Roasting coffee at home - all you need to know before you start
Are you thinking of roasting coffee at home? Sounds like a delicious idea! You probably have a lot of questions before you buy a roaster. We asked Christian Castricone, a home roaster based in Lausanne, Switzerland, to share some useful tips and make your start easier.
Over to Christian:
Why roast coffee at home?
Christian - looking sharp, right? Enjoying the process of roasting coffee at home with ROEST.
Anyone can be a home roaster
If you are thinking roasting coffee is difficult – maybe you have not tried roasting on the digital roaster yet. It is easier to operate and get consistently good results without much effort. Soon enough you will find yourself roasting your own beans, creating profiles but mostly enjoying that delicious cup of the freshly roasted coffee. You may as well become more popular as your friends will be coming over to taste a cup of your new hobby.
Fresh coffee every day – explore different origins
The main reason I ‘ve started to roast coffee at home is the idea of freshly roasted coffee. I like to drink different coffee every day for each brew. It is also a way to learn more about the coffee and the coffee roasting process – and it’s a lot of fun too! I love high quality coffees, for example the Geisha variety. I like drinking a lot of these types of coffees and I found that investing in a home roaster is a way of saving money in this little hobby of mine. On the other hand, when roasting coffee by myself, I have control over the taste, and I get to try a lot of different coffees.
If coffee is your passion, you will definitely fall in love with roasting coffee at home. The only fresh roasted coffee you can call your own.
Where to buy green beans for home roasting.
Search online
If you are looking for regular specialty coffee, these are usually sold in bags of 30 – 70kg depending on the origin. You can either contact a coffee importer or get in touch with local roasters who are willing to sell you green beans by the kilogram.
There are more and more websites (mostly in Germany and UK) selling green coffee per kg. Some specialty coffee importers, for example Falcon, are starting to sell smaller quantities as well. Looks like the home roaster’s market is showing higher demand, which is opening more opportunities for us to try different lots.
So how about some samples from Nordic Approach! Oh, and they roast on ROEST too!
Directly from the producer
For high quality coffees (mostly exclusive nano lots) it’s a bit easier to buy it directly from the producer – for example Janson and Longboard or Finca Deborah in Panama. The main reason is the size of the box – the higher the price per kilo, the smaller the minimum amount you can purchase. The only downside would be the shipping cost from the origin but at the end it’s worth it if you order no less than 5 kilos.
Christian got in touch with Matt who shared with him the way he roasts with ROEST (read here). Home roasters community meets here, on forum.
The best roaster for your home.
SMALL CAPACITY
Home roasting is a great way to learn more about coffee and the roasting process itself. When I was looking for a great home roaster to begin my journey of learning, my priority was to find a small scale roaster. With the ROEST I can roast small amounts of coffee (50 – 120g) which is a great opportunity for experimenting with different coffees at home.
Powered by electricity
To better learn about the coffee roasting process, I was looking for a home roaster with similar technology to a bigger/ production roaster. ROEST sample roaster is the drum roaster (just like production roasters) with hybrid technology. It means it’s powered by electricity instead of gas to achieve better control and higher consistency. It also allows you to roast from your home as the power consumption is less than your coffee brewer. And it does not require any special ventilation system.
Easy to use
ROEST sample roaster is amazingly easy to use. At the beginning you need a little bit of practice, getting familiar with the roasting process and how to work with all the parameters. Once you understand how this sample roaster works, it’s a real pleasure to roast batch after batch and enjoy the coffee and the process.
CHRISTIAN
LOVES
HOME ROASTING :)
Nordic design turns ROEST roaster into beautiful piece of furniture for your home.
How to set up a roasting space at home.
HOME ROASTER IS A PIECE OF ART
There is no need to be worried about rebuilding your kitchen or setting up a special workshop just so you can roast from home. Digital home roasters are becoming one of the kitchen appliances as they are safe to use from the comfort of your home. ROEST sample roaster is not just a perfect fit for roasting from your apartment, it also has a beautiful design that compliments your furniture.
ALL YOU NEED IS …WINDOW!
Christian’s home roasting corner. He has a 3m ventilation hose to reach the balcony door.
All you need to start roasting at home is a table or small space on your kitchen counter which is near by a window. Next to your roaster you might want to place your notebook or phone for following the roasting curve live on the screen, a small scale for weighing beans or paper for notes.
A window is crucial for the ventilation of the fumes generated during the roast. There is no need to set up a special ventilation system. ROEST roaster comes with a ventilation hose which you easily attach to the roaster and loosely direct outside of an opened window. If you roast a small quantity of samples it is enough to use only a 90-degree elbow for directing the fumes to the side towards the window (you can see how it works here).
Matt Winton roasting coffee at home. Ventilation hose is attached at the back of the roaster and loosely hanging on the window. Safe and simple.
Roasting profile to download
Christian shared with us his favorite roasting profile for ROEST owners. It’s a power profile for Geisha variety, Natural processed coffee. Click and copy to your library.
STARTING TEMP: 200 C
SAMPLE SIZE: 100 g
CHRISTIAN CASTRICONE, HOME ROASTER based in Switzerland
