the industry in Korea. “Closed” roasters, like the Behmor, can produce less smoke than some of the other options, but it’s still a concern.

This Korean barista roasts on his balcony. Credit: barista_us

What are some practical tips for Korean home roasters?

A home roaster will normally be compact, and so it can be affected by the external temperature. This can lead to reduced temperatures. Make the to put your home roaster in an area with as consistent a temperature as possible to regulate this.

Second, use your heat source effectively. This is not a problem for contained roasters, such as the Behmor roaster, but it is a problem for stovetop roasters. The slightest gap or hole can allow heat source to escape. Since home roasters are so small, this can have a major impact.

Third, be careful of the smoke. Every roaster will blow up some smoke, but too much can be dangerous.

Can the rest of the world learn from Korea’s home roasting scene?

The first Dr. Mahn Handy Roaster Championship showed how the home roasting scene can progress. It enhanced the public’s interest in coffee, as well as potential new home roaster’s. It would be great to see more of this kind of competition throughout the world.

Is there anything at Cafe Show that you would recommend home roasters to look out for?

Many home roasting companies will be exhibiting at Café Show. Behmor will also have a booth – and some of their products will be on display at AnaCafé. Cofero Orbe is another home roaster worth checking out.

Thanks for talking, Beom!

Perfect Daily Grind

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The post Smoking Hot: Why Is The Korean Home Roasting Scene Taking Off? appeared first on Perfect Daily Grind.