|
|
How To Select A Coffee Roaster |
By:
Carol Finch |
|
|
If you have decided to roast your own coffee then your first
port of call will be to consider how to select a coffee roaster
that is right for you. This decision is probably one of the
hardest coffee-related choices you'll have to make - there's
nothing worse than buying the wrong kind of roaster for your
needs.
We're going to be primarily looking at automated custom coffee
bean roasters for the purposes of this article. But, it's worth
noting that you can roast your own coffee beans fresh at home
without having to buy a roasting machine.
It is possible to roast beans in or on the stove, on a barbeque
or fire or even, sometimes, in a popcorn popper. But, if you
take your home roasting seriously and want some help with the
process (the do it yourself approach can take a lot more time
and effort) then a proper roasting machine may be your best
option.
So, why do people roast their own beans at home? Well, it's
basically all about freshness and the quality of the roast you
will ultimately get. If you buy green coffee beans - i.e. beans
that are unroasted - you can simply roast them at home when you
need to use them in batches so they'll be ultra fresh. Green
coffee beans are cheaper and last longer than ready roasted
beans into the bargain. By the way, more information on bean
roasting can be found here: http://www.coffe
e-n-beans.com/roasters.html
The ability to roast your own beans is a desirable must with
many coffee aficionados - you can do away with stale coffee, get
the level of roast you want when and where you want it and save
yourself some money into the bargain!
In very simple terms there are two main types of machine to
consider when you're deciding how to select a coffee roaster
which are Fluid Bed/Air Roasters and Drum Roasters.
Fluid Bed/Air Roasters
If you want to roast your own coffee beans at home then the
first thing you should look at is getting hold of a standard
fluid bed based roaster. These machines are small, can be
compact and are primarily designed for small-medium home use.
So, they will roast your beans for you fairly quickly and with
minimal fuss - you don't have to stand over them for example, as
you would if you were home roasting on the stove top.
These kinds of roasters kind of work like popcorn makers in that
they use hot air during the roast process. You can see how the
roast is progressing in most cases so you can control it more
effectively and you will sometimes also be given pre-set roasts
to choose from in any case. If you're a home roasting 'newbie'
then this kind of machine may suit you best as you will get a
feel for the whole process as you go along - you can always
upgrade to a bigger and more complex roaster at a later date
when you have more experience. These machines are also cheaper
than other options and are relatively easy to use in the
kitchen.
There are a couple of downsides with this kind of roaster,
however. You will find that some models won't roast that much
coffee at once and will burn out if you use them too often. Some
models also don't have such great controls or pre-sets (some
don't have any) - so it may take a while for you to get used to
using the machine if this is the case.
Drum Roaster
If the option of a fluid bed roaster doesn't seem quite right to
you when you're thinking about how to select a coffee roaster
then you could also look at drum roasting as an alternative.
Drum roasters were once only seen in coffee shops and stores
that roasted their own coffee beans but, nowadays, it's real
easy to buy machines for domestic use.
Drum roasting machines can basically roast more beans at once -
in most cases - than fluid bed machines as they are bigger. Most
will work on a convection or conduction method. With this kind
of machine you place your beans in a drum, close it up, set it
running and wait until the roast is done.
This is more of a pro machine - although they are designed for
use at home - simply because they can be more complex to operate
than fluid bed roasters. But, the majority of true coffee fans
will prefer this method over time as it is held to produce
better results in coffee taste terms.
The downsides with many drum roasters is that they don't have a
window so you can't always look inside them as you can with most
fluid bed roasters. So, you may have to rely on your sense of
smell or hearing (as you listen to the coffee bean cracks!) to
work out when your roast is perfectly done. This is one of the
reasons why these machines may not suit 'newbie' roasters to
start off with.
Some of these drum machines can also give off a lot of smoke so
you may need to sort out adequate ventilation or even do your
roasting outside if this is the case. And, as you might expect
you'll pay more for drum roasters than for fluid bed machines.
At the end of the day you'll need to think long and hard about
how confident you are with the home roasting process - if you
haven't roasted at home before then you may be better off
starting off with a fluid bed machine but if you feel more
confident and need the extra functionality then a drum roaster
may suit you better.
Whichever type of machine you choose to buy do remember that
it's absolutely vital to read some user reviews on the Internet
before you buy a roaster as these will tell you stuff the
manufacturer won't. These reviews are written by people who have
used these machines and they will give you a real good idea of
the pros and cons of any machine from people that have used them
regularly.
Some example tips to look out with for fluid bed roasters
include:
- How well do the programs (if there are any) work? - How easy
is it to use and what kind of functions does it have? - How well
made is the roaster? - How evenly does it roast? - How well can
you see into the roasting chamber? - How noisy is the machine? -
How easy is it to clean the machine/parts? - What happens to the
chaff?
Some example tips to look out with for drum roasters include:
- How well do the programs (if there are any) work? - How easy
is it to use and what kind of functions does it have? - Does it
produce a lot of smoke? - Can you see inside the drum from the
outside? - Does the machine get too hot? - What happens to the
chaff? - How easy is it to clean the machine/parts?
|
|
Article Source: http://www.PopularArticles.com/article14145.html |
Article: How To Select A Coffee Roaster
Author: Carol Finch
Total Views: 41
Word Count: 1098
Category:
Home /
Food and Drink / Coffee
|
|
|
|
|
|
Categories 
