Coffee

For years, the idea of roasting your own coffee beans has been kept a mystery by the coffee roasting industry. It had been deemed “too hard” or “too complicated”. Well these are new times and the truth is out; it’s easy, fun and economical and it can be done in a number of ways using items you probably already own!

There is nothing like a cup of coffee that has been freshly roasted, ground and brewed to perfection. There are a growing number of enthusiasts who are roasting their own coffee beans and enjoying the benefits of truly fresh coffee at about one-third of the price of beans from your local coffee shop.

All that is needed to roast your own coffee beans at home is green coffee beans, available from a number of sources, an oven, cookie sheet, oven mitt, metal colander and a wooden spoon. Preheat your oven to 500F, spread raw beans evenly one layer deep on a cookie sheet, place on middle rack of preheated oven and watch them roast. In about 8-10 minutes there will be a crackling noise and smoke with a coffee essence. At this point the roast moves quickly and you need to pay close attention. About 2-3 minutes after the crackling, your coffee beans should be at the shade you like them. Carefully (using the oven mitt) remove the cookie sheet from the oven and pour the beans into the metal colander. Stir the beans with the wooden spoon to help cool quickly. Do this over a sink or outside, as there is chaff that comes off the beans during roasting. And remember; NEVER leave your roasting coffee beans unattended.

Almost any appliance used to pop popcorn can be used to roast coffee beans. The hot air poppers are great, however, you may want to roast outside or in your garage as they blow the chaff out and can be messy. There are a number of manufacturers of home coffee roaster, including several that use a gas grill and rotisserie.

The internet is full of sources to purchase raw beans, but you want to make sure that the supplier you use knows their beans and “cups” their coffee before selling it to you. One of the most reputable sources for green coffee beans is U-Roast-Em, Inc., a high quality, no frills supplier with 30 years in the industry. They can be found at http://www.u-roast-em.com on the web. Many other sources can be found using your favorite search engine. If you’re interested in using a gas grill to roast your beans, check out http://www.rkdrums.com or http://www.buzzroasters.com. For electric, countertop-type coffee roasters, visit http://www.freshbeansinc.com.

Green, raw coffee beans last for years when properly stored. This allows you to build a collection of fine coffees to choose from as well as buy larger amounts of the great coffees and save more money. Keep your bean collection in a cool, dry place out of any direct sun light and they will last until you roast them. As coffee ages it loses acidity and becomes more mellow. Many like the rich mild cup of a coffee that has had a couple years to rest and mellow. More important than the year of the crop is the quality of the bean, the preparation at origin, transportation and warehousing in country of consumption. If all of these things are done correctly, your green coffee will last for years. Suppliers who know how to cup samples of coffee beans are able to determine if all of these criteria are done correctly before they purchase the beans.

Home roasting is one the fastest growing hobbies in the country and for good reason. It’s fun, easy, saves you money and delivers a cup of coffee like you never thought was possible. Join in the fun and start roasting your own coffee beans.

Jim Cameron is a 30 year veteran in the specialty coffee roasting industry. Jim has authored many articles on various aspects of the industry and traveled abroad to speak at international gatherings of coffee proffessionals. Semi retired, Jim now writes on the subject of roasting and makes green coffee beans available to the home roasting market at his web site: http://www.u-roast-em.com

Author: Jim Cameron
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Early morning is one such paradise which always makes you feel good. If something is giving you some refreshment, then it will add zest to that paradise. Coffee is one such item which surely makes you feel like you’re in heaven. Filter coffee was the first method used for the preparation of coffee in which coffee beans were crushed and put into filter. Hot water was poured into the filter and the beverage obtained from it was used to produce coffee.

Later, coffee powder was grained and obtained in coffee particles which are small particles of coffee like sugar and they were mixed with milk. Thus, the generation advancement helped to update the production process in a different manner. Later, readymade coffee machines were introduced and coffee was prepared at ease. These machines automatically produce essence of coffee with the help of some filters and you can even get your desired amount of coffee from them. Normally you can prepare 12 cups of coffee in a single process.

Now, the latest advancement in coffee making is the solar powered coffee machine. This machine basically works on the principle that sunlight is the ultimate source of energy and it is used to heat water. The boiling process is used to produce the desired cup of coffee. This coffee maker is not only helpful in preparing coffee but also helps in preparing tea either.

This machine is provided with solar panels which are powered by sunlight. These solar panels are provided with built-in lithium battery. The water can be stored in this panel and it is effectively heated with the help of solar energy available. Normally, it is estimated and calibrated that 0.03-0.04 kw/h energy is required for boiling of water and it is obtained from solar energy.

A 10cmX10 cm solar panel can effectively generate 0 .1 Kw/h energy. Thus, if sunlight is imbibed by this solar panel for eight hours a day, it will result in the production of approximately 22 cups of coffee per day. The striking feature is that the energy available is solely obtained from sunlight and it’s totally inexpensive and eco-friendly.

Since this is portable, it can be moved indoor and outdoor with much ease and it is free from electrical connection. One type of solar coffee maker employs a mechanism in which your desired coffee maker is about to use a rod to heat the water with the help of solar energy. When the temperature in it reaches nearly 80 degrees, a built-in thermostat will automatically switch off the process. During the thermostat initiation, a light will turn on to indicate that the solar coffee maker is working. After some moment of time, the light will turn off which will indicate that that coffee is ready and you can enjoy the aroma of coffee. The rod is pushed up with the help of green top present at the top. This mechanism is very similar to a ball point pen.

The most important aspect of this coffee maker is its eco-friendly nature. It won’t pollute atmosphere since the energy is obtained from sun. But one of the issues associated with it is the model like this have not hit the floor of commercial market yet. All the concepts are still theoretical and conceptual. Certain things are really uncertain regarding the amount of coffee produced and energy required to heat the water. Still, some controversies regarding the fulfilment of the customers are also raised. In order to experience the aroma of coffee with solar power, you have to wait for some more time.

Visit Coffee machines site to find expert reviews on Aeropress, Baumatic, ECM Coffee Machines , Cuisinart, Dualit and Inventum coffee machine reviews.

Author: Fredrick Joy
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The aroma of freshly ground coffee beans is like no other aroma on earth. It is almost intoxicating, and certainly warm and inviting. That aroma that has an underlying nutty essence is unquestionably one of the most pleasant odors on earth.

That wonderful aroma is likely one of the reasons that so many people now own coffee bean grinders and grind their own beans to make every pot of coffee.

Grinding coffee isn’t a new thing. In the old days, people actually used a bowl and pestle to grind coffee as well as wheat and corn. Using a bowl and a pestle to grind coffee required muscle power and time…a lot of time. As mankind got smarter, hand grinders were invented that made the task of grinding coffee much less physically challenging as well as quicker.

Manual coffee grinders were used for many, many years. In most of the old western shoot-em-ups, if you look closely at the general-store scenes you will be able to spot an old-fashioned manual coffee grinder.

Mankind continued to progress. Electricity was harnessed and, of course, coffee grinders became electrified. The old-fashioned hand grinders and the more modern electric grinders operated on basically the same principle. There are two plates. One plate is stationary while the other plate is moveable. Coffee beans are routed between the plates and crushed or ground.

The best of the modern coffee grinders still operate on that same basic principle, but now the plates have burrs, which make the coffee grounds uniform in size. Burr coffee grinders are the best kind to buy, but they aren’t the only choice today.

There are coffee grinders that use blades that chop and re-chop coffee beans until they are chopped fine. The burr coffee grinders produce coffee that is more uniform than the blade coffee grinders.

CoFFee provides detailed information on Coffee, Coffee Makers, Gourmet Coffee, Coffee Shops, Coffee Beans, Coffee Cup and more.
For more information visit as on http://coffee.explore-me.com

Author: Miodrag Trajkovic
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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