Coffee Roasting & Tracking
Artisan Roaster Scope, Cropster, Beanconqueror, Decent Espresso — log roasts, dial in shots, and track beans.
The "coffee nerd" page. For the smart kettle / espresso machine layer see Smart Appliances & Sous Vide; for kitchen / espresso scales see Smart Kitchen Scales; for brewing-process cousins see Homebrewing & Fermentation Tracking; for water / beverage tracking outside coffee see Water & Beverage Tracking and Caffeine Tracking.
Roasting software (logging the curve)
- ★ ★ Artisan Roaster Scope — FOSS; Python / Qt; logs ET / BT curves; ROR (rate of rise); Maillard / development % math; supports Aillio Bullet, Hottop, Behmor, IKAWA, Probat, plus generic thermocouples via TC4 / Phidgets / MAX31855. The de facto OSS pick.
- ★ Cropster — paid; commercial roastery / production-flavored; HACCP-grade traceability; the industry standard for pro roasters. Subscription tiers escalate fast.
- RoasTime (Aillio) — paid + free; first-party for Aillio Bullet; integrates with Roast.world.
- RoasterTools (paid) — production-flavored; smaller than Cropster.
- Roast Master (iOS / Android, paid) — mobile-only roast log.
- Mill City Coffee Roasting Software — paid bundled w/ Mill City roasters.
Roasting hardware (worth knowing)
- ★ Aillio Bullet R1 / R2 V2 — paid (~$3,200); 1 kg drum; the prosumer / micro-roaster default.
- Behmor 1600 Plus / 2000AB Plus — paid; tabletop drum; entry-level.
- Hottop KN-8828 — paid; durable tabletop drum.
- IKAWA Pro / Home — paid; tabletop fluid-bed; profile-driven; great for sample roasting.
- SR540 / SR800 Fresh Roast — paid; cheap; popular for first-roast learners.
- Coffee Crafters Diedrich-shape commercial — paid; pro.
Espresso / brewing logging
- ★ Beanconqueror — FOSS; iOS / Android; the de-facto coffee-shot / pour-over / cupping logger. Pairs with most BT scales and Decent Espresso. Default for shot logging.
- ★ Decent Espresso machine + DSx — paid hardware (~$3,000+); tablet-driven; logs every shot's flow / pressure / weight curve; open API. The hacker-friendly espresso machine. See Smart Appliances & Sous Vide.
- Acaia Coffee + Acaia Updater — first-party for Acaia scales; brewing flavored.
- Filtru — paid + free; pour-over flavored; iOS-first.
- Brewfather Coffee — extension of BrewFather (the homebrew tool); brewing-flavored.
- Espresso Diary — paid; small; iOS.
- The Coffee Compass (community + spreadsheet) — the "manual" approach many baristas actually use.
The data ecosystem (coffee bean DBs / community)
- Roast.world — Aillio's profile-sharing community; free.
- Cropster Hub — pro roastery sharing.
- Coffee.guide / Sweet Maria's resources — free; reference for greens.
- Sprudge / Perfect Daily Grind — magazines; free.
Hardware probes / DIY
- ★ TC4 / TC4+ Arduino board — open-hardware roaster controller / data logger; pairs with Artisan; ~$50.
- Phidgets thermocouple boards — paid; reliable; Artisan natively supports.
- MAX31855 / MAX31856 + ESP32 — DIY thermocouple to MQTT; pairs with HA. See ESPHome / Tasmota.
- Atomax Smart-IR / similar — bean-IR temp probes for non-contact bean temp.
Grinder / dose logging
- Niche Zero / Niche Duo — paid; not connected; the prosumer default.
- Comandante C40 — paid; manual; iconic.
- DF64 (Turin / G-Iota) — paid; SSP burrs; tinker-friendly.
- Eureka Mignon Specialità — paid; programmable dosing.
- Mahlkönig E65S GBW — paid; pro; weight-driven dosing.
- Acaia Updater — for the rare grinder that talks back.
- Most grinder logging is manual into Beanconqueror; nothing automated yet.
Roast level / SCA / Q grading
- SCA (Specialty Coffee Association) scoring sheets — free.
- Q Grader certification — paid; pro track.
- Cropster Cup tasting module — paid; pro.
- Cup of Excellence protocols — free reference.
Espresso recipe / dial-in workflow
- ★ Beanconqueror + Acaia + grinder notes — the right hobby stack.
- Decent Espresso DSx — pro / hobbyist hybrid; programmable shot profiles.
- The Coffee Compass / "Recipe puck" iteration — free framework; refine grind / time / yield by taste.
Apps / sites for buying greens
- ★ Sweet Maria's — paid; the US default for greens; reviews + cupping notes.
- Royal Coffee Crown Jewel — paid; reserve / micro-lots.
- Bodhi Leaf, Burman Coffee, Theta Ridge — paid; smaller greens importers.
- Coffee Shrub (Sweet Maria's wholesale arm) — paid wholesale.
Honest pricing landscape (mid-2026)
| Tool | Cost | Strength |
|---|---|---|
| Artisan Roaster Scope | Free / FOSS | Default OSS roast logger ★ |
| Cropster | $$$/mo | Commercial roastery |
| RoasTime | Free + paid | Aillio Bullet first-party |
| Beanconqueror | Free / FOSS | Default shot / brew logger ★ |
| Decent Espresso DSx | With machine | Open-API espresso |
| Filtru | Paid | Pour-over iOS |
| TC4+ | $50 hardware | Open roast controller |
| Acaia Pearl S / Lunar | $200–300 | Best espresso scale |
| Aillio Bullet R2 V2 | ~$3,200 | Prosumer roaster |
| IKAWA Home | $1,400 | Fluid-bed sample roasting |
Practical guidance
- ★ Log every roast. Even one missed roast breaks reproducibility. Artisan + a TC4 is the right entry stack.
- ★ Log every espresso shot. Beanconqueror + Acaia is the right hobby stack; cheaper than guessing for a year.
- Rate of Rise (RoR) is the lens. Bean temp is OK; ROR is the curve that tells you what's about to happen.
- First crack = the milestone, not the timer. Time-after-first-crack is the development metric.
- Rest greens 7–14 days post-roast before drinking. CO2 dissipation is real; tasting fresh-out is misleading.
- Calibrate scales. A 200-gram check weight ($10) saves a lot of "why is my shot off" debugging.
- Buy a refractometer (Atago / VST) eventually. TDS-driven dial-in beats taste-only after the basics are dialed.
Pick this if…
- Default roast logging: Artisan + TC4.
- Aillio Bullet owner: RoasTime + (optional) Artisan.
- Pro roastery: Cropster.
- Default espresso shot logging: Beanconqueror + Acaia / Felicita.
- Open-API espresso machine: Decent Espresso.
- Sample roasting / education: IKAWA Home.
- Just want a great espresso at home: Niche Zero + Bambino Plus + Acaia + Beanconqueror.
- Greens: Sweet Maria's.