I was never a coffee drinker until a little over a year ago. I was in Texas for a bachelor party so needless to say I needed that extra punch! Especially after a late night and then getting back up around 4am to visit the UT Coaches.

Now I’m hooked and even roasting my own coffee!

Why Roast Your Own Coffee?

1. Cost effective: It can save you as much as HALF the price.
2. Higher antioxidant: Roasting the beans yourself is fresh when compared to buying it off the shelf where processing can take weeks.
3. Roast it just the way you like it: You’ll perfect it after a few practice runs :). But once you’ve get it down, it’s nice to have more control over the taste for your morning brew!
4. Fun: I actually take pride in my coffee as I have friends sip on it, as silly as it may sound it’s just nice to say you made this, instead of a Starbucks bought coffee 🙂

Let’s Get Started:

Coffee Beans:

• Get whole coffee beans, I’d suggest going to your local farmers market or trying amazon, I’ve used this: 

•  Spread the beans in a pan, it can be a vented one but I’ve found a conventional pan worked just fine. *I’d also suggest using only enough for about a weeks worth, since you want them as fresh possible and pack with nutrients*
• Heat your oven to around 425-475, if you have the roast or convection setting then I’d set it to that, if not no worries.
• *Make sure your fan is turned on, roasting the beans can make it a bit smoky.
• Shake the beans around every 3-5 minutes to prevent uneven roasting.
• Roast to your liking, time shouldn’t take too long anywhere from 7-15 minutes. Any longer, then you should probably increase the temperature.
• Pull it out and you should have this:

I’m no barista but it tasted it good!

 I like to use a french press, pretty simple to use:

Bodum Chambord Coffee Press

And that’s it, a pretty easy and fun way to make coffee. Give it a shot and let us know how it went!