Description
In Stock
A very fun, quick and easy to use air (fluid bed) coffee roaster!
Now including a free gift for the holiday season! Choose from:
- Kenneth Davids home coffee roasting book
- Burman Coffee stoneware mug
- $15 Burman Coffee Gift Certificate
- 2 pounds Panama coffee
The Fresh Roast SR800 is the larger brother to the SR540 home coffee roaster. Following the new generation of Fresh Roast home coffee roasters, it is similar in operation and looks to the 540, but with a higher capacity (6-8 ounce), a stronger fan, and a taller roast chamber.
Roast capacity is 6-8 ounces, nearly double the SR540. Please Note: for high chaff or natural coffees, batch size MUST be reduced to 6 ounces or less.
This new Fresh Roast model has an improved control panel. There are now nine levels of heat adjustment compared to the previously limited Low, Medium, and High settings. The fan also has nine levels of adjustment. All adjustments are made by pressing the knob and turning to change heat, fan, and time settings. It also features a new real-time air temperature measurement. A quick turn of the knob to the right will display current temperature.
PLEASE NOTE: Chaff basket and top lid from earlier SR models will not fit on the new SR800. The roasting chamber is a much larger diameter.
Want to take your roasting with the Fresh Roast SR800 to the next level? Be sure to check out the new accessory:
Fresh Roast SR 800 Roast Chamber Extension Tube
This is a must have for those that crave control over the roast (or want a slightly larger batch size) . Does not come with the roaster and must be purchased in addition.
Settings:
First slot on LCD: Fan Speed – settable from 1-9. 1=low 9=high.
Second slot on LCD: Heat/Power – settable from 1-9. 1=low 9=high.
Third and fourth slots on LCD: Time – settable from 0.1 – 20 minutes. During cool mode it will display C.3, C.2, or C.1 as it moves through the cooling process.
The control panel has been significantly simplified. To change a field on the LCD display: PRESS the turn knob, display will then flash the setting you have selected. PRESS again to select the next setting. TURN the knob to adjust the setting. All in real time. Beyond that, you have just two buttons – On/Off and Run/Cool.
The Basics:
Capacity: 6-8 Ounce
Heat Settings: Variable, 1-9
Fan Settings: Variable, 1-9
Roast Times: 10-20 minutes (including cool)
Venting: Required – will produce some smoke, especially with higher chaff coffees or darker roasts
Ease of use: Very easy
Batch Roasting: No
Key Features
- Bigger roast chamber and more powerful fan than other Fresh Roast SR models
- Easy and fun; glass chamber ensures that coffee beans are highly visible throughout the roast
- Quickest of all home coffee roasters
- Simple design, yet highly adjustable – great for both newbies and master roasters
- New improved control panel – more customizable settings
- All settings adjustable during roast
- Convenient chaff collector is very easy to clean
- One year warranty; manufacturer is very helpful
General Use Instructions for SR540 (all apply to SR800 too)
Basic Use Instructions:
- Weigh out 6-8 ounces of green coffee beans. With all SR machines, results are fairly sensitive to batch size, so dependent on voltage, ambient temperature, coffee type, and your roast preferences, you may want to decrease or increase your batch size. A general rule is to start with 8 ounces for standard washed coffees, 6 ounces for naturals (or less for very high chaff beans).
- Plug the machine into a standard polarized 120-volt outlet. Be sure that no other appliances are drawing from the same circuit – this will decrease the power available to your roaster. With higher draw, this machine is even more sensitive to voltage fluctuations than previous SR models.
- Pour beans into the roast chamber, then set the roast chamber into the machine, then set the chaff collector on top of the roast chamber. Use care to ensure that pieces are fitting together properly. This machine is top-heavy and users sometimes drop and break roast chambers and chaff collectors (if you do, don’t worry – we have replacement parts!).
- Set Fan speed to “9” and Power to “5”. Set timer for 15 minutes. Total roast time is generally between 8 and 18 minutes depending on settings.
- Press the Run button. As the machine warms up, coffee beans will gradually begin to move more and more as they lose moisture and weight.
- As soon as you start seeing good movement (usually 2-4 minutes), increase Power to “9”.
- You should now be on “Fan:9 / Power:9”. This setting will get you close to 1st crack, but too much movement prevents adequate heat build-up, so it is necessary to gradually reduce fan speed to push the roast up through 1st then 2nd crack. It is important to keep some movement; try turning Fan speed down 1 notch, and if beans are still rapidly flying around, turn it down 1 more. If beans stop moving, turn it back up and wait approximately 1 minute before turning it down again.
- Typically, the roast will progress like this: At Fan “8” beans should start 1st crack (depending on variables such as ambient temperature, voltage, etc), and as you gradually decrease speed after each minute (approx), at Fan “6” you will be approaching a medium roast, and at Fan “5” you will hear 2nd crack and begin moving into dark roast.
- If you need more time, you can always adjust the Timer upward. Be sure to do this before the machine automatically enters Cool Mode.
- Pay very close attention as your beans move into medium and dark roast levels. Hit Cool button when you reach your desired roast, and turn Fan back to “9” – remember to turn the fan speed back up to maximum to ensure that beans cool quickly and do not continue roasting!
Warranty:
1 year warranty on the base, 6 months on roast chamber and chaff collector, directly from FreshRoast. After 30 days from purchase customers are responsible for shipping the roaster into the repair center, and they will fix and return it. Out of warranty repairs are similar but do have a cost. FreshRoast is more than fair for any in or out of warranty items. And also let us know if you are having any issues – we are happy to help!
Please visit the Home Roasting Supplies website for more warranty information: https://homeroastingsupplies.com/warranty
Support Email: [email protected]
GUIDES TO USING THE FRESH ROAST SR800 HOME COFFEE ROASTER:
- Instructions on coffee roasting with the Fresh Roast SR540.
- Video on coffee roasting tips using the Fresh Roast SR540
- Download Product Manual (SR540)
- General guidelines and tips for home coffee roasting
Check out our home roasting resources for more tips and tricks!
gzucker (verified owner) –
My SR 500, after 6 years, passed into roaster heaven last month. It was a noble machine but I needed to replace it quickly before resorting to store bought beans. I narrowed it down to the gene and the SR 800. I decided to go with the SR 800 and have roasted 2 batches thus far. The 800 is definitely an upgrade from the 500. The fan moves the beans from the very beginning. No more moving the roaster around like a gyroscope to get even roasting early in the process. The fan and power controls are excellent. Really good heat on the beans. This thing is great! Thanks Burman!
moshland (verified owner) –
After using a hot air popper for about a year I finally purchased this. It is very easy to use and I am very happy with it. I roast for myself only and use it indoors without ventilation. It does come with a scoop (foam packaging) and has temperature gauge (turn knob a little to the right)… I have seen several reviews of the SR 800 stating it comes with neither.
George J (verified owner) –
Received a Fresh Roast SR800 3/20/2020, ya have to very very extremely careful with the parts, they are really fragile. I
dropped the top cap of the chaff basket right out of the box, 3′ fm floor, and it broke. Otherwise…the fan works excellent,
first 8oz roast, Colombian Supremo, only needed to start fan on #7, during the roast turned all the way down to #4 toward the
end. Had to keep the heat on #9 but being only the 1st roast with a roaster will experiment with heat. The end roast turned out
excellent, very consistent color, oh, use near a open window, lol, smoke alarm could go off and it did…Lots of fun roasting at h
home, very good home roaster, so far, except for the delickness. Not for the clumsy or rough necks…lol. Everything came with
that was supposed to and the 3# of green beans, coffee, not veggies. Looking forward to lots of home roasting!
T.S. –
This is my 3rd coffee roaster in the last 12 years. My first required programming and dialing in for each bean. As a small, personal roaster, I found that I would dial in the right profile just as I ran out of beans, and I’d have to start over. I did end up with 4 profiles that I just used for all beans depending on my mood and what type of beans, not perfect, though. My next was a Nesco (the original, I know there’s a new version out). The Nesco was nice because you could run it in your kitchen and not set off smoke detectors. But, all beans were just roasted for a set profile for a set time, no art and no specificities for mood or beans. The FreshRoast SR800 is the perfect machine for a small batch roaster! I set mine to 12 minutes and watch and listen and get the perfect roast every time. You can clearly see and hear first and second crack and adjust on the fly – so every batch is perfect. I love this roaster.
On a second note, I also love Burman Coffee Traders. My original order was for a different roaster, as the SR800 was just coming out. He contacted me and suggested for my purposes, I might like the SR800 and he made the exchange to my order. While the SR800 had a different deal when you purchased it, I still got the original deal and express, personal, and wonderful service. Burman is my go-to coffee place.
Glenn Bishop-Smith (verified owner) –
Been using an SR500 for 4+ years, then a month ago fell for the siren song of being able to roast 8 ounces. I’ve probably done 5 pounds of coffee through this new one so far and it is a way different animal than the SR500! A much stronger fan than the old one- that is a huge improvement. But having 9 heat settings in the new one versus 3 in the SR500 turns out to be no improvement at all. It actually looks like the heater is very nearly the same one that was in the smaller roaster, as the new machine only pulls 150 additional watts (1750 vs 1600) out of the wall with that bigger fan, and I get it- you really can’t go any higher than that for home use! But that means you need to have the heat pretty much maxed out to do anything with twice the weight of beans. Where my SR500 would achieve 1st crack on medium heat in 6 or 7 minutes, the new one needs the heat on 9 with the fan turned well down to accomplish that. But, it will! I can be taught, and I am learning how to make good, 200+ gram roasts with this machine. I firmly believe this is by far the most cost-effective roaster out there. Especially with the new 1/2 lb. capacity. And, as with all of the Fresh Roast machines, being able to see the process is a big advantage over a more traditional roaster.
I do miss the infinitely variable fan control.
There is one weird issue I finally fixed today. The lid/chaff collector, as it comes new, doesn’t have enough clearance between its vanes or under the screen in the top part of the lid for chaff to blow by freely, and when you roast coffee a bunch of chaff gets stuck up there and then falls back into your freshly roasted beans when the roast is done. Meanwhile there is virtually no chaff in the collector itself. This wasn’t an issue with the old machine. There is a circular lip at the top of the chaff chute in the bottom section of the lid that reduces the clearance between the chute and the screen to near zero. I sanded that down today, perhaps 1/8 of an inch, cleaned it, then roasted 200g to full city, and hooray! Chaff went where it was supposed to. No beans up there either.
I am very happy with my new machine, and very happy with Burman Coffee!
fdorn (verified owner) –
Produces consistently good roasts. Been using it since February. When it had an issue, customer service was great. Sent a prepaid shipping label and in less than two weeks it was back, working as good as new. Would recommend.
damlaw (verified owner) –
A week’s worth of roasts was a fair amount of time, I figured, before writing a review of both my experience with my new FR800 and Burman. As background, I’ve been roasting at home for about five years, beginning with a PopSecret machine and lucking out 2 years ago and picking up one of those old Nesco “Zach and Dani’s” Home Roasters. These were good training to understand the stages of roasting (not to mention patience), but neither method permitted roasting that consistently revealed the nuances and notes of a good roast. Two weeks ago, the Nesco flamed out, and I searched to replace it, preferably with a gently used one. After much searching, I found out about Jon at Burman’s. Even though I hadn’t ever bought so much as a single bean from him, Jon offered helpful suggestions. Last week, I got my new FR800 from Burman’s and am delighted. I was concerned about all the attention I’d have to pay to the roasting process (the popcorn popper and Nesco were basically at the “jerk out the plug when done” method…OK, a slight exaggeration). But the FR800 doesn’t require an overabundant amount of monitoring after getting “good movement” within the first minute of the process. Compared to the Nesco, the chamber is quite large and the power (both heat and fan) more pronounced. This all means that the roast takes about ½ the time of the Nesco, and you don’t wind up over-roasting or stealing the subtle nuances and flavor notes of the beans. My small budget wouldn’t take a more fancy roaster, but this FR800 suits my family’s needs very well. A later aftermarket upgrade I’ve considered was to get a thicker, taller borosilicate glass roasting chamber, but it may not even be necessary, since in only the first 2 or 3 roasts, I’ve learned how to tweek the process to get a faster roast than other roasters costing twice as much as the FR800. In other words, I’d recommend that buyers not immediately think in terms of aftermarket upgrades until they’ve taken time to experiment with the settings of an out-of-the-box FR800. I do, however, have a slight pet peeve with the chaff dropping down into the roast chamber after a good roast, but that’s not a biggie. The FR800 is a good investment, and over time, really saves money for those who appreciate a great cup of coffee. But none of this would have been possible without Jon. He offered terrific customer service (even before I was a “customer”), and had by far the best deal I found after many days’ searching on the internet for a good price. The coffee bundle samples and free shipping show that Burman’s is sensitive to modest budgets and dedicated to quality. As soon as I’m ready to reorder beans, I’m switching from my current supplier of close to 5 years and will buy from Burman’s. I like the way they give the lot # right on the package. Not sure if they have a search filter to get only “fair trade” listings, but I’ll certainly explore, since every variety I received in the generous free bundle has been delicious. Anyone looking for equipment or beans should really buy from Jon @ Burnman’s. I have not found anywhere that can come close at matching the excellent service or products. Cheers!
Jonathan Stiebens (verified owner) –
This is definitely the roaster I have been waiting for. After doing a lot of research on roast profiles using the SR800, as well as the machine itself, I finally caved and made the purchase along with the extension tube. The control is amazing, the slow steady buildup to the first crack and the ability to slow down the heat curve post crack is very similar to the commercial roaster I once roasted with. My roasts are coming out as good as I had hoped, the quality I had hoped for with the purchase achieved, and I still have so much learning and dialing in to do. I do prefer light to medium/light roasts, but this is possible with plenty of time to develop the beans properly using the SR800 with the extension tube.
An impressive home roaster for sure with the ability to roast artisan level batches. I am happy to have made the purchase through Burman Coffee along with pounds of quality green beans, where all the flavor actually resides. Peace.
modegard01 (verified owner) –
Beats the daylights out of a drum roaster costing twice as much. I’ve had a Behmor 1600 and the Nesco convection roaster with the auger, and I prefer this over both of those two. it handles 8 ounce batches of beans with ease. And the cheat sheet that Burman’s sends with it was indispensable during the learning process. Very little smoke; I just set it on the stove on turn on the vent fan when it’s in use, and probably wouldn’t have to do that. Great roaster once you figure out how to tweak the roasting cycles and massage the fan settings. The only downside I have is it tends to be a little noisy, but even that’s tolerable.
John Roberts –
The price with 3 Lb coffee is just about the best deal available. I got the SR800 a little over a year ago & use it regularly. Sometimes mechanical motors just goes kaput. But not to worry. Just FYI, sent in base to homeroastingsupplies.com for repair and it was fixed as good as or better than new. I mean fan works great and temperatures accurate and back to roasting in short order. Complements to the folks that serviced the unit (see info in User Manual). Wanted to share about being treated right and for others to have confidence in a company that stands behind their product and can fix it when needed. Happy Home Coffee Roaster!
Chris N –
I ordered the SR800 from Burman Coffee, but I received the SR540 instead. I reached out to Jon, who immediately sent the correct unit along with a pre-paid return label and an additional 3 lbs of green coffee beans due to the error. It is a simple to use unit and so far, I’ve been very pleased with it. I’m still playing with the settings, but the results I’ve gotten have been great. Great customer service, as well!
Michael Meister (verified owner) –
I bought the SR800 with the extension tube in Nov, 2021. My results have been fairly good but in some ways I preferred the flavor profiles I was getting from pan roasting. But I am still experimenting and learning. About a month ago the control knob became very touchy and difficult to use effectively. I saw a post on the Fresh Roast Coffee Roasters FB page that described the same problem. Long story short, as a result of comments on that FB post, I emailed homeroasting supplies and within a week I had a new base. They sent me a prepaid label to return the defective base. Happy customer!
Lance Postelle (verified owner) –
This was an incredible deal! Absolutely excellent service. I received this roaster about two hours ago and I’ve already roasted a few pounds of incredibly even light roasts. I highly recommend this roaster and I plan on recommending this site to anyone who asks about it because the free shipping + 5lbs of coffee was an amazing bonus. Thank you very much Burmancoffee.com!
Dave Kuhn (verified owner) –
I purchased an SR800 August 27th 2021 with the EXT tube also. I use it every 2 to 3 weeks. It is now August 19th 2023 and the fan is now howling loudly and it won’t even move the beans! It seemed like a well made machine, but it’s a week shy of 2yrs old and it has failed! VERY DISAPPOINTING!!
Dave Kuhn (verified owner) –
Update- BCT responded to my dilemma with a failed SR800. I was pleased to receive an address to ship the roaster to and have it repaired and returned for $50. I paid to ship it to them and they paid to ship it back. The service was prompt and I have now used it several times. Overall, I am satisfied with the outcome and will recommend Burman Coffee Traders in the future!
pcrepairtech (verified owner) –
I just recently bought my SR 800 and extension tube from Burman. WOW is how I would describe this machine. It works great and it roasts some of the best coffee I’ve ever tasted. I installed a special 20-amp circuit just for the machine. I highly recommend both the SR 800 and extension tube as well as Burman Coffee Trader. This is the only company for coffee beans I use. If you are on a limb about this unit fear not it’s a great unit. After the warranty, if the unit goes out which mine hasn’t you can get it fixed by the company. This is an investment purchase which will pay off extremely fast. Do not hesitate to buy from Burman, you are in good hands.
Kathleen Panek, Gillum House Bed & Breakfaszt –
I have a (Legal = license, inspected, and insured) Bed Breakfast in a small city in West Virginia. I roast the coffee country chosen (in advance) by my guests – Burman is the only supplier I use. I almost cried when the Nesco was discontinued – I literally wore out several. I will not name the one I replaced it with – but a frequent guest, seeing what I had to do to remove chaff, surprised me with the SR800 about 6 months ago! It took me a short time to “learn” it BUT I love it. I donate roasts of coffees when hit up for donations for fundraisers. I have been called by several people who bought the coffees at fundraisers asking me to sell them more. I have now been roasting coffees (I have 28 countries in-house currently) for at least 20 years. This summer, I will most likely be ordering another SR800 – I like to keep 2 roasters in-house at all times.
LINDA ELWORTH (verified owner) –
First of all I want to point out the excellent customer service I’ve received from Burman Coffee. Second the warranty with the roaster and manufacturer will actually be honored and was extremely easy and quick to resolve after an email to Burman. Had an small issue with the chaff top that was taken care of quickly. Second I want to brag about the roaster and how much it’s improved my roasting game. I’m still learning but this is so much easier to use than the popcorn setup I was using before. I can tell the machine is made well and I love the big chamber, what use to take me 5 roasts I’m now able to do in one to get the same volume of beans. Very happy with my purchase.