Fresh Roast SR800 - 1/2 lb Air Roaster

Discuss roast levels and profiles for espresso, equipment for roasting coffee.
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GregoryJ
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#1: Post by GregoryJ »

The Fresh Roast line of roasters has mostly been limited to batch sizes of ~1/4 lb. I was excited a couple months ago when I heard they were working on a 1/2 lb roaster, and they finally released it a day or two ago.

https://homeroastingsupplies.com/shop?o ... ee-roaster

Nunas
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#2: Post by Nunas »

Wow, $250 for a half pound roaster with quite a few features. I've always had a soft spot for FreshRoast roasters; one of the best roasters for someone new, as they require using our senses rather than a computer. I've lost count of how many times I've demonstrated to novices with my venerable SR500. I can't wait for someone to review this.

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GregoryJ (original poster)
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#3: Post by GregoryJ (original poster) »

I should get it this week, and I will try to give some impressions of it after a couple weeks. I used popcorn popper, hearth iroast, stir crazy turbo oven, and a behmor, so all low end equipment, but none the less i'll let you know!

Nunas
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#4: Post by Nunas »

Gregory, Thanks! If it's good I may buy one just to have it. The SR500 gathers dust as my go-to roaster is the Quest.

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mohninme
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#5: Post by mohninme »

This is great news. The small batch size of these compact roasters has held me back to date.

Not certified for sale in Canada yet though :cry:
Michael

Bluenoser
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#6: Post by Bluenoser »

I emailed them and they are hoping to get certification before XMAS 2019 (for Canadian sales).. However, I've noticed all FreshRoast devices have been "not available" since 2018, even though Canadian sources advertised "coming soon".. So not sure how problematic the Canadian cert is.
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johnX
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#7: Post by johnX »

Looking at it's size, price, capacity, and the previous reviews on the smaller Fresh Roast SR540.
The Fresh Roast SR-800 is now on my wish list. :-)

johnX
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#8: Post by johnX »

I emailed Fresh Roast about the minimum recommended bean load, and they said that it does batch sizes from 4 ounce minimum to 8 ounces maximum.
Which is just the range I was looking for.
Then on Friday a nice machine promotion popped up, and I pulled the trigger and ordered the Fresh Roast SR800. 8)
It's coming with 8lbs of assorted green beans to get me going and learning.

Bichon99
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#9: Post by Bichon99 »

Bluenoser wrote:I emailed them and they are hoping to get certification before XMAS 2019 (for Canadian sales).. However, I've noticed all FreshRoast devices have been "not available" since 2018, even though Canadian sources advertised "coming soon".. So not sure how problematic the Canadian cert is.
Canadian certification is a pain in the butt. The Canadian electrical requirements are strict. It can take a long time to get it. We can wait or find some USA company to ship it clandestinely:)

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GregoryJ (original poster)
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#10: Post by GregoryJ (original poster) »

Hi all, I took a video roasting 228g of an espresso blend (Sweet Maria's Monkey Espresso). I start it with a high (9) fan and medium (5) heat until about 45 seconds in, when the beans start moving more, then I raise the heat to 9. To raise the heat throughout the roast, I had to reduce the fan speed, which has a big effect on temperature, but also causes the beans to move less. Sometimes it doesn't look like the beans are moving too much, but it didn't appear to scorch any and I'm really enjoying the shots I'm pulling from it. I cooled the roast after about 11 mins total after getting into 2nd crack. Sorry I didn't show the temperature readout, I was just trying to keep the camera somewhat steady :)

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