What is the Best Home Coffee Roaster?

Which is the best home coffee roaster? I get asked that question from viewers all the time. One of the most important decisions a home coffee roaster makes is deciding which roaster is best for them. In this YouTube Live, we will be looking at 5 of the most popular home coffee roasters under 800 dollars and consider some of the deciding factors that can help a home coffee roaster enthusiast buy the best home coffee roaster for them!
Hang out with me while we discuss this and some of the strengths and weaknesses of each roaster.

[tomschmude]

I have been using the Hive Roaster 'bare bones' for 2 years. There is something special about the design on this roaster! I am not even sure what it is but EVERY roast I have made has been so unbelievable consistently even with great color. I have made many mistakes through the years but after I kept using it, and gaining knowledge on your videos on what to shoot for, I love it!!! At first I REALLY did not know what I was doing and wasted a bunch of beans by under roasting the batches. I now am getting very good results by shooting for Dry time of around 5 min and first crack around 8-8min 15 sec. and shut down the roast at the first sound of 2nd crack. I thought I liked the Med-Dark roast the best BUT JUST LEARNED ABOUT A MISTAKE I WAS MAKING by watching your latest video 'Learn This Skill To Roast Great Coffee'. I was just running through first crack and then shutting down the roast at the VERY FIRST sound of 2nd crack WITHOUT decreasing my heat! Now, I was getting some really good tasting coffee, but am SO excited to use your suggestion of turning down the heat (raising the Hive further away from the heat a bit) through the entire 1st crack and ending at the 10 min 15sec mark. You did not go into 2nd crack in the video, correct?? I just LOVE experimenting with this Hive! It is like a hobby with a plus....I get to sip on some really great tasting coffee!

[jerryhubbard]

I got my new FreshRoast SR800 with extension tube one week ago. 5.17.2024. I have used it twice and boy do I love it.
I live in central South Carolina

[greggholt]

Kaleido. Started with a Behmor which is a great budget friendly way to start. Learned a few hacks and then graduated to the Kaleido M2. Very happy.

[sunnycharacter]

Central Texas, soooo hot here! I have an awesome Fresh Roast Sr800 with extension tube. It roasts wonderfully!

[gvalley]

I have a fresh roast sr 240 that I got for Christmas. I first used one a couple years ago at my brother's in Hawaii where he. Is growing some Kona beans and we are learning how to roast those delicate beans. I appreciate your channel. I live in grass valley California.

[rushmaned]

My first roaster is a Fresh roast SR540, and I love it....but I first started learning to roast coffee on a stove with a cast iron pan....Jacksonville AL

[ChrisWilson-zsog]

fro. Ayr in Scotland. I am new to roasting having watched your videos for about a year. I went for an Allio bullet but cormorant E was a close second.

[jerryhubbard]

My first and second roast was done in a hammered wok on my outdoor gas burner. I am going to try the third roast tonight using a large cast iron skillet and hot air.

[dakotagunnar]

Behmor user since 2017. Just found your channel a few months ago, your tips and advice have been helpful. Thanks, Mike.

[sammyreyes]

Greetings from Fort Mill, SC. I just started roasting a couple of weeks ago. I'm using an older popcorn popper. I've had really good luck so far. Eager to learn more.

[MyFatAdaptedLife]

Thanks, Mike. I just backed a Kickstarter project for an automatic coffee bean roaster from CoMA. It looks interesting and the pledge was fairly reasonable. Cheers, and please keep up the great work.

[kurtspingath]

South Puget Sound area in Washington State. I use Behmor 2000AB. I’ve had it since October 2023. Used Fresh Roast before that for 3 years

[jlantz]

Finally got to see the Livestream vid. You're getting good at it! I'll try to watch live next time. A couple of thoughts/suggestions. The SR just takes practice. Like any roaster I guess. The ext tube and chaff mod really help consistency and flexibility. I normally shoot for a 9:00-9:30 total roast time, with a 45/35/20 % phase breakdown. If my roast is getting a little too dark, I shorten the development time accordingly. By maintaining temps. throughout, gleaned from multiple roasts, I can pretty much hit the desired event times very consistently. Also, I roast in my garage 7-8 months out of the year based on ambient temperature. When it gets below about 50°, I take it indoors. I put a dryer vent ('foil' type) over the ext tube and run it out a window. Chaff is either sent into the yard or caught in the vent tube to be emptied. I've been using this setup for 2 years, and it works like a champ.

[Akdale]

Pop corn popper, whirly pop, bbq grill with stainless drum, sr500, bypassed all the others and went right to Bullet. Its awesome. The SR 500 is a great roaster and lots of control. Use a heat probe and profiling is easy. Just cant roast much.

[ronaldmeyer]

Vancouver, Wa., I new to roasting and am very interested starting. My limitations are one being new to it but also I travel. So I need a roaster that is compatible for being on the road.

[Gestalt]

What are your thoughts on roasting with a heat gun with mechanical agitation (bread machine or flour sifter). They’re all the rage over on Reddit, and I haven’t heard your thoughts yet on any DIY roasters.

Thanks and love the channel! I’ve learned a ton from your videos.

[myragarnett]

Greetings from Ontario, considering the freshroast SR540

[LivingTheLifeRetired]

It would be great if you could do more lives, it was a lot of fun even to watch the replay.

[richardhenderson]

I use a SR540 with both the 540 and 800 chambers depending on roast size.

[rick]

You Rock what is the roaster against your brick wall?