Coffee is a great beverage. You can have it whenever you need to boost your energy or mental alertness.
If you are a coffee lover, you always need coffee, whether it’s in the morning hours or afternoon. That means you need a good supply of coffee beans to make coffee every day.
The freshness of a coffee roast determines the flavor and aroma of coffee. And the coffee beans we get from the grocery store or supermarket are not always of good quality.
Sometimes light coffee roasts may disappoint you with their lackluster appearance and aroma. While some dark coffee beans have rancid coffee oils on the surface.
You may also get coffee beans that are full of defects or those that are just not roasted to your satisfaction. That’s when you wish you could roast your own coffee beans.
And you are not alone. Many coffee lovers like the idea of roasting their coffee beans but can’t find the right home coffee roaster to use.
Some people turn to simple home solutions, such as using an oven or popcorn maker to roast coffee beans. Although these options can help you to roast coffee beans, you are not guaranteed to get the best flavor from your coffee beans.
It’s better to buy a machine specifically made for coffee roasting. There are many home coffee roasters to choose from; you just have to get the right one.
Here are some helpful tips for getting the best home coffee roaster.
What is a Home Coffee Roaster?
A home coffee roaster is a device used to roast coffee beans from home. These machines come in different sizes to satisfy customer demands.
There are large ones for industrial use that small-scale coffee producers can use to pack their coffee at home. You’ll also find tabletop ones that individuals can use to roast small quantities of coffee for their consumption.
The most important thing to note when it comes to home coffee roasters is that they are made to help coffee lovers roast their own coffee beans. These are people who want to control the taste of the coffee beans they use.
It doesn’t take long to roast coffee beans. You only need about 7 – 15 minutes to roast a batch of coffee beans to your preferred level. It makes it easy to have coffee made from light, medium, and dark roasts any time you like.
If you are one of the people who like owning a coffee roaster, there are many types of coffee roasters on the market. It may be challenging to make the right choice. Here are tips on how to get the best home coffee roaster.
What to Consider When Buying a Home Coffee Roaster
There are coffee roasters of different sizes, designs, and prices on the market. Although you may feel overwhelmed when you think of buying a home coffee roaster, it’s easy to make the right choice if you consider certain factors. These are;
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The Capacity
You should decide where you want to place your home coffee roaster before buying it. Measuring that space will help you to pick a machine that fits just right in your kitchen.
For example, there are sample coffee roasters that can roast between 50 -500 grams of coffee beans and small batch roasters that can roast 1 – 3 kgs of coffee beans. Some can roast between 5 – 15 kgs of coffee beans.
You can see you have a wide selection of roasters to pick from based on your needs.
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The Purpose
Although home coffee roasters are for home use, they can be used for other purposes.
Some people use them in home businesses to roast and package small quantities of coffee for sale. Others prepare coffee beans to use in small cafes.
There are those who have made coffee their hobby, and they use coffee roasters to perform coffee roasting experiments. Knowing why you want a coffee roaster will help you pick a machine of the right size with features that satisfy your needs.
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The Price Range
Your budget will determine the kind of coffee roaster you can buy. Avoid going for the cheapest machine because it may break down quickly.
It’s important to note that good coffee roasters are made of high-quality, durable material, and they come with advanced tech features that ease the roasting process.
Invest a reasonable amount of money on your home roaster to reduce maintenance costs and ensure you have it for a long time. Make sure it comes with a warranty too.
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The Tech Features
Look out for coffee roasters that come with features that will contribute to a simple roasting cycle. These include;
- Flame and temperature features to give you control over the roasting process.
- Automated features that are well laid out and easy to use, such as visible temperature controls.
- Safety features that can prevent accidents, such as gas leak detectors.
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Maintenance
Only buy a coffee roaster you can maintain easily. That’s a machine you can clean and operate without any problems.
Look at a coffee roaster’s power or gas consumption before purchasing it to determine whether you can maintain it too.
That will help you to determine whether you can manage the fuel costs associated with roasting coffee using the machine you buy.
Here are a few machines to choose from when shopping for your home coffee roaster.
Five Coffee Roasters for Home Use
1. Fresh Roast SR 500 Coffee Roaster
The FreshRoast SR 500 is an affordable drum roaster with a glass roasting chamber. It uses convection heating for roasting and comes with fan adjustments that ease the process of separating the chaff from coffee beans during the roasting process.
There are also heat adjustment settings that make it easy for you to change the roasting temperatures as you like during the roasting process.
You can roast 4 ounces of coffee beans in one roasting cycle using the FreshRoast SR 500.
Although it doesn’t have a smoke control system or a cooling feature, it is good enough for home use. You only have to cool your roasted coffee beans using a countertop fan.
2. Nesco CR1010 Pro
The Nesco CR1010 Pro uses convection heating like the FreshRoast SR 500. Unlike the latter, it comes with a catalytic converter that gets rid of most of the smoke produced during the roasting cycle.
You can roast 5 ounces of coffee beans using the Nesco CR1010 Pro. It’s made to keep coffee beans moving during the roasting process, which mixes them ensuring they roast evenly without getting burnt.
It takes 30 – 40 minutes to roast and cool coffee beans using the Nesco CR1010 Pro. It is one of the best home coffee roasters you can buy.
3. The Gene Cafe Roaster
The Gene Cafe coffee roaster is a home coffee roaster that uses hot air to roast coffee beans.
It takes 15 minutes to roast coffee beans using a Gene Cafe roaster. You can roast 8 ounces of coffee beans in one cycle.
The Gene Cafe roaster has a glass roast chamber that allows you to watch the coffee beans as they are roasted.
It also comes with a vent pot that you can attach to ductwork in your home to prevent smoke from filling up your house during coffee roasting.
The Gene Cafe Roaster is an excellent pick if you are looking for a roaster that gives you optimum control of the coffee roasting process.
4. Kaldi Wide POP Coffee Roaster
The Kaldi Wide POP Coffee roaster is a perfect home roaster for anyone looking for a gas roaster. It has excellent temperature controls and thermal operating capabilities.
You can roast about 10 ounces of coffee beans in the Kaldi Wide POP Coffee roaster. It has an easy-to-view thermometer that shows you the temperature in the roaster at any given time.
The Kaldi Wide POP coffee roaster provides for smooth airflow, which ensures even roasting of coffee beans. You can also assemble and disassemble it easily whenever you want to clean it, making it easy to maintain.
5. Behmor 1600 Plus Coffee Roaster
The Behmor 1600 Plus coffee roaster is a stylish drum coffee roaster that you can place on the countertop in your kitchen.
It has an excellent finish and smoke suppression features that reduce the smoke released into your home during the coffee roasting process.
The Behmor 1600 Plus has automatic and manual roasting settings to suit the preferences of different individuals. It also comes with a fan that makes separating beans and chaff easier during roasting.
You can roast 16 ounces of coffee beans at a time using the Behmor 1600 plus coffee roaster. It’s the best choice for people who like coffee roasters with a sleek finish.
Conclusion
Now you have a few coffee roasters you can buy for your home use. Roasting your coffee from home will allow you to taste different roasts and discover what sets them apart.
You may decide to buy a burr grinder and coffee machine to ensure you always make the most flavorful coffee possible. It will give you a better understanding of what makes coffee taste amazing. And, of course, you’ll save a lot of money that you would otherwise spend in coffee shops and roasteries along the way.
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