How To's

How to clean a coffee maker

When it comes to the coffee maker, this just might be the most neglected yet most used item in our kitchen, I know it is in mine. When it comes to cleaning my coffee maker I go all out. I want the coffee maker to come clean in the shortest amount of steps possible and in the end will make the perfect cup of coffee every time and last much longer than not cleaning properly or at all in some cases.

I try to clean my coffee maker about once a month or every other month depending on my busy schedule.

I have a 12 cup coffee maker and so I start the process by filling the carafe up to the 6 cup mark with water from the faucet. I then fill the rest of the way with "White Vinegar" until it reaches the 12 cup mark. I pour the vinegar and water solution in the machine as if brewing a pot of coffee, I add a filter as I normally would and turn the machine on to brew.

I use a coffee filter so that the solution can reach all the areas in the grounds area to clean any build up from hard water or the oils left behind from the brewing process.

After the brewing cycle has finished I turn off the machine and let the solution sit for about 15 minutes, I then pour out the solution and repeat the process, only this time using a solution of 2 parts water to 1 parts vinegar and a new filter. (this would be 1 cup of vinegar for ever 2 cups of water)

After brewing the second "cleaning" solution I turn off the machine, discard the solution and filter and rinse the carafe thoroughly. I then brew 2 pots of clean water each one followed by 15 minutes of "cooling" time.

*side note* Any brand of "White Vinegar" will do.

• How To Roast Coffee Beans At Home

How to make roasted coffee beans? Should I try to roast coffee beans at home? How do I roast green coffee beans at home? Do I need to buy a coffee bean roaster?

By roasting the coffee you are transforming he green coffee beans into roasted coffee, this produces the aroma and flavour of the coffee.

To obtain the freshest coffee you must either roast your own beans or buy fresh roasted coffee beans from a roasting company, typically roasted coffee beans will have a standard shelf life of 14 days.

As the green coffee beans are being roasted they shift in color to a yellowish-green followed by several degrees of brown. As a general rule of thumb, the longer you roast the beans the darker the bean becomes resulting in a more intense in flavour, known as "French roasted".

To answer the questions above you must first ask yourself, do I want to do it "the old way" or should I first buy a home coffee bean roaster. Simply answered, you do not have to purchase a roaster to be able to roast them at home. Roasting coffee beans at home can be done in a few different ways; I will explain two standard home roasting methods.

The first is quite cheap by using what you already have in your kitchen. You will need a regular frying pan and some green coffee beans that you have purchased from your local coffee specialty shop.

• *Stove Top Method*

First set your stove top burner to medium-high heat, place your frying pan on the element, and add as many beans as you would like to roast but making sure there is an even thickness of beans (I try to not make the depth of beans more than a few beans thick) as to avoid accidentally burning some.

Stir continuously for about 15 minutes.

When your beans become the "type of roast you prefer" IE. Mild roast (light brown) or a full robust dark French roast (dark brown), you will need to cool them as quickly as possible. Pour your beans into a large metal bowl and swirl/stir them for about 7 minutes or until they are "warm" to the touch, be cautious to not burn yourself.

After they have cooled, allow them to stay in the bowl (or a smaller container) without a lid on for at least 8 hours, ideally you will want to let them sit for 12 hours so that the C02 (caused by the roasting process) can be expelled.

• *Hot Air Popcorn Maker Method*

You will need a "hot air popcorn popper", a large bowl to catch the roasted beans, a large spoon, a large metal colander or two for cooling and hand protection (pot holder).

Simply set up the popper in your kitchen, I place mine on my stovetop to utilize the overhead fan. Pour no more than 4oz of green coffee beans into your machine (use the same guidelines as you would for popping popcorn kernels). Place the bowl under the spout to catch the beans and turn on your machine.

While the machine is running, it will take about 2 to 3 minutes before the first "crack" of the beans and you will notice some aroma filled smoke coming from the beans, this is normal. Roast them to your taste, the average for light roasts is about 3 to 4 minutes, and deep dark roasts (French roast) about 6 to 6.5 minutes.

When you reach your time for the perfect roast of coffee beans, turn off your machine and pour the beans into the large bowl. Stir the beans with your large spoon constantly for about the next 7 minutes, or until they are warm to the touch, be sure to not burn yourself.

After roasting the beans with either method, Try to wait about 8 to 12 hours before store the fresh roasted coffee beans in an air tight jar or container, be sure to store them out of direct sunlight (in a cupboard is great) and contrary to popular belief, DO NOT store them in the fridge or freezer. The reason you wait 8 to 12 hours is to allow the C02 to be expelled from the beans, then when you wake the next morning and grind your coffee beans to make that perfect cup of coffee, you will realize it was worth the wait.

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