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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Aside from the finer points in roasting coffee beans, the extraction of the coffee flavor from the beans by way of brewing is the most important aspect of coffee-making. It is the final process right before we drink our coffee.

This is the one area where most of the connoisseurs have tried to concentrate their efforts in trying to improve the process throughout the ages. Today, we have several forms of coffee brewing techniques, both for commercial and home use.

Flavor extraction length
As a general rule, the length of extraction time is directly related to the grind coarseness.
The smaller the coffee particles, the shorter the extraction time.

French press coffee is the longest, with coffee and water contact lasting as long as four minutes. Espresso has the shortest contact time, about twenty-five seconds, and the coffee granules used are among the smallest.

If the coffee and water stay together for too long, other compounds start to leach and these will make the coffee bitter. On the other hand, if the granules are large, and the extraction time is short, the coffee will lack flavor because of under-extraction.

Drip brew
Most home brews nowadays are produced through the drip process. The technique is simple enough: hot water is poured over a medium-ground coffee within a filter and the water goes through the coffee grounds and drips into a holding container.

There are many variations on these drip brewers with different functions for home use, and also available in larger models for commercial use.

Auto-drip brewers
This machine makes brewing a very simple process. Water is heated in one place and piped over the grounds inside a filter. The extracted brew then drips into a holding vessel.

One complaint is that these machines do not make the water hot enough, so flavor extraction happens at lower temperatures than is recommended.

Another issue is that the machines have warming hot plates, ostensibly for keeping the coffee warm. However, continuous heat will make the coffee bitter.

Single-Serve Systems
These machines were once used exclusively in commercial places. Now, people buy them for their own use at home.

These are very convenient to use. Pre-packaged coffee is inserted into the machine and with one push of a button, the coffee starts to come out. There are variations to these, however.

Some pre-heats an entire reservoir or heats the water on demand. Some machines can brew with less water, making for stronger coffees. They are more like smaller versions of drip machines. Some involve pressure but they are not true espresso machines.

One complaint is that these machines use proprietary packaged coffee, so quality and freshness cannot be guaranteed.

French Press / Press Pot / Cafeteria / Plunger Pot
The French Press has two parts: the beaker (made of glass, metal or plastic) and a plunger which has a wire-mesh filter.

To use, heat the brewing water and pour it on the coffee grounds in the beaker. Let the coffee steep for about 3 to 5 minutes (to your taste) before putting the plunger in and push the dregs down with the filter mesh. You may stir the brew for a second or two before putting the plunger in. Pour the cleared coffee into an appropriate mug. It is now ready for drinking.

Note: Pour out the coffee into your drinking mugs or carafes right after brewing. Do not leave it steeped with the grounds all throughout. The continuous steeping will make the coffee bitter.

Espresso
Espresso is coffee created by forcing hot water steam through finely ground coffee at a certain pressure. The resulting brew is called espresso, as developed by the Italians. It is different from regular coffee in that it has a cream produced by the process unlike regular brews.

Espresso is the base for such bestselling Italian coffee concoctions as cappuccino, lattes, macchiato and more.

There are many more brewing techniques culled from all over the world. Since they are popular only in their parts, we have not included them in the list. Suffice it to say that whatever the number of brewing techniques that one knows, the quality changes accordingly.

Frankly, all of these coffee brewing techniques are just as good as any. And that says a lot on how versatile coffee is.

Jhon Noya, Author Of Free Tips Making Money From Internet and Free Tips For Dating

Author: Jhon Noya
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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I would suggest to those who enjoy freshly roasted coffee to consider getting themselves a coffee roaster. Let me point out why some coffee drinkers find them unattractive to be used to roast coffee beans. The smoke will be the reason because when you are roasting coffee beans using the coffee roaster in an enclosed area, it usually produces a lot of smoke. Therefore use it at a stove vent or other areas where they are well aired. Another reason will be the coffee beans, darker roasted coffee are known to produce more smoke than coffee that is lightly roasted. So if you prefer lesser smoke, opt for the latter. You shouldn’t worry if you have never use one before, not only do they come in many designs and varieties, they do cater for both beginners and coffee drinkers who have experience at roasting their coffee beans

Points For Purchasing Fresh Roast Plus 8 1) This model is good for those who are novices at roasting coffee 2) The chamber can hold about 3.5 ounce of green coffee beans which allows you to roast enough beans for about ten cups of coffee. 3) Don’t underestimate the small roasting chamber when compared to some other coffee roasters, the small chamber is surprisingly can roast the coffee beans faster than those with larger chambers. 4)It will also complete the roasting process roughly within ten minutes

HotTop Drum Roaster

1) Ideal for those who want to have excellent roasted coffee beans. 2)It can roast about nine ounces of coffee beans at one time. 3)It has a window that enables you to inspect the roasting procedure. 4) All together there are seven different roasting levels 5) When roasting for big amount of coffee beans takes about twenty minutes only.

Nesco Professional Home Coffee Roaster

1) This coffee roaster eliminates the smoke that commonly occurs during the roasting of coffee beans due to its catalytic system. 2)To finish the roasting process, it takes about thirty minutes and 3) the roasting chamber is capable of holding about four ounces of coffee beans.

A small roaster, the i-Roast 2 can roast for about a half to about one cup of green coffee beans at one time. Not only that it is also made for precise roasting time with temperature controls.

When you compare Gene Caf Drum Roaster to roasters that are digitally controlled, the former has two knobs enabling the roasting process of the coffee beans to be better controlled. Furthermore the Gene Caf Drum Roaster is designed to come with the great features of a drum roaster and from the air type coffee roasters.

Great free report on gourmet-flavored-coffee

Author: Fatima Edris
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Coffee roasters can make or break the flavors in coffee. Too much roasting can destroy the sought after flavor and aroma of coffee. And insufficient roasting will produce under developed and dull flavored coffee.

It takes a good coffee roaster and a keen eye to reach the optimum stage of roasting coffee beans. But these days, coffee roasting has been brought up to another level. Automatic roasters that come with built-in computers, monitoring devices, timers and other innovations, have made coffee roasting easier and faster.

Coffee roasters have chambers where the coffee beans are placed, a heat component, a tray for the roasted coffee beans and a stirring handle. Most roasters are electrically powered and can come in a variety of sizes.

Different Models of Coffee Roasters

There are 3 main types or models of roasters and each has its own unique way of roasting coffee beans.

Fluid Bed Coffee Roasters

This model roasts coffee beans by producing a bed of hot air. Fluid bed coffee roasters are also called high yield roasters because when coffee beans are roasted they expand and produce more ground coffee. But on the downside, this type of roaster produces coffee with lesser flavor.

Tabletop Coffee Roasters

This type of coffee roaster is generally difficult to find and may cost higher than the other models. You can add flavors to coffee beans that are being ground using a tabletop coffee roaster. And they are composed of small pans that can roast coffee beans on top of a gas burner or electric stove.

Drum Coffee Roasters

Drum roasters are more favorable since they can transfer even heat from the drum to the coffee beans; thus, giving a more rounded flavor to coffee. Drum coffee roasters have cylinders that hold the coffee beans while roasting.

To Roast Or Not To Roast…

Coffee roasters have interestingly invaded homes and manufacturers have developed models that are great for the home. But is it good to keep and use one at home?

Well, coffee roasting requires time to learn in order to achieve the eye for perfection. It takes time to also learn the roasting techniques in order to get even flavors from coffee beans.

If you do want to enjoy freshly roasted and ground coffee, you may always ask your local grocery shop to do the job for you. Your favorite specialty coffee shops may also offer these services.

Roasting coffee is not for everyone. If you have the patience and the passion for home-roasted coffee beans, you may opt to do the roasting yourself. On the other hand, you can always ask your retailer to do the job for you. Either way, there’s always a way to get the best flavor out of your coffee beans.

Peyton Hines has been drinking coffee for over 45 years. He had his first taste for coffee when he worked offshore and realized that the only “break” was a coffee break. Over the years his love for coffee continued to grow. Three years ago he started to investigate and educate himself about the numerous varieties and different types of coffee. You can get more information on coffee and coffee products by visiting his website at http://allaboutgoodcoffee.com/

Author: Peyton Hines
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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The process of roasting coffee beans is what brings out the flavor of the coffee and develops the characteristics for a great taste. The beans are roasted in order to bring a perfect balance of acidity with just the right sweetness. A light bodied, sweet coffee is normally roasted lighter than the full bodied coffee with the chocolaty tastes.

As the coffee beans are in the roasting process, there are chemical and physical changes to the coffee itself. Some changes include the expansion of the beans, loss of moisture, caramelizing and of course a change in the color of the coffee. Once they start losing moisture and expand, they will make a popping sound, which in the coffee industry is known as crack.

Ttwo types of roasting coffee beans are Art, and the second is Science. One other type of roasting is a combination of both art and science.

Art roasting is where the roast master relies on sound, sight and smell of the coffee to determine when the beans are roasted to perfection. It takes many years of experience to achieve a level of master coffee roaster.

Science roasting is based on scientific data. The roast master takes data including temperature and time to determine the degree of roasting to gain the same color with each batch of roasted coffee beans. A combination of both art and science are used where coffee is produced in mass.

Another step is to achieve a perfect blend of coffee is the “cupping” process. This is where the coffee is tasted in similar fashion to tasting wine. When the roasted bean is cupped, samples are pulled from the process and measured into several different cups. Each cup of coffee beans are ground separately and boiling water is poured over the freshly ground coffee beans. When the coffee grounds rise to the top of the cup they trap the aroma in the cup. The cupper will then scrape away the grounds and smell the coffee aroma. The coffee is then tasted and rated on all the characteristics including flavor, acidity, aroma, body and any taste defects.

There are basically three levels of roasting. They are light roast, generally used in a milder coffee and many times sweet coffees. Medium Roast is one of the most common roasting levels of roasting coffee beans. Most of the medium roasted coffees are done when they reach their second crack. And lastly there is the dark roast. This is the level of roasting coffee beans well beyond the second crack and will appear oily on the surface. This gives the coffee a very full bodied and strong flavor.

For you the coffee drinker, you have many choices when it comes to roasted coffee beans. The best way to tell which coffee is right for you is to sample many different types of coffee.

Ocha has been in sales and sales management for over 24 years. He is currently in marketing and support in the distribution industry. He also manages several websites and blogs. Providing customers with what they want.

Websigt: InfoESource.com
Blog: Ocha’s Insight

Author: Ocha Nix
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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