By Mary Andersen – Liquid Pen/Freelance Ghostwriter

Home Roasted Green Coffee Beans – Savor a Gourmet Brew Unlike Any Other

Stage #1 – Standard Store Brand Shelf Coffee

I drank coffee brewed from the standard brands off the grocery shelves for years and never really gave it much thought. I purchased the bags or cans of ground coffee made by the major commercial suppliers. From there, I progressed into using the store coffee grinder to grind bags of whole coffee beans and found that process improved the flavor of the brew.

This produced, for the most part, a decent cup of coffee. Without any other coffee experience to compare it to, this method of purchasing coffee seemed satisfactory enough for all intents and purposes.

Stage #2 – Grinding Home Pre-Roasted Coffee Beans

I eventually bought a home coffee grinder because the commercial one where we shop was out of service and it was evident after months passed it would not be repaired anytime soon.

I was grinding coffee beans roasted by the manufacturer, so I did not have any control over the bean selection or roasting level. This took the aroma and taste to a flavor above commercial pre-ground shelf coffee, but then something else happened.

Stage #3 – Purchasing Green Coffee Beans for Home Roasting

I had the opportunity to do some research on green coffee beans, and I began to explore home roasting. I noticed no special or expensive equipment was required to home roast your own green coffee beans, and the more I read what others said about the taste difference between shelf brands and home roasted coffee, I simply had to try it.

I liked the idea of being in control of how much roasting the coffee beans were exposed to so I could experiment with the different flavors of each.

I was already a step ahead regarding different coffee qualities because of the research I had done on the subject, so when I went to a carefully selected website to purchase my first green coffee beans, I had a general idea of what I wanted to try.

Fortunately, the store where I ordered my beans offers 1/2 pound sample packages so you can try different bean varieties without committing to a full pound bag. The beans I chose on my first order were Jamaican Blue Mountain and Kona Purple Mountain. Here’s what prompted me to make those initial selections:

Jamaican Blue Mountain Green Coffee Beans

I chose this coffee because of its reputation; it is widely regarded as one of the finest coffees in the world. The source I used to purchase my coffee buys their beans from the Mavis Banks mill, which is known for the most consistent quality among the Jamaican Blue Mountain Mills. Many report an amazing cup from green coffee beans roasted to the second crack stage and a fine espresso at the full city roast stage.

The full city roast stage is between the first and second crack stages. The flavor can be described as nutty, chocolaty, fruity, and creamy.

Kona Purple Mountain Green Coffee Beans

Kona coffee is grown only in one location, and that is on the slopes of the Kona Districts of Hawaii where the mineral rich volcanic soil is plentiful. Kona is also ranked among the best coffee varieties in the world and is highly regarded among coffee lovers. It is chocolaty, nutty, buttery, and fruity. It is recommended to roast Kona Purple Mountain green coffee beans just until they begin to glisten, which is somewhere closer to the full roast stage (second crack).

Stage #4 – Roasting, Resting, Grinding, Brewing, Savoring the Cup

I roasted my green coffee beans on a baking sheet in the oven to the first crack stage (light roast) for one batch and to the second crack stage (full roast) for another batch. The level of roast has a lot to do with the flavor of the coffee brewed from it.

When a green coffee bean is roasted to the double roast stage, where the outside of the bean is very oily in appearance and the beans begin to smoke, nearly all the original flavor of the bean is lost. When you pay more money to obtain beans that already have extraordinary original flavor, you do not want to lose that flavor by overroasting.

I let the coffee beans cool and rest for at least 4 hours; some suggest a resting stage of a couple of days is even better. I ground and brewed the roasted beans and I must admit, I was stunned when I tasted the amazing cup of coffee brewed from those beans.

Now my life has changed, because once you experience home roasted green coffee beans and the beverage that results from them, you will never want to drink commercial shelf coffees again.