What You Need for Roasting Coffee

To roast your coffee at home, you only need a few basic things. With the right equipment and some patience, you can soon enjoy your own perfectly roasted coffee.

Coffee is more than just a drink - and roasting at home opens up entirely new possibilities for you. It may seem complex at first, but coffee roasting is a craft that is easy to learn with the right equipment and a little practice. From choosing the right green coffee to the perfect roasting process: Here you will learn how to roast your coffee at home fresh and to your taste. Let us show you what equipment you need and how you can get started without much effort.

1. Coffee Roasting Machine

There are many ways to roast coffee. However, we recommend working with a dedicated coffee roasting machine to ensure that the coffee is roasted evenly, not too quickly, and not too slowly. There are various devices for roasting at home available in different price ranges. While they may differ significantly in technology and heat transfer methods, I would recommend focusing less on these aspects as all these machines are capable of roasting good coffee in any desired roast level and colour.
You should pay particular attention to the operation, user-friendliness, and factors influencing the measurement and control of the machine, as these are the options available to you to roast the coffee according to your preferences and taste.

Affordable Home Roasting Machines

If you are new to coffee roasting and looking for a cost-effective yet powerful machine, the Gene Café CBR-101 and the Behmor 2020SR Plus are exciting entry-level models. These machines offer an affordable introduction to the world of home roasting – ideal for coffee lovers who want to start roasting without having to invest in more expensive equipment.

Gene Café CBR-101

This is a very proven and solid roasting machine that largely roasts the coffee through hot air flow. The capacity is 250g per roast. Control is manual – the only setting is the target temperature that the machine works towards until it is reached. Fine nuances cannot be adjusted as a result. Nevertheless, the machine can roast coffee of very good quality since it roasts very efficiently, avoids roasting errors, and allows very precise control of the coffee's roast color through the glass.

Behmor 2020SR Plus

The Behmor 2020SR Plus is the most affordable device among the roasting machines we can recommend. It is a very proven device with a large community, especially in the English-speaking world. The capacity is stated as 450g, with the best roasting results achieved with 250–300g. The Behmor has 5 built-in preset roasting profiles and also the option to roast manually, with the strength of the heating element adjustable in 5 levels and the drum speed in 2 levels. The machine measures the temperature in the drum and exhaust, allowing for roasting profiles.

High-Precision Automated Roasting

Kaffelogic Nano 7

For those who seek absolute control over the roasting process but still value straightforward operation, the Kaffelogic Nano 7 is the perfect choice. This high-precision hot air roaster combines easy operation with advanced technology, making it appealing to both beginners and experienced roasters. The package also includes complimentary software. The Kaffelogic Nano 7 roasts small quantities (90g to 120g, up to 200g with the optional BOOST Kit) in about 10 minutes, offering infinite customization possibilities. The machine comes with 15 preset profiles, ranging from very light to dark roasts. Each profile can be adjusted in 60 steps, allowing you to achieve your preferred roast level. Furthermore, with the free software, you can create your own profiles and share them within the growing Kaffelogic community.

Optional: Nucleus Link

The Nucleus Link utilises the hardware of the Kaffelogic Nano 7 and has built a system with over 700 roasting profiles. With the help of an app, you can find the perfect roasting profile for every coffee. This makes the machine popular among raw coffee traders (who need to roast many different coffees as perfectly as possible), as a sample roaster for producers and roasteries, as well as in coffee competitions. Home roasters also enjoy using the machine, especially when roasting very expensive and exclusive coffees.

Drum Roasters with PC Connection

Aillio Bullet R1 V2

If you are looking for a drum roaster with professional features that also offers seamless PC integration for complete monitoring and control of the roasting process, the Aillio Bullet R1 V2 is the ideal choice. This roaster combines advanced technology with the robustness of a commercial drum roaster, making it interesting for both ambitious home roasters and small roasteries.

The Aillio Bullet R1 V2 allows you to roast up to 1kg of green coffee beans in one batch, offering extremely precise control options. The integrated PC connection enables you to connect with the free RoastTime software, providing detailed control and analysis of your roasts. Through the Roast.World community, you can easily exchange roast profiles and recipes with other roasters.

Aillio also offers two more powerful machines, the Bullet R2 and Bullet R2 Pro. These machines particularly excel when used for commercial roasting purposes.

(6% saved)

Aillio Bullet R1 V2 (Classic)

State-of-the-art and powerful drum roaster with 1kg capacity. PC connection possible ✚ Masterclass ✚ 3 adapters (value 398€)

CHF 3’390.00* CHF 3’590.00* (5.57% saved)

Details

Behmor 2020SR Plus

Easy to use coffee roaster that allows the user to utilize pre-programmed roast settings or manually control roast parameters. Roast 100-gram samples to 1 pound small batch production.

CHF 499.00*

Gene Café CBR-101e (Swiss version)

Easily and inexpensively roast excellent coffee yourself at home. Proven hot air roaster with 250g capacity.

CHF 595.00*

(15% saved)

Kaffelogic Nano 7e

Easy to use coffee roaster that allows the user to utilize pre-programmed roast settings or manually control roast parameters. Roast 100-gram samples to 1 pound small batch production.

CHF 1’099.00* CHF 1’299.00* (15.4% saved)

(5% saved)

Nucleus Link

Easy to use coffee roaster that allows the user to utilize pre-programmed roast settings or manually control roast parameters. Roast 100-gram samples to 1 pound small batch production.

CHF 1’990.00* CHF 2’090.00* (4.78% saved)

3. Accessories

In addition to the roaster and green coffee, there are a few helpful tools to make your roasting process easier:

Coffee storage: To store roasted coffee ideally, coffee tins or coffee bags with a valve are suitable. We offer bags that can be easily resealed with a zipper.

Measuring devices: Various technical measuring devices, such as colour meters, devices for measuring density and moisture content in green coffee, and more, help you roast precisely and consistently. However, they are quite expensive and usually only necessary when turning your hobby into a profession and roasting for customers.

A good coffee / kitchen scale that weighs accurately to 0.1g is recommended. You probably already have one at home as a home barista.

Bean cooler: The beans must be rapidly cooled to room temperature after roasting. While most roasters already have good cooling built-in, we recommend building or purchasing an external cooler for the Gene Café CBR-101 and the BEHMOR 2020SR Plus.

4. Knowledge & Tips

You don't need expert knowledge to start, but a bit of knowledge never hurts. Use our guides and videos to learn how to get the most out of your beans and your roaster. On our YouTube channel, you'll find plenty of videos about coffee roasting.

Additionally, we also have a selection of great books on coffee roasting in the shop. However, the most important thing is to sharpen your sensory skills and pay attention to which coffees you like and which you don't, and why. Tasting different coffees side by side is the easiest and most effective way to learn.

If you are considering coffee courses, I would definitely recommend one to you.

What You Need for Roasting Coffee