[jqp]

I now have a Fresh Roast SR500 home coffee roaster. This is an air roaster and replaces my Fresh Roast Plus 8.

I broke the glass roasting chamber on the Plus 8 and it seems to be discontinued everywhere, so definitely no spare parts around. I can replace the one on the SR500 if I get clumsy again before it gets discontinued!  What happened was that I placed the Plus 8 on the counter, but also on a bean or or two that were lying on the counter - and while roasting it vibrated itself off the counter 

So now I spent a few more bucks for this one, and the extra money seems to be worth it ($159). It can roast much more at one time, and you can set roast time in increments of 6 minutes - it starts at 5.6 minutes. The fan seems to be stronger, althought the roasting cahmber is bigger which may negate that feature. In  addition there is a fan-speed control which might prove to be useful, I am not sure yet. At least there is more control of the roast if you want it.

As far as roasting itself, I have not seen an improvement yet. I have roasted some Hawaiian Kona beans and som Costa Rican Cafetalera Herbazu.

At least I am roasting again, so much better than the coffee shops I have to frequent occaisionally. They either over-roast or roast stale beans, and keep the brew in there for hours.

[Tyson]

I tried roasting for a while, but how do you get around that smell?

[ctviggen]

Although I haven't done it yet, I was going to put the roaster in the garage. 

[jqp]

Yes the smell is there - a garage is a solution, or you can roast outside in warmer months (the ambient temperature should not be too cool). I usually roast inside, unless in a beach house full of people.

I find that the smell dissipates, but it is probably still there. A range hood (that actually is connected to an outside vent) can really get rid of almost all the smoke. The kitchen will always smell like whatever you cook, depending on how much residue you can wipe up.

When you roast you are mostly boiling off water and carmelizing sugar. There is some smoke, but not as much as you would think - at least it is not very visible. If you see smoke usually you are burning too fast. Unless you go to a Vienna/French roast, you don't get to the burning point of paper ( 451F), and I usually do lighter roasts to get the flavor spectrum.

And there can be worse smells than roasted (not burned or scorched) coffee 

How to get started roasting at home   http://www.sweetmarias.com/instructions.php

[ctviggen]

Yes the smell is there - a garage is a solution, or you can roast outside in warmer months (the ambient temperature should not be too cool).

What happens if the ambient temperature is too cool?  I have my family room under construction, and thus the garage is full of "stuff".  Once the FR is done (soon), I was seriously considering getting a coffee roaster and putting it in the garage.  I really don't have the space to put it in the kitchen (we have a paltry amount of counter and cabinet space) and wouldn't relish putting it away each time. 

Can I roast in a garage that gets to around 50F in the winter? 

[jqp]

What happens if the ambient temperature is too cool?  I have my family room under construction, and thus the garage is full of "stuff".  Once the FR is done (soon), I was seriously considering getting a coffee roaster and putting it in the garage.  I really don't have the space to put it in the kitchen (we have a paltry amount of counter and cabinet space) and wouldn't relish putting it away each time. 

Can I roast in a garage that gets to around 50F in the winter?

50F may work, I wouldn't go any lower. If the air does not stay hot enough, the beans just don't roast quick enough, which can stall the roast, and eventually "bake" the coffee.

Roasting with an air roaster must be done by observation since chaff can possibly catch on fire and any flammable things can catch on fire. Also beans need to be heard cracking and you need to observer the color. You need to have a glass dish or wire colander to cool the beans, and a way to dispose of the chaff (a shop vac is great for this). The glass roasting chamber gets dangerously hot (400F+).

From SweetMarias.com  "Coffee roasting produces a wonderful fragrance, unobtrusive with lighter roasts but smokier if you roast dark. Operating any type of stove hood fan helps if the smoke is too intense for you. You can roast on a porch or near a partially open window weath er permitting. But be aware that cold ambient temperatures might dramatically effect the roast, and could make the roast stall completely."

To me a stovetop with a range hood is the safest and most convenient place to roast since it is designed for cooking. If you roast once a week you can put it away (after it has cooled). I keep mine on the counter like a blender or toaster.

[turkey]

I use a Zach & Dani's (now Nesco) roaster and it does a pretty good job of reducing the amount of smoke emitted during roasting. My house doesn't have a regular range hood exhausts outside, so this roaster turned out to be the best solution for me.

It works well and it's been very durable.

[jqp]

I see that for 150 on SweetMarias - I think it was out of stock when I ordered mine, or I might have that one right now.

[ctviggen]

Unfortunately, I have a paucity of counter space.  There's no way for me to add another item to the counter, and I've already taken off my coffee maker (instead, using an Aeropress) and stored it.  I also have to store my blender, mixer, and food processor. That's how little counter space I have. 

And, the only storage spot I have is a downstairs closet, which means I'd have to haul everything up and down the stairs each time I want to use it. 

I also don't trust my ventilation.  I added an over-the-oven microwave and vented it outside, through the roof.  However, I think the ventilation is feeble.  It's supposedly 300 cfm, but even if a pot is directly under the air intake, it's a poor ventilator. 

I'm planning on buying the following roaster:

http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/coffee-roasters/drum-roasters/behmor.html

I should be able to roast once a week.  I think once a week should be fine for the garage, and I won't have to move the roaster each time. 

However, I'll also check out the Nesco roasters, as I've not yet finally decided on a roaster (being a complete novice in this area, drum roasters make more sense to me, but perhaps that's not the case). 

[BobM]

When I roasted outdoors in cooler months I found that placing the roaster in a largish cardboard box helped a lot. Yes, I did have to set the roast a little darker than usual, but the box seemed to keep in some of the residual heat and keep the cooler ambient air away from it.

I only made the mistake of roasting indoors once. Never again.

[jqp]

Unfortunately, I have a paucity of counter space.  There's no way for me to add another item to the counter, and I've already taken off my coffee maker (instead, using an Aeropress) and stored it.  I also have to store my blender, mixer, and food processor. That's how little counter space I have. 

And, the only storage spot I have is a downstairs closet, which means I'd have to haul everything up and down the stairs each time I want to use it. 

I also don't trust my ventilation.  I added an over-the-oven microwave and vented it outside, through the roof.  However, I think the ventilation is feeble.  It's supposedly 300 cfm, but even if a pot is directly under the air intake, it's a poor ventilator. 

I'm planning on buying the following roaster:

http://www.sweetmarias.com/sweetmarias/coffee-roasters/drum-roasters/behmor.html

I should be able to roast once a week.  I think once a week should be fine for the garage, and I won't have to move the roaster each time. 

However, I'll also check out the Nesco roasters, as I've not yet finally decided on a roaster (being a complete novice in this area, drum roasters make more sense to me, but perhaps that's not the case).

I should mention that I prefer lighter roasts, so that I rarely get a lot of dark smoke. I compare it to baking in the kitchen, or cooking bacon. There are a lot worse smells, I love the smell of coffee.

I didn't want to mention roasting in a cardboard box (as BobM writes below) in a crowded garage because of the obvious fire hazard. It would be easy to knock over the air roaster and easy to have the roast "out of sight, out of mind" which is very dangerous.

The drum roasters look like a great idea and make more sense for many scenarios. A catalytic converter to deal with smoke sounds great. I guess it could be a bear to clean though. But I may try one when this Fresh Roast SR500 bites the dust. The price is kind of high, but then I just bought a Crown K2 on ebay for 565....if it lasts for years and you really enjoy fresh roasted coffee, it is well worth it.

[S Clark]

I use a Zach & Dani's (now Nesco) roaster and it does a pretty good job of reducing the amount of smoke emitted during roasting. My house doesn't have a regular range hood exhausts outside, so this roaster turned out to be the best solution for me.

It works well and it's been very durable.

I'll add my recommendation for the Nesco.  It does a good job of reducing odor, but takes a little longer to roast than a hot air model.

[turkey]

I'll add my recommendation for the Nesco.  It does a good job of reducing odor, but takes a little longer to roast than a hot air model.

Which is actually one of the things that Tom of Sweet Maria's had found could be an issue with it. He felt that some of the brightness can be lost with the longer roast time.

I'm not sure I've found that to be true, but he's been right about things so far from what I've seen, so maybe I just don't know quite what he means by brightness.

I think my roaster produces very good coffee, and I like the fact that the roasts take a bit longer so I have more time to respond and not as much risk of ruining a batch.

I just put the coffee in, start it up, and go in the next room and read a book while waiting to hear second crack. Then I'll walk in a press the cool-down button or wait a bit if I want a darker roast. (I tend to like lighter roasts, so I never let it get too dark.)