To Roast Coffee

Modern cookery for private families · Acton, Eliza · 1845
Source
Modern cookery for private families
Status
success · extracted 15 days ago
Not a recipe
No
Ingredients (1)
Instructions (12)
  1. Purchase the best kind of coffee beans in a raw state.
  2. Keep the beans for two or three years if you are not certain that they have been harvested that long ago, as new beans are greatly inferior to those that have been kept.
  3. Roast the coffee at home using an inexpensive apparatus.
  4. Fill the cylinder with coffee beans, but only half full.
  5. Turn the cylinder rather slowly over a fire that should never be fierce.
  6. Continue turning until a strong aromatic smell is emitted.
  7. Quickened the movement of the cylinder as the grain is quite heated.
  8. Finish roasting at a quicker pace to prevent the beans from becoming too highly coloured before they are roasted through.
  9. When the beans are of a fine, light, equal brown, ascertain this by sliding back the door of the cylinder and looking at them occasionally towards the end of the process.
  10. Spread the roasted beans quickly upon a large dish.
  11. Throw a thickly folded cloth over the beans and let them remain until they are quite cold.
  12. Put the cold roasted coffee immediately into canisters or bottles and exclude the air carefully from it.
Original Text
TO ROAST COFFEE. Persons who drink coffee habitually, and who are very particular about its flavour and quality, should purchase the best kind in a raw state, keep it for two or three years if they are not certain that it has been so long harvested—as when new it is greatly inferior to that which has been kept—and have it roasted at home. This can be cheaply done in small quantities by means of the inexpensive apparatus shown above; the cost of it not exceeding seven or eight shillings, and the supply of charcoal needed for it being very trifling indeed; or, with that inserted below, which is larger and about double the price. The cylinder which contains the coffee should be only half filled, and it should be turned rather slowly over the fire, which should never be fierce, until a strong aromatic smell is emitted; the movement should then be quickened, as the grain is in that case quite heated, and it will become too highly coloured before it is roasted through, if slowly finished. When it is of a fine, light, equal brown, which must be ascertained, until some little experience has been acquired, by sliding back the 589door of the cylinder, and looking at it occasionally towards the end of the process, spread it quickly upon a large dish, and throw a thickly folded cloth over it. Let it remain thus until it is quite cold; then put it immediately into canisters or bottles, and exclude the air carefully from it. Patent Percolator, with Spirit Lamp.
Notes
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