Tired of paying high prices for your daily coffee fix? With the rising cost of raw coffee beans, now is the perfect time to master home coffee roasting. Learn how to roast coffee beans at home, save money, and enjoy the freshest, most flavorful coffee. Our guide covers everything you need to get started and perfect your roast.

Would you pay $7 for a coffee? Neither would I! But that’s exactly what many of our fellow coffee lovers might soon be facing. Today, I’ve got both good news and bad news to share.

First, the bad news: The price of raw coffee has skyrocketed and doesn’t seem to be slowing down. We could soon see coffee prices hitting $7 a cup at our favorite coffee shops. Now for the good news: Coffee will still be available. And here’s where it gets even better for those of us who love a good DIY project. By purchasing raw green coffee beans and roasting them at home, we can skip the middlemen and enjoy fresh, delicious coffee without breaking the bank.

Why Home Coffee Roasting is a Game-Changer

About 15 years ago, I had a chat with my friend Dax Wilson, who had recently started roasting coffee at home. His motivation? Not just the incredible quality and taste, but also the significant savings. He managed to cut the high cost of quality coffee by at least half. That conversation was all it took to get me hooked on the idea. Now, I’m equally enthusiastic about sharing the joys of home coffee roasting with you.

Coffee Prices Over Time

According to the U.S. Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average price for a pound of coffee in May 2024 was $5.991, down 1.2% from $6.063 in April 2024. Over a longer period, the average price rose to $6.16 per pound in 2023 from $5.89 in 2022, marking a 4.6% year-over-year increase. To put this in perspective, one pound of coffee can make about 48 6-ounce cups of coffee. Learning how to roast your own coffee at home can be a cost-effective way to enjoy your favorite brew, especially with these rising prices.

Essential Tools for How to Roast Coffee Beans at Home

Roasting coffee beans at home is a fantastic way to enjoy fresh, delicious coffee while saving money. However, it does require some specific tools to get the job done right. Since roasting coffee beans produces a lot of smoke, I strongly recommend doing it outdoors on your porch, patio, or driveway. Here’s what you’ll need to get started:

Air Popcorn Popper

You’ll want an older model like the West Bend Poppery or Poppery II, which run at 1400 watts. I found mine on eBay, but you can also check yard sales, thrift stores, or even your garage. The machine needs to run at 1200-1500 watts to get hot enough to roast the beans evenly. Newer models just don’t cut it.

Two Metal Mesh Colanders

ExcelSteel Fine Mesh Colander with Resting Base, Set of 3

These are crucial for cooling the beans quickly after roasting. The metal mesh allows for better airflow, helping the beans cool down fast so they don’t continue to roast from residual heat.

A Bowl

Place this in front of the popcorn popper to catch the chaff that flies off during the roasting process. It keeps your workspace tidy and makes cleanup a breeze.

An Oven Mitt

Roasting coffee beans gets hot—really hot! Use an oven mitt to handle the popcorn popper and colanders safely without burning yourself.

An Airtight Container

HAIOOU Airtight Coffee Canister

After roasting and cooling your beans, store them in an airtight container. This keeps them fresh and flavorful until you’re ready to grind and brew.

Raw Green Coffee Beans

Fresh Roasted Coffee Brazil Cerrado Unroasted Green Coffee, 5 Pounds

Of course, you’ll need raw green coffee beans. Measure out about 1/2 cup per batch for your air popcorn popper. Start small and experiment with different varieties to find your favorite.

Step-by-Step Guide to Home Coffee Roasting

Follow this easy step-by-step guide, and you’ll be sipping on freshly roasted coffee in no time.

Step 1: Measure and Pour

Measure out 1/2 cup of green coffee beans and pour them into your air popcorn popper, just like you would with popcorn kernels.

Step 2: Start Roasting

Turn on the air popper and place a bowl in front of the machine to catch the chaff. Watch as the beans start to swirl around and change color. Unlike popcorn, the beans won’t pop out but will gradually turn brown. In a few minutes, you’ll hear a cracking sound—this is called the “first crack,” indicating a light roast known as City Roast.

Step 3: Monitor the Roast

Continue roasting to achieve your desired darkness. After the first crack, you’ll notice the beans pop less frequently. The next stage is the “second crack,” where the beans sound like Rice Krispies in milk, indicating a Full City or dark roast. Be prepared for chaff to fly around—this is normal and another reason to roast outdoors.

Step 4: Cool the Beans

Once you’ve reached your desired roast level, turn off the air popper quickly and pour the beans into one of the colanders. Be cautious—they’ll be very hot! Cool them rapidly by shaking them in the colander or transferring them back and forth between two colanders until they’re just warm to the touch.

Step 5: Let Them Rest

Transfer the cooled beans to a container with a tight-fitting lid, but don’t seal it yet. Freshly roasted beans need to “de-gas” for at least two hours, up to overnight, to develop their full flavor. Grinding and brewing them too soon will be disappointing. Patience is key to unlocking that rich, robust coffee flavor.

Resources and Recommendations for Coffee Enthusiasts

Education

SweetMarias.com offers tons of help and valuable information for home roasters. While I’m not into “cupping” and some of the more advanced aspects of creating fabulous coffee, I highly recommend this as the go-to place to learn. You’ll soon discover at what level you want to set your goal as a home roaster.

Book

Home Coffee Roasting: Romance and Revival

I recommend Home Coffee Roasting: Romance & Revival for detailed information on every possible question.

Raw green coffee beans

Go easy initially, buying just a few pounds of green coffee so you can try different varieties. Remember, I didn’t invest in 150 pounds of one variety at a time until many years after starting out with my old air popper. Amazon offers lots of green coffee beans, some with Prime shipping.

U-Roast-Em.com offers a large variety of raw green beans at very competitive rates, starting at about $7 per pound depending on current growing and harvesting conditions. You can buy a single pound at a time, up to 25 pounds or more. Prices vary.

Whirley-Pop

Original Whirley Pop Popcorn Maker

You’ll soon outgrow your air popper as it roasts only 2 to 3 ounces of roasted coffee beans at a time. That’s the time to upgrade to a Whirley-Pop popcorn maker. This stovetop machine will allow you to roast more coffee per batch, using a slightly different technique.

Behmor 2000AB Plus Home Coffee Roaster

Say hello to my current home coffee roaster. It’s a dream come true. Complete with a smoke suppressor (I now roast in the basement), I can roast up to one pound of coffee at a time and I do, a couple of times each week.

La Minita Tarrazu, Costa Rica

I did not take long to identify our favorite coffee, La Minita Tarrazu. It’s smooth, mild, and absolutely the best. And it’s pricey in all its forms—green beans, roasted whole beans or pre-ground. By purchasing directly from the plantation in Costa Rica (minimum purchase is one full bag, which nets around 150 pounds), we cut the cost by more than half.

My last shipment worked out to $4.91 per pound, including shipping, to give you an idea. Just know that market prices go up and down dependent on market conditions and the unknowns growers face.

The Journey of a Home Coffee Roaster

I roast coffee for two reasons: to save money and enjoy a really good cup of joe. I’m not into formal tasting or “cupping”—I just love the process and the result.

When I started home roasting, I went through several old air poppers. Air poppers weren’t designed for roasting coffee, which requires them to run hotter and longer than they would for popping corn. Inevitably, they’d melt down from the strain, only to be replaced by my next thrift store find.

After a few years of nearly daily roasting, I graduated to a stovetop Whirley-Pop popcorn popper. I used it on the side burner of our outdoor gas grill, cutting a hole in the lid to fit a thermometer. The temperature is critical because beans on a hot surface can catch fire quickly! My setup worked okay, allowing me to roast 1/2 pound at a time, though the roast was often uneven.

When I finally burned out the Whirley-Pop, I invested in a small coffee roaster designed for home use. The FreshRoast SR500 was a sweet little roaster, though it meant downgrading from 6 ounces to 3.5 ounces per batch. The automatic feature got me hooked, but after a couple of years, even the SR500 couldn’t keep up with my roasting demands. The newer FreshRoast SR800 may be a viable option as it can roast any kind of coffee even espresso up to 8 ounces per batch.

Today, I’m hooked on my fabulous Behmor drum coffee roaster. The Behmor is an ingenious piece of equipment made for home roasters who need something more robust and reliable. Though the learning curve was steep, the Behmor and I are getting along exceptionally well.

The Perks of Home Roasting

One of the best parts of this hobby? I always have a perfect gift on hand. Any coffee lover would be thrilled to receive a bag of fresh, home-roasted beans. Plus, I love being known for this unique skill in my social circles. It’s a rewarding experience that keeps on giving, cup after cup.

how to roast coffee beans home roasting coffe female hands holding beans

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5 from 2 votes

How to Roast Green Coffee Beans

Roasting your own coffee at home is not only a cost-saving venture but also a rewarding experience that ensures you enjoy the freshest coffee possible. This simple yet detailed guide will walk you through the process of transforming raw green coffee beans into aromatic, flavorful roasted beans right in your own backyard.

Using an air popcorn popper, you'll learn how to achieve your preferred roast level, whether it's a light City Roast or a deep, dark Full City. This method is perfect for coffee enthusiasts looking to elevate their coffee game while also gaining a deeper appreciation for the craft of coffee roasting.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Category: Drinks

Cuisine: World Wide

Yield: cup

Materials

1/2 cup raw, green coffee beans

Instructions

Measure out 1/2 cup of green coffee beans and pour them into the popper where you would normally place popcorn kernels.
Turn on the air popper. Place a bowl in front of the machine to catch the chaff.
Watch the beans swirl around in the machine. They won't pop out like popcorn. As the machine heats up, the beans will start to turn brown. You'll hear a cracking sound—this is the "first crack," indicating a light roast (City Roast).
For a darker roast, continue roasting past the first crack until you hear a second crack, which sounds like Rice Krispies crackling in milk (Full City or dark roast).
Once you reach the desired roast level, quickly turn off the popper and pour the beans into one of the colanders.
Using oven mitts (the popper and beans will be hot!), cool the beans by pouring them between the two colanders until they are just warm to the touch.
Place the beans in an airtight container, but do not seal it. Allow the beans to "de-gas" for at least 2 hours, up to overnight, to develop their full flavor.

Notes

Roasting outdoors is recommended due to the smoke and chaff produced.

Question: What’s your favorite coffee roast level? Light, medium, or dark? Share your preference and why.

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Please keep your comments positive, encouraging, helpful, brief,
and on-topic in keeping with EC Commenting Guidelines

Janelle says:

October 27, 2024 at 9:55 am

I was gifted a small roaster by a neighbor and did my first batch today. It’s definitely a learning curve as my beans look very uneven. But I am going to learn this! Thank you for the tips as they are very helpful! I will know in a few days if my first attempt is drinkable. :). Beans are degassing now (and I very much appreciate that piece of info!!!!).

Mary Hunt says:
November 1, 2024 at 11:15 am

I’m only guessing, but the beans are not moving freely during the roast. I don’t know what roaster you have, but the beans should be moving by a stirring mechanism or rolling in a basket. You might need to clean that roaster as the oils and residue from roasting coffee beans can buildup preventing things that are supposed to be moving from actually doing that!

Chris D. says:

November 7, 2021 at 5:37 am

11 minutes in a wok. Spoon in hand, stir non stop. My heat about 200C. 1st crack merged into #2. Smoke, yes.
Threw beans into a rice chaff sorter/woven basket for separating chaff. Handled every bean, rubbing between my hands, blowing away burnt skins.
Sorted and threw out beans that didn’t look perfect. Hand ground my 1st serving, kept the other 900g.
One serving into my espresso cup n machine n hey presto. A smooth, tasty, creamy black coffee that was worth the wait.

Michael Bronfman says:

January 27, 2020 at 3:33 pm

I bought a Nesco machine form sweet Marias. It works fine. but I prefer to use a large open skillet. I roast on my stove and stir the beans often. when the beans are brown I take it off heat and put it outside for a few minutes. I wait about 4 hours to drink. and purchase beans from Bodhi leaf in orange, ca. purchase $49 and shipping is free

Rose Ritch says:

January 25, 2020 at 9:11 am

I started roasting about 3 years ago, after reading one of your emails, Mary! I love to roast and could not go back to purchasing roasted coffee beans! It is such fun to explore the various green bean options. I especially notice the difference in quality for the decaffeinated green beans. For extra savings without resorting to purchasing the whole 150 pound bag of green beans, I buy from Burman Coffee Traders, who always has discounted prices on several types of beans every month. They also offer 6 pounds of free green beans when you buy your Behmor roaster from them (and their price for the roaster is the same as the seller in your link).

Char says:

January 25, 2020 at 8:43 am

Mary, you got me started roasting coffee years ago and my life hasn’t been the same since! This has saved so much money over the years, even with investing in a proper roaster. My husband and I both bring our thermoses to work every day. I haven’t even mentioned taste. The worst home roasted beans far surpass the best store bought beans every single time. This is the best tip you’ve ever posted…IMO. Thank you!!

Sandy Beachmom says:

December 22, 2017 at 12:11 pm

I’m on my third batch and loving it. Thanks for posting this. I bought my air popper from a thrift store and my beans from Amazon. Definitely do this outside as it is smoky, and the chaff flies everywhere. Sometimes a bean or two flies out, so I keep the colander in front of the spout and just throw the escaped beans back in the popper.