Temperature Targets On The SR800? Here's What The Bean Corral Revealed

Here’s something to stir your curiosity: The SR800’s temperature targets are as unreliable as a coffee bean’s fate. A recent exchange with the Coffee Bean Corral community hinted at a deeper truth—most home roasters, including the SR800, display wildly inconsistent intake temperatures. One machine can show 50°F or more variance than another of the same model. It’s a revelation that undermines the promise of temperature-based profiles, even with probes installed. But here’s the twist: the conversation didn’t end there.

The SR800’s variability isn’t a dead end—it’s a call to rethink how we approach roasting. Logging becomes your secret weapon. By tracking roast data, you can approximate critical events like first crack (which occurs around 460°F on my setup) and browning thresholds (375–400°F). These targets might not align with your machine, but they offer a starting point. Pair them with time, airflow/patience settings, bean movement, and visual cues, and you’re building a custom roadmap.

Preheating your room to 65°F, for instance, creates a baseline that helps stabilize heat delivery. It’s a small tweak with outsized impact. And let’s not overlook the value of observation—monitoring temp lets you spot when roasting is stalling, giving you a chance to adjust. This isn’t about precision; it’s about adaptability.

Logging roasts is your best bet to decode your machine’s quirks. Preheat consistently to create a stable environment. And above all, trust your instincts—roasting is as much art as science.