What do you think?
Rate this book
The Coffee Roaster's Companion
The Coffee Roaster's Companion is the world's first professional-level how-to book about coffee roasting. Scott Rao has been a roaster for over two decades and has consulted for hundreds of the world's finest roasters, using over 250 roasting machines in his career. Scott has put his expertise into this book to help educate roasters everywhere. No serious coffee roaster should go without this book.
90 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
47 people are currently reading
780 people want to read
About the author
Scott Rao
11 books58 followersScott Rao started his first cafe & roastery in Amherst, MA when he was 22. That first cafe quickly became an institution, serving well over 1000 customers per day and tripling the sales volume of the Starbucks down the street. After selling his first cafe, Scott went on to work in the New Zealand coffee industry. He then returned to the US to open a restaurant and coffee roastery inspired by his travels down under. Scott later founded a pioneering cafe in Montreal that influenced coffee making worldwide.
Upon selling his second business, Scott began writing books about coffee making in the hopes of helping roasters and baristas become more educated and systematic in their approach to coffee. Scott parlayed those books into a consulting career and now spends his time consulting for coffee roasters around the world, teaching the world's most advanced roasting masterclasses, and designing next-generation coffee equipment.
Scott is the author of The Professional Barista's Handbook, Everything but Espresso, and The Coffee Roaster's Companion. He secretly likes Sencha tea more than coffee, is baffled about why anyone drinks naturals, and would probably do a free consulting job for you if your business happens to be located on a warm surf beach.
Upon selling his second business, Scott began writing books about coffee making in the hopes of helping roasters and baristas become more educated and systematic in their approach to coffee. Scott parlayed those books into a consulting career and now spends his time consulting for coffee roasters around the world, teaching the world's most advanced roasting masterclasses, and designing next-generation coffee equipment.
Scott is the author of The Professional Barista's Handbook, Everything but Espresso, and The Coffee Roaster's Companion. He secretly likes Sencha tea more than coffee, is baffled about why anyone drinks naturals, and would probably do a free consulting job for you if your business happens to be located on a warm surf beach.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
February 27, 2015
This book offers quite a good introduction to roasting coffee. I wouldn't recommend it for someone as their very first exposure to coffee roasting, but if you've read a summary or two first, or even roasted a batch or two already, then this is the logical next step. Most of what I read in here I had heard before or had already assumed, but it's nice to have it so succinctly written in one place. His "3 Commandments" were new to me when this book was written, and I plan on giving them more of a try in the next few weeks.
While the science isn't too difficult for the layperson to grasp, this isn't exactly a detailed book regarding roast profiles. The author earns his living as a coffee consultant, so he seems to be keeping the best parts to himself. More in-depth discussion of roast profiles for different beans, roasters, and flavors are the only thing lacking, but that would take away from the entry-level nature of this book. Perhaps a second book could cover that material, but it may have to be written by another author who isn't worried about giving away trade secrets.
All in all, a good book and one more people should read. We need more people roasting fresh, tasty coffee. And, while it isn't really targeting hobbyists like me who roast coffee at home, it's good to get more of us doing it, too.
While the science isn't too difficult for the layperson to grasp, this isn't exactly a detailed book regarding roast profiles. The author earns his living as a coffee consultant, so he seems to be keeping the best parts to himself. More in-depth discussion of roast profiles for different beans, roasters, and flavors are the only thing lacking, but that would take away from the entry-level nature of this book. Perhaps a second book could cover that material, but it may have to be written by another author who isn't worried about giving away trade secrets.
All in all, a good book and one more people should read. We need more people roasting fresh, tasty coffee. And, while it isn't really targeting hobbyists like me who roast coffee at home, it's good to get more of us doing it, too.
November 25, 2023
Very informative but makes me wish I hadn’t dropped out of chemistry and biology in college. I had to Google an embarrassing amount of terms in this haha, but helpful nonetheless!
January 9, 2024
this book is a book about how to roast coffee and that is what it was
March 9, 2025
Elk jaar opnieuw ❤️
August 11, 2018
Finally found a roasting book with solid technical information. Every other book I’ve seen/read is way too light, containing nothing more than I’ve already read on various websites and boards. While the book is clearly oriented towards commercial roasting operations, there’s still solid information here for the keen home roaster.
February 19, 2019
I thoroughly enjoyed this book and consider it to be one of the most efficient “how to” books I have read. All aspects of coffee roasting and storage are covered and with just the right amount of detail and explanation.
October 28, 2019
Tons of timeless and useful information that will serve anyone to make and appreciate good coffee.
Whether you want to roast beans yourself or are just more curious about coffee, this book has the details, and plenty of them.
Whether you want to roast beans yourself or are just more curious about coffee, this book has the details, and plenty of them.
November 7, 2014
Very helpful book to understand each part of roasting. I got a little lost in the technical stuff in the lst 1/3 but a helpful boo.
February 6, 2016
Easily the most concise and readable guide to roasting I have encountered. He mostly avoids the pitfalls of most roast guides by not speaking over the head of the average coffee roaster.
April 4, 2017
Everything you want to know to get started. Loved it.
December 24, 2017
Quite technical tips on roasting. Suitable for people working in or with a roastery.
July 9, 2020
Good knowledge and science for home barista.
April 21, 2021
Once you’re ready for the information, the information is ready for you. It claims to be professional-level, and it is.
This book is (in my limited experience—truth be told) the authority on coffee roasting. Required reading for me when I began my roasting career. Hard to digest with no experience—but eventually you will find what was a basic principle in Scott’s book can be built upon and built upon and built upon.
Every once in a while, this book is worth a revisit. More and more makes sense. It pairs incredibly well and gets more rich alongside your trial and error. You can and will understand the deep nuance to some of what Scott has to offer only once you’ve began to roast. That’s probably a pro and a con of this book. . . but it’s current value to me and the coffee roasting professionals who read it is immeasurable.
This book is (in my limited experience—truth be told) the authority on coffee roasting. Required reading for me when I began my roasting career. Hard to digest with no experience—but eventually you will find what was a basic principle in Scott’s book can be built upon and built upon and built upon.
Every once in a while, this book is worth a revisit. More and more makes sense. It pairs incredibly well and gets more rich alongside your trial and error. You can and will understand the deep nuance to some of what Scott has to offer only once you’ve began to roast. That’s probably a pro and a con of this book. . . but it’s current value to me and the coffee roasting professionals who read it is immeasurable.
January 17, 2022
A great fundamental instruction of the concepts to get one into coffee roasting. There's words of wisdom being instilled through Scott, and as a novice roaster, I was able to extract a lot of information that I haven't been able to find through scouring the web and youtube.
It's enough to get one to understand the core concepts, but for full instruction, then you may have to look elsewhere
It's enough to get one to understand the core concepts, but for full instruction, then you may have to look elsewhere
February 6, 2022
A book that provides a basic and easy to understand view of coffee roasting. Overcoming the ambiguity and "coloring" that coffee companies create for marketing. :)
In addition, the book also provides some good principles and guidelines to make it easier for us to make our roasting work.
Wish success. <3
In addition, the book also provides some good principles and guidelines to make it easier for us to make our roasting work.
Wish success. <3
March 22, 2022
Hmm..even though I've been practically forced to read this one, I enjoyed it very much.
As a total layman to roasting, the book was reeling me in ever so slowly until I fell in love with it.
Scott really knows his shit and his writing is top notch. From technical terms to personal feelings - everything made sense and was easy to understand.
As a total layman to roasting, the book was reeling me in ever so slowly until I fell in love with it.
Scott really knows his shit and his writing is top notch. From technical terms to personal feelings - everything made sense and was easy to understand.
Read
November 1, 2020Rao is such a voice of sanity and scientific rigor in a trade that still contains far too much superstition and far too many entrenched unscientific methods. If I could, I would pay every roaster in my state to read it.
April 13, 2018
because I need this book for experience my coffee roaster
November 21, 2019
Technical and understandable! I only wish it had more material.
December 19, 2020
Easy to understand. Straightforward. Plenty of tips to experience.
February 16, 2023
I'll be coming back to this book often
April 17, 2023
If all how-to books were that concise, I would've had dolphins swimming in my backyard.
April 2, 2024
Lots of technical information, but very readable. Don't be intimated. Lots of helpful info for beginning roasters, and at the same time, lots to offer those who enjoy the craft already.
November 12, 2024
حاليا تاريخ مقاهي بغداد القديمة
March 1, 2015
If you roast coffee or plan to this is a must.
It has a ton of relevant information and I look forward to putting some of the knowledge I have learned into my roastery!
It also has pictures... I love that!
the end
Love,
Justin
It has a ton of relevant information and I look forward to putting some of the knowledge I have learned into my roastery!
It also has pictures... I love that!
the end
Love,
Justin
May 13, 2021
Reread, still good. Reminded me of J. Kenji's approach to cooking -> methodical, repeatable, measured. Technical/scientific stuff can be confusing at times but offers a solid amount of actionable advice + ways to understand hard concepts.
September 14, 2020
Good overview of the matter. Interesting for an aficionado, I'd say
May 8, 2017
Wow. This is the first "trade" book I've read on coffee roasting. I really am just a hobbyist I guess. Oh well, I have some new roasting goals now!
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews