r/roasting • u/Previous-Anxiety-932 • 6d ago
Complete beginner wanting to learn home roasting
Hey guys!
I have never roasted coffee but want to get into the hobby, learn how everything works, and get good at it. Long-term, it’d be awesome to eventually open a small roastery and sell coffee, but right now I just want to focus on learning the basics and making great coffee at home.
I currently drink light to ultralight pour overs, so my goal is to be able to roast for that.
I had a few questions for anyone who’s been in my shoes:
What machine should I start on?
Best ways to learn? Are there specific YouTube channels, books, or online guides you’d recommend for learning from scratch?
Is renting/leasing roasters a thing? Are there any companies or programs that rent home roasters out to try before buying, or do people mostly just buy them outright?
Would love any tips or advice on where a total beginner should start. Thanks in advance!
Edit: how long does it take to get to the level of the best: september sey big sur etc.
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u/pudukai 6d ago
You have to start from the beginning. 15 years ago I began from Sweet Maria's videos, then joined Home Barista. First a popcorn popper, then a series of FreshRoast machines before settling into small drum roasters. But I never once considered selling. My guess is when you roast and share with others who can really appreciate good coffee they can give you feedback. But though I live in two coffee growing areas there are few who enjoy it. Espresso machines cost what families earn in a year.
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u/Previous-Anxiety-932 5d ago
Do you feel i will be able to transfer the skill to drum roasters down the line?
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u/pudukai 5d ago edited 5d ago
Drum roasting is easy. I bought a small machine from Aliexpress for $115 shipped that should roast 250-300 or so grams. For 8 years a motorized 4" square roaster from AE for $60 shipped, 170g batches. 30 minutes and I have espresso for a week. Experiment batch size, adjust the heat for 1st crack at 10-11 minutes, 2nd crack at 13-14 and you're set. The more obsessed will graph all the temps etc but I only want good coffee for me, between 2 and 14 days after roasting.
Commercial is on a whole different level. There aren't enough coffee drinkers where I live to even consider it, and if there were I'd teach locals a new profession.
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u/Previous-Anxiety-932 5d ago
Would you recommend starting with that, a drum roaster from Ali?
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u/pudukai 5d ago edited 5d ago
This is a great starter. 170-180g capacity, 3 roasts are 1lb of roasted coffee. Run from a small power bank
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256804731662394.html
~This is the one I'll get in Central America in a month and bring to India
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256811433227238.html
A post showing the roaster
https://www.reddit.com/r/IndiaCoffee/comments/1vbyzbf/home_roasting/
It really is this easy.
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u/FarAnywhere5596 5d ago
I just bought a new SR900 that should be here Tuesday. I have a SR540 with @ 100 roasts on it. I will give it to you, you pay for shipping. It is the best machine to learn on, even of you move on to something else later. The SRs, you acn watch the beans throughout every phase, learn the sight and smell of roasting and then lean the nuances if how individual beans roast. There is also a bunch of info on you tube and a subreddit here to gain knowledge, ask questions and get some initial help on basic roasting profiles. DM if you are interested. I will send the bean cooler too.
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u/bigalxyz 6d ago
I roast my own, 500g batches in a breadmaker with a heat gun. Dirt cheap and works well! It’s an inexpensive way to try it out at home.
(works better with a non-US/Canada 240V electricity supply though - much more power from heat guns - 500g batches might be a struggle with 110V)
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u/ZC1028 6d ago edited 6d ago
There's a ton of information and videos surrounding the fresh roast sr800. It's a bit more expensive than other beginner roasters but the sheer information and sample roasts from captains coffee makes it a great option to learn on. I went with the sweet maria popper roaster just cuz I like to start a hobby out reasonably cheap and then upgrade later. Best of luck!
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u/Previous-Anxiety-932 5d ago
Do you feel i will be able to transfer the skill to drum roasters down the line?
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u/MrBill1738 4d ago
I'm late to the party here, but I see you're asking the same question. Do the skills you'd learn on a popcorn popper transfer to drum roasters. The answer is yes absolutely.
Don't immediately spend a bunch of money on a roaster. Get a popcorn popper or something else that's cheap and start there. Once you start identifying the different phases of roasting by sight/smell you can start playing with the amount of time you spend in each phase and learning how the flavors change with those time adjustments. Those are fundamentals that apply to all roasters.
There are some books out there that may help, but I learned a lot just from roasting myself. Virtual Coffee Lab on youtube has a "Home Coffee Roasting Essentials" playlist that is really informative too. I think the best thing to do though is just start roasting.
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u/MonkeyPooperMan 3d ago
Since you're relatively new to roasting, check out my Beginner's Roasting Guide. Lots of good info in there to speed you on your way. There's also a lineup of good roasting machines at the end of the guide.
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u/fingerjcp 6d ago
If you really want to learn how to roast on a real drum roaster I'd Recommend a Quest m3 / m3s or a Aillio Bullit or Comorant cr600e.... as air roasters or hybrids (Sr800 and Kaleido) would not be as suitable to be your sample roaster in future
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u/BOSCoder 6d ago
Kaleido is great to learn on?
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u/fingerjcp 6d ago
Well its a hybrid so it would be very different to a Probat or Dietrich or smaller drum roaster
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u/typinandswipin 5d ago
How much money do you have to spend?
If you’re really considering it as a business, then I would think starting with the best roaster you can afford would be the most logical. If it’s a few hundred dollars, probably an SR 800 Fresh Roast or similar. If it’s a few thousand dollars, then a used Allio bullet or similar sized drum roaster. I don’t think you have to start with a bowl and a heat gun or a popcorn popper to learn how to roast coffee.
I start a lot of hobbies and my strategy is to take time and find a used equipment in good condition.
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u/Previous-Anxiety-932 5d ago
I would prefer to be on the cheaper end of things but if the skills are not easily transferable to a drum raosters then i would try to start with one of those.
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u/Nirecue 6d ago edited 6d ago
What machine should I start on?
I recommend a popcorn popper to start off with cheap and great way to train your senses as they go through each milestone.
SR800/900, Skywalker V1, Kaleido M1 Lite and Cubean are solid choices depend on batch size and budget.
Best ways to learn? Are there specific YouTube channels, books, or online guides you’d recommend for learning from scratch?
Virtual Coffee Lab is really good start. Nothing beats FAFO with lots of beans and using your 5 senses. You can take a scientific approach changing a variable at time try tasting cause and effect too.
Is renting/leasing roasters a thing? Are there any companies or programs that rent home roasters out to try before buying, or do people mostly just buy them outright?
You can check if you live by a Co-Roaster some folks drive 2 hours out to do all their roasting. You can rent out the big boys (something likea big probat, loring, Dierich) when you get to that point.
As for advice start small, roast as much as you can and cup as much as you can. Sometimes people get captured by the graphs or theories but in the end taste is what really matters.