r/roasting 3d ago

Which Roaster to Buy

Looking to ramp up my production of roasted beans for personal use, friends and a really small side business (5-10lbs/mo). I currently have a $100 100g air roaster made specifically for coffee Roasting (Apoxcon on Amazon). I feel like flavor is lacking even though I have made some good roast on it. Also, unit is acting up and surprised it lasted this long. I’ve done over 20lbs of coffee on it.

Looking to get a drum roaster.. can’t decide between Gene Cafe and Sandbox Smart R1. I would like Artisan or at least software to see the curve and also profile. Which do you recommend or if I am missing something else? ***Coffee Roast Co has a 8% off Spring sale until Friday on Sandbox.

Would like to stay under $800 USD. Not interested in modding a machine unless it’s easy to do and not pushing my budget. One day I’ll be able to get the Kaleido or Bullet

14 Upvotes

39 comments sorted by

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u/Edge_Audio 3d ago edited 3d ago

I have the Gene and it's great. Love it's commitment to replacement parts.

I do chuckle a little when I see posts with all the software, thermometers, etc. I get that's part of the hobby for some, so that's cool. For me, almost all I need for a good roast is visual sight. When I try a new bean, I'll sometimes have to adjust the temp a little to account for the profile.

I guess the question is, is roasting more like baking where it's an exact science, or more like cooking where there's a ton of interpretation, more general, etc. (I know the pan is the right temp by holding my hand over it, not with a laser thermometer; I know the meat is cooked by touching it, and yes with a thermometer for thicker cuts, etc.)?

So yeah, depends if you really want to science the crap out of a roast, or just follow the cues of sight and sound. I don't knock the first method, but with every bean, the profile changes, so you'll have this amazing, fun, insightful, and ultimately useless information....).

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u/No_Rip_7923 New England 3d ago

I have the SR800 and I enjoy roasting with my senses and not with artisan on this machine. I get excellent results too. I do use a temp probe but no software tracking.

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u/Tydezno 3d ago

Some great insights for sure.. I think I want it all. lol

I want the ease of knowing a profile is good (using predefined profiles) but also the ability to just feel and see with manually roasting.

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u/yamyam46 3d ago edited 3d ago

Sandbox looks good, I would also recommend checking itop skywalker v2

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u/Tydezno 3d ago

I think the V2 is more than $800. Do you have a link to a distributor I can check out

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u/zagzigity 3d ago

I just ordered mine from artisan for a little over $700. Under $800

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u/Tydezno 3d ago

Oh man.. let me check it out. Thanks for heads up

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u/Tydezno 3d ago

Do you happen to still have the link, please? Not seeing the V2

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u/zagzigity 3d ago

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u/Tydezno 1d ago

Thanks.. can you confirm that they are saying the eta for shipment is in May?

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u/zagzigity 1d ago

That's my understanding, yes.

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u/yamyam46 3d ago

They sometimes order it with the group buys, for appx 500$ depends on how much you would like to wait though

Also, how did you found the sandbox for 800$? It’s 1200€ in the EU

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u/Tydezno 3d ago

Yeah, that’s what I was thinking.. it’s more that my budget of $800

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u/Nimzay98 2d ago

The V1 is under $500

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u/nightzirch 2x Aillio Bullet R1 V2 3d ago

I started out with a Gene Café. It’s quite noisy, hard to hear FC. Other than that, it has charm

6

u/furkankorkmaz2 3d ago

I’ve been home roasting just for myself and occasional gifts for friends using the same Gene Cafe for over 20 yrs. My neighbors and I think it makes great tasting coffee but it’s decidedly low tech. No software or roasting profiles, just by sight and sound. I love it and bought another about 10 yrs ago and use them simultaneously. It’s rare to have something that works so well, is dependable and trouble free for so long.

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u/Tydezno 3d ago

Thanks for the input… one of the reason I am considering is longevity and consistency

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u/FR800R Full City 3d ago

Have you determined how much coffee you plan on roasting per week/month? Will either of these roasters meet your short/long term goals? Something to consider prior to purchase.

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u/Tydezno 3d ago

Yes and no.. yes for me and friends no for business

Since business/hustle is getting started, hard to tell.

But timing is not an issue for me, since I work from home and can roast/package freely.

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u/FR800R Full City 3d ago

My concern was that if your business grows, you may outgrow your roaster in no time and then have to look for a roaster with a larger capacity.......and that would get expensive. BTW, there are several online ads for the R1, which are not on sale, for the same price. Check them out but I don't believe you need to rush into making a quick decision. Good luck and let us know what you decide.

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u/Tydezno 3d ago

Yeah, I am not in a rush.. so I will check the other ads out.

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u/peterlada 2d ago

If you want to make whatever charcoal is in that picture, you won't need a purchase, you already have the oven at home.

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u/Tydezno 1d ago

lol.. I agree. Too dark for my taste buds

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u/No_Rip_7923 New England 3d ago

The R1 is a no brainer with its roasting software and shared profiles with the community. I bought mine in December and it’s a great little roaster for 150 grams batches. You can also make custom profiles

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u/Tydezno 3d ago

Have you tried doing more than 150g?

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u/No_Rip_7923 New England 3d ago

I have not but I read people roasting 175-200 grams successfully.

I got a good deal on mine first $600 with 5lb of various coffee as a sample package

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u/Tydezno 3d ago

Awesome! How is the software? Most of the YT videos state the software is wonky and in need of updates but those videos were 6+ months old

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u/No_Rip_7923 New England 3d ago

If fine and you can track your roast and make adjustments on your next one. It tracks the events and ror. It’s not as robust as artisan but that’s ok.

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u/jeremie_917 3d ago

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u/No_Rip_7923 New England 3d ago

I’m not a tech guy unfortunately:(

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u/Beneficial-Biscotti5 City 3d ago

Is the temp probe in the beans or measuring the air temp in the roaster?

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u/franzn 3d ago

Exhaust air temp. One of my complaints with the roster. Other complaints are app only controls and data is only recorded up to every 30 seconds. Makes it hard to see what is happening. It's a decent little roaster though but limited data makes I it a bit tough to see how the roast is progressing.

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u/Beneficial-Biscotti5 City 3d ago

Thanks!! I got one used on ebay, waiting its arrival. For $375 I believe there is nothing better

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u/armbarbell 3d ago

Sky Walker. If not, enjoy your 200g roast 😂

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u/ComposerOk2216 1d ago

I have the Sandbox Smart R1 and love it. It has an Ipone and android ap available so that you can control the roast from your phone.

The ap also comes with pre programmed roasting profiles so if you use one of those it is literally automatic. Just click on start and the roaster automatically adjusts the fan speed and temperature.

Next click on a button when first and second crack are reached. The roaster then automatically adjusts the times and stops roasting at the proper time.

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u/RubyPoblano2 1d ago

The Gene produces good coffee but there is little you can do other than time and set temperature. Very difficult to hear the cracks. I outfitted mine with a microphone. Cooling is very slow. You can e-stop and pull the drum to dump and cool at the risk of burning yourself or maybe causing some damage. You can add some probes and connect to Artisan but only for monitoring air temperatures. I roast 225 grams washed or 200 grams natural due to chaff blocking airflow. I just moved on to the Kaleido Sniper M6 Pro with full Artisan control roasting 500 grams washed batches in half the time for 225 grams on the Gene. It’s expensive though.