Home Roasting Coffee with a Gas Oven (INeedCoffee.com)

Home Roasting Coffee with a Gas Oven

Shortly after I wrote the tutorial on how to home roast coffee using an electricial oven, my landlord replaced my perfectly fine electric oven with a brand new gas oven. Lucky me! Yet another home roasting opportunity. Although roasting in a electric oven works, using a gas oven is better. A gas oven will provide a more even roast and the result is better tasting coffee. Both of these roasting methods are pretty much identical. For a detailed step by step walk through, read Home Roasting in an Electric Oven. This article will serve as a quick reference for those unfamiliar with home roasting coffee in an oven.

A good oven should have a window for clear visibility of the roasting process. Prior to roasting, it is a good idea to clean this window for optimal visibility. You'll need some light on the beans to monitor their roasting progress. Either the oven light or a flashlight will work. The amount of time it takes to roast can vary from oven to oven and bean to bean. Gas ovens tend to have better ventilation than electric, but you should still be prepared to see your kitchen filled with smoke. As with any indoor roasting method, be sure to disable your smoke detector prior to roasting. Set the oven to 500慚.

Setting Up the Tray

Cover the perforated tray with green beans so they are touching, but not stacked upon each other. The general rule for oven roasting is to only stack the beans 1 deep.

Green beans spread evenly, touching, and 1 deep.

Monitoring the Roast

Below are a series of photos that show the beans going from green to a dark brown. The roast below took 11 minutes, which is about twice as long as other methods such as the popcorn popper or the Hearthware. Every oven is different, so roast to desired color, not a specific time.

start of roast

3 minutes into the roast

6 minutes into the roast

9 minutes into the roast

Cooling The Roast

Once you stop the roast, your goal is to cool the beans quickly. Using a metal colander as a cooling tray will lower the temperature. Also, use a water bottle to spray a light mist on the beans. For more information on cooling see page 3 of the electric oven tutorial.

a fine mist of water will accelerate cooling

Conclusion

The most important thing about home roasting coffee is the taste. The gas oven produced a much better coffee than the electric oven. The coffee was rich, well-rounded, and full of flavor. I encourage all home roasters with a gas oven to try oven roasting at least once. A gas oven with strong ventilation can serve as an excellent way to roast coffee in the colder months when going outside isn't an option.

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