The following tools and implements should be part of any home roasting kit.

Home Roaster – Obviously one need a home roaster to roast coffee beans at your home. There are many types of home roasters to choose from that fit any price range. You have choices ranging from a manual home roaster to an electronic drum roaster. Resourceful people I’ve known even have used an air popcorn popper with success.

Digital Kitchen Scale – You’ll need a digital kitchen scale to weight the correct amount of beans. Each roaster and type of coffee bean has specific direction you’ll need to follow to create the perfect roast.

Beans – You are looking to buy green whole been coffee to roast. The fresher the beans the better.

Thermometer – You will have to purchase a thermometer to measure the coffee beans temperature.  We suggest a digital instant-read thermometer with a thin flexible probe attachment.  This allows you to take the coffee bean temperature without having the beans lose heat during the process. As an added benefit the flexible probe attachment will reduce the likelihood of accidental burns. Make sure you buy a thermometer with a probe long enough to safely reach the center of the mass of beans to ensure a correct temperature reading.

Dry Measuring Cup – A dry measuring cup is needed to measure out the right amount of coffee beans for your home roaster.

Clock or Kitchen Timer – A clock or timer is needed to accurately track the roasting time of your beans.

Steal Colanders – You will need to purchase a set of steel colanders to cool your beans after taking them out of your home roaster

Log Book – You want to purchase a notebook or log book to write down notes and ideas. Each cultivar has its optimal roasting time and temperature. You want to write down the good and bad of each roasting attempt till you perfect your technique and gain experience.   Make note of the time, temperature, type, and amount with each roast. Certain beans and blends have an optimal type of roast. If you discover it, write it down!

Heat Safe Gloves - Oven Mitts are okay but if you have the funds we suggest buying heat safe gloves. They are like oven mitts but allow for more finger dexterity. This is helpful in handling hot coffee beans as a typical home roaster is much smaller than a cake pan or oven tray.

Storage Containers – Oxygen is the enemy when trying to keep your roasted beans fresh. Make sure you have containers with tight-fitting lids. Avoid using plastic bags and paper bags if you want your beans to keep well.  We have found that mason jars with rubber lid seals work great.

The Cuban Revolution led to the nationalization of the entire coffee industry. The decline of Cuban Coffee can be traced to the replacement of skilled coffee farmers with an unskilled labor force and the migration of rural workers to the cities.  Family farms with decades of experience were now placed under government control. Cuba has made many attempts to reverse the decline of its coffee industry, most notably in 1989 with a new initiation led by Fidel Castro’s brother Raul Castro. Even with more government attention and money, the current regime has not been able to reverse the coffee industries overall decline .

Currently Japan and France account for approximately 70% of Cuba’s Coffee exports. Most of the coffee beans grown in Cuba are the higher quality Arabica beans. The variant you will run into the most is the “Typica” variety. Known for its full body and rich fragrance, Cuban coffee beans are beloved in the coffee houses of Paris. However, it’s the Japanese that buy the best of the Cuban crop, and have done so for the past 20 years. Japan prizes the “Crystal Mountain” beans and strives to purchase only the largest of the beans. Crystal Mountain is known to be sweet and nutty, full bodied, with relatively low acidity. Its taste profile is similar to the finest island coffees and is a distant cousin of the Jamaican “Blue Mountain” coffee.  Unlike other Island coffees, many describe the rich aroma of Cuban Coffee to be more sedentary, than volcanic. Due to its economic difficulties Japan has not been buying entire crops like it use to in the 1990s. With most Island Coffees supply problems are always a concern. Because of its political differences with the United States, finding “authentic” Cuban beans in the US is virtually impossible. You can Crystal Mountain coffee beans through some Canadian and European distributors. And of course, if you are ever in Japan, you can easily stop by a specialty shop for the finest Cuban Coffee beans.

Notable Cuban Specialty Beans:

Cubita Coffee – Heady Aroma and warm Body.

Serrano Coffee – Is an Arabica cultivar. Serrano coffee is known for its dark and intense flavor with a hint of caramel notes.  When you add a bit of milk the caramel notes are intensified without being overpowering. Like all Cuban coffee its described to be very smooth.

Estrella del Norte – Estrella del Norte beans are grown above 4,000 feet in the shady jungles of the Sierra Maestra Mountains. The beans have a rich, chocolate, nutty flavor with a heavy body and smooth aftertaste.

Coffee Profile

FLAVOR: Full body with smoky notes

ROASTS: Great as a Blending Bean. Medium-High to High

ACIDITY: 3

BALANCE:  6

BODY: 6

A Neapolitan coffee brew maker is usually a single serving device. Many people confuse the Neapolitan Flip brewer with a stove top espresso maker.  Unfortunately you cannot make espresso drinks with this type of brewing device. The Flip Brewer, also commonly referred to as a Drip Maker, does not use steam to extract coffee under high pressure like an espresso machine. It works just as it’s named, with gravity pulling the water through the coffee beans.

The Neapolitan Flip Brewer is an all in one device that has three main parts: a water reservoir, a top filter attached by a screwing mechanism, and a carafe.  To use a Neapolitan you first put all the parts together and place the water reservoir over a heating apparatus like a stove burner.  Just before the water in the brewer starts to boil, the Neapolitan brewer is turned over allowing coffee to drip down.  When brewing coffee with this style, it’s important to use the right type of ground. The ideal ground for the Neapolitan flip brewer is a course ground; much like the type of ground you find use in most American coffee makers. Finer blends such as an espresso ground will cause the water to permeate slowly through the coffee.  This results in an overly strong (or even bitter) coffee as well as a lengthy brewing time. Neapolitan style brewing results a very intense coffee flavor as the lack of filter paper allows more of the natural coffee oils to stays in your cup of coffee.

Brewing Instructions:

1)      Take apart the Neapolitan Flip Brewer.

2)      Grind your beans coarsely in your coffee grinder.

3)      Unscrew the cap on the filter part of your brewer.  Place 2 tablespoons of coffee spreading evenly. Do not tamp, or press, down on the coffee.

4)      Most Neapolitan flip brewers have a small hole a centimeter or so from the top edge of the water reservoir. This allows water to escape preventing any water from touching the coffee grinds in the carafe.  You want to fill the reservoir with water about a centimeter below the exit hole to allow the water to expand during heating.

5)      Place the filter inside the reservoir.

6)      Screw on the part of the filter with the sprout.

7)      Place the Neapolitan brewer on a stove. If you are using a stove with a gas burner, keep the flames the same diameter as the brewer for the most efficient heating.

8)      Turn off the water if you begin hearing it boil. A simple way to tell if the water is hot enough keeping an eye on the exit hole. If you see a single droplet of water that means the water is plenty hot.

9)      Use oven mitts to grab the handle of the Neapolitan brewer. Flip over and allow the coffee to filter.

10)   When the bottom half of your brewer fills with coffee, you are ready to enjoy your coffee.

Buying coffee is more difficult that it use to be. With the maturation of the coffee industry in countless countries, the world wide web bringing us more information, and all the new breeds of specialty coffees; buying coffee can be as confusing as purchasing for your first home.  It seems that there are as many coffee cultivars as good cheeses or good wines. To help you navigate this bevy of choices, below is a list of things you could consider when buying coffee. Out of the list there is one thing factor that stands supreme: Taste.

Taste

Taste should always be your first consideration because if you don’ t like the taste, chances are you will not drink the coffee. And if you won’t drink the coffee, why buy it in the first place? Buy coffee you like to drink and you can never go wrong. Do not rely too much on expert opinion as everyone’s taste buds are a bit different and be open minded with new . Try everything.

Aroma

What does the coffee smell like? Many of the world top chefs say that the smell of the food is almost important as the taste and this thinking should be applied when drinking coffee. With coffee, aroma should come a close second to the taste of coffee. With many coffees, you will have a hard time separating the taste and smell coffee.

Freshness

Coffee is not like wine. It does not get better with age. The best coffee roasters bid to get the finest and freshest crop. Make sure you do your part and try to buy their freshest offerings.  The importance of freshness is even more important if you home roast.

Genus

What plant type and cultivar is extremely important in selecting coffee. Generally speaking Arabica coffee is superior and that is why some specialty coffees trade at multiples of 25 times commercial coffees.

Roast

How the bean is roasted affects the flavor. Understanding what type of roast goes best with certain brewing styles, not the just bean cultivar, will help you avoid a bad cup of coffee. For example, any espresso type drink; that is, coffee extracted via high pressure water, has to be from coffee that roasted is a notch above a full/city roast. This type of roast is commonly called an “espresso roast” because it’s the minimum roast needed to avoid a bitter taste when extracting coffee under high pressure water.

One tip you should remember is most specialty coffees are roasted as a full/city roast. This roasts brings out the best flavor of the coffee without adding extra flavor notes and highlighting the acidity of the coffee. If you are trying different coffees, make sure you use the same roast to get a truly accurate flavor profile. And if you have control over the roast make sure it’s a full/city roast to get a true gauge on the natural flavor.

An in-depth explanation of roast can be found here.

Geography/Farm

Certain environments produce certain flavor characteristics. The best coffee is usually grown in higher elevations but it is important to remember geography isn’t everything. It is better to buy good coffee in an unknown region than purchasing lower quality coffee in a celebrated country such as Costa Rica. With that qualifier I do want to emphasize that regional differences affect the flavor of coffee greatly and the only the real way to know is to try them!

Social/Ethical Issues

Everyone has different value system. If yours placed great emphasis on environmental, social, or political concerns, by all means incorporate those beliefs into your choice of coffee.

There are literally hundreds of roast varieties to suit the many flavors, beans, and  consumer preferences. However, there are several standard roasts that consumers are familiar with that have become standards. The below lists should be a starter guide for every discriminating coffee drinker.

New England Roast

You’ll fine a New England roast in diners, donut shops, and most breakfast establishment. In many parts of the country this roast is often called a “cinnamon” roast even though there is no cinnamon included, and the two terms can be use interchangeably. The New England roast is a very-light to light roast.  It’s a common or super-market roast but is very popular. Don’t be too snobby and disregard this popular style as “common” because some of the nation’s best coffee beans are lightly roasted this way.

The New England Roast provides a less than full body flavor and there is no obvious roasting flavor.

If you are a home roaster this is a very simple roast to do. After several minutes in your home roaster, you will hear a “crack” or light “pop.” After this first sound stop the machine and take out your beans. Most American mast produced coffee is roasted this way.

Full or City Roast

City or Full city roasts are a shade darker/deeper than the New England roast. This is the roast that most specialty coffees are roasted at. It allows the flavor of the coffee to come out without any pronounced roast flavor. Full Roasts are ideal for specialty coffee as the extra roasting time allows for the sugars to develop but there is no loss of acidity.

Vienna

Named for the famous coffee houses in Vienna, the Vienna roast is a shade darker than the Full city. The Vienna roast does not lose varietal uniqueness but it does add a caramel notes to the coffee.

Espresso

This is the classic Italian espresso roast. Espresso also refers to the extraction process of coffee under high pressure water we are so familiar with. The Espresso roast is called this name because it is the lightest roast that allows for the high pressure water extraction that does not produce a bitter flavor. Any roast lighter than the espresso roast will make the coffee come out bitter because this extraction process highlights the acidity of the beans. Espresso roasts produce very balanced coffee.

Italian

The Italian roast has more pronounced oil and bittersweet notes, which adds to the flavor complexity at the cost of the coffee’s acidity. It’s a shade or two darker than the espresso roast but you can tell the difference from the shiny coat  on the more oil spots of the bean’s surface.

French

The Classic French roast a very pronounced roasted note. You’ll notice the spicy charcoal notes much like food cooked on a grill. Beans roasted French are often shiny because their oils have surfaced and coated their exterior.

Mexico is one of the top 10 largest producers of coffee in the world. Most of the coffee is grown in southern end of the country away from the northern border of the United States.  For those who love organic coffee, Mexico is one of the largest producers of organic coffee as well as participating in many of the ethical coffee movements. Among the most familiar to American consumers is the Fairtrade Coffee Alliance. However, you can find much Mexican coffee that follows the guidelines of other ethical coffee guidelines such as Utz kapeh and the Rainforest Alliance.

Among the notable Mexican coffees consumers should seek out Mexican Maragogype beans.  Maragogype beans, also known as elephant beans are highly prized for their size and many can be found as SHG type beans.

Notable/Specialty Coffees

Chiapas is known for the finest Mexican coffee and the brand names one should see out are Tapachula and Huixtla.

Organic coffee lovers should look for Pluma beans, an organically grown coffee planted in Oaxaca. Oaxaca is know for some of the finest beans in Mexico

While most of the coffee production in Mexico is south of Mexico City, Verazcruz is known to produce quality coffee. One notable brand you should seek from Veracruz is Altura Huatusco.

Coffee Profile

FLAVOR: smooth, earthy, and fragrant. Medium to High acidity

ROASTS: Medium-High to High Roasts

ACIDITY: 7

BALANCE:  7

BODY: 7

To make sure you are getting the fresh coffee, try the steps below.

1.      Grind the roasted coffee beans

2.      Place the beans in an open-drop filter

3.      Pour freshly boiled hot water over the ground coffee

4.      Observe the coffee. If you have stale coffee, the grounds will stay flat during brewing. Fresh coffee will swell or gently rise. This is due to the release of carbon dioxide.

Below are many of the names and terminology you will find at local coffee house or caffe.

Caffe Mocha – this was my favorite drink of childhood and you will often hear it referred as Mocha. A traditional mocha is one-third espresso, one-third hot chocolate (real hot chocolate, not the syrup), and one-third steamed milk. The Caffe Mocha is like a chocolate cappuccino and can be made into different flavors by adding  syrups such as Irish Cream, Hazelnut, of French Vanilla.  Unfortunately, most coffee houses do not make the traditional caffe mochas. Mass chains such as Starbucks and most small coffee houses will use a chocolate syrup with espresso and hot milk.

Americano – This is an espresso drink to simulate how most American’s consume their coffee. It is simply an espresso drink combined with hot water.

Espresso Ristretto – The is type of espresso results in a richer, denser coffee.  How they do this is to stop, or “cut” the machine so that there is less liquid. The coffee is no where near the density of turkish coffee but the stronger and more aromatic Ristretto is a great drink on its own.

Doppio – A Double shot; that is, two shots of espresso

Caffe Latte – The latte is perhaps the most popular espresso based drink. Essentially a milkier cappuccino, hot milk is combined with a fresh shot of espresso topped off with a one-quarter inch layer of foam.  The milk is steamed to taste between temperatures of 150-170 degrees Fahrenheit.

Espresso Macchiato -  An espresso with a bit of milk.

Latte Macchiato – A Glass of hot milk with a little espresso.

Espresso Romano – Espresso with a twist of lemon peel

Espresso con Panna – Espresso with a spoonful of cold whipped cream

Like any subject, coffee has a language of its own. Understanding a few key ideas and terms will help you find great tasting coffee and avoid a lot of the marketing tactics associated with buying coffee.

Coffee Grades

You will here many connoisseurs, planters, and specialty houses talk about coffee grades but a lot of the common talk is just marketing. The key thing to remember as a coffee consumer is that grades don’t equal great taste. Coffee grades are more for the coffee industry buying in bulk  purchases used for blends and mass produced coffees you see on store shelves.  The coffee grades are generally used to describe the physical appearance of the coffee beans. Most coffee regions used a grading system to describe the size of the bean.  For example, Columbian beans use the Supremo grade for beans larger than the smaller  Excelso graded beans.  There is no grading system for when the coffee cherries are picked and there is no unified grading system for taste-related qualities such as acidity, body, etc. Furthermore, the end product is affected by varying factors such as roasting, storage, and wash.

The second most important thing to remember about coffee grades is that each region is different. If you are going to evaluate by grade, you must learn and understand how the Costa Rican coffee industry evaluates its beans vs the Brazilians for example.

Lastly, other grading factors you here about such as peaberry are actually descriptions of genetic anomalies or other physical traits. Peaberries are small round beans that occur when the twin bean in a coffee cherry doesn’t grow right. Many consumers or peaberry coffee love to argue that their flavor is more concentrated. While there is not a definitive study on the flavor concentration of the peaberry, what we do know definitely is the round shape results in a different roast. And we know that roasting affects the end flavor of the coffee, and this is why peaberries are so sought after and sell for a premium.

Organic

The phrase organic is thrown around a lot in almost every crop, not just coffee. For our uses I am going go by the certified definition of organic by the United States Depart of Agriculture. By definition, organic coffee beans are grown without using synthetic pesticides or other prohibited substances for at least three years. Additionally, the farm must follow a sustainable crop rotational plan.  If you are a consumer in another regions, such as Europe, the definition of organic in the European Union differ slightly.

Many consumers buy only organic products but I believe that is too narrow a confine for coffee consumption. If you are buying just organic labeled coffee, you are missing out some of the world’s great coffees. Furthermore, many farmers in third world countries farm organically by default. That’s how they’ve been doing it for generations and even if they wanted to, could not afford to buy pesticides and modern farm technology. The cost to be certified organic in the United States is about $300 a year.  Farmer’s in developing regions might earn anywhere to $1000-3000 per year farming coffee from their family farms. Even if they wanted too, they could afford to be certified organic by the USDA.

Sustainable Farming

Sustainable farming is difficult to standardize and certify. While the term is thrown around a lot, there is no commonly held definition as each geographic region has its own characteristics.

Fair Trade

Most Fair Trade agreements certify cooperatives instead of individual farms. What this term generally means is that buyers and sellers have agreed to  a “fair” price as deemed by a third party.

Estate coffee

There is no legal definition of  “Estate” coffee. The term has been used to replace “plantations” due to the historical negatives of the word plantation. Estate coffee is more a marketing tool than anything else .

Shade Grown

Shade grown coffee also is known as bird-friendly coffee. In South America and other warm climates, birds come there in the winter to nest. Birds often use the coffee trees to nest and form a symbiotic relationship with coffee trees as the birds shield the coffee from the harsh sunlight. Shade grown coffee also does not use pesticides. Shade Grown coffee also is used in mountain sides where the mountain shades coffee from the sunlight. Again with other standards, shade grown does not mean bad coffee and is not a definitive label for quality coffee and tastes.

When you think of Italian coffee, the first images that come to mine usually involve a delicious, frothy, cup of cappuccino.  This quintessential Italian breakfast often involves the cappuccino served with a sweet pastry. Cappuccino’s have developed a huge following outside  of Europe in South America, South Africa, and Australia. Following the rise of upscale coffee houses in the Pacific Northwest during the 1990s, Cappuccino’s have become a standard espresso drink found on most American coffeehouses.

Make the espresso

Cappuccino’s typically use a high roast bean but you can choose a coffee that suits your taste. Once you have selected your bean follow our instructions here to make the perfect espresso.

Select the Milk

After you have made your fresh espresso, you can start preparing the milk. The type of milk and the temperature you have it at in the beginning of the steaming process affects the quality of the cappuccino. Ideally you should use semi-skmmed milk because a whole, or full fat milk, will hide the flavor of the coffee.  In addition, use the coldest milk you have. Many café’s will have milk lying around at room temperature, or worse, warmed because cold milk takes longer to warm up. (Time is money However, if you want better tasting foam, go with the cold milk. Not only will the foam taste better and last longer, cold milk foams more so you will have more foam in your cappuccino

Steaming the Milk

No matter what container you choose, only fill it with milk halfway.  You want to place the steam jet or steam wand just below the surface of the milk.   If its too high you’ll spray milk all around you. If you submerse the wand too much you will not create enough bubbles.  Keeping this in mind, submerge the steam wand then quickly lower the container so that the wand is just below the surface of the milk.  Another way to tell if you are steaming the milk correctly is by the sound of the process. If you here a deeper rumble sound like bubbles being blown the wand is too deep. The idea sound is a slight hissing noise.  While steaming the milk keep in mind you do not want to bring the milk to a boil, do not over steam the milk. The ideal temperature should be around 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cupping the Cappuccino

Once you have steamed the milk to the right temperature and consistency, pour the espresso in your cup of choice. Take your jug of steamed milk and pour hot milk into the cup till you fill it 2/3 height. While pouring the milk make sure you are using a spoon to hold back the foam.  Gently spoon in the remaining on third of the cup with foam

Toppings

If you have followed the steps mentioned earlier you now have the perfect home-made cappuccino. If you want to make the cappuccino a bit more attractive genlty shake a little chocolate power or cinnamon for presentation.