Tommie Springer

Wouldn’t it be great if you could make your own cup of coffee using appliances and equipment you could find in your kitchen? If you’re up to the challenge, you will be able to do something that people from all over have learned to do just to produce that flavorful, inexpensive cup of coffee—roast your own coffee beans using an air popcorn popper.

In order to do this, you will need 2 big bowls or metal colanders, oven mitts, a wooden spoon, a thermometer, and of course, an air popcorn popper. It is very important that the air popcorn popper that you will be using is the type where the hot air enters from the side vents and will not be the type of popper where hot air enters from the bottom, as this can spell a fire hazard.

Place the popper in a well-ventilated and well-lit area in order for you to be able to watch the beans and ensure that they are at your desired roasting level. Place the same amount of green coffee beans in the popcorn popper that the manufacturer suggests for popcorn kernels. Place the popper’s plastic hood and butter dish in place, and put a large bowl under the popper’s chute so that the bean’s chaff blows into the bowl. Once the bowl is in place, turn on the popcorn popper.

Watch carefully for a fragrant smoke, and expect the beans’ “first crack” to occur after 3 to 4 minutes. Wait one more minute then begin to monitor the beans until it has reached your desired roast level by either taking out the butter dish and peering into the chamber or listening to the beans and smelling the smoke.

If you want a light roast, your coffee beans should be in the popper for about 4 minutes. If you want a full city roast, you should wait about 5 minutes, and if you want the darker roasts, you should wait approximately 6 and ½ minutes. Since roasts develop fast, you should keep the bowl or colander to be used for cooling at hand.

Beans continue to roast until they have been cooled, so once the coffee beans are slightly lighter than your desired color, use the oven mitts to pour the coffee beans into the bowl. Use the wooden spoon to stir the beans until they are cool or agitate the beans in the bowl. It is recommended that you take the bowl outside in order to air it out and quicken the cooling process. Agitate the coffee beans for the chaff to fall into the attached bowl.

Once the beans are cooled down, place them in an airtight jar. Allow the CO2 to release, so do not seal the jar tightly for the next 12 hours, and then wait 4 to 24 hours after roasting before you try the coffee.

Lastly, enjoy. Imagine, you have learned to roast your own coffee beans! As long as it is stored properly, it can be considered fresh for the next 5 days.