Freshroast, Freshroast Plus, Freshroast Plus 8

(Yes, we also have the Fresh Roast Plus 8 version of this machine. It is almost the same but roasts about 1/3 more beans.) These are great machines if you are interested in something with a higher degree of repeatability and a more "hands off" approach than a stovetop roaster but without investing a lot in gadgetry. Its the perfect size for producing enough roasted coffee for one or two people.

Some of you have seen this roaster in our TV commercial! This roaster is 6" in diameter and about 12" tall. It's the best of all worlds as a place to start roasting at home. It's fully automatic, and don't worry, finding green coffee is a lot easier than you might think.

The first thing you'll notice is that you can actually see the beans roasting in the glass chamber, so it's easy to tell when the beans are done and should start to cool down. This roaster has a capacity of 3 ounces of green coffee which is approximately 1/4 cup.

An interesting point about green coffee is that it almost doubles in size when roasted- so what you end up with is about a half cup by volume of freshly roasted coffee. That translates to about ten cups of brewed coffee in a drip coffee maker. Coffee roasting produces smoke similar in density to slightly burnt toast, but smelling wonderful. The 3 ounce capacity is a balance between a good amount of coffee to work with, but without being so much that you'll set off the smoke alarms. You should always use the roaster at a stove vent however, or where there is other good ventilation. A very darkly roasted coffee will produce more smoke than a lightly roasted coffee. You'll be able to judge easily what works best in your own environment.

Roasting with a FreshRoast coffee roaster takes about seven minutes. That's about five minutes of roasting and two minutes cool down, depending on your model. it's automatic, so once you find the right setting for your favorite roast grade, you just set the machine and leave it alone (Never leave a machine unattended.)
Clean up is easy too. The top of the unit is a chaff collector and the glass chamber cleans up with soap and water.

New to home roasting? Read Roasting 101 for an idea of what to expect.

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