About our pricing | About roasting coffee | About making coffee | About storing coffee
About Fair Trade coffee | FAQs by resellers

	How long does it take to roast coffee?
	What are the advantages of roasting your own coffee?
	How expensive is it to roast your own gourmet coffee beans?
	I don't see my favorite coffee. Can you get it for me?
	Can I use a popcorn popper to roast coffee beans?
How long does it take to roast coffee? A typical home roast takes about 10 minutes, plus five minutes of cooling. Lighter roasts can take as little as 8 minutes, darker roasts 13 minutes or more. TOP^
What are the advantages of roasting your own coffee? Everyone's taste is different. Roasting your own coffee allows you to roast beans to your particular preference, and also to experiment with a wider range of coffee bean varieties than even a Starbucks offers. Plus, coffee whose freshness cannot be beat. TOP^
How expensive is it to roast your own gourmet coffee beans? Green coffee beans typically cost less than half as much as roasted beans, and very often one quarter as much. Home roasting not only provides vastly superior coffee, it provides substantial savings. For more information on the economics of home roasting, click here. TOP^
I don't see my favorite coffee. Can you get it for me? We'll be pleased to consider your request when ordering our next shipment of beans. Drop us a line with your suggestions on this or any other matter. We'll do our best to meet your needs, and will let you know either way. TOP^
Can I use a popcorn popper to roast coffee beans? Yes popcorn poppers work beautifully. Electric popcorn poppers don't have all the conveniences of our home roaster units but they do the job and do it well, whether you like a light or a dark roast. Roasting with popcorn poppers is simple and eliminates the expense of a new roaster. This kind of roasting has other advantages, too: It lets you experience the various phases of coffee roasting – the "first crack" as moisture leaves the bean, the change in color as the bean roasts. First, be sure to use a popper that has hot air enter the popcorn chamber through side vents – poppers that have hot air entering the popping chamber from a grill underneath are unsafe for coffee roasting. You want a popper that blows the chaff upward, out of the popper and into a waste receptacle, such as a sink or a large bowl. Poppers that draw their air from below represent a fire risk, because the chaff can ignite. Your popcorn popper will take as much coffee as popcorn – generally about 4 ounces – so follow the manufacturer's recommendation. After putting in the green coffee beans, cover the popper with its plastic hood and make sure the butter dish is in place. Aim the chute where you want the chaff to go, turn on the machine and watch the action. You should get coffee smoke and the "first crack" in 3 to 4 minutes, depending on the popper. In another minute, a light roast will be ready. By this point, you should be watching the beans carefully by looking into popping chamber, to make sure they're roasted to your preference. Once you get good at this, you'll know when the beans are to your liking by the smell of the smoke and the sound of the cracks. Popcorn popper roasting takes less time than with other methods – a dark roast can be done in 6 to 7 minutes. And because the beans continue to roast even after they're out of the popper, you should pour them out of the popper before they're at the desired color. To cool the beans, agitate them in a bowl or collander until they are warm to the touch. If you're using a metal bowl or collander, use oven mitts. Then store the beans in an airtight glass jar, out of the light. Because the beans vent carbon-dioxide, many experts recommend that you wait several hours before tightening the jar, to allow the gas to escape without building up too much pressure. The gas will continue to escape for days, however, giving you the amazing experience of fresh coffee every time you open that jar. TOP^