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. A
recent article touts that roasting your own coffee is one of the
fastest growing hobbies in the USA today.
A gift of freshly roasted coffee which you have roasted yourself
is sure to be a hit and amaze the receiver of the hand made
gift. The actual roasting of the coffee beans may be the easiest
and most fun part. The packaging of your thoughtful gift will be
the most challenging as you prepare the package with as much
care as you have roasted the coffee.
Coffee which will be kept for any length of time should be kept
in an airtight container out of sunlight. For the trip from
roasting to the airtight container is where the creation of fun
ideas comes in. Coffee is traditionally shipped in burlap sacks.
You can buy some burlap at a craft store and sew up bags that
will be great for packaging. At the same craft store you can buy
pre-cut stencils with flowers, Lions, Elephants, Crocodiles etc
and stencil your bags with animals, plants or other landmarks
from a country of origin. A Lion on a bag of Kenya or Malawi,
Palm tree from Costa Rica, Coffee cherries from Colombia, etc.
Plain brown bags work well also and can be decorated in many
ways with a coffee theme, re: cups, saucers, coffee pots etc.
Another idea, with the ease in which art can be produced and
printed on stickers with the help of a computer, is to make your
own labels. YOUR NAME’s special blend or a blend for an event.
How about a wedding gift with the bride and groom’s picture and
call it the “Perfect Blend”. The possibilities are endless on
how you can package the coffee you have roasted yourself with
your own signature. 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 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 www.rkdrums.com or www.buzzroasters.com. For
electric, countertop-type coffee roasters, visit
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.
Now all you have to worry about is your friends beating down
your door to get some more of that wonderful coffee you roasted
for them. I guess at that point you just get them started
roasting their own, they’ll be forever grateful.
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