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Permalink Reply by Erik Barkley on January 15, 2014 at 4:01am

Great machine, we use it for sample roasting.  It produces a very different coffee than a traditional drum roaster for several reasons but it still does a nice job.  You can't beat it for the price.

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Permalink Reply by Raewyn Curtis on January 16, 2014 at 11:00am

Cheers Erik, 

Can you elaborate on "very different" a little?  Thanks

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Permalink Reply by Erik Barkley on January 17, 2014 at 8:32am

The Sonofresco starts the roast at room temperature & cycles hot air on and off throughout the roasting period.  So the temperature fluctuates as the blower is cycling.  

The roast time is also shorter than a traditional drum roaster; average of 9-11 minutes.

Finally the cooling cycle is longer & slower than a drum roaster because the coffee is cooled in the same container.  The hot air must be forced out of the container & the temperature slowly comes back down to room temperature.

That being said, I generally find the coffee is not as smooth as a similar roast on the drum.  Occasionally a coffee will turn out better on the Sonofresco than it does in the drum but for the most part people prefer the taste of the drum roaster slight over the fluid airbed.

I have had several coffees that simply did not turn out well on the Sonofresco but these are rare.

There are outstanding benefits to the Sonofresco though - consistency, automation, portability (farmers markets?!), ease of use.

Hope that helps!

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Permalink Reply by dan on February 10, 2014 at 7:19pm

Hello

I have been using 1 lb  natural gas sonofresco for 6 years 400+ roasts . I have been very happy with it.I just bought a diedrich Ir3 . Now I must sell sonofresco. I would like to get $1,800 

Thanks Dan

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Permalink Reply by Jay Caragay on February 13, 2014 at 5:30pm

Never used one myself but know a few people that do use them. My first question to you is: How much volume are you expecting?  2 pounds at a time is a slow (and potentially miserable) way to do volume roasting.

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Permalink Reply by Raewyn Curtis on February 17, 2014 at 2:37pm

Very small scale at this stage so no problem with the volume.  Thanks everyone for your comments thus far.  Any thoughts on their service?

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Permalink Reply by dan on February 18, 2014 at 8:14pm

Every time I called sonofresco they were very helpful . I think most repairs or adjustment you can do your self.

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Permalink Reply by Scott on February 27, 2014 at 6:45am

Here is something else you might consider - www.coffeecrafters.com
Simular idea, I think. These are built in Spokane Wa. I've not seen one in person, but I spoke with the owner/inventor on the phone.

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Permalink Reply by Raewyn Curtis on February 27, 2014 at 2:11pm

great, thanks for the suggestion


Scott said:

Here is something else you might consider - www.coffeecrafters.com
Simular idea, I think. These are built in Spokane Wa. I've not seen one in person, but I spoke with the owner/inventor on the phone.

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Permalink Reply by Levi Andersen on February 28, 2014 at 7:14am

Love the info shared. Both Coffee Crafters and Sonofresco are located in WA

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Permalink Reply by Gary Nevan on September 9, 2014 at 8:02pm

I've been using a Sonofresco for about a year now. Very easy to roast, punch a few buttons and walk away. The result is a smooth, bright roast. I feel it has less acidity than a drum roasted coffee with a little less body and depth but a taste that I personally prefer. Support from Sonofresco has been outstanding.

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Permalink Reply by russiancoffee on April 20, 2019 at 4:50pm

I  can suggest you Kafgar Commercial Coffee Roaster Machine. https://kafgarglobal.com/about-kafgar-coffee-roaster-machines/

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