Not trying to troll but this is more of a basic summary than an "ultimate" guide. I've been working on this method myself and will summarize some info I think is essential, however, I have yet to fine tune my process. The coffee I made so far does seem quite good to my palette. I start out the drying phase at ~350 to 375F, until an even straw yellow is observed, then slowly ramp my way up to around 450 -475F . For darker roasting I keep ramping up to a pan temperature of 500f and hold it as long as needed. These are pan temperatures, not bean temperatures, measured on a bare spot on the pan with an infrared thermometer. I switch between stirring with putting a lid on the pan and shaking it (hold the lid on for this and use pot holders). On a gas stove I switch between medium-high heat to flame off so that, when heating, the flame wraps around the edges and heats the whole pan. I think a gas stove is essential for even heating of a cast iron pan. Do not use a non-stick pan as it is probably unsafe at roasting temperatures. If you use a stainless steel pan, be aware that infrared thermometers don't work on reflective surfaces.
It works better with some beans than others. Ethiopian Yirgacheffe seemed to be the best beans for pan roasting. When I first started, it only took three tries to get a delicious batch of Yirgacheffe, and I was able to duplicate that fairly easily. Ethiopian Queen City Harrar, was so difficult, I gave up and put the rest of the beans in the freezer until I got a drum roaster.
Everyone should try this! I have been using a ceramic hand roaster from Zenroast and it is so easy. My coffee game just stepped WAY WAY up and I am spending less on beans than ever before! Amazing!
@Birth Chord How is it going? Due to a very weak vent hood, I cannot try the skillet method indoors. I have been using a Freshroast SR800 for a couple years now and it's really great. Gonna upgrade to the Aillio Bullet whenever my budget allows...Cast iron skillet sounds fun because it's what my grandparents used to do
@@sebaba001 I'd say the coffee I'm roasting comes in at about 85% as good as a professional craft roaster. It's at least several 100x better than you know who ;) For the enjoyment I get out of it and for always having fresh coffee at a fraction of retail prices, it has been an absolutely incredible upgrade to my life. And when I say 85%, I mean that as compared to the best coffees I have ever tried anywhere. So it's pretty damn good!
@@JohnDennery Awesome! I'll sure buy a freshroast one day. Just moved to a smaller city and there aren't really good roasters around, except one coffee shop which is always out of beans and they only do the same medium-dark roast on most of their beans. Really good for lattes but I'm missing some danged light roasts haha.
To remove the chaff, just winnow the beans between two large kitchen sieves or a bowl and a sieve. Do it outside because it gets messy. Also because any slight breeze will make it easier. Just pour the beans slowly from one sieve to the other, allowing them to fall 10-20 inches into the catching sieve. The wind will carry off some chaff on every drop and also cool the beans for you. (if using a bowl and a sieve, don't drop them far going back into the bowl - many will bounce out)
i do this for years lol. didn't know anything i just love the inconsistency of it. every batch of my roast is different in a good way though. by the way it's better to use a wok than a pan.it's way way easier...
Wouldn't a wok make for a less even roast due to varying distance from the fire? I suppose if you were exceptionally meticulous about stirring it would minimize the issue but it still seems a flat pan would be better
i roast mine over about 35 mins plus Sometimes I will roast them even slower ie 2 to 3 hours very slowly. The super slow roast process changes the flavour. I then flash freeze them in a co2 freezer. it snap freezes them. why? because a mate has a commercial snap freezer and we both wanted an excuse to use it.
Showed the color at 9 minutes but not when finished. Also, after the beans are placed in the seive to cool, they'll "coast" for another minute. Would have been nice to have seen the end color. Also, the size of cracking.
Are you supposed to remove the chafe after roasting? I don't see them doing this with the Ethiopian method where the cook them on a pan like this. Do they?
+MrApplewine Hello! There may be methods where the chaff is left in, but commercial coffee roasting operations remove the chaff. Additionally, most home coffee roasters have chaff collection bins to help separate and capture the chaff during roasting. Thank you for your question!
I have been into this rabbit hole all day, and it seems to depend on many many many things. If you slow roast, if you dry for longer, if you stand on one leg and pray to the sun god on a tuesday when the moon is in retrograde.. I only bought green beans by accident XD
Use a light aluminum Teflon pan. No spoon . just agitate by pan handle. 12 minutes late you've got great toasted coffee. Don't use cast iron skillet. Too heavy/bulky.
That's pretty much what I do too. The old pan has rounded walls so I agitate/shake and occasionally flip them off the rounded side to change their positions around even better. It's easy once you get the flip down pat.
Teflon can impart flavours and more importantly teflon onto the bean. So heavy maybe, but i dont want any more ptfe in my body than already in there thanks.
