The 7 Best Coffee Roasters
Special Honors
Mill City Roasters 10KG Despite having a massive capacity, this model actually falls somewhere in the middle of the company's lineup, making it equally suitable to a busy cafe franchise as it would be to an independent bean seller. It logs all of its data via USB, so you can compare performance to taste, and its electronic gas controls offer nuanced adjustments to your product. millcityroasters.com
The San Franciscan Roaster SF-1 Anyone trying to establish a defined aesthetic in their home or their coffee shop would do well to consider this model, with its subtle shifts in color and distinctive brass drum. It's finely crafted in the United States with parts that are all made in America from the ground up, and it sits on an elegant walnut baseboard. sanfranroaster.com
Diedrich Roasters IR-2.5 This model is capable of processing up to 22 pounds of beans per hour, and it does so with a relatively small form factor, making it ideal for a cafe without a lot of space. It's easy to connect it directly to a tablet or computer for data logging, and its infrared gas burners can perform in convective, conductive, or radiant heating modes. diedrichroasters.com
Editor's Notes
June 25, 2020:
Availability issues struck a few of the models from our old list, and we've upgraded the two previously included FreshRoast models to the Fresh Roast SR540 and the Fresh Roast SR800, which use a simplified control system that's almost entirely baked into a single push-button knob. The big difference between the two is capacity, with adjustments to the heating element and the chaff collector to compensate for specific amounts of beans.
And speaking of heating elements, it's important to strongly consider what you want your heat source to be. There are built-in electric heating elements, which are probably the most safe, but are often also less reliable in the long term, where a model designed to sit over a gas flame has one less component that can break down over time. But that doesn't mean you can simply pop any of the gas models on your stovetop. Some are range-worthy, like the Nuvo Eco Ceramic Handy, but others require burners similar to camping stoves to be able to control the diameter of the flame and ensure an even heat.
We also know that there are plenty of coffee lovers out there who either want to roast a ton of beans for friends and family, or who have small cafes or even large roasting operations that need serious machinery. We included the Sonofresco 1200-S for dedicated home roasters and small cafe owners, but there are also three models in our special honors sections with capacities and duty cycles that are undeniably professional-grade, though the are remarkably expensive.