Coffee beans range in color from pale to dark green before they are roasted and then ground to make coffee. Depending on the variety and place or origin of the beans, the green coffee beans also range in size and odor. Due to modern harvesting, packing and shipping technologies, you can get almost any kind of coffee beans in their green, pre-roasted state all over the world. Because of the distances they travel, green coffee beans are sold dried. Fresh beans right off of the coffee plant are highly susceptible to mold and damage, and are not sold to the public for health reasons. Buying dried green coffee beans means that you can roast your coffee beans to your own preference and roast them in small batches if you prefer, rather than relying on coffee shops and roasters. Add this to my Recipe Box.

• Decide what kind of green coffee beans you want. If you have a particular regional or variety preference, you may want to purchase those beans in larger amounts. If you are trying roasting your own coffee beans for the first time, you might want to experiment with several kinds of coffee beans. Most stores and online retailers carry a variety of beans, including African, Hawaiian, South American, Central American, and decaffeinated and caffeinated varieties.


• Decide how much coffee you want. Sellers of unroasted, green beans usually sell to shops rather than individuals, and thus tend to offer large packages of beans ranging from 25 to 50 pounds. However, some retailers (see Resources) also sell to individuals in one, five and half-pound packages.


• Purchase your green coffee beans. If your local coffee shop sells green beans you can take a look at there before you decide to buy. However, most vendors of green coffee beans sell exclusively through the internet. Ask the vendor if the beans you want require any kind of special preparation prior to roasting so that you know how to roast them properly once you get them. You can make your purchase online--selecting the kinds of beans you want and even buying roasters and grinders--and pay for all with a credit or debit card.


• Examine your coffee beans on arrival. The beans should all be roughly the same size and should have an even color and texture. Remove any cracked or crushed beans before roasting. Also remove any beans with white edges or other discoloration and any beans that are not fully dry, as this may indicate uneven drying and mold. Beans should be firm and not fragile or pliable.

Coffee beans are actually the seeds of a fruit that grow on a variety of trees across the world. The process for actually creating the bean is quite a long one that involves picking the fruit, getting the seeds, and drying and roasting them until they are the dark brown coffee beans we are familiar with. There are two classes of coffee bean plants used for roasting and drinking. These are the Arabica and Robusta. The Robusta variety contains more caffeine. Add this to my Recipe Box.

• Pick the fruit from the tree, placing the red fruit in one basket and the green fruit in another basket. The red beans are lower in acid content and higher in aromatic oils and the green beans are used to make finer coffees. The difference between them relates to taste and roasting them separately will produce purer flavor but the process for making the coffee beans is the same, so once you have separated them, choose which color bean you will roast first.


• Remove the surrounding fruit off the bean by soaking and scouring it, making sure that the flesh of the fruit is completely removed.


• Dry the beans in the sun until the bean is only mildly damp. Spread them out over a sheet in the sun where they will be undisturbed. This is the fermentation process.


• Sort through the beans, discarding any that appear damaged, and polish the beans you will be using by rubbing them with a cloth to remove any skin or debris. These beans can be aged in a dry, cool place in the dark, anywhere from one year to eight years.


• Roast the beans at 400 degrees F. You will notice them turn brown as the oil from within the bean is released giving the coffee its flavor. The bean will also double in size and crack. This is all normal.


• Allow the beans to air out, somewhere that allows them to be undisturbed. This can be on a counter top or anywhere convenient. The beans will produce carbon dioxide for up to three weeks after roasting so this airing process is essential. After this is done, you will now have coffee beans ready to be ground for coffee.

Instead of banning all carbohydrates, doctors recommend low-carb diets for weight loss. On these diets, you just limit your carb intake. These diets have made carb-blocking products popular and they've been proven to work. According to a September 2003 article from "CarbHealth Magazine," the newest commercial carb-blockers contain a wheat-protein extract or a refined white kidney bean extract, or both. The manufacturers who produce this extract claim it can inhibit the absorption of up to 66 percent of the starch consumed in a meal. The downside to these commercial carb-blockers is their price. Follow these steps to learn to make your own and save some money. Other People Are Reading Home Remedy to Block Carbs Adverse Effects of Carb Blockers Things You'll Need Carb-blocking ingredients Empty supplement capsules Teaspoon Paper towels Copy paper Show More Instructions 1 Purchase empty supplement capsules. You will need empty supplement capsules for making your own carb blockers. You can get these at most health food, supplement, vitamin or alternative medicine stores; they are also for sale online. Buy anywhere from 50 to 100 capsules in size zero.

• Purchase empty supplement capsules. You will need empty supplement capsules for making your own carb blockers. You can get these at most health food, supplement, vitamin or alternative medicine stores; they are also for sale online. Buy anywhere from 50 to 100 capsules in size zero.


• Track down the carb-blocking ingredients. The ingredients, wheat-protein extract and white kidney bean extract, stop your body from breaking down the alpha-amylase enzyme, which is found in carbohydrate-rich foods, into sugar. Since the carbs aren't broken down into sugar, they cannot be absorbed and stored as fat by your body. So the key carb-blocking ingredients are essential when making your own carb blockers. Wheat-protein extract and white kidney bean extract can be ordered online, and some health food stores carry these (best to call your local store).


• Set up for encapsulating. Place your capsules and ingredients on a paper-towel-covered tabletop. You will need a small piece of folded paper and a teaspoon.


• Fill capsules. You can use either of the two carb-blocking ingredients separately or together (fill a capsule with half wheat-protein extract and half white kidney bean extract if you choose the latter). Separate your capsules, then place a spoonful of carb-blocking ingredient of choice onto the folded piece of paper and funnel the ingredient into the capsule (you will not use an entire spoonful for every capsule, just fill each one until it is full). Place the top back into the capsule and repeat until you've filled the quantity desired.