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How Long Should You Roast Your Coffee Beans?

  • by Justin Lim
  • 4 min read

It's clear that most individuals would enjoy a piping-hot cup of joe from their local coffee shop. These locations, on the other hand, are somewhat pricey when you visit several times each week. Roasting your own coffee is an excellent method to save money while still getting a delicious cup of Joe!

How Long Should You Roast Your Coffee Beans?

How Long Does it Take?

The stove-top popcorn maker takes between five and 10 minutes to preheat. It's another five minutes to get a light roast, and another five minutes for a medium roast. Instead of taking longer, it will take less than 20 minutes overall.

If you're concerned about how long it takes to roast coffee beans, there's a good chance you're wondering how to roast coffee beans at home. So, let's go through the whole process from beginning to end, including purchasing the green beans and legally brewing them!

How Do You Roast Them?

Although a real coffee roaster is the most effective approach to roast coffee beans, these gadgets will put you in debt for thousands of dollars. So, what you'll need now is a stove and a stove-top popcorn maker.

You'll need to purchase many pounds of green coffee beans from your local cafe and set up the popcorn maker. It's as simple as heating the stove, moving the coffee beans while they're roasting, and then allowing them to cool.

Buying the Unroasted Beans

To get the process started, you'll need to buy some unroasted green coffee beans (also known as raw coffee beans). You might be able to locate some at local coffee shops like Dunkin' or Starbucks, but you're more likely to have to go online wholesalers.

The average weight of a pound of Grade AA coffee beans is approximately 5 pounds, but when fully roasted, the weight is reduced. As a result, purchasing more than you believe you'll need is preferable to running out of supply.

The Roasting Process

It's time to go out and buy your unroasted coffee beans, as well as a popcorn maker that'll work on the stove. The amount of popcorn recommended by the manufacturer is equivalent to the amount of coffee beans you'll be putting in, so keep that in mind.

Refer to our coffee roasting guide for more information!

What temperature do you use to roast coffee beans?

The temperature you use to roast your coffee beans at home is determined by the roast level you want. As you would expect, the higher the temperature, the darker and more roasted the coffee beans will be! The coffee beans get increasingly roasted as they come to room temperature.

If you're a novice roaster, don't worry! We'll go through the temperatures you should use to roast your coffee beans depending on how dark you want them.

The Roast Levels

The first thing you'll need to do is set the popcorn maker to 400°F before adding your green coffee beans. To ensure that the heat penetrates into the beans rather than just roasting the surface, make sure that the burner is on a low or medium setting.

The internal temperature of the coffee beans will decide how roasted they are, while the stove burner setting will stay the same.

  • Light Roast - Beans that have been properly prepared should take only five minutes (or when you hear the first “cracking” sound). This is generally because the beans reach a temperature of around 350 to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (175°C - 205°C). Beans that are light roast are commonly light brown and dry.
  • Medium Roast - The beans should be bright red (but not truly pink) and somewhat plump. Black beans will also have a chalky skin and taste rather earthy in comparison to the more delicate flavor of pinto beans, white beans, or butterbeans. They cook quickly (though your best bet is to listen for the second "cracking" sound).
  • Dark Roast - This can take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes longer than a medium roast. Be cautious not to actually burn the coffee beans during this time. When the temperature reaches at least 440 degrees (225°C), this roast is typically completed.

Knowing the temperatures you want your coffee beans to attain can be useful when roasting your first batch, but it does necessitate the use of a thermometer and regular monitoring. In order to be hypervigilant and listen for the "cracking" sounds that occur at each roast level, your best bet is to be obsessive.

How Long Should You Roast For?

Set the machine on a low or medium temperature setting, warm it up to 400 degrees (205°C), and then let it cool down for 5 to 10 minutes.

You'll be about five minutes into the actual roasting process after pouring in the coffee beans and allowing them to "crack" for the first time.

For a medium roast, allow the coffee beans to roast for an extra five minutes, or until you hear the second audible crack.

So, in all, you should be able to roast a single batch of your coffee beans to your liking in less than 15 minutes, but we'll add a few extra minutes for preparation and cleanup. 20 minutes should be the maximum time allowed.

If you're factoring in the time it'll take to roast the beans, cool them down, and then brew a hot cup of coffee, you'll need to bump up the timetable by an extra 12 hours.

From the Bean to Your Mug

Roasting your own coffee beans at home is a fantastic method to guarantee that you drink a fresh cup of coffee. The amount of time it takes to roast coffee beans is largely determined by how burnt you want them to be.

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