Jun 04 2010
Coffee Roasters
Roasting coffee at home has become a popular activity. It allows individuals to control how dark or light their coffee beans are before they grind them. In order to roast at home, individuals need to purchase a coffee roaster or other kitchen cooker that can be used to roast coffee beans.
Roasting coffee beans at home is the best way to insure that coffee is as fresh as it possibly can be, without growing it at home. The beans are purchased green and roasted as they are needed, another factor that insures freshness. Green coffee beans stay fresher longer than roasted coffee beans, which make roasting at home the ultimate way to get fresh coffee.
First, coffee roasting can be done using a popcorn popper. It has the necessary mechanisms, a constant flow of air and movement for the beans to keep them from burning. However, if roasting coffee beans is going to be more than a one-time experiment, it is well worth investing in a proper coffee bean roaster that has timers, temperature controls and more.
There are two main types of coffee bean roasters to consider when searching for a home coffee bean roaster. There is the fluid bed or air roaster and the drum roaster. Each one has its advantages and disadvantages that need to be considered.
The fluid bed or air roaster is designed primarily for home use. These are small appliances that are compact enough for use in most any kitchen. These types of roasters are similar to popcorn makers in that they work using hot air. Some fluid bed roasters allow the individual to see the beans as they roast while others have preset roasting times that are selected before the roasting.
Beginning roasters should choose an air roaster due to the ease of use and the economical costs involved. These roasters are much less expensive than drum roasters and allow home roasters to get a feel for the roasting process before moving to a more complex roaster that requires more hands on supervision.
The downside to the fluid bed roasters is the controls don’t have much variance and some have no controls. They also don’t roast as much coffee as other models and if used often the unit’s motor will burn out quickly. However, it is an excellent beginner model to let users decide how in depth they want to go with their home roasting.
Drum roasters are the other type of roaster that can be purchased for home use. These were once found only in coffee shops but have crossed over to home use. Drum roasters work using either convection or a conduction method. The drum roaster is more complex to use and may take time to master but in the end it is a better, longer lasting roaster than the fluid bed roaster.
Users of the drum roaster have to learn to listen for the cracking of the beans to know when the roasting process is in full gear and use their sense of smell and timing to get their roast perfect. Once the process is learned, the drum roaster will be the best choice.
Coffee roasters for home use are more popular today but still require a learning curve to get the process just right. Both fluid air and drum roasters will produce a nice roasted coffee bean but the final decision should be based on how often it will be used and how much of a learning process is going to be needed.
Great article as a commercial coffee roaster I can agree with everything you say, however there is a certain amount of knowledge required