Don’t you feel refreshed just by the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee? Don’t your taste buds crave for that cup of coffee, early in the morning or when you are battling your way through office work and recurrent meetings?
If so then you can take your love for coffee to the next level and increase the entire experience of coffee twofold. The best way to do that is by roasting your own coffee at home. In this article, we review 16 roasters to help you choose the one that’s right for you.
How much does a home coffee roaster cost?
Home coffee roasters come in all price ranges, starting from as low as $30 to as much as $1,000+. It all depends on the type of coffee roaster you select and other underlying factors.
Typically there are 3 types of Coffee roasters.
- Air roaster: This type of roaster uses a convectional way of heating the beans. It pushes hot air directly to the beans through the roasting chamber. Most air roasters come with a plate on which the beans are roasted. The plate consists of holes allowing the compressed air to flow inside. The compressed air then spins the beans ensuring an even roast. Usually these roasters are fast and small in size.
- Drum roaster: This is a conduction type of roaster that comes with a drum in which the beans are placed. The drum rotates to roast the beans. It is heated externally by heating coils or fire flames. These roasters usually give a more consistent roast and are also faster and economical. Air roasters are preferable for roasting small batches, and drum roasters for large batches as they have larger roasting chambers.
- Popcorn roaster: You can also use a popcorn maker to get started. It is one of the most popular options for roasting coffee beans. Not as efficient as a coffee roaster as it is quite inconsistent in producing equal roasts. Basically it blows hot air through the kernels and makes popcorn. This is quite similar to the way coffee beans are roasted.
Best Home Coffee Roasters
1. Fresh Roast SR540
Affordable, compact and quiet easy to use. This roaster can roast up to 4 oz/ 120 g of beans in one batch. The roasting process takes at least 10 minutes. There are 3 basic controls: fan speed; heat level and time and each can be set anywhere from 1-9. There is a control knob to control all these functions. It offers you real time temperature display.
The major setback is the chaff collector, as it doesn’t collect all the chaff. So you will have to manually use a fan to blow off the remaining chaff. Even though it has a large roasting chamber, the amount of beans it can roast in a single batch is much less or same as its predecessors. There is also no smoke reduction system. Users have complained about its durability. It uses standard 120v power. It weighs around 4.75 pounds.
2. Fresh Roast SR800 Home Coffee Roaster
If the Fresh Roast SR540 is a bit too small for you, check out the larger SR800. It is similar to the SR540, but a stronger fan and wider chamber allows roasts of up to 8 oz / 225 g of beans in less than 10 minutes. Both of these roasters provide manual control over the roasting process so you can really dial in your roasts.
There is still no smoke reduction system in this model. This roaster is not for those who want an automatic roaster. It requires supervision and tweaking during the roasting process.
3. Nuvo Eco Ceramic Handy Coffee Bean Roaster
It is one of the cheapest and most elegant open flame coffee roasters you will ever find. It is a manual roaster that roasts up to 2.5 oz (70g) of beans in one batch.
It is built in 100% ceramic with cowhide strap, and weighs around 340g. The ceramic is quite effective for popping. And the cowhide grants protection from heat. The outlet is very convenient for removing the beans as well as seeing the color and hearing the crack sound. The internal structure is waffle shaped to roast the beans equally.
The only thing this roaster lacks is a chaff tray, making cleaning not that easy. You also need to have a thermometer with you to ensure you have the correct temperature.
You have to remember not to roast too close to the fire with this roaster, and also not to immerse it in cold water immediately after heating. Also don’t forget to keep on shaking and swaying it regularly to get an even roast.
4. Bocaboca 250 roaster
It’s a unique roaster, as it utilizes infrared radiation as its heat source. It can roast up to 200 g of beans in a single batch.
It allows you to see the entire process. Cleaning is pretty simple as it is made of glass, and it is also lot easier to dismantle. The glass is heat resistant.
It comes with a timer, power and temperature controls dial. There is a fixed thermometer that displays the temperature. It features a high performance fan that cools rapidly. It is also noiseless and uses 110v power. It weighs a whopping 6 kg.
5. Eleoption Coffee Beans Home Coffee Roaster
This is great for roasting large batches of coffee beans at home. Although it boasts of being able to roast up to 3 pounds of coffee beans in a single batch but it is said to be unable to handle that much amount. So, it is better to roast 1 pound or less for better results.
It comes with a transparent lid that gives you a proper view of your roasting process. It also has a thermostat which constantly monitors the roast and adjusts the temperature accordingly.
The cleaning is made easy as the roasting chamber is non-stick. It can also be used to roast other things like peanuts, popcorn etc. it runs on 220v power and you will need a 1200- 1500w setup transformer for use in the US. The roaster weighs around 5.51 pounds.
Some review states that it is a very quiet roaster allowing you to hear the first and second crack of the beans. It can roast 550g in 25 minutes. The stirrer has also found to be not that efficient.
6. Wabash valley farms whirley pop stovetop popcorn popper
This is one of the best popcorn poppers out there that can also be used for roasting beans. It doesn’t come with temperature control settings or smoke suppression technology.
Typically it can roast approximately ¾ pound/1 cup of coffee. As it is a popcorn maker, you will have to stir the beans constantly manually for an even roast. Cleaning is also made easy, as it comes with a removable lid. But there is no chaff tray.
One of the best things about this is that it comes with 25 years of warranty, considering how very cheap it is. It weighs around 2 pounds. You can get it in stainless steel as well as aluminum,
It is highly recommended to be used outside as there is no smoke control tech.
