Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I've only roasted 2 batches with this unit, but it's already a substantial improvement over its predecessor, the FreshRoast +8.
The biggest negative point about this unit is that it doesn't move the beans well at the beginning. The beans have been circulating well enough for me, but this is likely because the voltage runs at the high end of what is acceptable for household electricity (126v measured). If your home runs at the low end (110v), you may find the beans near the edge of the chamber do not circulate well and need stirred until they begin to roast, making them lighter and allowing them to move more fluidly.
The roasts I've done so far have been, by far and away, more even than anything I got out of the old FreshRoast +8 model.
After the first crack, I've been turning the fan speed down to the 1/2 way point and have found it easy to hear the 2nd crack. This never happened with the +8.
The cooling cycle starts when the timer runs out and lasts 3 minutes. I've been turning the fan speed back up to 100% for this part of the roasting cycle. Something important to remember is that during the cooling cycle, it takes the base, the heating coils and the glass chamber a few extra moments to cool, so it's a good idea to start cooling just a bit before you consider the roast 'done'.
Chafe collection works well enough to carry the bulk of the chafe to the garbage/compost. I suggest carrying the chafe collector upside down to help prevent escapees. A few bits of chafe will fall back down into the roasting chamber when the unit shuts down, but lightly blowing down into the chamber will clear these out.
If you carry this unit assembled, you'll want one hand under the unit and one hand pressing down on the top to hold the unit together.
I'd say this unit could do the job for a household of four coffee drinkers, but is probably best suited for three.
This unit is essentially identical to the SR300, but with added control. Set this model to 100% fan and 'High' roasting temp for the duration of your roast and you'll produce SR300 results. Because of this, I'd say that the SR500 is defiantly worth the extra money. You can use this like the SR300 until you get comfortable with the logistics of roasting at home and then fine-tune your results.
Remember to let your roasted beans rest for 12-24hrs after roasting to vent CO2.
UPDATE: I'm finding that there's an ideal batch size with this unit. I did a 2-scoop roast and ended up with FreshRoast +8 results (read: fairly uneven) with poor circulation of the beans ... The best roasts I've done so far has a roast size of four *scant* scoops (call it ~3.667 scoops) and found the beans in the corner moving well-enough (but by no means great) with a fairly even roast.
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Product Description:
The long awaited new model coffee roaster from Freshbeans has double the capacity of the Freshroast Plus 8 model- up to 120 grams or or about a quarter of a pound per roast cycle. Some other design improvements include a digital timer, a better chaff collecting basket, and the roasting jar has an improved base that will not overheat with dark roasts, which caused problems with warping in the previous model. The SR series roasters are quiet so you can hear the crackling of the beans, and the small chamber and fan make this one of the more energy efficient coffee roasters on the market.The SR500 has 2 additional features which give the user a great deal of control over the roast cycle. With the adjustable fan speed control you can speed up the fan speed for heavier, more dense coffee, to make sure the beans are agitated enough to roast evenly. For green beans with less moisture content, a lower fan speed will keep the temperature high. The fan speed can be adjusted at any time during the cycle. We really like the ability to start a cycle with the fan set to high to dry out the beans. As the coffee loses water and becomes lighter during the roast cycle, turning the fan speed down will allow the roast chamber to retain more heat, speeding up the roasting time- a good feature to prevent over baking really dark roasts. The SR500 also has three temperature settings that can be adjusted any time during the roasting process:High temp. = 490 degreesMedium temp. = 455 degreesLow temp. = 390 degreesWhen you purchase this roaster from us, we include a 5 pound sampler of organic and Fair Trade green coffee beans- a $27 value.
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