Once the beans have been roasted to your desired roast you need to cool the coffee beans quickly to stop the roast from continuing. There are a number of methods to do this, here are a few.
Three ways to cool roasted coffee beans
Pouring from one container to another This is the simplest method all you need is two containers. Try and keep some distance between the containers as the more air that passes over the beans the quicker they cool.
An electric fan blowing air over the beans while agitating them. Angle a small fan like you might have on a desk, directly at the beans and keep them moving with with a large spoon or whisk.
A small tip but an important one; do this outside as the chaff (chaff is a very thin skin surrounding the green coffee bean that comes off during roasting) will blow every where and make a mess.
Vacuum cleaner – use a colander/sieve in a box or container and a vacuum cleaner to suck air through the bean mass while agitating them. This is the best method in my opinion as it not only cools quickly but collects the chaff so there is no mess.
Get a box (I knew this box my laptop came in would come in handy one day) and cut a round hole slightly smaller than your colander/sieve to minimise the air being sucked in the sides. Now make a hole on one side the same size as your vacuum cleaner pipe. I have also seen a plastic bucket used instead of a box it’s up to you.
Storing roasted coffee – Air and moisture are enemies of roasted coffee so avoid them! After roasting, coffee needs degassing before consumption. It releases a small amount of co2. One of the best ways is to store the freshly roasted coffee in a one way valve bagsthat lets the co2 out but not the air and moisture in.