Roasting Coffee by Jessica Simms: Home Roasting Guide (Paperback)

Curious about roasting your own coffee, but not sure where to start? Roasting Coffee: How to Roast Green Coffee Beans like a Pro by Jessica Simms is a short paperback introduction to what happens between an unroasted bean and the coffee in your grinder. It gives you a place to start before you jump into a new piece of equipment or your first batch.

At 52 pages, this is an introduction, not a giant technical textbook. It covers choosing green coffee beans, understanding roast stages and profiles, and getting familiar with what a home roasting setup needs. It's book 3 in the I Know Coffee series.

What you'll explore

• Green coffee beans: Get acquainted with choosing unroasted coffee as the starting point for a roast.
• Roast stages and profiles: Learn about the progression of a roast and how the way you roast can shape the result.
• Home roasting setups: Understand the basics of setting up to roast at home.
• Home and commercial roasting: Explore both settings as part of the book's introduction to the process.
• Roast level and brewing: Consider how roast level can change flavor and suit different brewing methods.

Who is this coffee roasting book for?

This is a useful starting point if you enjoy brewing coffee and want to understand the step before brewing: roasting. Maybe you've been buying freshly roasted beans and wondering what it would take to do it yourself. Or maybe you want a clearer idea of roast terminology before deciding whether home roasting is your next hobby.

You don't need to turn your kitchen into a miniature roastery just to start learning. Read through the basics, get familiar with the process, and use that understanding to make more informed choices about how you want to experiment.

How to get more out of it

Use the book to get your bearings, then keep notes when you begin roasting and tasting. What did you change? What did you notice in the cup? Learning to roast isn't about finding one magic time that works for every bean and every setup. It's about understanding the process well enough to learn from each batch.

Before operating any roasting equipment, follow its instructions for safe use and ventilation. A book is a learning resource, not a replacement for your equipment's operating guidance.

Book details

• Full title: Roasting Coffee: How to Roast Green Coffee Beans like a Pro
• Author: Jessica Simms
• Series: I Know Coffee, book 3
• Format: Paperback
• Length: 52 pages
• Published: September 6, 2017
• Dimensions: 6 × 9 × 0.12 inches

If home coffee roasting has been on your mind, this is a straightforward way to start learning before you start roasting.