SUMMARY: Nuvo Eco Handy Coffee Bean Roaster
- A beautifully crafted coffee roaster
- Eminently portable
- You’re intimately involved in every stage of the process.
- You’ll learn to rely on all your senses to perfect the roasting process.
Exploring roasting can inspire you to take your coffee craftsmanship further, and create deeper understanding of coffee’s fundamentals. – Giorgio Milo, The Atlantic
The Nuvo Eco is a unique roaster that lets you get up close and personal with the coffee roasting process. There are no dials or screens or electronics here; just you, coffee beans, and the heat.
If you’re interested in mastering the craft of small-batch coffee roasting, the Nuvo Eco Ceramic Handy coffee bean roaster is a great low-cost option to get you started. Read on for our detailed review of this roaster, and find out if it’s the one for you.
A Quick Review of the Nuvo Eco Ceramic Handy
One of the best home coffee roasters, the Nuvo coffee roaster, is a simple and inexpensive coffee roaster that can go with you anywhere.
It’s beautifully designed and constructed, a sturdy roaster with no moving parts that will last. Though simple to operate, it takes time to master. Nuvo is a roaster for those with interest in the nuances and craft of home coffee roasting.
Pros:
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Compact and portable
- Interior waffling for best heat distribution
- Heat-resistant leather handle
- Easy to use
Cons:
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Small capacity
- Takes practice to master
- No smoke suppression
A full review of the Nuvo Coffee Roaster
The Nuvo Eco is a unique style of home coffee roasters that has many avid fans but will not be for everyone. Here we consider some essential features and how this roaster performs.
User-friendliness – 3.5/5
This coffee roaster is a bit of a paradox. It is both easy to use and challenging to master. Quite like pulling the perfect shot from a manual espresso machine (1). So, without any timers, fans, or temperature controls and gauges, the best results will take practice to achieve and reproduce.
That said, there are a few user-friendly features to make it easier. The interior of the roaster is waffle patterned to ensure an even heat distribution, and the ceramic handle has a stylish leather wrap to keep hands cool.
A primary asset of this roaster is its portability. Not only is it small and light enough to take anywhere, but it works with just about any heat source, the exception being induction cooktops. It will work over your electric stove at home just as well as over a campfire deep in the forest.
Roasting capacity – 2.5/5
The capacity of the Nuvo ceramic roaster is tiny at only 2.4 ounces of green coffee beans, which equates to about 2 or 3 cups of coffee.
You don’t want to have more than 3 days’ supply of roasted coffee around since that defeats the purpose of home roasting, which is to always drink freshly roasted coffee.
Sweet Maria’s
If you’re a heavy coffee drinker, you’ll probably find it frustrating to roast coffee so frequently. However, if you’re interested in roasting small batches to experiment with new beans or conditions, this is a great option.
Roasting time – 5/5
The roast time using the Nuvo coffee roaster is speedy because of its low capacity. You can roast your green beans and have a light roast in as little as three minutes, and a dark roast in no more than ten. To quickly cool the beans, a crucial aspect of any roaster to avoid over roasting (2), simply pour them out through the hollow handle.
Cleaning – 4/5
This ceramic roaster is very easy to clean. After you’ve spilled the beans and chaff out through the handle, simply rinse any remaining chaff out with water. The only time-consuming part is waiting for the roaster to cool, as pouring water over the hot ceramic could cause it to fracture.
It loses a mark, however, for smokiness. Many home coffee roasters feature smoke suppression systems, but the simplicity of the Nuvo ceramic coffee roaster precludes this, so you will want to roast outside or in another well-ventilated area to avoid smoke stains.
Is this really for you?
If you’re looking to experiment with roasting coffee in small batches occasionally, and you enjoy the hands-on aspect of getting a feel for the perfect roast, the Nuvo ceramic coffee roaster is an excellent option for you.
It’s also an excellent choice for those looking to take their roasting on the go. Compared to most roasters, it is much more portable, making it an excellent choice for travelers and campers.
Don’t buy this IF
If you want a more user-friendly machine with less room for user error, our Fresh Roast SR540 review highlights just the one, featuring electronics to control airflow, temperature, and roast time.
If you’re a heavy coffee drinker, you will probably be better with a higher capacity drum roaster. Take a look at our Kaldi coffee roaster review for a great option.
The Bottom Line
If you’ve never roasted your coffee before, you will be stunned by the flavor of freshly roasted beans. The Nuvo Eco is affordable and well-made, a piece of craftsmanship as much as a functional machine. If you’re enthusiastic about putting in the work to master roasting with this device, it will serve you well for years to come.
- The Atlantic – Coffee, Old-School: An Intro to Roasting Your. Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/03/coffee-old-school-an-intro-to-roasting-your-own/73232/
- About Coffee – The Coffee Roasting Process. (n.d.) Retrieved from https://sdbellsteacoffee.com/about-coffee/
Coffee expert and industry insider, I’ve dedicated years to mastering the art and science of coffee making. From scrutinizing particle fineness to evaluating burr shapes, I delve into the minutiae that elevate coffee from good to exceptional. Whether it’s a complex pour-over or a robust espresso, my insights cater to those who don’t just drink coffee, but experience it.
