Tommie Springer

Using a skillet or a wok may not be the best method for producing great cup quality from home, but it is undeniably cheaper than other roasting methods. If you’ve got the time to kill and are up to conducting an experiment, then this is definitely a fun and interesting way to roast your own coffee beans.

In order to roast your own coffee, you will need a lightweight skillet with a tight lid or a wok, an oven thermometer, an electric or gas stove, a wooden spoon, a metal colander or a big bowl used for the cooling process, oven mitts, and an airtight jar.

Preheat the skillet with a low flame, or a medium setting if the electric burner is being used. Use the oven thermometer and wait for the inside to reach 500 degrees. Once the temperature is stable at 500 degrees, take out the thermometer and add one layer of the green beans to the skillet or wok. Tightly put on the lid and shake the skillet. If a wok is used, use the wooden spoon to stir the beans.

The problem with this method is that it is extremely easy to burn the coffee beans and is even easier to produce uneven coffee roasts. In order to prevent this, you must keep the pan covered and constantly stir the beans without removing the pan from the flame by shaking the pan. Constantly keep the beans in motion until you hear the “first crack”, and check if there is change in the color of the beans. Expect to see smoke when you open the lid of the skillet.

At this point of the roasting process, it is easy to burn the beans because of excessive heat. Check on the color of the beans every so often, and turn down the flame a notch if you wish to do so.

Because the roasting process continues until the beans are cooled down, use oven mitts to pour the beans out of the skillet into a big bowl or colander once the beans are a little lighter than your desired color or roast level.

Use a wooden spoon to stir the beans in the bowl or agitate the beans until they are cool. Some beans still have chaff attached to them, so continue to agitate the beans to remove the chaff, or blow the chaff away from the beans. Since this might be a bit messy, it is recommended that you bring the beans outside or near a waste basket.

The coffee should then be stored into an airtight jar, although the jar should only be sealed tightly after 12 hours, and should be stored away from direct sunlight. Wait for the coffee to rest between 4 to 24 hours. The roasted coffee should be fresh for 6 days.

After you roast your own coffee beans from home, you will understand the roasting process in depth and will appreciate your next cup of coffee a whole lot more. After all, you roasted those beans yourself.