A Beginner's Guide To Coffee Roasting At Home

What coffee roaster should I buy? Where do you find green, unroasted coffee beans? What is first crack? Roasting coffee at home can be easy, let’s get you started.

Chapters:
0:00 - A Beginners Guide to Coffee Roasting
0:15 - Why Roast?
1:12 - Do It (Methods/Options)
4:34 - Terminology
6:25 - Source It (Suppliers/Origin)
9:28 - Plan It
12:34 - Track It
14:39 - Recommendations
16:51 - Cupping and Resting
18:17 - Store It
22:02 - To Be Continued...

PRODUCTS MENTIONED IN THIS VIDEO

Have you been thinking about coffee roasting at home but still stuck at which home coffee roaster to buy or not sure how to source unroasted coffee? Watch this video about roasting coffee at home for those just starting out and you'll get our recommendations on how to choose your first home coffee roasting machine and how to go about sourcing green coffee for roasting--and what gotchas to watch out for!

Not exactly the video version of Scott Rao's Coffee Roasters Companion, but for the aspiring home roaster we think it will get you off to a good start! Coffee roasting made simple or coffee roasting for dummies more like. It will get you to first crack coffee and beyond with whatever coffee roaster you have, be it a Fresh Roast sr540, Huky, Ikawa, Hottop or an Aillio Bullet R1.

The best home coffee roaster is the one you have right now, and the basics of roasting coffee is the same whichever that is: start with high-quality green coffee, stick to a batch size that does not to over-load the roaster, preheat with the appropriate charge temperature for the chosen batch size and coffee, create a roast profile that drives heat into the beans as quickly and efficiently as possible while avoiding roast defects, the drop it while it's hot... and cool quickly! For more on best practices and to learn how to roast coffee, watch the video!

[markkut]

As an owner of a roasting company and roaster, this information is pretty spot on. Love to see this coming from y’all!

[iangillis]

Lots of good suggestions here. I'll add my 2 cents as a fairly experienced home roaster.
I have a gas cooktop in my kitchen, and I've also used a butane campstove on occasion.
I roast beans in a carbon steel wok that is reserved only for that purpose.
I roast batches of +/- 300 grams (10 ounces or so).
A medium low flame, constant stirring -- and, depending on the chosen bean -- I get a nice medium roast after 6 - 8 minutes. I've roasted some beans needing more time, but they are the exceptions.
After a few repetitions, I was able to relax, watch the roasting progress, and get some very good, drinkable coffee.

[givara]

My god, the amount of information & details is no less than a course of roasting, comprehensive & absolutely spot on, grateful for such a content. Thank you

[Epheshians.-]

We have a 12" stainless frying pan and a small whisk and roast over med stove top setting, stirring continuously. After 2nd crack begins we watch for the color roast (med - med dark) We roast 1 cup at a time which gives us about 2 cups roasted roasted. To cool we shake / stir with whisk in a metal strainer / colander until all the husks are free to be separated and we can handle with our bare hands. Maybe not the best way, but definitely a good starting point to figure out if you want to roast your own, or continue to buy pre-roast before spending the money on a good roaster.

[davidtalbot]

I am new to home roasting, and have had much success, and a few failures. This video is awesome for those of us enjoying this new journey. One thing is for absolute certain: the coffee I roast at home and grind/brew in my Delonghi is undeniably more delicious than any other I have had. I will watch this video again after a while. Thanks for the great information!

[therichieboy]

I'm so glad to be a member of a community that cares so much about coffee. I mean, how many times do we buy a product that has aftercare of the detail and quality of this video?!
Viva Flair!

[joelblue]

I got into home roasting last year with a stovetop popcorn popper and i am loving it. I have found though that certain coffees i use don't respond well when i use them in my flair. (maybe to lightly roasted or something) Doing a video on roasting the same bean for both pour over and espresso would be cool I think. I got into home roasting for the clout and for the money savings. I was not expecting to make better coffee than anything i had roasted for me locally. For anyone on the fence I would 100% recommend it if you are a coffee lover. I usually roast 10 days worth every time i roast and honestly it would take me more time to drive to my local coffee shop/roaster and buy it that way. Thanks for the video!

[lamwow]

Roasting my own beans is the only thing left to closing my coffee ritual loop, aside from growing my own shrubs. Not saying I will only roast my own beans from now on, but knowing how to do it and having some experience in the process definitely enhances the experience. That video was awesome!

[sancho_limoncho]

I’m working barista for five years and now wanna try myself in roasting coffee ☕️
Awesome video, thank you so much! ❤️

[CUDATerry]

Started home roasting over 20 years ago. Went from oven roasting (at the 'suggestion' of the wife) to a Hearthway roaster until I could no longer get parts for it. Then a Caffe Rosto, again, until parts became unattainable, a stove top popcorn popper, an electric popcorn popper the the I-Roast and the I-Roast II and finally a Behmor 1600 then a Behmor 1600 Plus and Finally a 1600 Plus Upgrade Kit. And Sweet Maria's has been my go to for machines, coffee and advice. Still roasting, still learning.

[TheHallberger]

This was very informative! Even if you don’t roast at home, this is a good video on the process that makes it easier to understand the roasters terminology and also the difficulties they need to overcome on a commercial level

[florianretzlaff]

Here I am, trying not to go deeper into the rabbithole that is coffee... And you drop this video.
I'm now seriously considering just getting a popcornmaker and try it out, but I already don't have much time to tinker with my usual coffee. I'd love to see a second part of this video.

[moorejl]

Been home roasting for about 5 years on a Behmor, this was a surprisingly well done video on the subject. In addition to Sweet Marias, I also source green coffee from Happy Mug, both are great.

[ChurroWaffles]

I dream of owning a roasting company one day. Not going to try and rub elbows with the big boys but enough to satisfy my passion for coffee. This was a very informative video with a hint of humor which I definitely love.

[davidbergin]

I’ve been roasting for about 5 years now. This was probably the best video I’ve seen on the subject. I’d like to hear more about roasters.

[scottOlsonsoulson]

Fantastic, informative video. I did corp. marketing as part of my career and your video is excellent. Well structured, informative w/out being dense or unapproachable. VERY well done. Will be tuning in for more of your videos.
Before my corp marketing work, I was a partner in a roasterie (outside sales/client dev) and my partner (a retired chemist and 'coffee bean whisperer') was teaching the art of roasting to me. This was in the mid '90's and I've wanted a home roaster since. However, home roasters have been, ... wanting. Hey! my earliest experience w/ coffee roasting was w/ a roast master using a Dietrich commercial roaster so, . . .
Anyway, I recently bought a FreshRoast SR800, and added the factory extension tube (which allows more roasting options). After watching lots of videos on roasting, usually using drum roasters, I'm hooked on fluid-bed roasters. I believe them to produce better results than drum roasters, and offer more control of the roast as the response to heat and air is more rapid (however their operational costs are higher). I got my SR800 from The Captain's Coffee, and they threw in 6 pounds of green beans as a thank you so I started roasting straight away.
I clicked on your video out of curiosity as Flair talking about roasting is intriguing; but I didn't have many expectations. I was very pleasantly surprised. I've been drooling over the Flair 58, but find that the Flair Signature fits into my budget. So Flair has a good rep w/ me.
Oh, right; the BIG reason I started roasting coffee is to have access to coffees not normally available to me because of lack of commercial profitability, lot sizes too small for commercial roasters to buy, or not popular w/ the general public.

[theclonches]

🤯 So much info in just 22 minutes. I especially appreciate the info on different storage containers and their pros and cons

[sammyreyes]

I just recently retired my homebrewing beer hobby. I’ve been looking for something different to do. I recently started to get a little more serious about the coffee that I drink. Ran into an old friend who told me he is now roasting coffee at home. I’m excited to start a new journey of developing flavors of a beverage that I enjoy drinking! Great video. Great starting place. I feel like I need to watch it over and over again.

[andrewreece]

Started home roasting like 5 years ago and this is an absolute worm hole and an amazing hobby. Trying to home roast for lever/Flair espresso is tough. From green coffee to finished shot there are a ton of variables. Regardless, it's been a blast.

[vrudelta]

Hey Flair, don't know who this guy is, but he's hilarious. Brilliant dry humor, great delivery, dead-pan expression. Absolutely love it.