You know the saying, what you do yourself, you can do it better. We at Golden Sin fully agree with this as brewing coffee at home can be relaxing and rewarding.

As we’ve said before, brewing coffee and trying to get the best out of the beans is all about control, the more factors, and steps you can control, the more likely you can get the best possible coffee experience out there.

Have you ever considered roasting your beans? Don’t you know how to roast coffee beans? We will guide you through these steps.

Why should you consider roasting coffee beans at home

Brewing is all about trying to control every aspect of the brewing cycle to get the best results and thus coffee. The fine thing is you can control when you do it and manage the lifecycle of the coffee bean as you’re the manager.

When you go to the store and buy coffee beans or even coffee grounds, chances are that they’ve been laying there for some time on the shelf, let alone when they’ve been ground.

Think about it, a green unroasted coffee bean also loses some flavor over time, slowly and not so fast as roasted beans. You should finish your batch, we mean roasting and brewing and drinking! in 3 to 6 months. They usually can hold up longer, for even more than 1 year but just for your own sake, try to consume them within 6 months or buy fewer green coffee beans. Store them away in a sealed container and dark place at room temperature.

This way you can always have some of the freshest coffee possible. Freshness is something that’s very underestimated when brewing coffee.

Roasting the beans yourself will equip you with more common knowledge about coffee and its products. Much like a sommelier knows and tastes his wines, you’ll also be an expert at your coffee as you will taste and tweak your favorite coffees. Don’t keep with coffee in the stores, try and find some gems or specialty coffees and keep exploring!

Buying green beans is much cheaper compared to buying roasted and ground coffee, in most cases. Of course, depending on the gear you’re using, your investment won’t be the same but generally, this will save you money. In a way, you’ll be paying yourself for the beautiful coffee exploring opportunity! Great things don’t have to cost a lot of money.

What do you need to roast coffee beans at home?

You don’t need a lot of equipment in order to start the roasting journey at home.

Selecting your coffee beans

Start with something you know and go and explore from there. Buy small batches of beans and try to brew some every week or 2 weeks some other coffee beans. Try and note your remarks down on a spreadsheet so you can keep track of your experience.

Your coffee gear equipment

As we’ve said before, and we will repeat it regularly, having the right gear is key in controlling every possible aspect of the brewing process. Things can get hot, to more than 400 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on the roast level you’ll want.

You don’t need a lot of equipment to roast your coffee beans at home. Prepare the following:

• Green coffee beans: you can buy them online or at your local store or coffee shop. At your local market, there’s always a vendor who sells some great coffee or can help you with your request. You can also order them via large retailers like Amazon.
• An oven or a large pan: every household must have an oven or a large pan available. This is not special equipment like a popcorn maker, which can be more unusual and more difficult to use. We prefer the oven option as this gives us more control.
• A stove: you’ll need this to heat the green coffee beans up.
• A bowl or pot: to put the freshly roasted beans in so they can cool down.
• A scale: knowing the right amount of beans for your needs is key to controlling your portions and preventing you from wasting coffee, if you’re experienced, a scale might not be needed but almost every household has or should have this.
• A timer: you can use your timer from your smartphone or watch to monitor this. This is not needed but can give you more control and relax you more.
• A colander: this might come in handy, just in case.
• A spatula: this is for stirring the beans while they’re roasting. If you don’t do this things might get out of hand and burn, causing a lot of smoke in the process.

Things you need to know before starting to roast at home

Think about what you’ll want to drink, are you being loyal to what you know or are you willing to explore a whole new world? There are mainly 4 coffee bean types out there and different roast levels, each with its flavors.

Try and start with a small batch of beans so you can tweak the process and master it. Don’t you like the beans, consume them and try some other beans.

Just consume them preferably before 6 months, they can last longer, up to 1 year but you don’t want to wait for that long!

Beans need to be moved to be roasted consistently or evenly. If you buy a drum roaster, this is done automatically, also with some popcorn machines.

Different roasting levels

Generally, you have about 3 roast levels. Some say there are 4 or more but we’ll keep it at 3, just to keep things simple.

• Light roast: In the first stage, the beans have a light brown color and not many oils will be released from within the beans. The flavors are close to the bean’s natural flavors and will be mostly fruity and floral.
• Medium roast: This is after the first crack. This longer roasting period will release some of the inner oils of the beans. The tasting notes will be darker and earthier, yet have some notes of flowers and fruits.
• Dark roast: As the name suggests, the color will be very dark and the bean will look very shiny and oily. A second crack of the bean has happened. Tasting notes are darker and earthier and won’t be close to what was in the bean’s original flavor profile.

There are other roasts as well, think about the blonde roast from Starbucks.

Related read: dark vs medium roast

How to roast coffee beans in 10 steps

We’ve divided things up into 10 simple steps to follow to roast your coffee beans. Here we’ll use an oven.

1. Prepare your kitchen and lay out your equipment in the right place, make sure you’ve everything close. A scale, timer, and colander might be optional but can be handy.
2. Buy your fresh green beans. There are a lot of possibilities out there to buy green beans: online, at your local coffee store or shop, or the local market.
3. Preheat your oven to about 350 degrees Fahrenheit and prepare your roaster.
4. Select your beans: select the right amount of beans and spread them out. Start with a small batch if you’re unsure. You can use the scale for indication.
5. Roast for a few minutes: use the following temperatures: Light roast: 350 ° to 400 ° Fahrenheit for about 10 to 12 minutes. The closer to the first crack, the more likely some oils will be released. Medium roast: turn up the heat to 410 ° to 430 ° Fahrenheit. Dark roast: heat up to about 440° to 450° Fahrenheit until you hear the 2nd crack.
6. Let the beans cool down: this is very important: let them rest in a separate bowl or place so they can cool down for a few hours.
7. Let the beans degas: the beans were heated a lot and because of the processes of roasting, the beans need to “let off some steam”, or in this case: carbon dioxide. Stash them away in an airtight sealed container and let them rest in a dark place and at room temperature.
8. Grind your coffee beans: grind your coffee beans when you need your coffee. Depending on the preferred brewing method and coffee, you’ll go for different grind sizes.
9. Brew your coffee: brew your coffee according to your preferred brewing method
10. Pour the coffee into the cup and add some sweeteners like honey, brown sugar syrup, milk, or other sweeteners. You can use milk if the taste is a bit too bitter!

The benefits of roasting your coffee beans

There are a few benefits or reasons why you should opt for roasting your coffee beans at home. Some reasons might be more motivating for others.

Control

Brewing coffee is all about controlling the different aspects and trying to be consistent and improve them.

After all, when things aren’t the way you want them to be, you’ve got yourself to blame and will learn from those mistakes, who’re inevitable to your journey of brewing the best cup of coffee out there.

We also say control about you can control everything about your product. The closer you can get to the source, the better. Some people even buy Kopi Luwak and they’re scammed all the way!

Saving money

Green beans are a commodity and can be traded. The shorter you go in the supply chain, the more likely you’ll have to pay less. You’ll know better what you’ll buy.

Of course, this means you’ll have to do some work yourself, but you’ll be rewarded with fresher beans and thus a possible greater cup of coffee.

Freshness

When you buy your coffee beans or even coffee grounds, you’re not always sure of how long their shelf life is and even before they came on the shelf, you look for indicators like roasting date and so on. Here it doesn’t matter, you can label them yourself if needed.

Green beans will last from 3 to 6 months up to 1 year. We’d say to keep the 6 months as an indication of the freshness of your coffee beans.

Store them wisely to preserve their freshness.

Buy smaller amounts of green beans so you can better align them with your needs. When you start, buy and brew smaller batches.

Self-care

Brewing and roasting coffee beans yourself, if done for private consumption and not for professional purposes, can be a way of minimalism and taking things slower.

If you try to control every aspect of the brew ratio, you can be blown away by the great results and flavors.

You’ll even enjoy your coffee more. In a way, you can provide also for your family and guests, sharing your great experience and caring for others as well.

How to store your roasted coffee beans

When you’ve bought your green beans, you should keep them away from direct sunlight and save them in a dry and cool place. The temperature should be around room temperature. Save them in an airtight container.

If you’ve bought a great number of green beans. Stock them in a large container and fill up a smaller container once in a few weeks. By doing this you’ll keep most of the beans fresher for a longer period.

FAQs about roasting coffee beans at home

F.A.Q.

How can I roast my coffee beans?

You’ll need equipment and a lot of heat to roast coffee beans. Industrial roasting can reach higher temperatures but generally, depending on the roast level you’ll want, you’ll adjust the time and temperature. The darker the roast, the longer and higher the temperature you’ll have to let them crack and release the inner oils. You can try the oven as a way to start.

How do you roast coffee at home?

This depends on your situation and the equipment you have around. How much do you want to invest in the coffee beans and time when roasting them? Try to find a great green coffee bean by roasting in small amounts and making your selection. You can always start with roasting your coffee beans in the oven, before investing in better equipment like a home roaster.

How do you roast coffee beans for beginners?

You’ll need a few key items and skills: a heater (an oven will do), green coffee beans, and some patience and dedication. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lay out the beans on the plate or roaster and put them in the oven. Use the following as indication: light roast: between 350 and 400 degrees Fahrenheit, medium roast between 410 and 430 degrees Fahrenheit and ultimately: dark roast: between 440 and 450 degrees Fahrenheit.

How long does it take to roast coffee beans?

The time depends mostly on the desired roast type of your coffee beans and your used equipment. Let’s say you’ll use the oven, it depends on the type of oven. You can start with 5 minutes and go from there. Preheat at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Start between 350 and 400 degrees for the first minutes (light roast). Turn up to between 410 and 430 degrees for a medium roast. After this turn it up to between 440 and 450 degrees until you hear the second crack.

Is it difficult to roast coffee?

No, as with you most things, you’ll get better by doing them over and over again. We all go to school for some reason. Every skill must be practiced. You can start with a small batch of green coffee beans and an oven and grow your experience from there. Start to select your preferred green coffee bean and preferred roast level. It does require some work, but that’s one of the finer things about brewing coffee.

Can coffee beans be roasted at home?

Yes, sure. You can do almost everything at home, except growing your coffee beans, depending on where you live. You can start to roast with a simple oven and selection of green coffee beans. If this works well, you can always upgrade later for better equipment like a home roaster. Don’t invest a lot in equipment if you’re unsure about this.

Enjoy your coffee

The post HOW TO ROAST COFFEE BEANS AT HOME: A SHORT GUIDE appeared first on Golden Sin Coffee.

A lot of us coffee drinkers won’t start the day before getting that first cup of coffee. It can give you a lot of benefits, mostly that energy shot, so you can start to kickstart your day at the office.

As with most things when it comes to consumption, consuming too much of something does have some consequences. Coffee is not different. Some people experience the coffee jitters.

The what? The coffee jitters are feelings, sensations you can experience after consuming too much caffeine. This can vary from shaking to feeling your heart beat stronger, before crashing.

Luckily you can avoid this by using some of our tips and tricks like drinking decaf coffee or low-acid coffee.

What are coffee jitters exactly?

Coffee jitters are the physical sensations you get after consuming too much caffeine.

This can be experienced by feeling shaky and having serious heartbeats (suddenly). These effects will wear off after some time though.

Adults can tolerate about 400 mg of caffeine per day. Of course, the discussion here isn’t if all of this 400 mg intake comes from coffee alone or not. There’s caffeine in a lot of products like green tea, coca cola, chocolate, energy drinks like Redbull, and so on.

This tolerance level is reached by about 4 cups of coffee per day. As long as you’re under that level of 400 mg, you’re likely to see positive benefits from caffeine intake like better concentration, stronger physical health, and energy boost.

Does it mean, once you reach 400 mg of caffeine that you’ll have a lot of bad consequences? No, it’s different for everyone.

How do coffee jitters happen?

Caffeine acts like a natural stimulant for the nervous system. It blocks the effects of naturally-

What can cause coffee jitters?

The coffee jitters can be caused by consuming too much caffeine. The tolerance level is about 400 mg per day. Tracking your caffeine intake is key.

Caffeine is a stimulant and is known to block our body from sleepiness after a bad night’s sleep or staying awake too long. They’re blocking the adenosine receptors.

If done on a small scale, your concentration and energy level will raise because of this effect.

If you’re consuming more caffeine, it can cause you insomnia, irregular heart rate, headaches, or be bad for your stomach and make you poop. Coffee can be bad for you.

Some people drastically quit their caffeine intake and this causes a large gap and comes with negative effects. Most people will still drink coffee but look for various alternatives like low-acid coffee, decaf coffee or espresso, and so on. A high caffeine intake is also not good for pregnant women. Simply increase your hydration by drinking more water

Some side effects of caffeine on your body

We’ve gone into the subject here above a little bit but the best-known use of caffeine for your body is blocking the adenosine receptors and battling the need for sleep after a bad night’s rest or long day. Students do this often when they need to study for their exams. This works if done shortly and not frequently.

Consuming caffeine will block this and increase your blood pressure, and heart rate.

When you consume larger doses, say in total above 400 mg per day, can severe these effects and cause headaches, insomnia, and just give your stomach some major issues.

People react to this in several ways: slow and fast.

• Slow: they slowly decrease the intake of caffeine and combine this with an increased sleep pattern, extra water intake for hydration or moving more during the day, and eating healthier. I find that cycling for some time helps you clear your mind.
• Fast: they quit their caffeine intake very abruptly, leaving a serious “gap” and causing that feared energy drop. They can move and sport more, and eat healthier but this doesn’t cover the abrupt loss of caffeine.

How long can the coffee jitters last?

Caffeine stays in your system for about 8 hours, no more. This is an indication as every person has a different body and different habits.

Caffeine is a stimulant that can take effect in about 30 to 60 minutes after intake.

The coffee jitters, shaky feelings, headaches, stomach issues, and so on can happen throughout this period of 8 hours, depending on your situation.

How can you get rid of coffee jitters

Simply, sweat it and wait it out.

Depending on your personal and medical situation, you can be more or less sensitive to caffeine intake.

You can do some of the following things to help battle these effects:

• Reduce or quit caffeine intake: this one is obvious but won’t solve the problem directly as you’ll have to wait up to 8 hours until the effects are gone. If you abruptly quit your caffeine intake, you can have that feared energy drop or an energy crash.
• Sport and move more: sports and workouts will help as they can help reduce your headaches by breathing fresh air and moving in the open. Cycling can be very helpful.
• Eat healthy: Student food as we call it can help, consume foods that are rich in fiber, some nuts, raisins instead of chocolate cookies, and others. It can help to battle the energy drop.
• Hydration: drink water, our body exists for the most of water. Water is key to life. It will battle the dehydration effects. This depends on your situation and body but generally, drinking a glass of water makes you feel better. When you’ve stayed up well last night and had a lot of coffee, just start with a glass of water when you get up, it can do wonders.

How to drink coffee without the jitters?

Luckily, in today’s life, there are some alternatives available for coffee lovers to keep drinking coffee and heavily reducing caffeine intake and thus enjoy the good stuff without the bad consequences afterward.

Switch from Arabica to Robusta beans or a blend

An important part of your coffee brewing method is the selection of your whole coffee beans.

Robusta beans are known for their higher caffeine % compared to their Arabica counterparts. They’ve about 2 to 3 times more caffeine.

You could switch to a selection of 100% Arabica beans or a blend to reduce the amount of caffeine intake directly.

No more instant coffee

Instant coffee is in most cases made of 100% Robusta or blends that are dominated by Robusta beans. This increases their caffeine %.

It can be wise to select another way of brewing your coffee instead of instant coffee. You can opt for drip or pour-over coffee as a quick fix.

Low acid coffee

As the name suggests, coffee can cause a lot of acidity and trouble for your stomach. Luckily some low-acid coffee beans are lower on caffeine as well. You can try this yourself and see if it increases or decreases your coffee jitters.

Decaf coffee

The next level and probably the easiest way is just to brew your coffee with decaffeinated coffee beans. These beans still contain some degree of caffeine but nothing close to the regular coffee beans.

Some even state that they taste quite similar to the “real” coffee.

Cold brew coffee

Most of the acids or caffeine causing our coffee jitters are caused by the hot brewing method. Because of the heat. A great alternative is brewing your coffee by using the cold brew method by letting your coffee steep for more than 12 hours up to 24 hours. Brewing your coffee “cold” can reduce the acids by about 70% and thus low-acid coffee.

Reduce the sweeteners

A lot of people add sweeteners to battle the bitter taste of their cups. Depending on these sweeteners, like their sugar rate, sugar can also cause you some coffee jitters and a combination with caffeine won’t decrease them, on the contrary! Other sweeteners like maple syrup, brown sugar syrup, or even milk also contain sugar.

If you’re unsure, you can seek professional advice from your dietician or nutritionist so you’re you won’t compromise your daily needs for good health.

Wrapping up on the coffee jitters

Having the coffee jitters can heavily impact or simply ruin your coffee experience. Coffee should be something you enjoy every day.

When you have the jitters, go and drink a full glass of water and reduce the caffeine intake to regular levels of about 4 cups a day. Stopping caffeine intake will cause an energy drop. Go outside and take a good breath when cycling.

Luckily, there are some things you can do to prevent this from happening like drinking decaf coffee, low acid coffee, switching to 100% Arabica beans or simply leaving the extra sweeteners (and sugar) on the table.

Drinking coffee shouldn’t be a pain!

Enjoy your coffee

The post Coffee Jitters: How to fix it? appeared first on Golden Sin Coffee.

Brewing your coffee can be very simple, whether you’re traveling or not, you’ll only need water, coffee grounds, and a cup or mug. Al other appliances or steps are for increasing control over the brewing process.

Did you know that you can use the microwave for heating your water to brew coffee? If you can use it for your minute soup or tea, it shouldn’t be bad for coffee right? Or is your coffee maker broken and you don’t have a spare coffee maker around?

Read on for more info about how to make coffee with a microwave at home!

How to make coffee with a microwave

Everyone has a microwave or oven in their household. It’s one of the most convenient kitchen appliances we know today.

First, we will cover how you can make coffee with a microwave, just using water, coffee grounds, a mug, and the microwave along with a recipe.

How much coffee do you need?

The same as when brewing with other methods aligned with your needs.

For one cup of coffee, you’ll need 1 scoop of coffee grounds or 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds and about 10 oz of water. You can use the golden ratio as guidance.

You can tweak these ratios to your own needs. That’s the essence of brewing. Do you need a stronger cup of coffee? Just add more coffee compared to water. Do you need e weaker cup of coffee? Just add less coffee compared to water.

Equipment and ingredients

• A microwave
• A cup or mug
• 1 scoop or 2 tablespoons of coffee grounds
• 10 oz of water (filtered water if possible)

So pick your cup and add 10 oz of water to it and heat it in the microwave. Every microwave is different, so make sure you don’t overheat the water.

It’s hard to see when it’s boiling because this isn’t heating like you’re heating water in a pan or pot. If you’re doubting, let it cool down for a bit.

After this, add your coffee grounds to it.

How to brew coffee with a microwave and other gear

You can also use the microwave and combine it with other gear and brewing methods.

We will cover the following brewing methods: drip coffee and French Press

Drip Coffee

Drip coffee is perhaps the most popular method of making coffee in the world for some time. We mostly make it with a coffee maker instead of a microwave. We’ll use the microwave like it’s intended to: heating the water. We’re not talking about reheating your drip coffee brew from yesterday!

Here, we should go for coffee grounds with at least medium grind size or grind your whole coffee beans to medium size. If you have the time and possibility to grind them yourself, grind it—generally, the fresher, the better for the taste.

Besides the coffee grounds, water, cup, and microwave, you’ll need a cone coffee maker, like the V60 from Hario, and a coffee filter.

• Ready your cup
• Add the cone coffee maker on top
• Put the coffee filter into the cone coffee maker
• Add your coffee grounds
• Pour the hot water over it and let it drip through

You don’t need a cone coffee maker to make drip coffee, you can also use other alternatives like a coffee filter, kitchen towel, paper towel, or handkerchief. When the need is high, those are nearby!

The point is that you must avoid the grounds to reach your cup because they can heavily dominate (in the wrong way) the flavor profile.

French Press Coffee

French press coffee is another popular method of making coffee. It’s a bit more involved than drip coffee, but it’s still relatively easy to do. All you need is ground coffee, hot water, and a French press.

With the French Press, we’ll add coffee grounds to the bottom, add hot water and let our coffee steep. After this we’ll push the plunger and press all the coffee grounds to the bottom of our pot, leaving us with the coffee.

You can heat the water in the glass carafe of your French Press and put the carafe in the microwave. Never put your French Press in your microwave because coffee makers are made of plastic and metal and other materials that can’t stand the heat from the microwave. Avoid unnecessary risks.

TIPS FOR MAKING COFFEE IN A MICROWAVE

Now that you know a few different ways to make coffee in a microwave, let’s go over some tips to make sure your coffee turns out just the way you like it.

Microwavable cups and mugs

Not every cup or mug can be used for heating in a microwave, not a lot of people know that. If your cup or mug is made of plastic, make sure it doesn’t have any metal details like a handle. Also, make sure the plastic is microwave-safe before you use it. The same goes for mugs made of ceramic, make sure they’re labeled as microwave-safe.

Filtered water

The quality of the water will help ensure the quality of your coffee and its taste.

Overheating water

Don’t heat the water in the microwave for more than 90 seconds and use short intervals. The water can get easily hotter than the boiling point. The microwave heats differently and there’s no convection involved. This can cause severe burns if you aren’t careful.

With these helpful tips in mind, you’re sure to make a great cup of coffee in the microwave. So go ahead and give it a try!

Conclusion

A microwave is an unmissable kitchen appliance for every household and can allow you to make a quick cup of coffee. Be warned though as an accident can happen if you’re not paying attention. Use our tips and guidance for a quick cup of coffee if you don’t have any alternative available, always use it as a last resort!

F.A.Q.

How do I make perfect coffee in the microwave?

You must prepare the following: a microwavable cup, 10 oz of water, 2 tablespoons, or 1 scoop of coffee grounds. If you grind the coffee beans yourself, it will increase the quality because of the freshness. Fill the mug with the water and heat in the microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes. Don’t make it boil. Add your coffee grounds afterward and use something to filter if possible. You don’t want to have some of the grounds reaching your cup!

Can you make instant coffee in a microwave?

Yes of course. Ready 1 scoop or 2 tablespoons of instant coffee so you can add it quickly to your cup. Fill your microwavable cup with water and heat it in the microwave for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the instant coffee to it and stir until everything is dissolved. You don’t want to see anything of the granules left. You can add sweeteners if the taste is too bitter.

Can we make black coffee in the microwave?

Yes of course. Fill your microwavable cup with water and heat it before boiling points. If you’re not sure, use intervals of 1 minute. Grind up to 2 tablespoons or 1 scoop of coffee beans or use coffee grounds and let it drip through a coffee filter or coffee filter substitute.

Enjoy your coffee

The post How to make coffee with a microwave at home: some tips! appeared first on Golden Sin Coffee.

When the need is high, the grinder is nearby. But what if your grinder is broken or you’re traveling without one in your luggage? How to grind coffee beans without a grinder?

We’ve all been there when we’re through our stash of coffee grounds, but luckily you have some coffee beans left to grind. These alone won’t make you a great cup of coffee.

These 7 alternatives will get the job done for you.

How to grind coffee beans without a grinder?

While there are different types of grinders out there, like manual and automatic ones, we won’t discuss these in this post and refer to other posts on our blog about grinding coffee beans.

That said, if you don’t have a grinder and can’t get one very quickly, there are several alternatives you can use as a plan B just in case and still get great results.

If you can get a grinder, we always advise that you get it because it is still the most reliable solution to grind your coffee beans to upgrade your coffee experience.

Tips and tricks to grind your coffee beans without a grinder

We’ve already covered the discussion between blade grinders vs burr grinders and why they matter. Other things are worth mentioning.

We won’t go into detail but will give you considerations and tips for how to go about grinding your whole coffee beans without a grinder at home.

Brewing method

Think about the coffee you’ll drink, will you need a coarser grind size or a finer grind size? Espresso requires a finer grind compared to French Press and so on. For more info about grind sizes, check our chart here.

Take it easy

one grind at a time. Brewing is a cycle of control where grinding is a very important element. You can automate the grinding but doing it yourself can give your better results. Think about your brewing method and don’t overdo it if it’s not needed.

Roast level

The stage of roasting matters a lot. The longer a whole coffee bean is roasted, the more it has suffered and cracked and thus easier to grind through. That’s why lighter roasts are more difficult to grind consistently and evenly. Darker roasted beans will be better suited for grinding

Other residues

Depending on the grinding alternative, you’ll see other residues like spices. Think about giving your old pepper mill a second life? Clean it thoroughly before using this further, risking a peppered espresso in the process.

Trial and error

Grinding without a coffee grinder requires skill and a lot of experience to get it right for any brewing method you desire. The more you’ll do it, the better you’ll get. Most people don’t do this often because they have a great coffee grinder at home.

7 alternative ways to grind coffee beans without a grinder

Each alternative method can and will produce a different grind, so you’ll have to experiment to see which one works best for you according to your preferred brewing method.

It doesn’t matter which method you choose because brewing is all about doing, learning, and tweaking the process.

We will discuss them in 2 sections: other electric appliances and by hand.

Coffee grinder alternatives by using other electric kitchen appliances

You’d be surprised how much of service other electric kitchen appliances could be for you when brewing coffee.

Be aware that these methods won’t always result in a very fine grind but they will be surely good enough for most of the brewing methods out there.

Blender

A blender of those electric kitchen appliances that are key in a household. It can do almost everything, from making milkshakes, to mixing your fruit, chocolate and so much more. Coffee beans? Yes, also your coffee beans.

They can grind coffee beans like it’s nothing. Be aware though, like we’ve described earlier on our blog about grinders, there’s a difference between blade grinders and burr grinders.

Blenders are made of blades and will cut through everything. They can also produce some of the heat out there and will heat the oils within the beans during the process. If this happens, this will result in the release of bad flavors and more likely you’ll have a less good cup of coffee this way.

You can avoid this by hitting your blender a bit, don’t hit it too hard.

This method is best for coarse to medium grinds. Blending coffee beans always go with rough, inconsistent ground coffee.

Food processor

A food processor is another one of those very handy electric kitchen appliances. Getting a good food processor can help you out with different tasks in the kitchen, from kneading dough to making hummus and so much more.

One of those other tasks could be grinding your coffee beans. A food processor can grind coffee beans just like how it would chop vegetables or any other food items.

It is very similar to a blender and can be more powerful. So it also cuts through the coffee beans and you’ll need to pulse (pulse-function) or push to avoid overheating and thus the release of bad flavors into your coffee.

Coffee grinder alternatives by using your hands

Grinding with your hands can give you more control over how fine or how coarse the grinds are. But it can be a bit more tiring and sometimes less fun and convenient than using an electric appliance.

Knife

Everyone has a knife or two in their house. Here, you won’t knife away as you do with most things when preparing food.

You’ll use the flat side of the knife, not the sharp edge to cut through. Remember, we want to “crack and smash” the coffee beans by using some force. The broader the knife, the better.

This method allows you a medium to fine grind size. The more you do it, the easier getting fine grinds will be.

Spice grinder

Think about that grinder for grinding your pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and other spices and herbs for upgrading your food.

These grinders come with sharp blades and can also be used to grind your coffee beans.

Spice grinders have will have blades or burrs like coffee grinders. The downside is that you’re using a spice grinder that might have any residue left, making it able to affect your coffee beans’ taste.

It can however be a nice change if you know what you’re doing. After all, we’re using this as an alternative or plan B.

Rolling pin

If you love to bake things at home, you must have a rolling pin at your disposal. If not, you can easily get one at any store that sells cooking utensils.

You can use a rolling pin to grind your coffee beans by placing them in a Ziploc bag or any other bag that can be closed shut. Hereafter, you will crush and roll over them with the rolling pin until the beans are ground to your preferred consistency.

The rolling pin can give you a medium to a fine grind.

Hammer

Everyone has a hammer around their house and can use it to grind their coffee beans. It’s quite similar to our rolling pin alternative and you’ll need ziplock bags or any other bag that can be closed shut.

This is a very rough method and requires a lot of practice and skill to grind evenly and consistently. Place the coffee beans in the ziplock bags, seal them and use them on a hard surface like a kitchen counter or table. It’s pretty straightforward but requires some time and energy for an acceptable result.

This is more for coarser grinds up to medium.

Mortar and pestle

This one concludes our list, this is because this is something that not everyone might have in their household.

A mortar and pestle is the “hardest” method and won’t give you quick results. The mortar and pestle go way back as it was used in ages past in several domains like medical care.

This method costs also a lot of energy. The reward is that you can grind your coffee beans to a finer and more even, consistent grind. This contributes to the extraction process as it gives more resistance.

Much like the material of the grinder, the material of the mortar and pestle will also play a role. Try and go for a ceramic mortar and pestle, this will reduce the heating process of grinding your coffee beans.

This will contribute to a great flavor as heat encourages the release of oils within the bean and thus, besides good flavors, also the more dominant bad flavors.

What matters when you’re grinding coffee beans

It’s simple: consistency.

One of the most underestimated steps in the coffee brewing process is the consistent grind of your coffee beans. You’ll have 2 possible outcomes: inconsistent and consistent grind:

• inconsistent grind: this won’t build up resistance and let the water easier through, getting all flavors out there, including the bad ones who will dominate the flavor profile of your coffee, while other grounds will be under-extracted.
• Consistent grind: this allows a great and evenly extraction of the flavors from the coffee grounds. Controlling this is key to a great cup of coffee.

Wrapping up

There are a lot of alternative ways to grind your coffee beans if you don’t have a grinder at your disposal.

One of the most important and underestimated things in brewing coffee is the consistency of your coffee grounds.

Grinding away with hand tools gives you more control. A mortar and pestle will cost you some time and energy, but reward you with great consistency and finer grounds, allowing you to brew a great cup of coffee.

Try and use a good grinder if possible and use one of our listed alternatives as a plan B so you’ll have the daily intake of your cup of black gold!

F.A.Q.

How do you manually grind coffee?

There are a lot of alternatives out there. The key to grinding your coffee beans is consistency. Using other electric appliances like a blender or food processor can get you great results, mostly for coarse to medium grind sizes. One of the downsides is the heat buildup and cutting of the beans instead of grinding. Other alternatives by using your hands are a knife, rolling pin, and mortar and pestle. Use a ceramic mortar and pestle for a medium to fine grind size. The ceramic material will resist and battle the heat build-up that destroys the flavor profile of your cup.

How do you grind coffee beans without grinding them?

You can use one of the other electric appliances when thinking about grinding them, like a blender or food processor. These devices will cut through the coffee beans instead of grinding them and likely result in inconsistent and coarser grind sizes.

Can you use a blender to grind coffee?

Yes, sure. Technically you can’t call it grinding coffee as the blades are cutting through the coffee beans instead of crushing them. This will result in more inconsistent and coarser grind size.

Is it better to grind coffee beans by hand?

Yes, remember, brewing coffee is all about control. What you do yourself, you can usually do it better by experience. If possible use a ceramic mortar and pestle for finer and more consistent grind size, but it requires some time and energy in the process!

Can you grind coffee beans in a blender or food processor?

Yes, you can grind coffee beans in a blender or food processor. These 2 electric kitchen appliances are more or less the same and will cut through your coffee beans very fast. Cutting through something equals cutting in different sizes and this is the same for your grind size, it won’t be consistent. Some parts will be over-extracted, and other parts will be under-extracted, resulting in a more bitter flavored coffee.

Enjoy your coffee!

The post How to grind coffee beans without a grinder? Top alternatives appeared first on Golden Sin Coffee.

We can drink our black coffee just black, we can upgrade our coffee drinks with various sweeteners like honey, brown sugar syrup, maple syrup, ice cubes, and much more.

We shouldn’t stop there and could add cold foam. Cold foam can greatly improve your cold brew coffees, iced coffees, and other coffees, together with a better coffee experience.

Why is cold foam so great? It has light textures with bubbles and gives you a cool finish, and it’s not that hard to make yourself. We will show you how you can make it yourself at home, so you can share it on social media ;)!

What is cold foam?

Cold foam is cold, frothed milk, that can be made without heat for coffees, mostly iced drinks. This milk foam can be poured on top of an iced coffee.

Frothed milk can also be made with heat for coffees. In this article, we’re focussing on cold foam, destined for cold-brewed coffees.

The cold foam is made from milk that’s relatively low on fat. This cold foam will be added on top and fall into the coffee drink.

Cold foam can be sweetened with extra sweeteners like sugar, maple syrup, honey, or other syrups and can be topped with different flavors.

Cold foam and Starbucks

The popularity of cold foam is partly or mainly, that’s another debate, made by Starbucks.

In 2014, Starbucks has introduced it with their Americano Con Crema. There are a lot of variations today of cold foam on the Starbucks menu.

How to make cold foam at home?

Making cold foam at home isn’t that hard really.

You don’t have to buy expensive kitchen or coffee gear to make your cold foam.

A normal blender or handheld milk frother can do this job just fine!

The most important part is to have the milk as cold as possible and find the balance in the amount of air that’s being incorporated into the milk. Too much and your foam will collapse, too little and it might not taste as good as it should be.

What kind of milk should I use to make cold foam?

The first question you should ask: will any kind of milk do fine?

The answer is in a way: yes, there’s always a better fit for a certain recipe.

If possible, use low-fat milk or milk that has a max of 2% fat in it. The reason is simple and obvious: the less fat in your milk, the more likely your milk bubbles will last, so you can enjoy the cold foam more.

Alternatively, you can use half and half or heavy cream, but you’ll have more calories and your cold foam won’t last as long.

Now, that you’ve chosen your milk, we can discuss our 5 ways of making cold foam.

How to make cold foam with an automatic milk frother?

A milk frother can be a part of your machine, built-in, or bought separately. With a milk frother, you’ll have foam in no time.

Use about half of a cup (0.12l or 4,06 fluid ounces) of low-fat milk

• pour the cold milk into the cup or reservoir, and try to stay under the line for optimal results
• Press and hold the button for a few seconds until you see the right indication.
• Keep at it until the milk is fluffy and foamed

How to make cold foam with a handheld milk frother?

Not everyone has a milk frothing machine or a milk frother that comes builtin with an espresso or coffee machine.

There’s no need to worry.

A handheld milk frother doesn’t need to cost you a fortune and will last for some time if used with respect.

You don’t have to do a lot to get your so desired foam:

• Pour the cold milk into your carafe or cup
• make sure it’s not full
• put the end of the milk frother whisks in the milk and turn it on
• Do this until you get your fluffy and foamy milk

How to make cold foam with a blender?

If you don’t have a milk frother at home, using a blender might be your best bet. It blends well. You can make a lot of foam in a short amount of time.

Besides the blender, you’ll need 1 cup of low-fat milk (about 0.24l or 8.12 fluid ounces)

• pour the milk into the blender
• place the fill blender on/in your machine
• increase the speed evenly, don’t start at the highest speed
• Remove after you see the milk is fluffy and is foamed

Generally, the more milk you’ll use, the more likely you’ll get great results

You can also use these tips with a handheld blender. Start slowly and increase evenly.

Can you make cold foam without a mixer or frother?

Yes, there are a few ways possible. We will explain the French Press and the mason jar. These two methods can be used to make cold foam without an expensive milk frother or mixer.

French Press

The French Press can be used for more than just brewing coffee. It’s a great tool to have in your kitchen. Not many people know that you can use it to froth your milk.

• Pour the milk, preferably low-fat milk, into your French Press
• Push the plunger from the French Press up and down until your milk is fluffy enough. This shouldn’t last longer than 2 minutes.

Mason Jar

If you don’t have the proper coffee gear as described above (blender, milk frother, French Press), there’s also a cheap alternative: the mason jar.

This can be ideal when camping. There’s always a mason jar around right?

However, if you pay peanuts, you’ll get monkeys is a popular saying. While using a mason jar is a great alternative, it involves more work compared to the other methods.

• Pour the cold milk into a mason jar
• Close the lid of the jar
• Shake and keep at it until the milk is fluffy enough

Wrapping up

How is cold foam made?

Cold foam is made by using low-fat milk, that has a max of 2% of fat. It has a fluffy and stiff foam that enriches your coffee drink. You can also use half and half or heavy cream, but they’re richer in calories. You can make it in multiple ways: with a blender, milk frother, French Press, mason jar… So you don’t have to visit your local coffee shop but make it yourself at home.

What is the best way to make cold foam?

The best way is highly subjective, but what we can say though is that doing it with a mason jar requires more work. Depending on the desired volume you want to make, either go for an automatic frother or blender (a lot of volumes), French Press, and handheld milk frother can be used for lower volumes. In the end, it all comes down to experience.

Difference Between Cold Foam and Whipped Cream?

Cold foam is a lot like the hot version of steamed milk froth that is used in other coffee drinks like lattes. Whipped cream has more body and is thicker. Cold foam and whipped cream are made by inserting air into the milk or heavy cream, creating tiny air bubbles in the process.

Is cold foam made with a steam wand?

No, cold foam is made from cold foamy milk and can be made with different tools like a blender, a milk frother, and so on. It’s cold and not made with any heat.

Enjoy your coffee!

The post A guide about how to make cold foam at home! appeared first on Golden Sin Coffee.

Coffee plays a vital role in our daily lives. Coffee is consumed all over the world. Food and drinks are one of the most evident businesses to invest in, like one the most famous coffee chains Starbucks.

On our blog, we’ve already mentioned that in 1475, there was already some coffee bar in Constantinople.

Nowadays, there are a lot of coffee chains out there, not only Starbucks, profiting from this black gold!

Thanks to various marketing channels and funnels like social media, a lot of those famous coffee chains are well known, and some others are less known. What is the most famous coffee chain and more? Find out 11 of the most famous coffee chains in this guide.

Please note: These numbers aren’t based on some following on various social media channels.

11 of the most famous coffee chains

1. Starbucks

This one won’t be a surprise for most of us. The journey of Starbucks started in 1971 in Seattle with their first store. Their concept was focusing on fresh-roasted coffee beans, tea, and spices. The name was inspired by the classic “Moby-Dick”.

From that moment on, in about 50 years, Starbucks has grown from 1 location to more than 30,000 stores (2021: 33,833 stores), according to Statista. About half of them are located in the US.

2. Tim Hortons

Tim Hortons is a coffee chain that’s based in Canada. It was initially founded as a fast-food restaurant and has about 5,000 locations worldwide. Tim Hortons is also known for other foods like breakfast items, and doughnuts. Thanks to this strategy they’ve been able to grow their chain to where it is now.

3. Dunkin Donuts

When you hear or read the name, Dunkin Donuts, you think it’s all about donuts but that’s not true at all, also coffee! Thanks to these various products, this company has been able to grow its chain to more than 1,000 locations within the United States. They offer a wide arrangement of products like breakfast items, sandwiches, coffee, donuts, and many other products.

4. Lavazza

Lavazza is an old Italian brand. This makes sense because coffee is very popular in Europe. We’ve already referred to the first coffee shop in 1475 in Constantinople. Italy is known for its coffee inventions and innovations, think about espresso.

Lavazza is founded in 1895 in Italy. They’re known for their great coffee beans and equipment, think about their espresso blends.

5. McCafe

McCafe might not always ring a bell but is part of the famous McDonalds chain. Besides the famous branding of the burgers like Big Mac, coffee is also a very important revenue stream.

The McCafe brand was started in 1993 as a way of diversifying and trying to capture other markets. In a way this was a great tactic as Mcdonalds have a lot of locations, in 2021 about 40,031 locations, so they didn’t need to invest in extra locations. McCafe has about 10,000 locations.

6. Peet’s Coffee

Peet’s Coffee isn’t a very known brand when you hear the number of locations: about 200 locations. Don’t be fooled though as they’ve got a share of the market as well. They mainly focus on the US market.

7. Dutch Bros

This one might not be so popular and not ring a bell. Dutch Bros was founded in 1992 by the Boersma brothers, coming from the dairy business. They’ve known a strong rise since then, with over 400 locations worldwide today.

8. Costa Coffee

Costa Coffee is a European chain. They often are referred to as the Europeans Starbucks. Nowadays, we must say that they’re from the UK since Brexit happened.

They’re founded in 1971, the same founding date as Starbucks, they’ve more than 3,000 locations and keep on growing.

9. Tully’s Coffee

Tully’s is also founded, like Starbucks, in Seattle. Unlike Starbucks and other coffee chains on our list, they’ve only relied on coffee as the major product.

Unfortunately, the financial state of the company didn’t allow Tully’s to expand like their closest competitors. Nowadays, they’ve about 300 locations worldwide and are very popular in the US and Japan.

10. Gloria Jean’s

Gloria Jean’s is founded in Australia and has more than 1,000 stores worldwide. They’re not so popular compared to others on our list but are worth mentioning. They’re one of the most popular and best coffee brands in Australia.

Truly, it makes sense that competition in the US market is hard and even harder for foreign brands.

11. Caribou Coffee

Caribou Coffee was founded in 1992 in Minnesota and quickly grew into a popular brand and coffee chain. They’ve about 600 locations worldwide. They don’t rely solely upon coffee but also offer related items like other drinks, snacks, and so on.

Wrapping up

These are 11 of the most famous coffee chains out there. There are many more of course that’ll serve you the precious black gold for you.

Does this mean you’ve got to visit one of these or all of them? No surely not. What we would like you to do is go and explore. These chains can give you great coffee, but local coffee shops and specialty coffee shops can do that as well.

F.A.Q.

What is the most popular coffee chain?

This one is Starbucks. They were founded in 1971 in Seattle and grew to, 50 years later, more than 30,000 stores worldwide and still growing. The inspiration for their name came from the “Moby Dick” novel. They’re known for their Frappuccinos, their different types of latte, and much more!

What is the most famous coffee company?

This is also Starbucks. It was founded in 1971 and they’ve grown to over 30,000 stores worldwide and are still growing. They’re a famous global brand and the largest famous coffee chain.

Who is the largest coffee chain in the world?

This is Starbucks, founded in 1971 in Seattle and grown to about 30,000 stores worldwide.

Enjoy your coffee!

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