New Coffee Roasting Machines at the 2023 SCA Expo

As the Oregon Convention Center’s searing lights power down following last week’s Specialty Coffee Expo in Portland, a variety of new electric roasting machines are ready to blaze trails in professional and consumer markets.

Most of the new coffee roasting equipment vying for attention at the Expo this year was on the smaller side in terms of batch capacity. Even more notable is the fact that all of the new machines on this list are fueled by pure electricity — another unmistakable trend sweeping the coffee roasting equipment segment.

Here’s a quick look at the new machinery turning green beans brown (See DCN’s complete 2023 Expo coverage here):

Commercial Roasters

The US Roaster Corp F-16 Revelation. Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.

U.S. Roaster Corp F-16 Revelation

Oklahoma City-based U.S. Roaster Corp introduced a brand new model at the Expo, the 16-pound-capacity F-16 Revelation roaster. The largest of all the roasters we saw at the Expo last week, the mean green F-16 is available either as all-electric or as a gas/electric hybrid machine (also available in other colors).

In the USRC lineup, the F-16 arrives as the follow-up to the F-5 Revelation, a similarly box-styled roaster of 6-pound capacity launched in 2020 that’s also available either in all-electric or gas/electric hybrid fuel options.

Arriving at a price of approximately $37,000, the F-16 comes equipped with a built-in catalyst to alleviate smoke and aroma without the need for an afterburner. DCN will share more on this release soon.

Coffee Crafters Valenta 7. Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.

Coffee Crafters Valenta 7

Post Falls, Idaho-based fluid-bed roaster maker Coffee Crafters debuted the Valenta 7, a new machine that represents the company’s largest-capacity roaster to date. It also marks a dramatic aesthetic departure from the shiny steel cylinders previous Coffee Crafters machines.

The first of three models in a new line, the Valenta 7 offers a hot-air roasting batch size range from 200 grams up to seven pounds. Automation capabilities are available through the inclusion of a custom plug-in control unit, called the Roaster Co-Pilot, made specifically for the Valenta by Hermetheus Coffee.

The new machine has launched at a price of $8,200.00. DCN will have more info soon.

Ikawa Pro100x. Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.

Ikawa Pro100x

Coffee sample roaster maker Ikawa showed off the the Pro100x, a new model announced just before the show opened.

The 100-gram-capacity professional roaster comes equipped with a humidity sensor that opens the door to a variety of new features, such as measuring first crack based on the moisture released by the beans. The system can optionally now generate a “Moisture Release Graph” for each roast, providing a new metric for users to observe both for short and long term insights into their coffee and inventory. See DCN’s feature story on the Pro100x here.

Stronghold S7X. Daily Coffee News photo by Nick Brown. 

Stronghold S7X

South Korean electric coffee roaster maker Stronghold, the official roasting machine sponsor of the 2023 United States Roaster Championship (USRC), had its S7X model roaster on display.

The original S7 light-commercial roaster that launched in 2017 was the company’s first product available in the United States, which was followed by the S7 Pro in 2020. Following the release of the larger S9X, the S7X maintains an 850-gram-capacity (1.87 pounds) batch size while adding new levels of power to the roast through a new drum heater feature. The company’s patented tower drum system applies convective, radiant, and conductive heat along with even agitation and precise data collection.

Home Roasters

Kaffa Airtron. Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.

Kaffa Airtron

South Korean home and light-commercial roaster maker Kaldi unveiled a rebrand for the U.S. market under the name Kaffa. Along with the new branding, the company also displayed its first electric roaster, the Airtron.

The fully electric, fluid-bed Airtron roaster launched overseas last year with its 350-gram batch capacity. The U.S. arrival includes new features, including better visibility of the coffee as it roasts, as well as connectivity with Artisan roast logging and automation software. Priced at $4,800, the Airtron ships to customers directly from Kaffa via DHL or FedEx.

Kaffelogic Nano. Daily Coffee News photo by Howard Bryman.

Kaffelogic Nano 7 with Boost

The New Zealand-born prosumer Kaffelogic Nano 7 roaster made its first North American appearance last week. Designed to offer simplicity for novices or detailed, granular roast control for professional roast profilers, the Nano 7 was showcased by its makers at the Eight Ounce Coffee booth in the Expo showroom.

The company showed off the machine’s new chaff collector chimney, as well as a “Boost” kit that doubles the original 100-gram roasting capacity.

The Nano’s upcoming fully professional sample roaster counterpart — the Link, developed by Nucleus Coffee Tools — was also prominently displayed around the Expo.