roasting your own coffee

Recipe by
Valeree Dunbar
Sparta, MI

It all started when my friend Julie told me she’s going to start roasting her own coffee beans in her kitchen. In a popcorn popper. Yes, I said a popcorn popper! So we spent the day together trying this out. Cut the high cost of quality coffee by at least half. That was enough to get my attention. I learned I could roast “green” coffee beans (half the price of commercially roasted beans) in a frying pan although that is not the most desirable. So using an old fashion popcorn popper really did the job and it was fun too.

prep time 5 Min
cook time 5 Min
method No-Cook or Other

Ingredients For roasting your own coffee

  • 2 lb
    green coffee beans
  • "whirley pop" popcorn popper
  • candy thermometer
  • colander

How To Make roasting your own coffee

  • 1
    preheated the popper to 400 F then dumped the green coffee beans into the roast chamber. turn the crank immediately and continued at a steady pace (one revolution per second) until the roasting is complete. The roasting chamber cools as the green coffee beans absorbed the heat. When it reaches 350 F turn the heat down to medium-low and continued to roast until you achieve the desired roast color (light, medium or dark).
  • 2
    dark roast would take from 9 to 11 minutes and through the “first crack.” Coffee beans “pop” as the moisture is released and sound a lot like popping corn.
  • 3
    Dump the hot beans into a metal colander and swirl them gently to allow the heat to escape and to allow them to cool quickly. That’s it! Roasting complete.
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