Is coffee roasting difficult?

When you think of how to roast coffee beans, you probably think of a dark room, heavy grinding, and lots of patience. 

You might think that coffee roasting is a complicated process requiring a lot of technical know-how. Although this could be true for some people, it’s not difficult to roast coffee beans at home if you have the right equipment and knowledge. 

Factors that determine the difficulty of roasting coffee beans 

When you’re roasting coffee beans, there are many factors that will determine the difficulty level.

Several factors determine the difficulty level when roasting coffee: 

• How many times have you roasted coffee? 
• What type of bean are you roasting? 
• The quality of your equipment… 

Are those enough to explain why there are so many different ways to roast coffee beans? And, yes, the more times we roast our favorite beverage the more challenging it becomes. The best way to answer this question is by breaking it down into its parts and seeing what actions are required in each step.

How to roast coffee beans

1. Remove the beans from their packaging and set them aside. 

2. Place the baking sheet at the center of your oven, with the rack positioned a third of an inch below the top of the oven. Turn on your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit, or 150 degrees Celsius. 

3. Set a wire mesh coffee roaster on top of a small open flame to heat it. When you start out, you may need to set this wire over your stove burner or use a gas stovetop burner that has a small, adjustable flame underneath it. Keep the roast pot on top of this burner for about 5 minutes, until it starts to smoke slightly and emit steam through its bottom (about 80-100 degrees Celsius). This is where you need to be careful not to let the pot get too hot because then it will burn and possibly break before you’ve actually done anything with it. 

4. Wait for them to cool off from this initial heating process (15-20 minutes) so they don’t crack when they are put into their final phase of roasting.

Decide what type of roast you’re looking for

If you’re looking to produce a lighter roast or darker roast, it will depend on how long you roast the beans. If you want an evenly dark roast that’s not too dark, it can be achieved by roasting for 1-2 minutes and then turning off the heat. 

If you’re looking for a darker more robust flavor from the coffee, 3-5 minutes of heating is needed before turning off the heat, but this can vary depending on the quality of your equipment.

Summary of Coffee Roasting 

There are a few roles that need to be taken on during the process of coffee roasting. 

1) The beans are placed in the roaster, they must first be cleaned so that no chaff is left on them. 

2) They are then heated to between 350-370 degrees Fahrenheit, which will cause the outer layer of the bean to burst and release carbon dioxide. 

3) The beans will then foam up as they begin to roast and expand. 

4) Once the beans have had time to roast for about 20-23 seconds, smoke will start coming out of their pores and the color will change from green to black. This is when you want to open up your cooling vents so that moisture doesn’t build up in the roaster. 

5) After they have reached dark brown or black, they must then be cooled down quickly because if they’re not cooled down quickly enough, they’ll burn.