The Art of Home Roasting
Be your own roast master!
For a coffee hobbiest, one of life’s simplest pleasures is the anticipation of waking up each morning to grind your own, freshly roasted coffee beans. Ah, the smell!! And the taste! Simply the best and just the way you like it. What a great way to start the day!
People who like to roast their own coffee are just as interested in all aspects of making that perfect cup of coffee as they are in drinking the perfect cup. I f you are this person, then a home roaster, like the FreshRoast 500, would be a perfect addition to your kitchen.
By roasting your own coffee, you open the door to a huge variety of flavours – over 800 in fact – about 400 more than wine. You’ll discover your own favourites as you sample the single-origin coffees from the various growing regions of the world. Learn to appreciate the differences, both the subtle and not-so-subtle, between the beans. As the roaster, you determine just the right roast for you. Not only will you be able to enjoy drinking your coffee but creating it as well. Share your fresh roasted creations and “special blends” with your family and friends – they’ll love you for it!
There is also a financial benefit to roasting your own coffee, especially high quality beans. The cost is lower and the smaller sizes ensure that you will be drinking only the purest and freshest coffees at a fraction of the price. The average ‘cup of joe’ will cost you about 25 cents for high quality, 100% Arabica coffee – no fillers, no chemicals and a fair price paid to the farmer who grew the beans. Now that’s a win/win situation!
But be aware – roasting your own coffee can be time consuming and may not be for everyone. But for the person who enjoys taking their morning ritual one step further, roasting your own coffee can be a lot of fun and rather addictive in it’s own right!
Name of Roast | Bean Surface | Avg. Temp | Acidity | Body | Aroma |
Light Brown/ Cinnamon | Dry | 380- 400 o F “First Crack” |
High | Weak | Medium |
Medium light Brown/ American | Dry | 400- 415 oF | High | Full | Full |
Full Medium Brown/ City | Dry | 415- 435 o F “Second Crack” |
High | Full | Strong |
Medium-dark brown/ Full City/ Viennese/ Light French | Slight oily surface | 435- 445 oF | Medium | Very full | Strong |
Dark brown/ French/ Espresso | Shiny surface | 445-460 oF | Low | Full | Medium |
Very dark (nearly black)/ Dark French/ Spanish | Very shiny surface | 460- 480 oF | Very low | Weak | Mild |