littlenut wrote:Hi Matt,

If a friend asked me for suggestions on what is needed to start home roasting coffee, I would start by telling the friend to get ready to spend more than you expect or live with regrets along the way.

For starting out, I would suggest;

HARDWARE
-Fresh Roast SR800
https://www.sweetmarias.com/fresh-roast-sr800.html

-Razzo Roasting Chamber
https://www.etsy.com/listing/1485420451 ... ve_1&crt=1

-Razzo Roasting Chaff Collector Mod
https://www.etsy.com/listing/959891502/ ... A959891502

-Search this forum on Temperature monitoring Gear for SR800 and linking to a computer

REFERENCE MATERIAL
- 2 Scott Rao Books
https://www.scottrao.com/the-coffee-roasters-companion
https://www.scottrao.com/coffee-roasting-best-practices


If money is not an issue, figure out what size roaster you need/want and then start here;
https://www.buckeyecoffee.com/bc-coffee-roasters.html
https://millcityroasters.com/

HTH,
LN

SR800 with mods seems a good value for sure, i also like the fact that there is great support and videos online for it.

Ive seen some people installing a long probe on the top of the stock or optional FR chamber too.

My only fear is that ill want to upgrade to a drum roaster soon after but hey, i have to start somewhere...

Drzmat wrote: Ive seen some people installing a long probe on the top of the stock or optional FR chamber too.

That was to get a probe into the bean mass on older versions iirc. Razzo addressed that with a probe hole in the lower region on the side. If you wanted a probe in the area above the bean mass you could install a connection like the one you describe.

[Please correct if i missed something]

My only fear is that ill want to upgrade to a drum roaster soon after but hey, i have to start somewhere...

I believe with the tube and collector mod it get's you to 3/4 lb of green...you'll have some time before you need/want an upgrade IMVHO.

Regards,
-Tom

I've been roasting since the late 90's when Sweet Marias was pretty much the only spot that was selling greens to mere mortals. I've pretty much had every home roaster that's been available commercially or built from someone else's design.

I started with a large soup can on the stove, went to a heat gun, Alpenroast, Fresh Roast, Behmor, IR2, HotTop, then built an RK Drum 5 pound BBQ setup. I still have the Behmor, Freshroast, and RK and still use them a bunch.

I would have to agree with others that the Fresh Roast is an excellent machine to start with, and if you decide you like the hobby you can add some accessories that can really up your game. It really is a great roaster to teach you the sights, sounds, and smells of what it takes to roast great coffee.

Good luck in your journey.

Drzmat wrote:So something like the Kaldi wide 400 or Kaldi Fortis with the center306 dual thermometer option would be better then.

Or a hottop 2k+ but its a bit more pricey....

Kaldi Wide 400 is the cheapest of those three and has temperature probes which is important for playing around and learning. I've been using it for 4 years. It needed extra components such as burner, cyclone exhaust and bean cooler which adds to the cost but once you are set up, it's a competent roaster for 400g capacity. My only reason to upgrade is the capacity limit which hasn't been reached yet.

Thanks for the feedback on the Kaldi!

Do you use the Kaldi exhaust system or another one?

Drzmat wrote:Do you use the Kaldi exhaust system or another one?

My own shown here DIY Metal Cyclone Chaff Collector
Other options are shown here "Homemade" Small roaster cyclone
New Kaldi Fortis Setup
New Kaldi Fortis Setup
Real cheap option here Kaldi Wide 300 air flow mod

Thanks for all the good advices guys.

Ill make my mind shortly and should start roasting

For less than 1 kg roaster I don't see the point going with gas operated one. With electric heated roaster you are able to add artisan pid easily and cheaply later on.

NotThatGuyAgain111 wrote:For less than 1 kg roaster I don't see the point going with gas operated one.

Why would that be the case?

I don't mean to speak for him, but likely because a 120V 15amp-20amp socket can provide enough power to roast 1kg in a reasonable amount of time. No need to handle gas tanks or piping making it plug-and-play for most folks.

I'd argue there are benefits to gas roasters but as a first machine the ease of electric may be more beneficial depending on the person.