Last Updated on November 21, 2021 by John Moretti
Invest in a home coffee roaster and dial-up your experience by roasting your grounds without any hassles. If you are worried that you won’t understand the complicated art of roasting coffee beans, relax! Most automated coffee roasters do the job for you.
With fixed time cycles and drum speeds, you will not have to worry about wasting any coffee beans.
This article will help you find the best home coffee roaster. Whether you are new to roasting your coffee or have been doing it for some time, there’s something for everyone.
With all the important details such as modes, size, and price ranges, I’ll help you make the right choice in no time. From high-quality roasters to the most cost-effective ones, I’ve got you covered.
At A Glance
Let me save you some time with this overview of everything I’ll be explaining in depth.
Before buying a coffee roaster, you need to be sure of 3 things: the amount of coffee, type of coffee, and whether you’re new to roasting coffee at home. Once you have determined these factors, your decision becomes much easier. With a variety of options to choose from, I’ve narrowed it down for you into three main categories, highest quality, most budget-friendly, and easiest to handle.
If you are in search of a high-quality roaster, the Kaldi home coffee roaster has many advanced features but comes with a hefty price tag. The sandbox smart R1 comes with its app that allows you to easily monitor and control different features such as temperature and fan speed.
Lastly, the SR540 is one of the best picks for a beginner. With many features and an easy-to-use design, it offers the best blend of convenience and quality. A favorite amongst experienced roasters is the 2000AB Behmor. With 5 pre-existing roast cycles and controls to create your own, it is an investment worth making.
Those on a tight budget can consider the Nuvo Eco Ceramic coffee roaster. With its hands-on and easy-to-use design, it is best suited for beginners. The Mixfin coffee roaster has a generous capacity of 750 grams, allowing you to roast large amounts of coffee beans at once.
The Jiawanshun offers a large bean capacity of almost a pound as well as easy temperature adjustment. Its design is not only sleek and compact but also aesthetically pleasing for all functional art lovers.
Coming towards easy-to-operate home coffee roasters, the Gene Café Drum takes no time to get used to. Its knobs allow roasters to adjust temperature and time easily. Its generous capacity of 250 grams allows for large batches of coffee to be roasted at once.
Another pick in this category is the Cafemasy coffee bean net. Much like a tea strainer, this manually operated roaster makes roasting coffee incredibly easy. With a smaller capacity of 80 grams, it allows you to make fresh and flavorful batches every day.
For further details, keep reading!
Highest Quality At-Home Coffee Roasters
These picks are the best home coffee roasters in the market. From their advanced designs and many functions, these are any experienced coffee roaster’s dream.
Kaldi Home Coffee Roaster
Top on the list is the Kaldi home coffee roaster. Earning its spot on the top, this high-quality piece of equipment will do justice to your morning coffee.
One of the most advanced roasting machines in the market, the Kaldi coffee roaster is your best pick if the quality is what you strive for.
It comes with multiple functions such as a durable body, bean hopper, a thermometer offering accurate temperatures, and a probe rod. Furthermore, the Kaldi coffee roaster also contains an inbuilt compartment for all chaff and coffee dandruff collections.
This device requires a gas burner to provide heat but comes with a voltage adapter free of cost. This machine can hold up to 250 grams of coffee beans, allowing you to roast a significant quantity at once.
The Kaldi home coffee roaster comes in two sizes – you can choose a larger or smaller one depending on the space you have and the yield of coffee you would like in a single roast. The only downside of this product is the price, which is more than other options in the market.
Nevertheless, I assure you it’s worth it!
SR540 Coffee Roaster
With many exciting features to boast and a user-friendly design, the SR540 is one of the best picks for a beginner.
With much more advancements than its predecessor, the SR500, the SR540, is the perfect combination of quality and convenience. With this machine, you’ll be roasting exotic coffee blends to perfection in no time.
The SR540 coffee roaster comes with a real-time temperature display along with 9 different fan settings and temperature settings for you to fiddle around with until you get your perfect brew.
With the capacity to roast 4 ounces of coffee in one go, your morning coffee has never been easier. Within 10 minutes, you go from raw coffee beans to the perfectly roasted grounds ready to brew for your morning coffee.
If you have a storage issue and are looking for a coffee roaster that is compact and durable, look no further. A bonus feature is a 1-year warranty that comes with purchasing the SR540 coffee roaster, covering any damage or malfunctions, which I’m certain, you won’t be facing.
Sandbox Smart R1 Coffee Roaster
The Sandbox Smart R1 is one of the most advanced home coffee roasters on the market. Its versatile functions make it a top pick amongst experienced roasters.
One of the unique features this coffee roaster has to offer is Bluetooth connectivity to its app. By simply downloading this app, you can easily control all functions from your phone. The user can either choose from the preexisting light, medium, and dark roast modes or create their custom settings.
The app allows you to easily control heat, fan speed, and drum rotation. Furthermore, the app tracks previous roast settings allowing you to track and study your preferred settings. The Sandbox Smart R1 is useful for small batches of roasting as it has a maximum capacity of 100 grams.
This one-of-a-kind machine comes with a hefty price tag and might not be suited to someone who has just started roasting their coffee at home. Additionally, users might have to go through some trial and error before getting used to the many settings this machine allows you to explore.
The Behmor 2000AB
The Behmor 2000AB is reserved for serious coffee enthusiasts and experienced home roasters. The hefty price tag that comes with this machine is compensated by its unique and versatile features that no low-end coffee roaster has to offer.
This two-in-one machine not only roasts your coffee but cools it down, too, sparing you the expense of having to buy a separate cooling device. The Behmor 2000AB comes with 5 pre-existing roast profiles. However, you can change features such as temperature, time, and drum speed to achieve the color of roast you want.
Behmor’s automatic shutdown feature is a very useful safety measure in case you leave it unattended. Its smoke suppression feature makes it even safer for indoor use. It also alerts you with a beeping sound when your roast cycle is complete.
If you already have the older 1600AB Behmor in good condition, you can simply upgrade the display panel to achieve increased usability instead of having to replace it.
The Hottop KN-882B-2K+
This model is one of Hottop’s most popular and advanced coffee roasters. Its highly sophisticated design and features make it a favorite amongst regular coffee drinkers and roasters.
The KN-882B, unlike most coffee roasters, has two thermocouples, one monitoring the external temperature and one for the coffee beans being roasted within it. Its USB port allows users to connect it to their devices and track its roast cycles and functions using third-party apps. You can record all your custom settings and play around with them as you get used to roasting coffee beans.
What makes this coffee roaster so versatile is that while being fully automated, it can be used manually as well. The 2K+ has a large capacity of 300 grams which is ideal for regular coffee drinkers.
Easy to Use and Handle At-Home Coffee Roasters
To someone who is just starting to roast their coffee beans at home, simplicity is key. I have compiled a list of the most convenient and straightforward-to-use coffee roasters available.
Gene Café Drum
The Gene Café Drum is an easy-to-use coffee roaster that is equally suited to novice and experienced roasters. Its simple knobs are easy to use and allow you to control all aspects of the process from time to temperature.
The glass chamber not only looks visually pleasing but helps you monitor any changes in the color of your coffee grounds. Its one-of-a-kind tilted rotation allows for a more even roast on your initially green coffee beans.
For those who are very particular about their coffee, this home coffee roaster allows you to monitor the process every step of the way. With its generous capacity of 250 grams, you can roast large amounts of coffee beans at once.
Cafemasy Coffee Bean Roasting Net
You don’t necessarily need a fancy machine to get the perfect roast on your coffee beans. Sometimes the simplest of equipment can be the most effective. The Cafemasy coffee bean net is one of the easiest and most inexpensive home coffee roasters in the market.
Resembling a tealeaf strainer, all you have to do is place the mesh net over a direct heat source and wait for as long as you like until you get your desired coffee color. The Cafemasy coffee bean net is completely safe to use as its long wooden handle prevents the risk of burns while handling an open flame.
For an even roast put no more than 80 grams of coffee beans in the net at once, it is the perfect amount if you prefer freshly roasted coffee for each cup you drink.
Value-for-Money Home Coffee Roasters
As someone who is trying out home roasting, you might not want to make an extravagant purchase right away. It is always best to test out your skills and interest on a low-priced roaster and slowly upgrade.
Here I have some of the best valued at-home coffee roasters available.
Nuvo Eco Ceramic Handy Coffee Bean Roaster
The Nuvo Eco is regarded as one of the value-for-money home coffee roasters in the market. Best suited to beginners, this coffee roaster is portable and easy to use. It makes your life easier – simply place the roaster over a fire heat source (not compatible with induction stoves) for an average of 15 minutes.
The Nuvo Eco is hands-on and completely manually operated. This sleek design comes with a limited capacity of only 70 grams but is sufficient for a few cups of coffee.
While this may not be the most advanced home coffee roaster, it gets the job done. A word of caution, wear gloves while holding the hot roaster to prevent any accidents. If you like functional art, a bonus of this coffee roaster is its aesthetically pleasing look and shape.
Mixfin Home Coffee Roaster
The Mixfin home roaster is not only one of the best-priced machines you will find in the market, but it also has one of the largest storage capacities.
With a whopping 750-gram bean capacity, it is ideal for roasting in bulk. Its easy-to-use design makes it one of the best picks for a beginner roaster.
Customers report positively on the durability of the machine and consider it a good long-term investment for those interested in getting into the habit of roasting coffee beans at home.
With a non-stick drum, it is easy to clean from the inside and remove any residue that may have accumulated. The Mixfin has a simplistic dial; you can easily adjust the temperature from 0 to 240, depending on the kind of roast you want for your beans.
The Mixfin home coffee roaster strikes the perfect balance between usability and quality for the best price.
Jiawanshun Coffee Roaster
With a generous storage capacity of nearly a pound, the Jiawanshun has a lot to offer at a reasonable price. Best suited to regular coffee drinkers who will want to roast and store large quantities at once.
Its easy-to-use dial allows you to adjust temperatures between 100 to 240 degrees Celsius, to obtain the perfect roast. Obtain a full range from blond to Italian and everything in between.
To ensure a uniform roast, the rotating arm keeps the beans moving within the barrel. The Jiawanshun takes up to 20 minutes to obtain a dark roast in a full batch.
Its aesthetically pleasing design allows you to watch the color changes through the roaster’s heatproof glass cover.
The Jiawanshun’s sleek and compact design makes it easily transportable and will not take up much space on your countertop. The non-stick interior of the roaster makes it easy to clean out any residue after roasting.
Why Roast Your Coffee at Home?
If you are a coffee lover who has been drinking pre-roasted coffee, then you are missing out. Roasting your grounds gives you control over the exact flavors you hope to achieve. Find your personal touch by experimenting with different grounds and roast times by investing in a home coffee roaster.
You can learn how to combine different types of beans and achieve unique blends that might not be available in store-bought coffee beans. Additionally, coffee roasting makes for a great leisure activity if you are an avid coffee drinker.
What are the Different Kinds of Coffee Roasters?
There are two main types of coffee roasters, air roasters and drum roasters.
Drum roasters utilize indirect heat to roast the coffee beans. The interior chamber of the roaster has metal walls that are heated, and they rotate to provide an even roast to the beans.
The mechanisms of an air roaster can be compared to that of a popcorn machine. Hot is circulated through the coffee beans as a means of providing direct heat to them.
What Should I be Considering in A Home Coffee Roaster?
If you’re new to home coffee roasters or are looking for an upgrade, you might have some questions.
Here are some of the things you should be considering before buying one. Ask yourself the following questions to determine what features your coffee roaster should include.
- How long have you been roasting coffee? If you are new to roasting coffee, more advanced equipment can be overwhelming with too many instructions to navigate. The first coffee roaster you buy should be one with straightforward instructions that get the job done.
For more frequent users, a more advanced machine can help experiment with new flavors, brews, and consistencies.
- How do you like your coffee? The machine you buy should be able to brew the exact type of coffee you like. Fluid air bed machines can roast coffees at hotter temperatures, which may appeal to some coffee drinkers.
- What is your average coffee consumption? Whether you are an avid coffee drinker or are serving many.
Final Note
A few minutes of research can go a long way in helping buy a product you are not previously familiar with. The different options of at-home coffee roasters can be confusing to decide from. It is important to look around and make your decision based on what meets your needs best.
The best home coffee roaster is ultimately the one that is most useful to you.
A beginner coffee roaster can start with an inexpensive and convenient coffee roaster as they learn the art of gaining the perfect coffee roast. With a little experience and understanding of the art, they can invest in a more advanced coffee roasting machine to help smoothen the process.
Roasting your coffee not only helps you experiment with new flavors but also gives you fresher coffee than store-bought grounds. Additionally, many coffee lovers take up roasting as a hobby that is not only a soothing pastime but also grants complete control over the flavor of your coffee.
