Coffee roaster questions...

[oc_in_fw]

My father has recently pulled away from Folgers, and has started buying and drinking high quality beans. He also got a nice grinder and coffee maker. With Father's Day coming up, I was thinking of getting him a roaster so that he could roast his own beans. Being retired, he will have plenty of time to experiment. My questions are- what can one expect to pay for a decent roaster? What brands should I be looking at? What type of options (if there are any) should I be looking for that a person new to roasting would find handy? Thanks in advance for your help.

 

[Mick]

Hottop
Quest
Huky
Bullet

These are considered good quality home roasting machines.

Price hovers around $1k +/-

 

[oc_in_fw]

Hottop
Quest
Huky
Bullet

These are considered good quality home roasting machines.

Price hovers around $1k +/-

Thanks- didn't realize these things ran that price.

 

[Mick]

Those are home drum roasters that operate like commercial roasters.

There are other less expensive options.

Gene Cafe
Behmor
Fresh roast
iroast

These are in the $500 +/- range.

 

[oc_in_fw]

Those are home drum roasters that operate like commercial roasters.

There are other less expensive options.

Gene Cafe
Behmor
Fresh roast
iroast

These are in the $500 +/- range.

That sounds better. I was looking at a Behmor a bit. Do you have any experience with them?

 

[Mick]

I have a 1600 plus (+) model at our cabin in the great white north.

They are a good value.

They have their own unique way of roasting but once understood and mastered can produce excellent roasted coffee .

There are a number of B&B members that use this coffee roaster and there are a number of threads in The Cafe' forum on how to run one.

 

[vacman]

I know someone who has the Behmor and he considers it the best of any at double its price.

 

[StillShaving]

Unless he really likes coffee and you know he has the patience and space to setup for roasting I would hesitate to purchase anything. It takes some dedication to roast at periodic intervals that match consumption needs through all seasons and weather conditions. But of course that is only for you to judge or quietly discuss with another family member.

If he enjoyed drinking Folgers well enough but appreciates better coffee then Behmor is probably a good budget option, as it will certainly provide better coffee in large enough batches to keep a daily drinker satisfied. I have a Behmor and have never seriously considered upgrading even though I would like to something like the Bullet (for better controls and its induction technology). If is fun to buy coffees from different countries and farms and try them out, and it is the best way to keep fresh coffee on hand, but after many roasts I better appreciate the value add of the local roaster.

 

[oc_in_fw]

I have a 1600 plus (+) model at our cabin in the great white north.

They are a good value.

They have their own unique way of roasting but once understood and mastered can produce excellent roasted coffee .

There are a number of B&B members that use this coffee roaster and there are a number of threads in The Cafe' forum on how to run one.

I know someone who has the Behmor and he considers it the best of any at double its price.

Unless he really likes coffee and you know he has the patience and space to setup for roasting I would hesitate to purchase anything. It takes some dedication to roast at periodic intervals that match consumption needs through all seasons and weather conditions. But of course that is only for you to judge or quietly discuss with another family member.

If he enjoyed drinking Folgers well enough but appreciates better coffee then Behmor is probably a good budget option, as it will certainly provide better coffee in large enough batches to keep a daily drinker satisfied. I have a Behmor and have never seriously considered upgrading even though I would like to something like the Bullet (for better controls and its induction technology). If is fun to buy coffees from different countries and farms and try them out, and it is the best way to keep fresh coffee on hand, but after many roasts I better appreciate the value add of the local roaster.

Thanks guys. I will try to drop hints and see what his opinion of roasting his own are.

 

[Kidkoffee]

There are cheaper options to be had out there...I started with a cheap little air roaster and had fun with it until it broke. I also used to use a little electric peanut roaster with a timer and a drum that turned. That thing was probably in the $50 range and produced pretty darn good results considering. I’m sure the models in the +/- $500 range will be very nice...assuming your dad hasn’t made the jump to light speed coffee snobbery from just recently coming off of Folgers lol! I got bored with roasting my own after a while too, so don’t sell the farm to buy a professional roaster for a rookie! If he likes the cheapie, you/he can upgrade later. Just my opinion.

 

[Mick]

I see unused whirley pops at the thrift stores on a regular basis from $5-20.

These get some good talk but I've never used one

 

[StillShaving]

I think the whirley pops are great for the self-motivated coffee roaster, the person who is exploring coffee roasting and only needs to roast to meet their weekend drinking needs. But IMO the small batches they produce would not meet the needs of someone brewing/drinking a pot of coffee every day. I believe it would become too laborious to do multiple roasts per week just to match the needs of a moderate/heavy coffee drinker.

That unless the receiving person was asking/hinting about playing around with roasting I would not get them a whirley pop. This analogy is overly extreme (a caricature) but it would be like someone without a electric washing machine who sends all his clothes out for laundering, to some wash/dry/fold service, and you buy him a washboard and say "Hey, why not wash your clothes at home?".

 

[ruckin]

I think my dad may have the cheapest coffee roaster around... He got a cast iron dutch oven and put a hole in the lid to build a hand crank stirring arm (kind of like the manual bread mixers) The lid also has another hole in it so he can use is laser thermometer. He puts the whole thing on the stove and roasts by sight, sound and smell. I don't think his coffee is great but he likes it.

I am sort of at the other end of the spectrum in terms of roaster pricing. Prior to getting my own roaster I would go to my brother's house to use his 2kg drum roaster and have a cup of coffee and hang out for awhile. I found it kind of enjoyable way to roast my coffee. He is moving several hundred miles away so I decided to pick up my own roaster.

Ruckin.

 

[eelhc]

I love home roasting but it's not something I would recommend indoors unless the ventilation is really, really good. I do my roasting outdoors mostly during the summer and in the garage or my 3 season room. If I were to bring in my coffee roaster to the kitchen, my wife would kick me out.

 

[oc_in_fw]

I may just find out if he has a good grinder first

 

[kfbrady]

Check out sweetmarias website. They have just about everything you could need. Lots of options for roasting, tons of info and advice, and a great selection of green coffee beans. I’ve been buying from them for over 15 years.

I use an older iRoast (I actually have 2 of them) but they’re not made any more. I roast indoors without any issues.