Summary
Here’s a quick rundown of the best coffee bean roasters in the market today:
Best Coffee Bean Roaster – Overall
Best Coffee Roasting Machine Under $500
Best Coffee Roasters for Small Business
If you’re looking for the ultimate coffee experience, then forget to buy pre-roasted beans. Nothing quite like the taste of coffee made from beans you roast yourself. But, of course, not all roasters are equal.
We’ve searched the internet for the best commercial coffee roasters on the market today. After careful thought, we’ve made our pick! We’ll go into more detail about our top pick and the other finalists we looked at in the sections below.
Small Batch Coffee Roaster Machine or Best Coffee Roaster Machine for Business?
All the machines on the above list are “prosumer coffee roasters.”
Our top two picks are small commercial coffee roasters. They are made for small coffee houses but small enough to fit into any decently sized home kitchen. The bottom two are for home use. But they are robust enough for some small businesses.
How We Picked the Winners for the Best Coffee Roasting Machines for 2024
You have many things to consider when selecting the “right” mini coffee roaster. It starts with how you plan to use it.
Small Batch Coffee Roasting
For example, if you’re just roasting beans for yourself, that will guide you down one path. If you want to roast a lot to sell or give to friends, that’s different. You will want to look at small-batch coffee roasting machines to give you that ability.
Gas-Powered or Electric Coffee Roaster Machine
Other considerations include whether your machine is gas-powered or electric and the level of computer control.
In our view, gas-powered roaster coffee machines win over electric ones. It’s for the same reason that top chefs prefer cooking on gas stoves, not electric ones. You get more control. It matters because small changes while roasting can greatly affect flavor.
Electric Coffee Roasting Machine for Home Use
Sadly, most roasting equipment designed for home use is electric. There simply aren’t many gas-powered, tabletop coffee roasters. If you want that, you’ll almost certainly need to look into commercial coffee roasters. But, be warned: they cost a lot more!
About Computer-Controlled Coffee Roaster Machines
We like computer controls in general. A good system opens up many possibilities. The truth is that most people who want high-tech features do so for convenience. What they want, at the end of the day, is a “set and forget” coffee bean roaster.
While there is some value to that. But, if you want the most flavor from roasting your coffee beans, which is why most folks do this, then using predefined profiles ruins that. Custom roasting is a hands-on operation. You’ll never get optimal results using a preset, so we tend to shy away from such machines.
We understand that not everyone will agree. If you’re looking for a high-tech model, you won’t agree with our top picks. That’s fair. That’s why we wanted to explain the thinking behind the picks we made.
Having done that, let’s take a closer look at our winners!
Best Coffee Bean Roasters 2024 – Overall
4.6
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4.4
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3.8
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35” x 24” x 28”
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40” x 19.5” x 24”
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19” x 14” x 10”
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115 pounds
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107 pounds
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19.8 pounds
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1.7 pounds
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1.1 pounds
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0.5 pound
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Gas or electric configurations offers both Bluetooth and USB connection for data logging
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Gas configuration only, USB data logging, heavy-duty construction
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USB connectivity, third-party software available, lively and helpful home-roasting community
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- Lots of customization options, exquisite attention to detail, good service, and support staff
- Chinese manufacture, long-term life expectancy of the machine is unknown
- Solidly built machine, lots of control options, gas option available, comes in a variety of colors
- Chinese manufacture, off-brand company so less than world-class support
- Advanced tracking and control, thanks to some excellent third-party software, 3 user profiles, easy to use, good support staff
- Very smoky, subpar chaff handling, lightweight construction, Chinese manufacture
Our Pick: ARC 800G
Recommended for: Anyone who can make full use of its capacity. One of the most capable, small footprint, commercial-grade roasters on the market today. Well worth the price.
If we had to describe this roaster using, but a single word, the word we’d use would be “Masterpiece.”
Design & Function
It’s a solid piece of equipment and built to last. Even better, it has enough bells and whistles to keep techies happy. But, it stays focused on the basics. It churns out high-quality roasts, time after time.
This one can do it all. If you want to closely monitor your process and make small, gradual changes, you can. You can do that thanks to the onboard USB port.
If you want, you can get Nth-degree control, too. The latest model even has variable drum speed.
Capacity
In terms of capacity, the Arc can handle everything from a small 100g batch, all the way up to 800g, or a hefty 1.7 pounds.
Cost
Unfortunately, there are a few drawbacks, the most significant of which is price. This one doesn’t come cheap, but if you’re serious about at-home roasting, then it’s money well spent. Think of it as an investment that will pay you dividends in the form of world-class coffee for decades to come.
Our Verdict
In our book, it wins the competition easily. We’re proud to name it the best small-batch coffee roaster for home use on the market today. It’s simply exquisite and produces exceptional results, every time you use it.
Be warned though, given its size and heft, this isn’t something that will find a home in just any kitchen easily. If you’ve got the space for it, however, you won’t find a better or more capable machine out there!
Runner-Up: North 500g Gas Coffee Roaster
Recommended For: Anyone with the space, who can make full use of its capacity.
Design & Function
The North 500g roaster is functionally similar to our top pick. But, it’s a bit smaller and made by a slightly less-known company.
Cost
It’s also cheaper. So, if money is an issue, but you still want a world-class roaster for home use, this is an excellent choice.
Capacity
Perhaps, it is even more solid than the Arc. But, it has the drawbacks of slightly less capacity. And, it may be somewhat harder to get good aftermarket support.
But setting those two things aside, we view it as a compelling model. We proudly name it the second-best home coffee roaster available today.
Gas-Powered Only
Note that the Arc comes in gas and electric versions. The North, however, is gas only. But it comes in both propane and natural gas versions.
Value Pick: Hottop KN-8828P-2k+
Recommended for: Novice roasters who are at least a little tech savvy.
Design & Function
The Hottop roaster has been around for a while. At the time of this review, it comes in three types. Of the three, we find the 2k+ to be the most capable and robust, but all three are exceptional. We’ve linked to the model comparison page. You can see which would work best for you if you’re leaning toward Hottop.
There are three things we like about this small coffee-roasting machine:
Customization
It has an amazing number of customization options. You can save all your roasting parameters at the end of a roast. This makes it easy to replicate and ensure consistent results. There are also three profile slots. Once you settle on a type of bean, you can create a custom profile for one-touch roasting.
Having said all that, it’s not without its shortcomings.
Electric Powered Only
A big problem with all three Hottop models is that they’re electric, not gas-powered. Of course, not everyone will mind this. But, it did cause the brand to score somewhat lower with us.
Capacity
The other problem we had with the model was its capacity. Given that it can only handle half a pound of beans at a time, it’s got the lowest capacity of any model on our list.
Depending on how much you plan to roast at home, that might not be a deal-breaker for you. But, for a bit more money, you can get a machine that can handle bigger batches at a time. So, you should at least consider it.
Also Great: Huky 500 Coffee Roaster
Recommended for: Anyone, but the Huky will be especially attractive to those who value artistry and quality workmanship, in addition to pure function.
Design & Function
Not only is Huky one of the best coffee roaster machines on the market today, but it’s also one of the most interesting. It looks like a machine from an alien planet. The best part is that every Huky sold is handmade by Kuanho Li. He lives in Taiwan.
You can buy the baseline model (the most recent is the “Model T”). But, even if you do, each is marginally different and unique. They are hand-built. You can also order many customization options.
This essentially gives you the best of both worlds. You can get the exact mini coffee roasting machine you want. You’ll end up with something quite unlike any commercial product sold today.
Gas or Electric Powered Option
Unlike the other units on this list, the Huky doesn’t have an onboard power supply. To make it work, you’ve got to set it atop the eye of a gas-powered stove. It should be noted, though, that one of the recent innovations offered by Kuanho Li is the option to order an electrically powered Huky.
It’s got a robust capacity, and with the distinction of being hand-built, you’re getting as much a functional roaster as a one-of-a-kind work of art. There’s a lot to be said about that, which is one of the reasons it’s such a popular option. Don’t let this model’s fourth-place position on our list fool you. This is a serious roaster and one of the best home coffee bean roasters on the market today. Highly recommended.
Best Coffee Roasters Under $500
5.0
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4.5
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4.1
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22.1” x 14.1” x 8”
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10.2” x 7.9” x 9.4”
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9” x 9” x 15.2”
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14.6 pounds
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5.5 pounds
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24.2 pounds
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8.8 ounces
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8.8 ounces
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1 pound
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None
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None
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A few basic preset profiles and electronic controls
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- Gas!, solidly constructed, produces consistent, high quality roasts
- Poor chaff management (though better than the mini)
- Gas!, solidly constructed, produces consistent, high quality roasts
- Poor chaff management
- Easy to use, aesthetic fits well into most home kitchens, produces a consistently good roast
- Electric, mediocre chaff management
The machines we’ve talked about so far are fantastic, but let’s face it, not everyone can afford to spend a thousand dollars or more on a single-function machine like this. That leads naturally to the question, “what is the best coffee roaster for people who don’t have a ton of money to spend?”
Don’t worry; if you fall into that category, we’ve got you covered!
The machines listed above are what we consider to be the best small-batch coffee roasters being sold today.
Obviously, if you’re talking about buying a machine on a budget, then sacrifices must be made somewhere, and the best way to make a big impact on the price of the unit is to cut back on capacity. While it’s true that none of these machines can roast a ton of beans at once, all are well-suited for home use and can provide enough fresh roasted coffee goodness to satisfy most coffee drinkers.
Our Pick: KALDI Best Personal Coffee Roaster
In our view, this is hands down the best small commercial coffee roaster machine in its class. It checks all the important boxes for us, relying on gas power, rather than electricity, being well-made and constructed of sturdy material (stainless steel), and focusing on the fundamentals without getting bogged down in high-tech wizardry.
As much as we love the KALDI roaster though, we readily acknowledge that it may not be a good fit for everyone, and in no particular order, here are the reasons why:
That said, if you can live with those limitations, we think you’ll agree that this is the best personal coffee roaster in its class by a wide margin. We just love it.
Runner-Up: KALDI Mini Roaster
KALDI deserves high praise indeed. Not only did they claim top honors in this category, but dominated the value-priced segment of the market, occupying fully half the space on our table with this, a miniaturized version of our top pick, the KALDI Home Roaster.
Amazingly, the company managed to shrink the footprint of the machine without sacrificing any capacity inside the roasting drum. Unfortunately, the sacrifices they had to make in order to pull that off were pretty significant.
The KALDI Mini roaster is unquestionably our top pick, but there are two reasons it might not be for everyone. The first is, it’s powered by a combination of gas and…well, you.
You need to set the unit on a gas stovetop or grill in order to make it work, but then, you also need to manually turn the crank to rotate the drum.
We don’t take issue with that, but then, we’re hands-on people and don’t want to use presets and profiles to automate the roasting process. Not everyone is going to feel that way.
The second big drawback to this machine is the fact that there is no chaff management system, and no attempt to bother with one, which means that it’s messy. For that reason, this one’s ideally suited for use outside on a grill. You can certainly use it indoors on your gas stove, but if you do, understand that there’s going to be significant cleanup involved after each batch.
Again, we don’t regard this as a deal breaker, but we completely understand if it’s not something everybody will be clamoring to sign up for.
Even given those two significant drawbacks, the Kaldi coffee roaster is a wonder. Compact, well-constructed, and capable of producing really consistent roasts, every time you use the machine. At the end of the day, isn’t that what it’s all about?
Value Pick: Behmor 1600 Plus
Recommended for: If you’re looking for maximum control, you probably don’t want an electric model. But novice roasters will find a lot to like about the Behmor 1600.
Don’t let this model’s third-place position on our chart fool you, we absolutely love it! It’s really got a lot going for it, but based on our selection criterion, we had to place it behind the gas-powered units in this price range.
At first glance, the Behmor 1600 Plus looks a lot like a toaster oven. A second glance, however, reveals it to be anything but.
The thing we like best about the Behmor is the fact that it can handle a generous amount of beans per batch, with the highest capacity of any machine in its class. On paper, it says it can handle a pound at a time. In practice, if you load a full pound, you’ll get suboptimal results. We recommend dropping down to fourteen ounces, but even at there, it’s got a larger capacity than any other roaster in the value-priced segment.
It also has a number of presets, but don’t make the mistake of thinking this is a “set and forget” kind of coffee bean roasting machine. We found the presets to be only of limited value, and if you want to get the most out of this machine, you’ll probably find yourself abandoning their use in short order and just winging it to get the result you’re looking for.
On the drawbacks side, there are a few. First, it’s electric, rather than gas-powered. That’s not a deal breaker, and in fact, some folks might like that better. For us, it counted marginally against the machine, but again, definitely not a deal breaker.
The window is a bit on the smallish side, and that can sometimes make it hard to tell what’s going on with the beans. While the unit’s smoke reduction tech is good, if you open the door to take a peek, you’d better be prepared for some serious smoke, so keep your stove fan on and a window open!
Chaff management could be better too. When you open the door, be prepared for a bit of “shrapnel” and some cleanup afterward.
Perhaps the biggest drawback though is that the unit is underpowered (which is why it won’t actually roast a full pound per batch), and it’s not designed to roast your beans dark. If that’s what you’re looking for, then give this model a pass. It can do light, medium and even semi-dark, but it just doesn’t have the juice to do dark roast justice.
All things considered though, this model is fantastic. If you’re looking for a relatively simple home machine, the Behmor will serve you well, and it’s no great surprise to us that in other “best home coffee roaster reviews” scattered around the web, the Behmor consistently earns a spot on the list.
Also Great: Fresh Roast SR 700
Recommended for: Casual coffee drinkers who want to experiment with roasting their own beans in small batches. Probably too low capacity for a serious home roaster.
If you’re looking for a small, stylish roaster that’s super easy to use and comes with a surprising number of high-tech bells and whistles, then this is the model for you!
Far and away the least expensive roaster on our list, there’s a lot to like about the Fresh Roast SR 700, and even though we’re not overly fond of bells and whistles, we have to admit to being impressed by what this little unit can do (although admittedly, one feature, in particular, left us scratching our heads).
First, let’s talk about this machine’s positives. Using it is a snap. It looks a bit like a blender. Pour beans in, push the button, magic happens and beans roast.
It’s fast, efficient, and provides decent quality.
You can fiddle with and save your roasting settings for one-touch convenience later, so once you zero in on what settings you prefer for a given type of bean, it’s extremely simple to replicate your results from one batch to the next.
Also, this machine comes the closest we’ve seen to being “set and forget,” so if that’s what you’re looking for, then this one deserves particular attention.
On the other hand, the machine has some issues, shortcomings and one downright strange feature. In no particular order, these are:
The single biggest shortcoming of the unit though is the fact that due to the way it is designed, it’s very difficult to get a consistent roast from the machine. You’ll wind up with beans roasting at different rates, and seldom will you see a nice, uniform coloration in any batch you do.
For coffee purists, that’s the kiss of death, and we can’t see many purists gravitating to this machine for that reason.
If you’re a casual coffee drinker though and looking for a great, low-cost way to experiment with home roasting, it’s hard to argue with this one’s feature set, capabilities, or price tag.
Final Note: Actually, while we did poke some good-natured fun at this model for the ability to control it via an app, the presence of the USB port built into the device and the ability to connect a laptop computer to it is pretty handy.
There are some great open-source programs that have grown up around this computer-controlled coffee roaster, allowing you to create highly customized profiles and provide better tracking (including temperature tracking, which is notably absent from the control panel of the machine itself), and this is unquestionably a good thing.
While we don’t consider the SR 700 to be the best coffee roaster for home use, we can totally see why technophiles would fall in love with it!
Best Coffee Roaster Machines for Small Businesses
While the machines we mentioned at the start of this review could be made to work in a business setting, if you’re going to custom roast coffee beans for profit, you’re probably going to want, and ultimately need something larger and more robust than any of those models can provide.
In this next segment then, we’ll identify what we feel to be the best coffee roaster machine for small businesses, and highlight some other excellent models to consider. Before we get into details, let’s take a high-level look at our winner and the various runners-up!
4.9
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4.8
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4.5
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36.5” x 24” x 45”
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44” x 26” x 44”
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59.8” x 37.8” x 65”
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260 pounds
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330 pounds
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771.6 pounds
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2.2 pounds
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7 pounds
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13.25 pounds
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- A legendary machine, offered by a giant in the industry. Top-notch quality, service, and support
- Pricey, given its capacity compared to some of the other machines on our list
- A solid, well-performing machine for the money.
- Some problems in the past with customer service and support.
- Highest capacity of any machine listed here. If quantity counts for more than quality, this is the one you want.
- Decent quality, though not quite on par with what you get from the Probat.
Our Pick: Legendary Probatino
Recommended for: Anyone, and if the Probatino’s capacity isn’t enough to meet your needs, they make bigger machines that are able to handle any capacity.
Probat Burns is widely regarded as maker of the best commercial coffee roaster machines on the market today, and we find ourselves in agreement with the general consensus. The Probatino is a marvel of design and engineering and is a study in excellence.
Everything about this machine is well thought out and perfectly placed. From the ergonomic operator board to the easy-access flame adjustment dial to the magnetic bean cooling and dumping bin, you won’t have any difficulty controlling every aspect of the roasting process from start to finish.
We simply love this machine, but having said that, it’s not without its flaws. In our view, the two biggest are the price and the relatively low capacity.
All those exquisitely designed features don’t come cheap, so you can expect to pay a premium for the honor of owning one of these, but if you find the capacity of this particular model to be lacking, the company manufactures much larger models too, so the sky’s the limit here…if your budget can support it!
Runner-Up: Sedona Elite 3200
Recommended for: Anyone who can make full use of its capacity. It offers exceptional value for the money.
Sedona makes solid machines, and the 3200 is a workhorse if ever there was one. It’s attractively priced, well-appointed, and has just about every high-tech bell and whistle you could ask for.
The slogan associated with the 3200 is that it was designed with the beginner in mind, but has all the fine-grained control that a Master Roaster could ask for, and that’s certainly true.
With precise temperature controls and an infinite variable control ventilation control system, this model allows you to take control over literally every aspect of the roasting process if you wish while offering enough in the way of automation to allow a beginner to get up and running quickly and easily. Combining both on the same machine is no easy feat, so kudos to Sedona for that!
The only reason the company didn’t place top honors is that in the past, they have had some customer service and support issues. Those appear to have been resolved, but that, taken together with the fact that the company just doesn’t have Probat Burns’ stellar reputation for excellence were enough to force us to move them to the second position on the chart.
We love the machine, and it earns a solid recommendation from us as one of the best commercial coffee bean roasters on the market today, but we feel its second-place position is justified.
Value PIck: Mill City’s 6kg Gas-Powered Roaster
The Mill City roaster has the distinction of having the highest capacity of any machine on our list. It’s a solid value for the money, but in terms of durability, longevity, and quality, doesn’t quite measure up to our top picks.
Even so, if you’re looking for high capacity and reasonable consistency at a fair price, it’s hard to beat this model. Plus it has a USB port for data logging, so you can keep precise records and make incremental changes over time to your roasting process, tweaking and perfecting as you go.
It wouldn’t have made our list at all if it had any glaring, deal-breaking flaws, but we find that this machine, while good, falls short of being exceptional, which is why we placed it third.
Also Great: Artisan 2.5 Coffee Roaster
Recommended for: Anyone. Don’t let its relatively low batch capacity fool you, this little roaster can keep pace with much larger drum roasters.
Businesses come in all shapes and sizes, and if the machines we’ve talked about so far are just more than you think you’ll ever need, consider the plucky Artisan 2.5. Artisan makes significantly larger machines, but we find this one to be among the best values in the industry today. You can literally buy 3-4 of them for the price of some of the other commercial coffee roasting machines on our list, and the 2.5 has a decent hourly throughput, despite its diminutive size.
That said, this should be regarded as more of a “light duty” machine and lacks the durability and longevity of the other models we’ve talked about so far. While providing exceptional value for the money, the biggest potential drawback to the 2.5 is the fact that you’re likely to outgrow it in relatively short order.
Given its almost shockingly low price tag, even that doesn’t have to be a deal breaker though. After all, if you do outgrow it, you’ll still be able to use it as a backup or reserve machine, and it will serve you well in that capacity. Besides, if that should happen, it means business is booming, which is a rather happy dilemma.
If you’re not sure which machine to buy, or if money’s tight, this is a great way to get into the game without tying up too much of your budget in equipment.
A Quick Word About Industrial Coffee Roasting Machines
We didn’t include a separate section on industrial coffee roasting equipment because our recommendations would fall broadly in line with those we gave for commercial equipment.
Most coffee roasters machine brands make industrial-scale equipment too, so really, it comes down to following those guidelines and selecting the machine with the capacity you’re looking for, which is entirely subjective and based on each reader’s needs, aims and long-term goals.
Best Coffee Bean Roaster Review 2024 Conclusion
So what’s the best coffee bean roaster machine on the market today? As you’ve seen in the piece above, the answer to that question depends on a lot of factors, but it comes down to how you plan on using it.
There are tons of great options out there, and any of the machines we’ve talked about here will serve you well. We stand by our top picks in the three categories we covered, but ultimately the real question is which machine is best for you?
Do you agree with our top picks, or are your needs leading you in some other direction? Let us know, and whatever machine you ultimately choose, drink up and enjoy!
Recommended Reading
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Sources & Resources
- North Roasters, Official Brand Website.
- Hottop USA, Official Brand Website.
- Everything You Need to Know About Roasting Coffee, Freshpresso.
- First Crack: The Sounds of Coffee, Craft Beverage Jobs.
- Light Roasts Have More Health Benefits Than Dark Roasts, Sprudge.