DirectRoaster
Production drums, Woerden, Netherlands.
History
A machine too recent to have any operating feedback, and an idea clear enough to deserve a sheet: heating the air inside the drum itself. A ceramic element built into the drum, two fans in opposition, one pushing hot air through the element, the other extracting the fumes through a recuperator that preheats the incoming air. Heat reaches the coffee almost solely by convection: no hot wall, hence no conduction marking.
First appearance at the Amsterdam festival in April 2025, worldwide presentation at World of Coffee in Geneva in June, deliveries announced for early 2026. The press links the project to iStill, a Dutch distillation company, and to a collaboration with the consultant Scott Rao.
What it makes
A fully electric roaster with almost pure convection, 400 volt three-phase, with heat recovery.
The models
One model, announced at 5 to 15 kg by the press in July 2025 and at 1 to 10 kg by the manufacturer's site in September 2026, 60 kg/h, 4 to 12 minutes, 0.3 kWh per kilo, 35,000 to 40,000 euros depending on the heating element.
What you gain
Removing the hot wall mechanically removes the risk of contact burns, and in theory allows very light and very controlled profiles. The announced consumption, 0.3 kWh per kilo, is exceptionally low compared with the 2 to 2.5 kWh/kg of a gas drum with an afterburner.
What you lose
The ceramic element is a wear part at the heart of the machine, whose accessibility and cost are not published. Three-phase requires a power connection. And the announced capacities have already changed between the announcement and the catalog.