Be'ato Home Coffee Roasting Guide

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As the Legend goes...

People world wide have been roasting coffee beans for thousands of years. Legend has it that roasted coffee was first discovered by a goat herder in Ethiopia, named Kaldi. The story goes that after his goats had eaten a number of coffee cherries, he noticed the goats acting overly energetic and strange, and threw the remainder of the cherries in the fire, uncertain if they had some sort of evil power. After smelling the wonderful aroma from the roasting beans in the fire, he had a change of heart that these cherries may be the source of something wonderful. From there, experimenting was done with roasting and mixing roasted coffee with water. Thank you Kaldi!

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If he could make it happen, so can you!

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Home Coffee Roasting has somewhat of a stigma that it is complicated and too much work to attempt. Those who have tried it know that this is untrue. Home Coffee Roasting is easy and what you make of it. Coffee Roasting absolutely has the potential to  a science, which is why commercial roasting equipment can be worth millions of dollars, but coffee roasting can also be simple. Dead simple. To roast your own coffee, all it takes is unroasted coffee beans (we of course suggest Be'ato Green Beans) and a heat source.

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How to roast green coffee beans at home

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1. Purchase unroasted green coffee beans with a flavour profile that you think you will enjoy. South American Coffees are often bright and citrusy, while African Coffees are heavier with berry/wine flavours, and Asian Coffees are spicy with earthy flavours*. Shop for Be'ato Green Beans Here.

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2. Once you have your beans, it's time to roast. Aside from using an actual "coffee roaster", home roasters use all things from an electric popcorn popper, to a skillet, a basic fry pan, or a cookie sheet. For our guide, we will use a frying pan over the stove top*.

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3. Place frying pan on medium heat burner. Add as much coffee as you would like to roast. Keep in mind that coffee is best if used within the first few weeks of being roasted, so roast as you need.

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4. Begin to move the coffee around over the burner, either by holding handle and sifting or by stirring and turning coffee with a wooden spoon.

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5. As coffee begins to heat up, you will notice that it will start to change colour. Your green beans will first change to a light yellow colour, and from there evolve in to  light, medium, and then dark coffee. When the coffee appears to be at the roast level you are looking for**, immediately take the beans off of the burner (coffee will continue to roast from heat for a short time after being removed)***. 

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6. Mission accomplished! Before grinding your beans, allow them to fully cool. Coffee can be made immediately (Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony), though many enthusiasts believe that the best coffees sit for 24 hours following roasting.

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View YouTube Be'ato Roasting Video

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*Learn about the coffee growing regions of the world and their signature flavour profiles.

**Check out the Be'ato Roast Descriptions by clicking here.

***Make sure to be in a well ventilated, fanned area when roasting as green coffee beans will smoke during roasting process.

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