Fresh Roast SR800 Roaster

by Rushad on February 26, 2022

A very nice upgrade from a popcorn popper. It took me 2 attempts to get the roast down right. A wealth of online resources are available with helpful guidance to get the right roasting conditions. The instructions provided are very limited. A single control button controls fan speed. heat and time. The temp sensor measures the inlet air temp not the bean temp. I recommend place in probe to measure bean temp. The chaff collector is efficient but some chaff escapes the collector. The SR800 is designed for 8oz of green beans, but 6oz allows for better heat management.

by Bill on November 22, 2021

I have roasted Costa Rica La Minita and it was great. Stopped at start of 2nd crack. For my first roast I was so happy it came out so good. The SR800 is a fine little roaster. I have roasted some Guatemala la Flor del cafe Antigua and it is a very good coffee. This roaster is fun to work with. I had a 20-amp electrical outlet installed so I can make sure my power will be constant. Just tried some Ethiopian and it is so sweet and fruity, amazing. You can't get better coffee without roasting it yourself.

by Robert Yannotti on November 14, 2021

I’ve had my sr500 for 10 years with no issues. Some say they can’t get their beans to roast past light brown…My experiences/solution is to be sure to use a good power source and not use extension cords. I use a dedicated 20amp plug. Also, don’t roast in low temperatures. I’ve noticed the best roasting is when the house or outdoor temperature is above 65 F.

by Pat Haefner on September 11, 2021

I have been roasting coffee at home for about 1 1/2 years on and off. I started with a cast iron skillet then switched to a popcorn popper. I decided that we like the home roasted coffee enough that it was time to move forward and buy a roaster. I have had it for about 3 weeks now and have roasted several bags of coffee. We love it, takes some practice to get your roast the way you want, the beans are roasted evenly which is huge compared to the other methods I have used. CBC called me the same day I placed my order to cover any questions and to explain the warranty, my shipment was here in less then a week. I also purchased the extension tube which makes roasting easier. Overall I am very happy with both the service from CBC and the Roaster. Looking forward to many great cups of coffee.

by Marilynn Loveless on August 13, 2021

So, I've now officially given up on roasting my own beans. Dropped the plastic lid of this new unit and it broke. I couldn't get the beans to roast beyond a very pale blonde. I used to have a Nescafe roaster. It was a lot easier to use. Stick a fork in me.

by ghdavids2881 on July 5, 2021

Quickly “graduated” from a popcorn popper. Four roasts in, this was a great purchase. First two as supplied; 3rd and 4th with extension tube. Nice control. I think this will meet my needs for some time.

by JohnJenkins on June 14, 2021

My SR800 arrived when promised by Coffee Bean Corral. I followed the recommended settings and my first roast turned out perfect. The craft roaster that I have been ordering from is going to be very disappointed since I can now roast my own at half the price. Roasting the two sample packs should come close to saving enough to pay for the roaster.

by Gregory Wiens on May 20, 2021

I ordered the SR800 and was promised it would ship when they arrive on 5/11/21. They shipped it precisely on May 11 and I received it a few days later. It was exactly as I expected and I roasted my first batch the next day. I love the way it works and am thoroughly pleased with Coffee Bean Corral.

by Joshua Valinsky on May 20, 2021

The Fresh Roast SR800 is my first roaster (beyond a cast iron skillet). It’s incredibly easy to use and I’m blown away by the quality of the roast. However, what was most impressive was the customer service from CBC. I don’t believe I’ve ever had such excellent support from a company. Catherine called to make sure everything was perfect and to answer any questions I had before they shipped the order. She patiently answered all of my questions and it was clear that rather than just fulfilling an order, they wanted to build a relationship for all my coffee needs in the future. Can’t wait to order from CBC again!

by Chris wisnieski on May 20, 2021

Roasting for about 18 months with a pan over a stove top. Roasted with my new SR800 yesterday and was impressed with the evenness of the roast. Machine was simple to get a good roast out of. There is so much control and little adjustments you can make to produce suburb results. I look forward to experimenting with this machine. Let's hope it last now.

by Jess on January 16, 2021

I meant to do 5 stars and clicked 4...oops! We love this roaster SO much! Also the Coffee Bean Corral folk are fantastic and will answer any questions you may have. I only wish the roaster was bigger but honestly, I think we drink an absurd amount of coffee anyway so it’s still perfect :)

by Mpinta10 on December 22, 2020

Still getting the hang of it but seems to work great. Fast, compact, fairly easy to use. Great starter roaster for sure.

by Bob on October 30, 2020

Just moved up from popcorn popper to the SR800! Very easy to setup and learn, first batch was a perfect roast, good for anyone looking to roast 1/2 pound batch size.

by Dan on August 4, 2020

Needed a machine to replace my old (12yr old) one that could give me a good dark roast. This one does a good job, plus handles a larger load.

by Nick G. on June 2, 2020

Just over two weeks in with this one and I'm loving it! I started roasting coffee when I worked at a small local coffee shop that got a 1lb fluid air bed roaster. After I moved on to other jobs with more regular schedules I started using a bread machine/heat gun to roast for a little while but it was hard to achieve consistency and it was annoying having to roast outside, especially during Southern summers! Finally decided to try a Fresh Roast, and settled on the SR800 without much trouble. Ordered it on Monday and Thursday it arrived around 7pm. 7:30pm I was wrapping up my first roast! I'd watched a couple of videos to learn how to use it, but so much of what I learned all those years ago came right back and I've been able to achieve the roast levels I'm looking for every time. Did set off the smoke detectors one time so... If you're going for Full City roasts make sure to keep that stove hood on high or roast someplace more open-air than your kitchen! Also can't complain one bit about the 5 half pound samples of beans and the $15 gift certificate they include with this machine. I mean, that's like getting a $30 discount over the list price of the roaster. Best deal I've seen around! Is the roaster perfect? No, of course not. I'd love if it had a dedicated temperature display so you don't have to swap back and forth between the fan/power setting an the temperature view. Also don't get a whole lot of bean movement with larger roasts if you drop the fan speed down any. There is a third party making aftermarket roast chambers for this which are tall and narrow--allowing for larger batches and reportedly giving better bean movement with the airflow this unit puts out. Do you need it to make some great roasts? Nope. I'm quite happy with what I've achieved so far with this.