What is the Best Home Coffee Roaster?
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- čas přidán 16. 07. 2023
- Which is the best home coffee roaster? I get asked that question from viewers all the time. One of the most important decisions a home coffee roaster makes is deciding which roaster is best for them. In this CZcams Live, we will be looking at 5 of the most popular home coffee roasters under 800 dollars and consider some of the deciding factors that can help a home coffee roaster enthusiast buy the best home coffee roaster for them!
Hang out with me while we discuss this and some of the strengths and weaknesses of each roaster. - Zábava
I got my new FreshRoast SR800 with extension tube one week ago. 5.17.2024. I have used it twice and boy do I love it.
I live in central South Carolina
Congrats on your roaster Jerry!
My first roaster is a Fresh roast SR540, and I love it....but I first started learning to roast coffee on a stove with a cast iron pan....Jacksonville AL
Thanks for sharing. It sure is a fun hobby.
Behmor user since 2017. Just found your channel a few months ago, your tips and advice have been helpful. Thanks, Mike.
Thanks for watching, sharing, and for being a subscriber! I'm glad my videos have been helpful. Hopefully you are roasting some great coffee!
I have a fresh roast sr 240 that I got for Christmas. I first used one a couple years ago at my brother's in Hawaii where he. Is growing some Kona beans and we are learning how to roast those delicate beans. I appreciate your channel. I live in grass valley California.
Nice. congrats on your new roaster. Thank you for watching and for sharing!
Thanks, Mike. I just backed a Kickstarter project for an automatic coffee bean roaster from CoMA. It looks interesting and the pledge was fairly reasonable. Cheers, and please keep up the great work.
That sounds interesting. There are more of these automatic roasters coming out for home roasters. The Bunafr is another that costs about 750-800 dollars. I saw it roast at the Specialty Coffee Association Expo in Portland, Oregon back in April. There have been delays and now it is scheduled to be available in November 2023.
Thanks for your comment and for watching !
@@VirtualCoffeeLab Of course :-)
Central Texas, soooo hot here! I have an awesome Fresh Roast Sr800 with extension tube. It roasts wonderfully!
Thanks for watching. Are you using artisan with your extension tube?
@@VirtualCoffeeLab No, I don’t have the probe, but I’m pretty in tuned with my roasts and they have all turned out wonderfully.
I have been using the Hive Roaster 'bare bones' for 2 years. There is something special about the design on this roaster! I am not even sure what it is but EVERY roast I have made has been so unbelievable consistently even with great color. I have made many mistakes through the years but after I kept using it, and gaining knowledge on your videos on what to shoot for, I love it!!! At first I REALLY did not know what I was doing and wasted a bunch of beans by under roasting the batches. I now am getting very good results by shooting for Dry time of around 5 min and first crack around 8-8min 15 sec. and shut down the roast at the first sound of 2nd crack. I thought I liked the Med-Dark roast the best BUT JUST LEARNED ABOUT A MISTAKE I WAS MAKING by watching your latest video 'Learn This Skill To Roast Great Coffee'. I was just running through first crack and then shutting down the roast at the VERY FIRST sound of 2nd crack WITHOUT decreasing my heat! Now, I was getting some really good tasting coffee, but am SO excited to use your suggestion of turning down the heat (raising the Hive further away from the heat a bit) through the entire 1st crack and ending at the 10 min 15sec mark. You did not go into 2nd crack in the video, correct?? I just LOVE experimenting with this Hive! It is like a hobby with a plus....I get to sip on some really great tasting coffee!
Congrats Tom, great job!
The Hive is uniquely designed to promote bean movement. The bumps in the bottom cause the beans to tumble. This is a primary reason why you get a nice consistent color. Also, you are creating the movement by your swirl/shake motions.
Correct, I do not go to 2nd crack. Two great ways to determine your roast level are bean color and moisture loss. Add that to your roasting process to determine how long to roast once first crack begins.
I’m glad you are having great results!
@@VirtualCoffeeLab Thanks Mike! How do I measure moisture loss while roasting with a Hive Roaster? I do before and after weight but during roast? My last roast, beans went in at 6oz and came out at just a tad under 5oz. Is this acceptable?
South Puget Sound area in Washington State. I use Behmor 2000AB. I’ve had it since October 2023. Used Fresh Roast before that for 3 years
Thanks for sharing. Do you still use the fresh roast occasionally?
@@VirtualCoffeeLab not much. The control knob does not allow me to adjust the fan and power accurately as it jumps around the settings. I probably did 500 or so roasts with it so probably just wore out. I also had the chimney for it so I could do 6 oz instead of 4. Used it every weekend for the 3 years with at lest 2 roasts and sometimes 3 to have enough coffee for the week.
gotcha. Yea, you did get some good use out of that roaster. Thanks for the reply and thanks for watching Kurt.
Greetings from Fort Mill, SC. I just started roasting a couple of weeks ago. I'm using an older popcorn popper. I've had really good luck so far. Eager to learn more.
Hi Sammy, thanks for checking-in. I hope my videos will be helpful for you. Feel free to reach out in the comment section of a video you watch if you want to share or ask questions!
fro. Ayr in Scotland. I am new to roasting having watched your videos for about a year. I went for an Allio bullet but cormorant E was a close second.
Hello Chris, thanks for watching. Congratulations on your purchase of the Bullet. It is a beautiful looking roaster. I borrowed a friends Bullet this month and have done about 15 roasts so far ranging from 400 - 800 grams.
@@VirtualCoffeeLab I have only done about. 9. unfortunately all are very acidic light to medium. my roast profiles are not so good yet. pot roasting still the best if smellie.
Finally got to see the Livestream vid. You're getting good at it! I'll try to watch live next time. A couple of thoughts/suggestions. The SR just takes practice. Like any roaster I guess. The ext tube and chaff mod really help consistency and flexibility. I normally shoot for a 9:00-9:30 total roast time, with a 45/35/20 % phase breakdown. If my roast is getting a little too dark, I shorten the development time accordingly. By maintaining temps. throughout, gleaned from multiple roasts, I can pretty much hit the desired event times very consistently. Also, I roast in my garage 7-8 months out of the year based on ambient temperature. When it gets below about 50°, I take it indoors. I put a dryer vent ('foil' type) over the ext tube and run it out a window. Chaff is either sent into the yard or caught in the vent tube to be emptied. I've been using this setup for 2 years, and it works like a champ.
Hi J - Thanks for your comment and for watching. I love my SR540 but as you have said, takes practice. I can get some really nice roasts but I have not locked in a solid routine that I am comfortable with. I always seem to go a little darker than i like and I am not a fan (haha) of the high temperature readings on the display. I would love to hear from someone who does light roasts and hear how they do it on their FreshRoast.
Yes, maintaining temps is really important. What I was doing for a while and what many others do it constantly increase the temps throughout the whole roast. There is a natural curve/progression of the bean temperature when exposed to a fixed temperature, say 425 degrees on the freshroast. The beans aren't 425 as they are roasting. They are working towards that temp. At the beginning of the roast the bean temp rushes towards that 425 degree temp. But as the roast progresses, that rate of increase (ROR) slows down. So, this is where I am at with the SR540. I've been experimenting with the optimal temp to find that curve that get's me to my target event times.
I never thought to add a flexible vent tube on top instead of the black cap. That is really interesting.
@@VirtualCoffeeLab Right. As you say, the temps on.the FR probe IS NOT the bean temp. But it really doesn't matter. It's all relative. Not that more data isn't a good thing, but once I learned the temperatures (and times) that correlate with the Dry End, Maillard End (FC), phases, I pretty much start slowly dropping temperatures
From previous: until I reach the roast level (color).that I desire. But not so rapid a decrease that I stall FC. I usually shoot for a City+ level, and that's usually around a 20% development. If I wanted to go lighter, I'd simply drop it sooner by X amount and end up with a lower Development time.
Vancouver, Wa., I new to roasting and am very interested starting. My limitations are one being new to it but also I travel. So I need a roaster that is compatible for being on the road.
Thanks for checking in and watching Ronald. That is a really interesting thought. Traveling roaster........ Hmmm. Are you staying in hotels? What is the environment like when you are traveling? Issues will be ventilation and the size of the roaster. You will either go electric or gas flame. I'm assuming you are "driving" but just want to confirm.
What are your thoughts on roasting with a heat gun with mechanical agitation (bread machine or flour sifter). They’re all the rage over on Reddit, and I haven’t heard your thoughts yet on any DIY roasters.
Thanks and love the channel! I’ve learned a ton from your videos.
Thanks for watching and for being a subscriber! Yea, I think there are a lot of DIY home roasting people out there. I have mentioned them in passing in some of my videos BUT you are right, I have not focused on them. I think that is for two reasons.
First, I'm not super tech/mech/engineering. It would be a lot of time and effort for me and unfortunately that is limited at this point in my life. I have a full time job, family, actively involved in my church and roast coffee for a hobby.
Second, I haven't talked about these roasters because i have don't have any experience building or using one. If you have some suggestion or easy steps to make one let me know. If you go to my about page here on my channel there is a link to email me. It might be fun to give it a try.
The good news is virtually (no pun intended) all of my videos still apply to DIY roasters. The basics of roasting still apply.
Thanks for sharing Getsalt162. I'm glad my videos have been helpful!
My first and second roast was done in a hammered wok on my outdoor gas burner. I am going to try the third roast tonight using a large cast iron skillet and hot air.
One of the common challenges with pan roasting is scorching. Basically, because the beans are not constantly moving. Even sitting still for a couple of seconds, the outer part of the bean gets burned. The other challenge is an even roast. Pan roasting is almost 100% conductive heat transfer. Hot air isn't really part of the roasting process causing the uneven roasts. How did your two roasts turn out? How long did it take. How dark did you go?
My first roast was too light and the coffee did taste ok but too thin. The second roast was darker but still not like I want it. I just did a third roast with the pan and air gun. It worked pretty well but way too long. At least 20 minutes. I guess If I continue to roast my own coffee, I will have to get an air roaster for sure. The problem I have is most of the small roasters don't do enough coffee at the time. 4 ounces is just too small amount. Thought about making my own. I have a shop that can do that for sure. I do have a Breville Precision that brews great coffee. @@VirtualCoffeeLab
I like a medium roast mainly as well. Trying lights recently though.
Nice, I roast mainly medium to light coffee and have really enjoyed the lighter side when I roast naturals. It is good you are trying different roast levels!
Great livestream.
Thanks!
Greetings from Ontario, considering the freshroast SR540
Hello Myra, thanks for watching. The fresh roast is a great roaster. If it is within your budget, I would highly suggest the fresh roast extension tube. This will allow you to roast more coffee, it will provide more bean movement and more even roasts.
It would be great if you could do more lives, it was a lot of fun even to watch the replay.
I hope to do more lives in the future.
i havedifficulty heari ng first crack too... on aillio bullet...was thinking of trying a stethascope or glass on side to hear better.
I have noticed the same thing. Between the drum, fan it is kind of loud. Then, the fan for the electronics under the drum kicks on and there is no way i can hear first crack.
Pop corn popper, whirly pop, bbq grill with stainless drum, sr500, bypassed all the others and went right to Bullet. Its awesome. The SR 500 is a great roaster and lots of control. Use a heat probe and profiling is easy. Just cant roast much.
Thanks for sharing your roasting journey Dale. Are you roasting manually on the Bullet or are you using profiles downloaded from RoasTime?
@@VirtualCoffeeLab i am going manual right now as it seems best for learning. As i log results i will implement recipes for the same beans. Im feeling pretty comfortable now with the roaster and have got the feel for how it responds to changes in temp, air flow and to a degree drum speed.
Nice. My friend Lou has a Bullet and is only roasting manually right now. Same reasons. Learning the roaster and the process. Enjoy!
Another SR540 with an extension tube here in West Tennessee..
Thanks for watching the replay! Hope you are enjoying your SR540 with Extension Tube.
So how much can you roast consistently in your 540 with the extension tube?
I can roast 180 grams all day long with the extension tube
You Rock what is the roaster against your brick wall?
Hi Rick, thanks for watching. The Red coffee roaster with the chrome top is a 2017 500g Mill City drum roaster that uses natural gas. Is that the roaster you are asking about?
Where do you buy your green coffee beans? Thank you :)
Hi Maria, I buy my green coffee from several sources including sweet Maria’s, royal coffee, the captains coffee, and a local coffee roaster. I have also purchased on Amazon, coffee bean corral, and a couple other places.
I use a SR540 with both the 540 and 800 chambers depending on roast size.
How Much coffee are you roasting when you use the 800 chamber. Is that the stock chamber or a razzo extension tube?
@@VirtualCoffeeLab it's a stock 800 chamber. Steady roasts at 210 to 220 grams. Usually around 215 grams.
I use a slow and low method. Drying phase around 4 minutes, then setting around 8 fan 6 heat for 2 or so minute intervals , dropping fan speed at 6 minutes and 8 minutes. First crack around 7:30 to 8 minutes. Depending on roast, pulling between 9 and eleven, adjusting heat as needed trying to stay around 440 or so at 10 minutes if medium is what I'm looking for and it usually is.
Only been roasting about 6 months.
Hope this made since. Thank you
@@VirtualCoffeeLab I just use the built in temp controls.
Cool, thanks for sharing Richard. Made perfect sense.
Sorry I missed the live stream. Catching up with it now.
Thanks for watching the replay and for being a subscriber! It was great to interact with other home coffee roasters live!
@@VirtualCoffeeLab I bet it was good to interact. None of my friends care too much about coffee, more than just drinking it. It was my pleasure to watch!
As an aside, do you think I could get decent results with the SR800 doing a FC+(+) roast consistently. I like the idea of the Gene Cafe but am not sure I want to make that investment at the moment. And, well, it seems large. I will say I never had much luck with my popcorn popper. It roasted way too fast and my beans seemed to be underdeveloped and over roasted at the same time. So, something that could slow things down would be nice.
I think you can roast consistently on the SR800. I wouldn't make the investment at this point.
I know i mentioned the behmor and Gene Cafe being slow motion roasters compared to the SR's. There is some truth to that. Air roasters do tend to be more effecient in their roasting so shorter roasts are a common practice.
Remind me, are you using the Razzo Extension tube?
What roast level are you trying to achieve?
Are you tracking your roast phase times...... the event times?
How are you typically managing your fan and heat?
How much coffee are you roasting per batch and what kind of coffee?
Let me know and i might be able to offer some suggestions to help with your consistency question as well as the fast roasts on your SR.
@@VirtualCoffeeLab Sorry about that, I don't have an SR800, I am considering one. I have only used the popper and stovetop methods and they have yet to give me anything that I felt was good enough. I am looking to roast full city plus, maybe into the first snaps of second crack for espresso. I like a lot of chocolates/nuts/brown sugar notes in my coffee.
Just looking to get my feet wet. But I am unsure where to go from here. I hear a lot of conflicting information on what makes a good roaster for the darker side of medium.
As for coffee I intend to roast. I want to work with an espresso blend. Likely composition would be Monsoon Malabar and Java Robusta.
As far as roaster suggetions, the hive digital dome (stove top manual roaster) would be a good option. The Gene Cafe or the SR800 would also be good. I would recommend you roast your blends separately. Roast the Monsooned Malabar as a separate roast from the Hava Robusta. The Malabar will behave differently to the heat.
As far as "conflicting information" goes, I would no listen to too much conversation about what roaster is better. Most of them can do the job fine. I would recommend you focus on controlling your roast times and temperatures. The hive and the SR800 will allow you to hit your target event times, giving you the profile you want. You can also watch this video to see an sr800 in action roasting dark. czcams.com/video/jjzp7cGsQN8/video.html
Maybe the question is, "what is the best profile to achieve the tasting notes i want?". If that is the case, i suggest you watch my essentials playlist.
Because you are going darker you will need a slightly different approach than what you see on my videos. My rate of rise as i enter first crack is around 13. you may need to be higher than that to have momentum (keeping first crack rolling) as you push towards 2nd crack. You want the development but you don't want to fly through first crack. This is noticed when you hear first crack and without any quietness after first crack, 2 crack has already begun. Sometimes you don't even know 2nd crack has started because you were still in first crack.
The popper isn't designed for dark roasted coffee. The pan is probably giving you really inconsistent roast color AND is burning the outside of the beans (scorching). The hive or the SR should really help you depending on your budget.
I don’t have a roaster, but I’m interested. In Atlanta!
My name is Tye
Hi Tye, thanks for watching. Lots of options for roasting. It all depends on how far you want to go down the rabbit hole.
Has anyone told you that you look like Steve Green, the CEO and owner of MCR? I went to check out some of their videos and thought you being interviewed.
Nope, you are the first.
I learned to roast from virtual coffee lab....
Thanks for watching my channel. I’m glad my videos have helped!
think you have used the m2 or m6 kalido
I have used the M2 and the M10. I am a new owner of the M10 and it is a beast.
Allbuquerque, Boca Boca
Hi Rick, thanks for sharing. What do you like about your Boca Boca?
Gene Cafe and just getting decent with it.
Lots of fun and really consistent roasts color with the Gene Cafe. Thanks for watching the livestream!
San Antonio, TX .. SR800 with v5 extension and fatamorgana drum roaster. New to roasting
Thanks for watching Eric. Which roaster do you like better? Are you able to control your roast with the Fatamoranga?
I started with a pan on the stove
That is a great learning experience.
No Hot top roaster?
Nope. In the this video I was looking at roasters under 800 (or so dollars). Sorry