Home roasting coffee
Home roasting transforms green beans into fresh coffee.
Home roasting means roasting green coffee beans at home in small batches for one’s own use. People have done this for centuries, using basic tools like cast-iron skillets over a wood fire or small steel drums turned by hand on a stovetop. Before the early 1900s, roasting coffee at home was actually more common than buying it already roasted.
After World War I, commercial coffee roasting became widespread, and with the rise of instant coffee, home roasting dropped off sharply. In recent decades, though, it has made a comeback. What was once a necessity is now a hobby. People are drawn to it for four main reasons: they get fresh, flavorful coffee; they can experiment with different beans and roasting methods; they enjoy perfecting the process; and they save money. The revival has also been helped by suppliers selling green coffee in small quantities and by manufacturers making countertop roasters.
The first tools made specifically for roasting coffee at home appeared in the 1400s in the Ottoman Empire and Greater Persia. These were thin, round, often perforated pans made of metal or porcelain, with long handles so they could be held over a brazier of hot coals. The beans were stirred with a slender spoon, and only a small amount could be roasted at a time. Around 1650 in Cairo, the first cylinder roaster with a crank to keep the beans moving was introduced. Made of metal—usually tinned copper or cast iron—it was held over a brazier or open fire. French, Dutch, and Italian versions quickly followed, and these became popular across Europe, England, and the American colonies over the next century. In 1722, English coffee merchant Humphrey Broadbent wrote that he preferred this cylindrical roaster. He pointed out that home roasting let people remove damaged beans before roasting and also ensured that dishonest merchants hadn’t added poisonous lead powder to increase the weight and price. He noted, “Most persons of distinction in Holland roast their own berries.”
During the 1800s, many patents for commercial roasters were granted in the U.S. and Europe, allowing for large batches. Still, home roasting remained common. A man who worked at a commercial roasting plant in St.
- Field
- Coffee preparation
- Known for
- Small-scale roasting of green coffee beans for personal use
Lore & Background
The first known implements specially made for roasting coffee beans for personal use were thin, circular, often perforated pans made from metal or porcelain, used in the 15th century in the Ottoman Empire and Greater Persia. The first cylinder roaster with a crank to keep the beans in motion appeared in Cairo around 1650. French, Dutch and Italian variations of this design quickly appeared and proved popular over the next century in Europe, England and the American colonies. English coffee merchant Humphrey Broadbent wrote in 1722 about his preference for this sort of cylindrical roaster, emphasizing that home roasting provided the capability of eliminating damaged berries before roasting and the security of knowing that duplicitous merchants were not adding poisonous lead powder to the roasted beans.
In the 19th century, various patents were awarded in the U.S. and Europe for commercial roasters, but home roasting continued to be popular. A man working at a commercial roasting plant beginning in the 1850s in St. Louis, Missouri, said that 'selling roasted coffee was up-hill work, as everyone roasted coffee in the kitchen oven.' In 1849 a spherical coffee roaster was invented in Cincinnati, Ohio, for use on the top of a wood-fired kitchen stove. Inventor Jabez Burns noted that, with skill and experience, even the simplest implements such as a corn popper could be used to obtain evenly roasted coffee. Despite the wide popularity of home roasting, Burns felt that it would soon disappear because of the great strides made in commercial roasting in the 1860s and 1870s. From that time commercially roasted coffee grew in popularity until it gradually overtook home roasting during the 1900s in America. In France, the home roaster did not yield to the commercial roaster until after the 1920s.
In recent years, there has been a revival in home roasting. What was originally a necessity has now become a hobby. The attractions are four-fold: enjoying fresh, flavorful coffee; experimenting with various beans and roasting methods; perfecting the roasting process, and saving money. Other factors that have contributed to the renewed interest include coffee suppliers selling green coffee in small quantities and manufacturers making counter-top roasters. Through the 1970s and 1980s, the Siemens Sirocco home roaster was made in West Germany and marketed globally. From 1986 through 1999 there was a surge in the number of patents filed for home roasting appliances. By 2001, gourmet coffee aficionados were using the internet to purchase green estate-grown beans for delivery by mail.
Reader's Guide
Home roasting has persisted as a practice for centuries, evolving from a necessity to a hobby. Its significance lies in the control it gives the individual over the quality and freshness of coffee. Enjoying coffee made from freshly roasted beans is a major driving factor in its popularity. Home roasting allows for smaller volumes to match consumption so that the roasted coffee is used before it goes stale. Depending on the bean's origin and storage method, whole bean coffee flavor is generally at its peak between seven and fourteen days after roasting, but some beans are best left up to 21 days. Green coffee beans can be kept fresh for 1–3 years depending upon storage conditions. Home roasters can save approximately 25–50% by purchasing green beans in bulk. The legacy of home roasting includes a wide selection of green coffee beans available from numerous importers and distributors, including rare or award-winning beans from specific countries, regions, orchards, and harvest years. Home roasters can choose from various types of roasting equipment, each altering flavor. A roasting profile describes the time beans spend at each temperature during roasting, greatly affecting flavor, aroma, and body. Home roasters go to great lengths to control these parameters, including using computers or programmable controllers for process control and data logging.
Did You Know?
- The first known implements for home roasting were thin, perforated pans used in the 15th century in the Ottoman Empire and Greater Persia.
- English coffee merchant Humphrey Broadbent wrote in 1722 that home roasting provided security against merchants adding poisonous lead powder to roasted beans.
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