Light brown: This color is generally avoided as it can result in a sour taste. The body is weak, the aroma medium and the sweetness low. Light-medium brown: This roast is common in the eastern United States. It has a full body, a full aroma, and a mild sweetness. Full medium brown: This is a common roast in the Western United States. It has a full body, strong aroma, and mild sweetness. Medium-dark brown: This roast is also known as a Light French or Viennese roast. It has a very full body, a strong aroma, and a strong sweetness. Dark brown: This is known as espresso or French. It has a full body, a medium aroma, and a full sweetness. Very dark (nearly black): This is also known as Spanish and Dark French. It has a weak body, a mild aroma, and a low sweetness.
If you don’t want to buy a new pan but happen to have an old baking sheet with a lip lying around, you can actually make your own roasting sheet. Take your pan and use a ⅛ inch drill bit to carefully drill holes into the sheet. The holes should be ½ inch away from each other and small enough that none of the beans will fall through them.
If you don’t have a popcorn popper and don’t want to buy one, you can use a large skillet or pan. Make sure that it is very clean or else your beans might pick up the flavor of whatever was cooked before them.
If you are using a pan or skillet you will need to stir constantly as well–there is much more of a chance for the beans to burn in a skillet or pan.
Roasters of this variety include the FreshRoast8, Hearthware I-Roast 2, and the Nesco Professional. Follow your appliance’s instructions to roast your beans to perfection.
