Throughout various stages of my life, people often told me, “This is the time you’ll start drinking coffee!” I managed to hold off until I had my second baby, Jenesis, and it was then that I got on the coffee train. 

Now, I not only run the Crossroads Cafe (come volunteer, please!!) but also roast my own beans and use them to make espresso, drip, and cold brew!  I wouldn’t call myself an expert by any means, but I DO find a lot of joy in brewing my morning coffee. 

Preparing a morning cup of coffee has taught me a lot about enjoying the process rather than just the end result. I'm working on slowing down, not only for my well-being but also to model it for my kids.

They watch David and me do two things in the morning—read the Bible and make coffee. I want them to learn to take their time and not rush through their days, listen to the Holy Spirit, and enjoy the little things in life, like making a cup of coffee.

Coffee Roasting:

There are two easy ways to roast coffee:

1) The easiest is in a home roaster.

You can get one on Amazon!

2) In a cast-iron skillet - super accessible.

Most people have a cast-iron skillet at home!

For the sake of anyone being able to do this, the recipe below is for roasting coffee on a cast-iron skillet.

Instructions:

1) Place your cast iron skillet on your stove and preheat to about 400. This will be about “4 o’clock” or the number 6 on your stove dial, depending on your stove. Let the cast iron heat up for about 5 or 6 minutes.

2) Once preheated, pour about half a pound of green coffee beans (coffee beans are green before they are roasted) into your cast-iron skillet. 

3) Continuously stir beans for 15-20 minutes. 

4) Around the 15-20 minute mark, you will hear a small “crack” - the best way to describe this is that it sounds like the little firework poppers you throw at the ground during the 4th of July (but not as loud)! 

5) Once you hear that sound, you need to decide what kind of roast you want. This will determine how much longer you roast them!

a) Light roast - roast for about 1 minute longer.

b) Medium roast - roast for about 2-3 minutes longer.

c) Dark roast - roast for about 3-4 minutes longer!

6) Once you are done roasting, pour directly into a colander and stir to get the coffee husk separated and help cool the beans off.

7) Grind your coffee beans to make your desired type of coffee!