Green coffee is the raw, unroasted seed of the coffee cherry; roasted coffee is the same bean after heat has turned it brown, aromatic and ready to brew. Green coffee tastes grassy and cannot be brewed like normal coffee, but it keeps for up to 18 months. Roasted coffee has all the flavor you expect, but is best within about 4 weeks of roasting.
Green vs roasted coffee at a glance
| Green coffee | Roasted coffee | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Raw, dried coffee seed | Bean roasted to develop flavor |
| Color | Pale green to yellow-green | Light to dark brown |
| Flavor | Grassy, earthy; not for brewing as is | Full coffee flavor: fruit, florals, chocolate |
| Shelf life | Up to about 18 months, cool and dry | Best within about 4 weeks of roasting |
| Weight | Heavier; loses roughly 15 to 20% when roasted | Lighter and larger |
| Who buys it | Home roasters, roasteries, coffee ceremony hosts | Anyone brewing at home or in a cafe |
What happens when coffee is roasted?
Roasting drives out moisture, browns sugars and proteins, and creates hundreds of aroma compounds. Beans turn yellow, then tan, then brown, and "crack" audibly as they expand. A light roast stops soon after first crack and keeps origin flavors like jasmine and citrus; darker roasts add caramel, chocolate and smoke but mute the origin. That is why fresh, lighter roasts are favored for Ethiopian coffee.
Does green coffee have more caffeine?
Bean for bean, the difference is small. Roasting does not destroy much caffeine, but beans lose weight, so a scoop of light roast contains slightly more coffee mass than the same scoop of dark roast. Green coffee is not brewed as normal coffee, so it is not a practical caffeine source.
Why buy green coffee?
- Freshness: roast exactly when you want and drink coffee at its peak.
- Control: choose your own roast level for each origin.
- Shelf life: store a few months of coffee without staling.
- Tradition: the Ethiopian coffee ceremony always starts with green beans.
- Business: roasteries and cafes buy green and roast in house. See how roasters buy green coffee.
How to roast green coffee at home
You can roast in a home drum roaster, a cast-iron skillet or a hot-air popcorn popper. Heat steadily, keep the beans moving, listen for first crack (about 8 to 10 minutes in a drum roaster), and stop at your preferred color. Cool quickly in a metal colander and rest the beans 12 to 48 hours before brewing. Each of our green coffee pages includes step-by-step roasting instructions.
Which should you buy?
Buy roasted coffee if you want to brew today with no extra equipment; ours is roasted to order and ships within 48 hours. Buy green coffee if you enjoy roasting, want the longest shelf life, or are hosting a coffee ceremony. Every Buna Utopia coffee is Grade 1 from Yirgacheffe, Guji or Sidamo, and the same lots are available both ways.
Frequently asked questions
Can you brew green coffee beans?
Not like normal coffee. Unroasted beans are very hard and taste grassy. Some people make green coffee extract, but for drinkable coffee the beans must be roasted.
How long do green coffee beans last?
Stored cool, dry and away from sunlight, green coffee keeps its quality for up to about 18 months.
How much roasted coffee does green coffee make?
Roasting removes roughly 15 to 20% of the weight, so 12 oz of green coffee makes about 10 oz of roasted coffee.
Is green coffee cheaper than roasted coffee?
Usually yes, because you do the roasting and the beans have not lost weight yet.
Where can I buy Ethiopian green coffee?
Buna Utopia sells Grade 1 Ethiopian green coffee beans in 12 oz bags and, for roasters and cafes, in 110 lb bags through wholesale with no minimum order.
Written by Alula Kassa, founder of Buna Utopia, a direct-trade Ethiopian coffee importer based in Detroit, Michigan. Read more about Alula.
