If you’re obsessed with your morning brew, roasting your coffee beans will get you one step closer to that perfect cup of coffee. This Kaldi Home Coffee Roaster review will discuss why this is an excellent machine for creating your ideal roast. We’ll also talk about the features of the Kaldi Home Coffee Roaster and how to use it to roast raw coffee beans.
The transition from grinding pre-roasted beans to roasting your own may seem like a daunting task for beginners. But if you choose the right appliance, you’ll find that you’ll love the process.
The Kaldi Home Coffee Roaster does all the work for you. All you have to do is monitor the temperature and the color of the beans. So let’s examine the pros and cons of using this coffee roaster.
Pros and Cons of the Kaldi Home Coffee Roaster
Here is a quick breakdown of the pros and cons of the Kaldi roaster. For the most part, the high price of the roaster is worth the reality of what we listed in the cons.
Kaldi Pros:
Create your blend
Cheaper than buying pre-roasted beans and grinding them
This machine holds up to 8.8 ounces/250 grams of beans, which is slightly above the industry average
Removable chaff tray
Free volt adapter that allows you to switch from 110V to 220V
Kaldi Cons:
It gets HOT! Since they make of a roaster of stainless steel and are placed over an open flame, be sure to have heat-resistant gloves on hand.
Spilled Chaff: Although there is a removable chaff tray, some chaff may fall out during the roasting process.
They designed the appliance for use with a gas burner only. The temperature must be 200oC/400oF for optimal roasting of the coffee beans.
There are no settings for bean roasting.
This appliance produces smoke, so we must use it in a well-ventilated area.
The Kaldi Home Coffee Roaster
The Kaldi Home Coffee Roaster is a stainless steel appliance placed over a gas burner to roast raw coffee beans. It comes with a thermometer, chaff tray, funnel, chimney cover, and power cord.
The Kaldi Home Coffee Roaster has a motorized drum powered by a power cord. The heat needs to be maintained at around 200oC/400oF. We will discuss temperature later when we examine how to roast coffee beans.
Who Is This Coffee Roaster For?
Coffee lovers like to experiment by roasting and creating different coffee blends. For the novice, roasting coffee beans may seem intimidating. But don’t let that stop you. As long as you follow the instructions below, you’ll love having full control over your roasting. The Kaldi Home Coffee Roaster has many features that will ensure you get a great roast, regardless of your skill level.
Features Overview
The Kaldi Home Coffee Roaster goes through rigorous testing before it’s shipped. You may find some chaff or burn marks on the unit upon delivery.
The drum is perforated inside to allow even heat circulation to roast the beans. Inside the drum are two stirring blades slightly tilted to ensure even roasting.
The chaff tray catches the chaff that breaks off during the roasting process.
The thermometer is in Celsius and attached to the chaff tray. They insert it into the drum to monitor the temperature.
The bean sampler allows you to monitor your bean roast without compromising the temperature. Checking the beans frequently will ensure that you haven’t over-roasted them.
How to Use the Kaldi Home Coffee Bean Roaster
Once you’ve unpacked and set up your coffee roaster, you’ll need to place it flat over a gas burner in a well-ventilated area.
Plug it in and let the drum rotate for about five minutes. Make sure the plug is not near the open flame. Here’s how to roast coffee beans:
Start the range hood to allow the smoke to escape (remember to stay in a well-ventilated area).
Measure out up to 8.8 ounces/250 grams of raw coffee beans.
Turn the gas burner to medium heat.
Remove the cover from the chimney and attach the funnel to the hopper.
Pour the coffee beans into the funnel.
Push the bean collector in and out repeatedly to allow the beans to fall into the chamber. As the beans fill the chamber, the temperature drops and then gradually rises.
Once all the beans have fallen into the chamber, remove the funnel.
It would be best if you left the chimney uncovered. Covering the chimney will lower the temperature in the drum by preventing the drum from drawing in hot air.
During this time, the drum rotates the beans for even roasting while drawing in hot air.
The first crack usually occurs between 3 and 5 minutes after roasting begins (at about 400 degrees F) and sounds like popcorn popping.
The second crack occurs a few minutes after the first crack. This is when the water in the beans evaporates, and the beans darken.
How long it takes to roast the beans depends on the beans and the desired roast. The longer you roast, the darker and more robust the beans will be. A typical roast takes about 12 minutes.
You can periodically check the beans with the bean sampler during this time. Turn off the gas burner once the beans have reached the desired roast and color.
Eventually, you will learn exactly how long you need to roast the coffee beans to get your perfect blend.
To collect the beans, remove the chaff collector, temperature gauge, and bean collector from the front of the roaster. Please place it in a well-ventilated area to cool. Turn off the drum by turning off the power. Pour the beans into a large bowl. Then it’s time to cool the beans.
Cooling The Beans began
It’s essential to cool the beans as much as possible. Here are a few different ways to cool the beans:
Dump the beans from one bowl to another.
Move the beans around in a large bowl using your hands and an oven mitt
Place the bowl of beans in front of a fan while you circulate the beans with your hand. (This method not only cools the beans but may release loose chaff into the air creating an additional mess to clean up. Other methods of removing the chaff are below.)
Once the beans cool down, you can move on to removing the chaff.
Removing The Chaff
Even though there’s a chaff catcher, there may still be chaff in the beans. Here’s how to remove the chaff:
Place the cooled beans in a large plastic container and attach the lid.
Shake the container for about 20 seconds. The static charge in the container will help remove the chaff from the beans.
Remove the lid and pour out the beans.
Most, if not all, of the chaff, should be stuck inside the plastic container.
Another option is to pour the roasted beans into a strainer and place the strainer in an empty sink. Stir the beans until you are sure all or most of the chaff has been removed. The chaff will stick to the inside of the strainer. It will also fall through the holes in the strainer into the sink.
Store the beans in an air-tight container, ready for the coffee grinder.
There’s no guarantee that you’ll ever be able to remove the chaff completely, but it won’t affect the taste of your coffee.
How Does Using The Kaldi Home Coffee Roaster Compare to Other Home Roasting Methods?
You will need about 12 minutes for a high-quality roast with this product. The coffee roaster does all the work for you. Once the beans are in the roaster, you’ll have to regularly check the temperature and the bean sampler.
Other home methods, such as the oven or a popcorn maker, do not result in an even roast and take longer. Roasting coffee beans in the oven also means you have to open the oven periodically to shake the bowl. You also lose heat every time you open the oven door.
Some people have used a popcorn popper to roast coffee beans. Unfortunately, popcorn poppers are not designed for roasting coffee beans, so this is an unreliable method.
Conclusion
The Kaldi Home Coffee Roaster is a sturdy stainless steel workhorse that is inexpensive and gives you the flexibility to create your roast. With different beans roasted for different lengths of time, you can create unique blends that are endless. You can also keep a diary of each roast so that you have a record of each roast that you make. A coffee roaster that even beginners will enjoy.
Ready to get started? Have your unique blends? Or try roasting your coffee beans? Please share your experience by leaving a comment below.
This post contains affiliate links, and Brewing Java will be compensated if you purchase after clicking on links.
Comments