Coffee Roaster Automation
A practical guide to the four levels and what to consider before you buy
https://www.rubasseroasters.com/article_d.php?lang=en&tb=7&id=1014
Automation can be a lifesaver in production, provided you know what flavour of automation you are actually getting. Not all “auto” claims are created equal, and not all systems chase the same target. This guide breaks Rubasse’s automation into four clear levels, explains what each level really controls, and gives you three quick checks to decide what suits your operation.
Image: Article hero that reads “Coffee Roaster Automation: The 4 different levels… & 3 things to consider”. Place at the top. Rubasse NIR Digital Coffee Roasters
Before any automation works, the foundations must be right
Quick take: If the machine cannot measure cleanly or adjust precisely, no software on earth will save your profile.
To make automated roasts possible, three basics must be in place.
- Digitised controls: Burner or power output, airflow and drum speed need to be digitally controllable, otherwise the computer cannot “drive”.
- Data recording: You need stable, reproducible and precise data. If your probes wander or your sampling jitters, replication becomes guesswork.
- Automated roaster functions: Discharge, cooling and the rest should run on cue. A perfect curve that drops late is still a miss. This is not a nicety, it is a production safeguard.
Image: Small illustration under this section showing “Controls, Sensors, Functions” as the three foundations. Rubasse NIR Digital Coffee Roasters
The four levels of coffee roaster automation, from simple replay to advanced replication
How to read this: Start by asking what the system actually aims to match. Settings, temperature, or the whole thermal environment.
Level 1: Digitised functions
You have moved past purely manual machines. You may see data displays, sensor read-outs, and settable gas or power steps. It is helpful for visibility, yet it is not replication.
Level 2: Roaster-settings replication
The system “replays” your recorded controls, for example power, airflow, drum speed. Useful for routine batches, although results can drift because the environment changes between roasts. Summer behaves differently to winter, even with the same settings.
Level 3: PID-controlled temperature replication
Automation now chases the selected temperature trace, usually bean temperature, adjusting power on the fly to stay on the recorded line. This neutralises part of the environmental drift and is where many modern systems sit.
Level 4: Advanced roasting-plan automation
The target is broader than a single temperature. Alongside temperature, the system aims to match differential pressure profiles and desired Rate of Rise, which helps preserve the thermal environment the beans actually feel. This opens up stronger replication across different days and, in some machines, even across different batch sizes of the same coffee.
Image: Table or graphic that stacks Lv2, Lv3, Lv4 with their targets: “Settings”, “Temperature PID”, “Advanced PID, pressure and RoR”. Place immediately after the level list.
What really separates Lv2, Lv3 and Lv4
Rule of thumb: The more the system understands about the thermal path, the more faithful your copy will be.
I. Settings replay, the basic copy
The computer reproduces what you did, it does not correct for weather or supply differences. Expect profile timing to shift across seasons even when your UI steps look identical.
II. PID temperature replication, the corrective copy
Now the controller adjusts power to hold the chosen temperature line. You get better alignment of the curve and more reliable timing, particularly around first crack.
III. Advanced PID replication, the context-aware copy
Beyond temperature, the controller references differential pressure and RoR, so airflow behaviour is held closer to the original. Since differential pressure is a direct proxy for exhaust volume, matching that trace helps the beans see the same convective environment, not just the same BT line.
Images:
a) Winter versus summer comparison where the same settings produce faster roasting in summer, place under “Settings replay”. Rubasse NIR Digital Coffee Roasters
b) Temperature-PID graph that closes the gap to the recorded curve, place under “PID temperature replication”. Rubasse NIR Digital Coffee Roasters
c) Advanced replication graphic that notes “differential pressure” and “RoR” as targets, place under “Context-aware copy”. Rubasse NIR Digital Coffee Roasters
Three buying questions that narrow the field quickly
How to use this: Pick your context first, then choose the lowest level that still guarantees your standard.
- What are you roasting and how exact do you need it to be
Specialty lots, lighter endpoints and a wider menu call for tighter replication. You will likely lean to Lv3 or Lv4 so flavour holds steady as weather and supply shift. Darker blends or commodity profiles may be comfortable from Lv2 upward. - How long do greens sit in your store
If bags turn over in weeks, drift is smaller. If bags linger for months, both bean condition and ambient conditions drift, so consider Lv3 or Lv4 to keep profiles in line. - How do you manage roasted-bean inventory
If freshness is a core promise, you will roast smaller, more often, and over a longer calendar span for each coffee. That makes environmental stability vital. Advanced replication pays for itself here.
Extra credit; how to improve replication regardless of machine
Store greens sensibly, roast in a reasonably stable room, and know your energy supply.
Good storage reduces the “moving target” effect. Avoid outdoor roasting spaces where temperature and humidity swing wildly. Understand the stability of your fuel or power supply, since fluctuations there translate to curve wobble. Even with strong automation, wild environments will test any machine.
Summary, choose the level that matches your promise to customers
Automation is not one thing. It ranges from replaying settings, to holding a temperature trace, to matching the wider pressure and RoR context that your beans actually experience. If your value is consistency in flavour and colour, especially across seasons and batch sizes, look beyond basic replay. Pick the level that keeps your standard honest.
Considered as one of the region’s pioneers in specialty coffee education and Dubai cafe culture development, Ryan Godinho is an Australian entrepreneur who is accredited as the country's first SCAA AST and National Coffee Championships Coordinator. He is a frequent contributor to Forbes and Entrepreneur Magazines and also holds a postgraduate Certificate of Advanced Studies in Coffee Excellence from Zurich University (ZHAW).
