The Coffee Roaster's Handbook: A How-To Guide for Home and Professional Roasters

by Len Brault

From bean to brew—a complete guide to coffee roasting for beginners and professionals alike

Now you can master the art of coffee roasting—with its heavenly aromas and full-bodied flavors—all on your own. The Coffee Roaster’s Handbook is packed with practical information for roasters of any level, whether you’re just getting started or you’re already a coffee-roasting connoisseur.

From selecting and purchasing green coffee beans to storing and cupping your roasts, this colorfully illustrated handbook has all the comprehensive, roasting-related knowledge you’ll need to create and enjoy your own delicious coffee. You’ll find a deep dive on the science of coffee roasting, tips on how to spot bean defects, a how-to guide to evaluating your roasts, and so much more. Now, go forth and roast!

The Coffee Roaster’s Handbook

A brief history of coffee—Learn all about the origins of coffee, including primitive roasting methods, its introduction to worldwide trade markets, and its evolution to today. Essential roasting equipment—Explore helpful info about at-home and commercial equipment, from air-popper-style roasters to large drum roasters, and other important tools like thermometers, afterburners, and beyond. Quick reference guide—Discover an illustrated guide to roasting with a small or large drum roaster, from start to finish.

Master the art of coffee roasting with The Coffee Roaster’s Handbook!

172 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 11, 2020

Reviews

[Grant Chlystun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Scott Rao’s book a few months ago so I couldn’t help but compare it to that. This is well researched and I definitely learned some things I didn’t know, but I think it would have been more effective for me had I read it before Rao’s. I thought the first part of the book had a lot of new, valuable information on coffee history and biology, but I was hoping for it to go into more depth on the actual roasting process. Roasting is a lot of trial and error, but I definitely am looking for a book that will help me identify and correct my errors in the process better. Nevertheless, this was a quick and informative read!

[Neal Tognazzini · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been wanting to try roasting my own coffee for years now, in part for the fun of it but also in part because I only drink decaf and it’s hard to find good decaf beans. Well luckily for me I recently met someone who has a home roaster, so a few weeks ago he gave me a crash course and then let me borrow his roaster this weekend when he went out of town. In preparation for my first batch I got this book and read through it. A perfect introduction to coffee and to roasting, though I would have preferred just a bit more detail. But I really appreciated all the beautiful illustrations, too, especially as a beginner.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction book into the world of coffee roasting. Very informative with a number of tips. Well written and easy to read.

[Hendrik Gideonse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Method and Madness

I have been buying coffee from Len Brault since 2006. My UPS driver saw that I had just purchased an espresso machine and suggested that I go down the street and visit Len. At the time, he was working out of a basement office space in a medical and lab building. No windows, a little creepy and weird. I think there was a sign on the door that said Clockwork Commerce. What does that have to do with coffee? I knocked, Len opened the door and we started talking about coffee. The room was filled with coffee that he was importing from Vietnam and the Philippines. He asked me what kind of coffee I liked. I knew that I liked espresso, but I completely lacked the vocabulary to even try to communicate what I wanted. He translated my gibberish into a taste profile and gave me a bag of a Vietnamese espresso blend. He talked about front palate and back palates. I started to call Len "Coffee Yoda" in my head. I smelled the coffee he told me to buy and it smelled like chocolate mocha sauteed in butter. WTF? I thought it was flavored coffee initially. Len gave instructions about how to figure out how to make the coffee with my equipment. And he explained that I needed to experiment and take notes. The message was: "Make better coffee with science." It was the best espresso I had ever had even with my consumer machine.
The Coffee Roaster's Handbook is like talking to Len. I am not sure when Len started roasting and blending exactly, but I realized that he was really good at it when he recreated that Vietnamese espresso I mentioned earlier himself, after a family feud ended the production of the blend in 2009. His version has the same body and taste profile, but turned up to 11.
I feel like I now have the vocabulary to really talk about coffee after reading the book. There is a very good explanation of the whole process from choosing beans to cupping and recording the results. He provides a method for exploring roasting and quantifying and recording the results.
I am not going to pursue roasting myself because I want to continue to be married. Fortunately for me, Lens Coffee is only 10 minutes away.

[(a)lyss(a) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through the Amazon Vine program in exchange for an honest review.

This is an informative book!

It outlines coffee families, the lifecycle of coffee, and different roasting methods. It also explains different beans you may encounter when roasting like moldy or unripe beans. There's a brief history about coffee drinking as well, but that information is pretty high level.

The pictures are nice and there are also helpful diagrams. It explains the difference levels of roasting. It's a great overview and introduction to coffee beans!

[Evan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but it really wasn't a handbook or a how-to guide (as the title proclaims) as much it was a primer on coffee and coffee roasting. Being that I've been wanting to hone my skills as a burgeoning hobbyist roaster, this was a letdown. Nonetheless, it's still an enjoyable, quick read, and I did learn some things. It was nice to hear the perspective of a longtime roaster, especially one who doesn't parrot specialty coffee clichés but who appreciates that everyone has differing tastes.

[Elizabeth Schiferl]

A Quick Read with a Solid Base of Information

Having just recently begun my venture into coffee roasting, I wanted to add to my basic knowledge on the subject. This book was a quick way to do that. The author stepped through every aspect of coffee; from its growth and our responsibility to its ethical procurement to the roasting and cupping and blending of the final product. I will be looking to build of the knowledge this book has imparted.

[Kip A Molchan · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a complete beginner to the coffee world, it introduces you to some concepts that will help change your view on coffee, but it's very basic. It's clear the author is passionate about coffee but introduces many ideas without much backing or depth. You'd get a better bang for your buck with something from James Hoffman or Scott Rao

[Rachel Hatcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent guide

I admit that some words I had to look up, to get pronunciations and meanings. Other than that this book is an excellent guide to anyone who is just learning or advancing their skills in home coffee roasting.

[Tina Appleton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much more than just roasting

The author knows what he is talking about and the book is about much more than just roasting. Of the many books about coffee, this is in the top 2% in terms of correct information about how to blame a delicious cup of coffee.

[David Waldron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very useful, accessible introduction to coffee roasting. Made me eager to get started.

[Kyle McIntyre · Rating 3 out of 5]

I learned a lot. The flow/presentation is stilted at times. Sections about some topics seem unfairly short, while others are unduly long at least from an uninitiated perspective

[faleh alkhashram · Rating 3 out of 5]

Simple read but not much details

I find the wool useful and simple to read. It would help if the book give more details on brewing and roasting

[Daniel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative for a first time reader thinking of roasting their own coffee beans!

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some interesting points!