Gourmet Coffee Roasters

Using a Gourmet Coffee Roaster

Coffee comes from green coffee beans. Before they can be used for coffee, they must be roasted and later, grinded.

While most commercial coffee can be prepared by pouring hot water into a teaspoon of powdered coffee, nothing beats the taste of gourmet coffee fresh from the roast.

In the past, many people roast the beans at home. They use arduous methods such as heating the beans over fire coals or roasting on hot iron plates or rotating iron drums over a fire.

Today, you can roast your own coffee beans conveniently at home with the use of an electric gourmet coffee roaster.

A gourmet coffee roaster is an appliance which resembles a blender. But instead of a large pitcher like container, the gourmet coffee roaster has a glass structure formed like two glass kettles on top of one another.

Gourmet coffee roasters are easy to operate. Just pour half a cup of green coffee beans to the glass kettle. Depending on the model of the roaster, you will need to turn a dial or push a couple of buttons to start the operation. The higher the number is in the dial or display, the longer the beans are roasted.

The purpose of roasting is twofold. First, by applying heat to green coffee beans, it breaks down the carbohydrates and fats that produce the oil in coffee. This oil is what gives coffee its flavor and aroma. Second, green beans that are not roasted cannot be ground because they are very hard. Roasting makes them soft in preparation for grinding.

Making the desired roast can be tricky. You have to take control of the flavor that comes out of the beans. For instance, if you want a delicate tasting coffee, then you should roast the beans slightly. To enjoy the full flavor of expressos, roast the beans darkly. Or you can roast the beans somewhere in between.

Remember that different coffee bean types roast at different times. Therefore, it is best to roast one type of coffee until you are experienced enough to try other blends.

When roasting is done, leave the roasted beans in the gourmet coffee roaster for six hours. This allows the beans to bring out their full flavor. After six hours, take out the beans from the gourmet coffee roaster and grind them using a coffee grinder.

Store the ground coffee in airtight containers. The less air is in the container, the longer the coffee stays fresh. Nevertheless, use the coffee within the week so you can enjoy its full flavor.

For the true coffee lover, a gourmet coffee roaster is a good investment.