tags: [] - coffee/roasting - coffee/equipment aliases: - Sample roaster - Lab roaster - Cupping roaster

Sample Roasters¶

Overview¶

A sample roaster is a small-batch roasting machine designed for evaluating green coffee samples rather than production roasting. Sample roasters typically process batches of 50–200 g, producing enough coffee for a cupping session (approximately 8–12 g per cup) from a single sample. They are standard equipment in green coffee trading, quality control at roasteries, Cup of Excellence competitions, and coffee importers' evaluation labs. The purpose of a sample roast is to reveal the intrinsic cup character of a green coffee — not to optimise flavour for retail; sample roasting follows standardised protocols to ensure consistent, comparable results across different coffees and evaluators.

Purpose and Context¶

Sample roasters are used at multiple points in the coffee supply chain:

Context	Purpose
Green coffee trading (export/import)	Evaluate lots before purchase commitment
Roastery quality control	Evaluate incoming shipments against approved samples
Cup of Excellence competitions	Standardised evaluation of all submitted lots
Producer quality feedback	Enable farmers to taste their own coffee and assess quality
Roastery R&D	Rapid evaluation of new origins or lots without production roaster commitment

Typical Specifications¶

Parameter	Typical range
Batch size	50–200 g (some models up to 300 g)
Roast time	8–12 minutes (varies by machine and protocol)
Heat source	Gas (LPG or natural gas) or electric; some air-only models
Drum	Small rotating drum; conductive heat dominant
Cooling	External tray with stirring arm; fan-cooled
Output	Sufficient for 1–3 cupping cups per sample

Standardised Roast Protocols¶

Because sample roasts are used for comparison, standardisation is essential. Two commonly referenced protocols:

SCA Sample Roasting Guidelines: - Drop temperature: 160–165°C (bean temperature at end of roast) - Target roast colour: Medium (Agtron 55–65 on whole bean; approximately City/City+ on visual scale) - Total roast time: 8–12 minutes - Cooling: Must cool below 35°C within 5 minutes of drop

Cup of Excellence Protocol: - Strict Agtron target (whole bean and ground) - Standard batch size per lot - Blind cupping by certified Q Graders

The intent is not to produce the "best possible" roast of a coffee, but to produce a consistent, standardised roast that reveals intrinsic quality for direct comparison with other samples.

Common Sample Roaster Models¶

Brand / Model	Notes
Probat LS5 / LS10	Industry standard; widely used in trading and quality labs
Giesen W1A	Professional sample roaster with datalogging
US Roaster Corp Sample Roaster	North American market
Ikawa Pro	Air-roaster (fluid-bed) with programmable profiles via app; popular for consistency
Aillio Bullet R1 (small-batch use)	Not a sample roaster per se, but used by small roasteries for sample evaluation

The Ikawa Pro is notable for being a fluid-bed (hot-air) machine rather than a drum sample roaster — it offers highly repeatable automated roasting profiles, which improves cross-session comparison consistency compared to operator-dependent drum sample roasters.

Sample Roast vs. Production Roast¶

A sample roast is not intended to represent the optimal retail roast of a coffee — it is a diagnostic tool: - Sample roast: Standardised; medium development; reveals character for comparison - Production roast: Optimised for the specific coffee's best expression; may be lighter or darker than sample roast; tailored to origin, variety, and intended market

A coffee that scores well as a sample may require a significantly different profile in production to reach its best cup expression. Roasters develop production profiles independently after the sample evaluation confirms purchase.

Key Facts¶

Sample roasters process 50–200 g batches for quality evaluation and comparison, not production
Used in green coffee trading, quality control, Cup of Excellence competitions, and roastery R&D
Standard protocol targets medium roast (Agtron 55–65), 8–12 minute roast time, consistent results for comparison
Probat LS series are the industry standard; Ikawa Pro is widely used for its automated, repeatable air-roasting profiles
A sample roast reveals intrinsic quality — it is not the same as an optimised production roast profile
Cooling below 35°C within 5 minutes of drop is required by SCA protocol to halt roast development accurately

References¶

Changelog¶

Date	Change
2026-04-28	Note created

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