Alpenrost Home Coffee Roaster by Swissmar

The Alpenrost Rotary Drum Home Coffee Roaster by Swissmar (Discontinued – No longer made)

The recent model of the Alpenrost coffee roaster by Swissmar – the Bravi – has come out and we have decided not to carry it. It does have improved safety features and ought to be easier to use and clean, but we felt like Swissmar missed an opportunity to really add features to the roaster that would improve its performance and use – namely, a window to see the roast in progress. Some folks have said the new Bravi works well – others say it is not so good. I am sure you can read all about it on consumer review sites. The units are expensive and just not that much of an improvement to warrant us carrying the item. We recommend the HotTop for the folks interested in the largest batch size they can get in a home roasting machine. Stovetop roasting is also a good option for folks looking to roast more coffee at once. – Maria 2/8/06

The major features of this roaster that distinguish Alpenrost from others are:

  • The Alpenrost has a 1/2 lb. capacity, almost 3x the capacity of other home roasters.
  • The Alpenrost is a rotary drum coffee roaster, all others on the market currently are air roasters (or fluid-bed type roasters). The Alpenrost is the only radiant heat/convective roaster.
  • The Alpenrost has a much slower roast time than air roasters (it takes 20 minutes as opposed to an air roaster’s 6-8 minute roast) which results in more body in the cup, a loss of brightness, but perhaps a better roast for espresso.
  • It is quieter than air roasters: they sound like hair dryers …this sounds like a KitchenAid mixer set on a low speed. The flow-through ventilation separates chaff during the roast cycle and keeps the exterior of the machine cool to the touch during roasting.
  • It has one touch roasting with effective chaff collection and removes the coffee from the drum at the end of the roast into a cup at the end of the unit. But I consider it more of the “hobbiest” roaster because you need to attend to some details on this machine: you really MUST weigh out the batches of green beans. 7 oz. of green coffee roasts much darker than 8 oz. of green coffee at the same setting. So a good scale is needed (we have one, or there are others out there on the market used for postal purposes). But the roaster will roast consistenly with the same weight of green coffee in the drum.
  • I consider the Alpenrost a machine for the dedicated home roaster, those not afraid of a little smoke (if you don’t have any stovetop hood venting –or other venting — I would not recommend this machine!) and for those determined to roast 1/2 lb of coffee. Not great for first time roasters because you can not see the batch in progress. Click here for more of our Review of the Alpenrost including Pros and Cons, and a quick comparison to other home roasters on the market
Alpenrost home coffee roaster
Alpenrost home coffee roaster

Alpenrost A811902: Silver/Black Finish with 8 lbs. coffee $289 (+ 24 lbs. shipping). Shipping in the US by UPS Ground is between $7 and $13 depending on distance) including our double 8-Pack Green Coffee Sampler: That’s our selection of 8 types, 1 full pound each, a $38.00 value! No longer made

Alpenrost A811902: Silver/Black Finish without coffee $279 (+ 16 lbs. shipping). Shipping in the US by UPS Ground is between $6 and $11 depending on distance). This includes no green coffee. As you can see, we make it a really good deal to get it with the coffee: a $38.00 minimum value for $10. My suggestion: get it with the coffee! But this package might be necessary for overseas orders, etc.  No longer made

Alpenrost Modified
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