by AllannBrosCoffee Team | Last Updated: July 8, 2020There’s really nothing like owning a home coffee roaster for coffee lovers. You get to play around with different roast levels and blend and experiment with several unroasted coffee beans. But more importantly, having the best home coffee roaster comes in handy when making coffee because you’ll have fresh beans to use.
In this comprehensive article, we’ll take you through the best coffee roasters in the market and what to keep your eye on when buying one.
First, What Is a Coffee Roaster? Anyway!
Coffee roasting is the process of heating raw coffee beans to unlock their flavor and aroma and make them soluble. A coffee roaster is a piece of equipment you use to heat these beans from green to a particular brown tone.
Therefore, every brown bag of coffee beans you buy from the store comes roasted.
Now, don’t confuse a roaster for a coffee maker. When you’re done using a roaster to heat green coffee beans, you can bring out your maker to brew a coffee cup.
Why Roast Your Coffee Beans at Home?
We guess you’re wondering why you should get a coffee roaster if you can just pop into a shop and get a bag of roasted beans. Well, here are some reasons:
1. You get a more vibrant aroma and flavorful cup of coffee when you freshly roast at home: Naturally, coffee begins to lose its savor immediately after it is roasted. Therefore, coffee beans, like baked bread, has the best taste and aroma when freshly roasted. Who knows when the bag of coffee beans from the store was roasted and whether it is fresh or not?
2. You get more health benefits when you freshly roast coffee at home: Coffee has many antioxidants that help fight body radicals. So, if you’re in to pack all of these chemicals, roasting your coffee beans at home is the way to go.
3. You can get a unique blend of coffee when you roast coffee beans at home: Sometimes, finding the right coffee bag in your local shop can be tough. However, you can get the perfect blend if you have different green coffee beans and the best home coffee roaster.
Picture drinking a cup of sweet espresso that retains its smoothness. Isn’t that a coffee blend you’d like to try out?
4. You get to control the roast level: Instead of going with whatever roast level you find, you can choose between a dark, medium, or light coffee if you roast your beans at home.
5. It’s fun to roast your coffee beans yourself: Coffee bean roasting is truly a satisfying experience if you know what to do.
7 Best Home Coffee Roaster Reviews
1. FreshRoast SR540 Coffee Roaster
The coffee roaster has nine heat settings and a real-time temperature display. This helps you control the roast level and time-to-roast. The unit also allows you to adjust the fan speed and switch from hot to cool air without stopping. Roasting with this unit should take you all but five to ten minutes.
Pros
- A handy chaff collector and is easy to clean.
- Suitable for different roast levels.
- Minimalistic design and display make it easy to use.
- Efficient and roasts coffee beans quickly.
Cons
- Small coffee bean capacity of only 4 ounces.
- No smoke suppression system.
Our Thoughts
If you’re looking to take your coffee roasting to another level, consider the SR540. We had a go at some roasters in FreshRoast’s SR collection, and the SR540 stands out for its impressive features.
This coffee roaster offers nine heat and fan settings, a countdown timer, and temperature controls for you. Just above the bottom is the glass roasting chamber with a handle that looks sturdy and solid. The chaff collector is at the top.
Thankfully, this unit and its 120v motor don’t produce much noise.
We didn’t like about one downside because there’s no locking mechanism, and the parts don’t fit perfectly. We also didn’t like that there was no beep or signal to let us know when the roaster transitions into the cooling phase. But we guess almost anyone can live with that.
Overall, we think this is a complete unit, so we’ve given it the ‘best overall’ tag.
What recent customers report:
Recent customers, especially beginners that are getting into home coffee roasting, have been impressed with this unit. They like that it allows them to choose how the roaster works to the last detail. However, some weren’t excited with its beam capacity.
Most recent customers think the FreshRoast SR540 deserves a five-star rating.
2. Nuvo Eco Ceramic Handy Coffee Bean Roaster
If you’re on a tight budget but still want to roast your coffee beans at home, then here’s a unit you should consider getting. It’s a non-electric handheld ceramic roaster with a length of 9.9inches.
This unit’s compartment is waffled shaped, and it has a small opening at the center. So, you can watch your beans get to blazing hot temperatures. Thankfully, Nuvo’s hollow handle is wrapped with genuine cowhide, so your hands don’t burn.
The Nuvo Eco ceramic roaster can take up to 2.5 ounces of coffee beans and is great for anyone who wants to get involved in the roasting process.
Pros
- Simple to use.
- Portable and easy to store.
- Decent bean capacity.
- Heats up quickly and reduces the time to get roast levels.
Cons
- Challenging to get even roast.
- Can get steamy.
Our Thoughts
We think the Nuvo Eco ceramic roaster is old but gold. It is excellent for newbies and experienced coffee-lovers because learning how to use it should take only a few minutes. All you need to do is sway the unit side to side and in an elliptical orbit.
We found the popping sound quite useful in determining the roast level when using this unit. But what sparked our interest was that roasted coffee beans come out of the handles! From our research, we also discovered that roasting too close to a fire would cause uneven roasts.
The rather obvious drawback is that roasting several batches can be inconvenient. Also, there’s no chaff collector in it. So, you’ll have to blow through the hollow handle, which can cause a mess.
We recommend this unit if you’re looking for the best home coffee roaster and are willing to shake it until you make it.
What recent customers report:
Recent customers love this unit, and the reason for this is not far-fetched. They claim the unit is easy to use and affordable. But some customers have complained about its bean capacity. However, overall, they say it makes home roasting much easier.
3. Jiawanshun Electric Coffee Roaster Machine for Home Use
Next, we have this large unit that can take 10.6 to 17.6g of coffee beans. This unit has a handy temperature control that allows you to heat your coffee beans to 464 degrees F.
It also has a transparent lid that comes in handy when targeting a type of roast.
This electric coffee roaster has a 120v motor and a lever that helps to produce even roasts.
Pros
- Massive bean capacity.
- Two handrails for lifting.
- Gets blazing hot temperatures quickly.
- Evenly roasts coffee beans.
Cons
- Exterior can burn.
- No smoke suppression system.
Our Thoughts
If you want to invest in a top-notch roaster, this might be the unit you’ve been looking for. When we first saw it, we thought it was a pot.
It is that huge!
This electric unit heats up pretty well, which is a great thing. We like the transparent lid that makes it easy to watch as your coffee beans change from green to dark brown. However, figuring out the first crack was a bit hard. The reason for this is that the unit’s lever slightly lifts and drops coffee beans, which creates an illusion of a crack.
In a nutshell, we think this unit is easy to operate and a great way to spend your money.
What recent customers report:
Recent customers like this unit for many reasons, But the top right is its large capacity, which they claim makes roasting coffee beans for a family easy. Some customers have been a little concerned about the handrails because they think handles would have been better. However, most people claim the unit is easy to wash, thanks to its non-stick surface.
4. Gene Café CBR-101 Home Coffee Roaster
This unit is a uniquely designed 8.8-ounce roaster from Gene Café. It has intuitive temperature and time controls, as well as a transparent glass chamber.
The Gene Café CBR-101 is small, portable, and easy to store. Unlike other air roasters, this unit is designed to produce even roasts through its vortex twisting, off-axis rotation. The roast chamber in this unit is detachable. And as you must have guessed, it comes with a chaff collector.
The Gene Café CBR-101 can heat coffee beans to 482 degrees F at a maximum of 30 minutes.
Pros
- Comes with a cooling system.
- Evenly roasts coffee beans.
- Easy to use and operate.
- Super-easy to clean and collect chaff.
Cons
- Inaudible coffee beans popping.
- Cooling beans can take a while.
Our Thoughts
We like many roasters, but this unit stole our hearts. Watching its roasting chamber’s motion is truly satisfying and a great way to kill time. Our best feature is its unique design and the fact that we can cool the beans immediately after roasting them.
We found that this unit allows you to either use its auto roast feature or manual feature. For the first, its rotating chamber is designed to automatically switch off at 140 degrees F or when the time is up.
The average roast time with this unit is 12 to 15 minutes, which we think is fair. However, cooling took too long. Furthermore, our research shows that the best way to use this unit is to allow it to rest for 20 to 30 minutes after three roasts.
Overall, we recommend this unit as the best home coffee roaster for you if you have your eyes set on only air roasters.
What recent customers report:
They’ve been happy with the product and the roast type they have produced, which is why it has gotten many five-star ratings. The claim that using hot water and a clean cloth helps to keep it clean. But it is its unique design that most people like. One customer even referred to the unit as ‘well-built with ingenious engineering.’
5. KALDI wide Home Coffee Roaster
If you are looking for the best premium drum roaster in the market, then here’s a unit to try. It’s a stainless steel 10.6-ounce unit that roasts coffee beans in no time. It has several parts, but the entire unit is definitely well-made.
This unit is sturdy and comes with a bean hopper, probe rod, chaff holder, and a thermometer to monitor your beans’ heat setting. Although it has a volt adopter, you need to use this unit over a gas burner.
Pros
- Allows flexible roasting controls.
- Stirring drum roasts coffee beans evenly.
- Comes with loads of accessories.
Cons
- Slightly complicated and not beginner-friendly.
Our Thoughts
We like this unit for many reasons. First, it looks fancy, and it produces the cracking noise we love to hear from a roaster. Then, it is well-built with impressive features and accessories. Finally, it has an in-built chaff holder that makes cleaning up a breeze.
On the downside, we think you definitely need to sit and understand how this unit works. Sadly, there’s no smoke suppression system. So, we figured that it’s best to use it outdoors or close to your kitchen window.
For its capacity and the quality of roast you can get, we definitely think the Kaldi Wide is an excellent investment.
What recent customers report:
Recent customers have been impressed with the unit, with some claiming that it produced the best cup quality they’ve ever gotten. Most customers like that you can cool roasted coffee beans in the roaster and that it came with fitting gloves. Little wonder that it has got five and four-star ratings from them.
6. Kaldi Mini Home Coffee Roaster
Next is the Kaldi 8.8-ounce unit. The drum type roaster comes with a thermometer, and you need a gas burner to get it working.
It looks a lot the Kaldi wide coffee roaster, albeit a few tweaks here and there.
This Kaldi mini-unit is made entirely from stainless steel and weighs 5.5 pounds.
Pros
- Heats coffee beans evenly and quickly.
- Handy temperature control.
- Fairly easy to clean and store.
Cons
- Difficult to check the roast level.
- Roasting takes a while.
Our Thoughts
This Kaldi mini that comes is thoughtfully designed and a handy unit for roasting coffee beans at home. It has made this list as the best coffee roaster for its compact design. It looks sturdy and robust, and we found that we could use it with a 110v power outlet.
As you must have guessed, it doesn’t have a smoke suppression or cooling system. But one issue we found weird is that we always had to bring out some coffee beans and see if they are at the roast level we want.
If you need a coffee roaster to carry on the go and you can live with the minor setbacks of this unit, then we think you should get the Kaldi mini with a thermometer.
What recent customers report:
From their ratings, the unit is great for beginners and one to get fresh coffee. However, as one customer phrased, it ‘ don’t expect to get super-precise roast profiles but good roast types.’
Nevertheless, most customers report that so far, their roasts have come out even and consistent.
7. Mochiglory Rotisserie Basket Coffee Bean BBQ Grill Roaster
This Mochiglory Rotisseries roaster is a product that you can throw in your oven. It is a 4.6 diameter drum with perforated holes at both sides. The unit is made from stainless steel, and it is both rust and deform resistant.
This roaster can take between 17.6 to 24.7 ounces of coffee beans at a time and rotates through 360 degrees in an oven.
Pros
- Portable and easy to store.
- Super easy to clean.
- Simple to use.
- Durable and made from quality materials.
Cons
- Only works with another appliance or equipment.
- Roasting coffee beans can take a while.
Our Thoughts
The simple design of this unit is sure to get your attention, and we like that it rotates on its own. So, you can expect even roasts when you pour coffee beans in it. The mesh is thinly designed to contain even the smallest coffee beans, which we think is a plus.
One thing we don’t like is that the unit doesn’t come with a 0.75-inch rod. So, you can’t take this unit out of the box and start roasting. However, its compatibility with ovens and rotisserie toasters makes it one of the most versatile units we’ve seen.
If you don’t want to spend a fortune but still want the best home coffee roaster for oven use, then we recommend this unit.
What recent customers report:
Recent customers have showered high praise on this unit. They claim it is easy to install in an oven and produces even coffee roasts. Some customers have had concerns about cleaning it because of the twists and design of the roaster. But the majority have reported more highs than lows.
What to Consider Before You Buy a Home Coffee Roaster
If you’ve ever searched for a coffee roaster online or in your local coffee shop, you’d agree that there are several options.
Here are a couple of factors you should look out for when you decide to get your home roaster:
1. Electric vs. Non-electric
The first choice you have to make is between an electric and a non-electric coffee roaster. Electric units are usually sophisticated, convenient to use, and packed with more advanced features than the non-electrics. However, non-electric roasters have the upper hand in terms of their cost and simplistic design.
Another thing to consider is that you can use an electric roaster anywhere you find a power outlet. However, non-electric have to be roasted over a fire.
2. Types of coffee roasters
There are two types of coffee roasters you can go for:
1. Air roaster: This type of roaster heats beans through convection. This means they push hot air to the bottom of a plate for all the beans to get directly heated, making them spin.
Hot-air roasters are usually small-sized, fast, and great for roasting small quantities of coffee. Their working principle is a lot like that of a popcorn maker.
2. Drum roaster: Alternatively, the other option is to go for a drum roaster, which heats beans through conduction. This means that the beans won’t be directly on the heating element.
Drum roasters include a rotating metal chamber that gets hot. Coffee beans roast when they touch the chamber’s hot surface.
This type of roaster works for people who want to roast several coffee beans batches at a go.
3. Size and bean capacity
Next, consider the size of the unit and how much beans it can contain in one batch. Home coffee roasters can usually take between 1.8 to 10.6 ounces of coffee at a go.
To determine a suitable coffee bean capacity, consider how much coffee you consume in a week or two. That’s the shelf-life of fresh coffee. From there, narrow down your options until you find the unit that best suits your needs.
4. Smoke and noise control
Coffee roasting is a noisy process, and you should see some smoke. One way to counter this problem is to use your home coffee roaster outside. However, the other option is to consider getting a roaster with a smoke suppression system and noise damper.
5. Time and temperature control
One interesting fact about coffee beans is that they continue roasting even after taking them out of the roaster. Why? Because their internal temperature takes time to drop. Hence, if you don’t want to keep your beans close to your AC to cool, then consider getting a roaster that offers temperature control.
Another thing is that roasting can be a long process. If you’re not patient enough to wait through the process, then consider getting a unit that has a timer.
6. Ease of cleaning and use
As we mentioned earlier, roasting produces chaff. So, you might want to get a unit that gathers these shells in a place if you don’t want to clean your kitchen after each roast.
Also, with all the advanced tech that the best coffee roasters now have, it might be wise to get an intuitive one.
GO DEEPER – Become Topic Scholarly
What can I use instead of a coffee roaster?
A couple of alternatives to coffee roasters are
- Popcorn popper
- Stainless steel wire mesh
- An oven, or a frying pan
Using a popcorn popper or an oven to roast coffee beans voids its warranty, and neither will do the better job of processing coffee beans than a roaster.
Basics of Various Roast Level You Should Expect!
After roasting your coffee, you should get one of the following:
1. Light roast: As its name implies, light roasts are brown and have virtually no oil on their surface. The coffee beans get to a temperature of 300 to 400 degrees F, but rarely reach their first crack (the first bean expansion stage).
Lightly roasted coffee is more acidic and has lots of fragrant and fruity notes.
2. Medium roast: This second roast type packs more flavor than light roasts. The beans reach an internal temperature of about 401 to 428 degrees F and barely get to their second crack.
As you must have guessed, the color of medium roasts is averagely brown, but their acidity is lower. They tend to be slightly bitter due to their compressed flavor.
3. Dark roast: This has a dark brown color and an oily surface. They are low in acidity but usually have more profound and darker flavors. The reason for this is that they are processed half-way through their second crack, which is about 437 to 446 degrees F.
If you give dark roasts a bite, you should likely get their characteristic bitter taste.
The roast level you want to go for doesn’t alter the caffeine level as much as the species of beans you’re using.
How does a coffee bean roasting machine work?
Quick Tips — How to Clean a Coffee Roaster
Cleaning up your roaster isn’t the most exciting and fun process. However, it’s still something you need to do.
Here are some tips to help you get it done the right way:
1. Empty the chaff collector regularly: Coffee sheds of a shell-like material when it roasts. A top-notch coffee roaster should have a tray that collects these shells. So, empty it after roasting each batch of coffee beans.
2. Clean the chassis, separator, and other parts with soap and water: With time, some parts of your roaster accumulate dust and soot from the smoke produced. But luckily scrubbing them in water would make them clean again.
3. Wipe down the body with a clean cloth: The last thing to do is dust off particles that may linger on the roaster’s surface.
Wrap Up
Coffee isn’t like wine that gets better with time. If you want to get the best flavor, aroma, and quantity of antioxidants, you need to roast it a few days before you brew it in the best home coffee roaster you can find.
Overall, our best coffee roaster is the FreshRoast SR540. It packs top-notch features and is a great choice if you are looking for a top unit.
We’ve also collated many other products that are the best for a particular tag. Peruse through our list and pick the best one for your needs.
FAQs
Q1. What is the best home coffee roaster?
Our best overall roaster is the FreshRoast SR540. It is an electric unit that allows you to roast up to 4 ounces of coffee beans at a time.
The FreshRoast SR540 roasts coffee beans in five to ten minutes, depending on the roast level you intend to hit.
Q2. Is home-roasted coffee better than buying roasted coffee?
Roasting coffee at home is fresher, tastes better, and more aromatic than a coffee bag bought from the store. Moreover, you can get unique blends if you roast your coffee at home.
Q3. What type of beans can I use in a coffee roaster?
You can throw all four coffee beans types (Arabica, Robusta, Liberica, and Excelsa) in your coffee roaster. However, ensure you pick out the stones and particles that may be in the bag before you heat them in a roaster.
Q4. How long does it take coffee beans to degas?
If you want your coffee to have the best flavor, you should allow it to ‘rest’ for 12 to 24 hours before brewing it.
Q5. How do I know when my coffee beans are ready?
If your roaster has a button to get a roast type, then you could set it. Otherwise, you could use the beans’ color through the transparent carafe to determine the roast type. Ultimately, the time it takes depends on your heat setting and the tone you’re going for.
Q6. What tone of coffee to get after roasting?
You can get a light, medium, or dark roast. If your coffee still looks green or turns black, then you’ve got it wrong. Leave your coffee beans to get to at least 300 degrees F before removing it from the roaster.
Q7. How soon after roasting can I drink my coffee?
Your coffee beans need to cool and degas before you can brew it. While cooling should take only a few minutes, degassing could take a whole day.
You could still drink your coffee immediately after roasting, but don’t expect to get the best coffee taste by doing that.
Q8. How do I store my coffee after roasting?
Your best bet is to store the beans in an opaque and airtight container at room temperature. Light can ruin your fresh roasted coffee beans. So, ensure you avoid clear containers.