Commercial Coffee Roaster Buying Guide

The most popular and economical type of roaster is a commercial drum coffee roaster. This roaster machine features a solid drum that rotates over a gas flame to heat the coffee beans. The beans receive both conductive heat transfer by making direct contact with the surface of the drum and convection heat transfer from the ambient air inside the drum. Drum roasters have paddles inside the drum to mix the beans as the drum rotates and ensure they receive the right blend of conductive and convective heat.

Drum coffee roasters come in two types: single-wall drums and double-wall drums. A single-wall drum roaster is the classic type of drum roaster, whereas the outer wall of a double-wall drum roaster uses air to heat the inner wall and provide a more stable roasting experience. Generally, a drum roaster is easy to control and manipulate. However, if too much heat transfers to the beans via direct contact with the drum or the speed of the rotating drum is set too high, the coffee beans can end up scorched and their flavor distorted.

A fluid bed coffee roaster relies solely on convection heat transfer to roast coffee beans. It consists of a tall cylinder where hot air rises through a chamber into the roaster and causes the coffee beans to float in a fluidized bed of hot air to roast them. A fluid bed coffee roaster is typically electric, which can be great for companies trying to reduce their carbon footprint.

Compared to drum roasters, fluid bed roasters are known for roasting coffee beans more evenly and in a quicker amount of time as the air has complete and constant contact with them. These roasters eliminate the risk of scorching associated with conductive heat since the beans do not come in direct contact with the roaster. They are usually compact machines, making them ideal for small-batch roasting.

• Size - To determine which size roaster you will need, you will want to consider the drum capacity of the unit. A small, independent coffee shop may only need a roaster with a 3 kg drum capacity versus a roastery servicing multiple locations that may require a coffee roaster with a large drum capacity of 30 kg.
• Price - While your budget should be a consideration when purchasing any coffee shop equipment, you should also keep in mind how often you will be using your roaster, who will be operating the roaster, and the features you need when determining the cost. While high-quality roasters are generally more expensive, they have more advanced technology and are easier to use.
• Features - If you want complete control over the roasting process, look for roasters with manual flame, drum speed, and airflow control features. Compatibility with roast profiling software is another helpful feature to ensure that every batch will produce the same quality, regardless of who operates the machine.
• Ease of Use - If you operate a higher-volume establishment where multiple people will be running the roaster in a day, you will need a roaster with easy-to-use controls.

• Fresher Product - The freshness of your coffee is a huge selling point to your customers. A unique, superior-roasted bean might mean converting a one-time or occasional customer to a devoted, loyal customer for years to come.
• Better Control - By bringing your coffee roasting in-house, you can control the entire coffee-making process, from developing the coffee's roast profile to controlling its grind size and brewing method. By controlling the coffee's quality from beans to brewing, you can ensure the coffee's taste profile is to your liking and provide a unique product to your patrons.
• Transparency - By aligning with customers' values, such as shopping local and preserving a coffee region's characteristics, you can attract new customers by roasting in-house. Consider purchasing fair trade or single-origin coffee to increase your establishment's transparency and ensure your beans come from a reputable, ethical source.
• Wholesale Opportunities - Creating your own signature roasts and blends allow you to market bags of freshly-roasted beans to consumers in your shop, sell them online, and create a coffee subscription service. You can also sell your different coffee roasts to other local businesses to increase brand recognition in your area.