So, are you ready to up your level of being a coffee enthusiast? You might have learned how to make perfect drip coffee, create a perfect espresso shot, and mastered other coffee blending techniques, but a true coffee enthusiast would dive deep into the art of roasting coffee.
We wrote this article in the presumption that you have at least a little knowledge about coffee roasting. And one essential ingredient to being a master roaster, aside from the best choice of coffee beans, is the roasting machine.
Home is a perfect place to start learning the art and science of coffee roasting. Landing on this page isn’t accidental, probably because you’re searching for a home coffee roaster.
Looking for the best home coffee roaster is a confusing task, especially if you’re not familiar with the key factors that require attention. But you don’t need to worry about these factors as we’ll go over them in our buyers’ guide section.
Whether you’re a novice or experienced in roasting coffee, you need a reliable home coffee roaster to produce perfectly roasted coffee beans. And that’s why we made this article to help you find the best home coffee roaster.
So, let’s cut the introduction short, and let’s get down to business.
Table of Contents
9 Best Home Coffee Roasters
Nuvo Eco Ceramic Handy Coffee Bean Roaster
The Nuvo Eco Ceramic handy coffee bean roaster is our best budget roaster. It’s made of 100% ceramic material, which is easy to clean and cheaper than stainless steel.
Roasting coffee in pans has a very long history, and this Nuvo ceramic manual coffee roaster brings you to nostalgia. However, instead of using a spoon or turner with a long handle, you simply shake the Nuvo roaster to get an even roast.
The handle is wrapped with a genuine cowhide to keep it cool to the touch. The pan is very lightweight as well, so you don’t wear down your arms that easily.
If you look closely inside, the internal floor features a waffle-shaped design. This feature ensures an even roasting of the coffee beans.
This manual coffee roaster has a small capacity of 30 to 70 grams of coffee in a single roasting. This feature may be a disadvantage to others, but for those who’re just starting to learn about coffee roasting, it’s advantageous.
Additionally, using a small capacity roaster minimizes the wastage of coffee beans when roasting doesn’t turn out the way it should be. It’s a great advantage for novice roasters.
This Nuvo roaster doesn’t have a smoke suppressor, so you might consider using it under a range hood, or better yet, outside your home. It doesn’t have a chaff catcher as well, so you might think about the mess if you roast in your kitchen.
Pros:
Cons:
The Nuvo Eco Ceramic manual coffee roaster is recommended for newbies. It’s unbelievably cheap and easy to use, though mastering the roast may be challenging.
Bar Well Coffee Roaster Machine Home Coffee Beans Baker
The Bar Well coffee roaster brings convenience to your coffee roasting task. It accommodates 750g of coffee beans, which may be enough for the whole week for two coffee drinkers.
This coffee roaster is powered by electricity with adjustable temperature settings from zero to 240 degrees Celsius. This feature ensures that you roast the coffee beans at a constant temperature.
The food-grade non-stick pan is easy to clean. It also allows the coffee beans to glide smoothly on its surface while the automatic stir roasting arm circles around.
The automatic roasting arms ensure even roasting of the coffee beans. The transparent lid allows you to see the beans’ browning, and the four vent holes provide ventilation for moisture.
This Bar Well coffee roaster model is compact and will not take too much counter space. It’s also lightweight, which makes it comfortable to transfer around your kitchen.
Pros:
Cons:
This Bar Well coffee roaster is excellent for newbie roaster. Its rotating arms guaranty to produce even roast without straining your arms.
Fresh Roast SR540
The Fresh Roast SR540 looks like a small blender, thus takes only tiny counter space. Instead of automatic agitating arms, this roaster uses an air blower to distribute heat evenly to the coffee beans.
Heat and fan have nine adjustable settings, so you have better control over the roasting process. It also has a temperature display to guarantee that you’re applying the right amount of heat for roasting.
This coffee roaster doesn’t have a smoke suppressor, so you better have a range hood in your kitchen, or otherwise some type of ventilation. The roaster has a chaff collecting lid, taking away any mess caused by the coffee dandruff.
The transparent bean container gives you the visuals, allowing you to see the roasting process’s progress. It contains only 120 grams of coffee beans, which is not a lot and is something to consider.
On the other hand, you can roast a few batches in a day. Just allow the roaster to cool down for at least 30 minutes in between roasts.
Pros:
Cons:
The Fresh Roast is an excellent upgrade from a manual coffee roaster. But it’s also an ideal for those coffee lovers who want to start their home roasting adventures.
Behmor 5400 1600 Plus Customizable Drum Coffee Roaster
The Behmor 1600 Plus looks like a small oven toaster thus it won’t take too much counter space. It’s programmable, which makes it convenient to use.
It has quite a large roasting capacity of 500 grams, enough for a week’s brew for two people. The five programmable roasting profiles allow you to roast the beans easily with just a push of a button.
The rotating drum has variable speed settings to ensure even roasting. The chaff tray catches the coffee dandruff, minimizing the mess.
The cooling system is efficient and prevents over roasting. Additionally, the interior lighting gives you a clear view of how the roast is progressing.
Best of all, it has a smoke suppressor, which minimizes smoke in your kitchen. However, you may still consider roasting near a range hood or exhaust.
Pros:
Cons:
The Behmor 1600 programmable coffee roaster makes roasting a lot more convenient. However, it may require a user to undergo a learning curve.
KALDI Home Coffee Roaster Motorize Type
The KALDI home coffee roaster uses gas for heating. It doesn’t have programmable features, but it provides convenience to a user with its motorized drum rotator.
Manual coffee roasting can be fun, especially if you have additional tools that ease your task. Fortunately, this coffee roaster has a complete set of tools like the thermometer, probe rod, and chaff holder.
It’s made of stainless steel materials that guarantee durability. It’s small enough to fit on top of most gas stoves or propane burners.
Pros:
Cons:
The KALDI home coffee roaster is an excellent manual roaster for novice coffee enthusiasts. It’s roasting capacity is also perfect for a week’s consumption for two average coffee drinkers.
NESCO, CR-04-13, Coffee Bean Roaster
The NESCO CR-04013 coffee bean roaster is a compact device that roasts up to a quarter pound. It’s ideal for roasting in small batches or medium and dark roasts coffee.
Its pre-programmed buttons are illuminated, including the cool down button. It has a chaff-collecting lid and a glass view window to see the roasting process.
This coffee-roasting device slowly cooks the coffee beans in twenty minutes. It may be slow, but this feature ensures the proper development of coffee flavors and aroma.
Pros:
Cons:
The NESCO CR-04013 is ideal for personal use. It’s an excellent starter for those coffee lovers who want to learn roasting their beans.
Hario Retro Coffee Roaster
The Hario Retro coffee roaster has a classic and elegant design. It is hand-crafted in Japan, which ensures quality.
It has a minimal roasting capacity, which makes it ideal for newbie coffee roasters. The hand-cranked rotating glass drum allows one to experience the traditional way of roasting coffee.
Pros:
Cons:
The Hario Retro coffee roaster is a small capacity roaster that makes it ideal for a beginner roaster who wants to learn the traditional way of coffee bean roasting.
Hario is not only making roasters, but they have a manual coffee grinder as well. And that would make a perfect match. Read more on it in our Best Manual Coffee Grinder.
Barwell Coffee roaster
This Bar Well coffee roaster has a roasting capacity of 500 grams. That’s enough for a whole week’s coffee drink for two coffee lovers who drink an average of 2 cups each daily.
The programmable timer allows you to prepare different coffee roasts with precision and consistency. The agitating arm guarantees even roasting of coffee beans.
The coffee roaster doesn’t have a smoke suppressor, so be sure to have a range hood or other ventilation devices.
Pros:
Cons:
This Bar Well coffee roaster saves you time with its large capacity roasting. It’s also convenient to use as it has a countdown timer.
Whirley-Pop Popcorn Popper
The Whirley-Pop Popcorn popper is designed for cooking popcorn. But the same principles apply as the popcorn needs constant agitation of the popcorn for even cooking.
The Whirley-Pop may be too large for roasting beans, as the recommended roasting capacity is only 250 grams to ensure even roasting. The manual stirring system keeps the beans in constant movement to prevent uneven roasting.
The foldable lid allows you to have visuals while the roasting progresses. Since it’s technically designed for popcorn, it doesn’t have a smoke suppressor and chaff collector.
Pros:
Cons:
It’s funny to think that a popcorn cooker can be used for roasting coffee. But honestly, the Whirley-Pop is an excellent alternative.
Buyers Guide For Home Coffee Roaster
Now here’s the most challenging part – choosing the best home coffee roaster. But let us help you make things a bit easier as we uncover the critical factors to consider when buying a home coffee roasting equipment.
The Capacity of the Roaster
The first factor to consider is the capacity of the roaster. How much coffee beans do you want to finish in a single roasting?
Roasting takes time, so you can’t do it daily. Besides, it takes 2 to 12 days until the coffee is ready for grinding as it needs to undergo the degassing process.
It is due to the carbon dioxide formed during roasting. It is in the first 24 hours that roasted coffee releases CO2 quickly, and grinding them within this period will negatively affect the extraction process when brewed.
So, it’s recommended to plan how much coffee you can consume for the whole week. An average person drinking 2 cups a day would need about 25 grams of beans daily.
Therefore, that would be 175 grams a week of coffee beans. If you have four people who drink coffee daily, you would need about 700 grams per week, and that would go over the capacity of some coffee roasters.
You can always roast in small batches to complete your required amount of beans for the whole week. But you also need to consider if your roaster can perform a back-to-back roasting, as some need time to cool down before you can start roasting another batch.
So, this is why considering the capacity of the roaster is crucial.
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Your Kitchen
Home coffee roasters come in different sizes, but they don’t consume much space, unlike commercial use roasters. Instead of thinking much of the counter space, you might need to consider whether you have enough ventilation in your kitchen.
Coffee roasting may produce a lot of smoke, especially if you want dark roasted coffee beans. Therefore, a range hood or any type of exhaust is essential, or you can roast outside.
Automatic or Manual Coffee Roaster?
An automatic coffee roaster carries a lot of convenience for its user. It has multiple controls over specific functions such as temperature setup, fan cooling, drum speed (if using a motorized drum), and setting roast profiles.
Using an automatic coffee roaster is like pouring in the right amount of beans, set, and wait until the process ends. It’s that simple.
On the other hand, manual roasting can be laborious as you need to shake or turn the beans over repeatedly manually. However, being a true coffee enthusiast, it’s a valuable experience to learn manual roasting.
Moreover, you have more control over the roasting process when you do it manually.
Gas or Electric?
Electric powered coffee bean roasters are more straightforward. You just need an electrical source, plug them, turn them on, and voila, the roasters start to heat up.
Gas-powered coffee roasters are a bit different. Some roasters require a propane burner, or simply a gas stove in your kitchen.
You simply put the gas-powered roaster on top of the stove. Gas-powered roasters are more appropriate if you intend to roast a larger batch as it can produce more amounts of heat.
Either electric or gas-powered coffee roaster works for most coffee enthusiasts. Electric roasters may be more convenient to use, but gas-powered ones are more versatile.
Smoke Suppression
Smoke is something unavoidable in coffee roasting. Since coffee contains natural oil, it produces smoke at a certain point when heated.
Coffee beans release more smoke when it reaches the second crack, which usually happens when roasting dark. You need a vent to drive away the smoke, or you roast under a range hood.
Chaff Collection
A byproduct of roasting coffee is the chaff. It is a very thin and light skin that comes off as flakes during the coffee beans roasting process.
It’s also often called coffee dandruff and may cause a lot of mess. Some roasters have chaff catcher, which you need to empty after every roasting.
Unfortunately, if your roaster doesn’t have a chaff collector, you might think of other means to solve the mess problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you roast your own coffee beans at home?
Yes, and many home coffee roasters are available for everyone who wants to learn the art of roasting coffee.
What is the best home coffee roaster?
The best home coffee roaster is the one that will satisfy your coffee roasting requirements. A coffee roaster used by your friend doesn’t mean it would also work for you.
Is Home Coffee Roasting worth it?
Home coffee roasting is a tedious job. If you’re a true coffee enthusiast, you can say that home coffee roasting is worth it.
However, it’s not for everyone, especially not for those who love convenience. Anyway, one can buy roasted coffee in bags from the grocery.
But if you want freshness, nothing beats a newly roasted coffee bean. Who wants stale coffee anyway?
Is Roasting your own coffee cheaper?
Roasting coffee beans doesn’t just mean cheaper, but you also get to enjoy fresh and delicious coffee anytime. It’s just like baking your cake or bread at home; it’s more affordable and fresher, right?
How soon after roasting Can I drink coffee?
You can enjoy your coffee after the freshly roasted coffee has undergone the degassing process. It usually takes 2 to 12 days until your coffee is ready to brew, depending on the coffee and roast type.
As a general rule, a darker roast degases faster than a lighter roast bean.
What are the three basic degrees of coffee roasting?
The three basic degrees of coffee roasting is as follows:
- Drying Stage
- Browning Stage
- Roasting Stage
Drying Stage
Before roasting, a coffee bean may contain a humidity percentage between 8% to 12%. The coffee beans need further drying to reduce moisture before it finally undergoes roasting.
Usually, at 160C, the coffee beans go through the drying stage for approximately 4 to 8 minutes. The drying process is crucial for collecting energy to prepare the green beans for the last stage of coffee roasting.
Browning Stage
After the drying stage, the coffee beans start to release the aroma. It is worthy of remembering that the drying stage continues during the browning stage until the Maillard reaction starts.
Maillard reaction starts when the roast slows down, wherein hundreds of different aroma and color compounds are produced by the reaction between reducing sugar and amino acids.
When you hear the first crack, that signals the end of the browning stage, and the roasting stage starts.
Roasting Stage
The roasting stage is also referred to as the development stage. It is where the roaster chooses the preferred roast degree.
A roaster may choose light, medium, or dark. Roasting takes time and needs to be done slowly to prevent burning the coffee.
Happy Roasting!