Fill up the coffee roasting drum you get with our Coffee Roaster Kit with up to 1 pound of green unroasted coffee beans. Put the drum in the Rotisserie, and close the unit.

Turn roaster on, and initially set for 25 minutes. Depending upon the load on the circuit you are using, this will generally provide you a light to medium roast. Darker roasts will need more time.  Make sure you have the roaster in a VERY WELL VENTILATED AREA, as it will produce a lot of smoke due to the roasting process.  Outdoors is best if you are able to do this.

For the first few minutes the bean remains greenish, then turn lighter yellowish and emit a grassy smell.  The beans start to steam as their internal water content dissipates.

The steam becomes fragrant. Soon you will hear the "first crack," an audible cracking sound as the real roasting starts to occur: sugars begin to carmelize, bound-up water escapes, the structure of the bean breaks down and oils migrate from their little pockets outward.

After the first crack, the roast can be considered complete any time according to your taste.  Upon completion of "First Crack" we generally have a City Roast.

There will then be a short period of hardly any cracking, then you will hear a sharper "second crack" sounds.  At this point we are entering what is called a Full City Roast.  Much more smoke starts now, from the oils of the bean breaking down into various components, and the sugars in the bean carmalizing and burning.

Nearing completion of second crack we generally have what is called a French Roast.

As the roast becomes very dark, the smoke is more pungent as sugars burn completly, and the bean structure breaks down more and more.   The bean will first become an Italian Expresso Roast, further becoming a very very dark Spanish Roast, then basically charcoal.

When you get to the point that you desire, it is very important to turn off the Rotisserie and remove the Coffee Roasting drum, removing the end cap and pouring out the beans into an aluminum pan, or equivalent that will not melt or break.

CAUTION!!  MAKE SURE YOU USE HEAT PROOF MITS TO HANDLE THIS VERY HOT DRUM and all of its parts!

After dumping out the beans be sure to stir them continuously until they have cooled down completely.  Remember that they are still cooking, and that due to such you need to stop this cooking process by cooling them off as such.

You will notice "chaff", or bits of dry flakes that have dropped into the drip pan (now chaf collector).  Throw this away.  You will also notice such in the coffee beans you have stirred.  Please try to remove this chaf by either blowing on it outside, or vacuuming it up by holding a nozzle over the beans in the pan.  Be sure not to suck any beans up!

Again, you must let your beans "age" for a day (4 hours at the least).  Try to make only as much as you can use in 4 days ... any longer than that and your freshly roasted beans are not considered fresh any longer!

GOOD ROASTING!

Len