In this blog, we sit down with the founder of ‘Your Home Coffee Roasters” to explore his unique approach to crafting daily coffee that feels like a home away from home. Jeon Ju, the 2023 Korea Coffee Roasting Champion shares his insights on creating accessible, enjoyable coffee and how his team uses Firescope to make it possible.

Can you tell us a little bit about your roastery café, “Your Home Coffee Roasters”?

I’ve always loved cafes with a warm, homey atmosphere, so I named my cafe “Your Home Coffee Roasters”, to reflect the idea that our customers can come and feel as comfortable as they would at their own home. Plus, it was a bonus that the name was unique and wasn’t on the search engine.

The coffee we serve also aligns with this concept. We strive to create daily coffee that feels like having a cup at home. To me, a good daily coffee is well-balanced, even when brewed with a coffee maker or a Moka pot. I’m not particularly fond of light roasting, so I focus on medium roasts, aiming to create coffee that almost anyone would enjoy.

You are currently using Diedrich and planning to expand with a larger one. What keeps you using Diedrich?

From my experience, the coffees that truly satisfied me were all roasted with Diedrich. While other machines can make great coffee too, I really like the unique sweetness and consistency that Diedrich offers. Although some say you can achieve any flavor with any roaster, I think that Diedrich aligns perfectly with my style.

How would you describe your style and why does Diedrich fit it so well?

Roasting machines like Probat and Loring produce more pronounced flavors due to higher airflow, but Diedrich tends to create a more rounded profile with smooth notes. I prefer this rounded flavor because it tends to appeal to people who aren’t fans of sharp acidity, making it easier for everyone to enjoy.

How did you discover Firescope and why did you decide to use it?

About 3 years ago, a friend who runs a roastery in my neighborhood recommended it to me. I initially stuck with Cropster because it was familiar, but preparing for the World Coffee Roasting Championship (WCRC), I borrowed a Giesen roaster to practice. The owner of that Giesen was using Firescope, so I naturally tried it out. I found it intuitive and impressive, which motivated me to use it properly.

During WCRC preparation, I realized that while Cropster allowed remote control, Diedrich didn’t. This made me question the value of continuing with Crospter.

After the competition, I switched to Firescope and found its ease of real-time adjustments and clear data visualization very beneficial. I had the opportunity to talk with the Firescope team, and they offered a service to help migrate my Cropster roasting records into Firescope so that I could access them permanently. This made it easy for me to give it a try.

How has your experience been using Firescope?

First, the maintenance costs for my roastery have dropped significantly, and anyone running a roastery knows how crucial that is. When I looked at what I was spending on Cropster, I realized I could have bought a commercial grinder every year with that amount - putting it like that was a real eye-opener. While Cropster’s full range of features might be worthwhile for some, I doubt many roasteries truly need that level of functionality, and mine certainly didn’t.

Secondly, Firescope offers some standout features that I find particularly user-friendly. One feature I love is the ability to click directly on the roasting curve to record gas pressure, which is then clearly displayed at the bottom of the chart.

My older roasting machine doesn’t support digital logging for gas pressure and airflow, so being able to manually record and visualize these details in Firescope makes it much easier to analyze my roasts.

Another feature I frequently use is the ability to change the reference roast curve on the fly, even in the middle of a roast. With Cropster, you are stuck with one reference curve per profile, and you can’t adjust it mid-roast, which can be frustrating if the roast isn’t going as planned and you need to compare it to other curves. Firescope’s flexibility in switching curves during the roast is something I really appreciate.

Who would you recommend Firescope to and why?

I often provide roasting feedback to small cafe owners through my personal social media channel. However, most of them, I find, don’t fully understand all the features Artisan offers and end up just using it to log their roasts. I think it’s a waste of time to use roasting software for just that purpose.

I believe that using a more user-friendly and data-driven tool like Firescope can help these small businesses grow by providing better insights and improving their roasting practices.

If you are a roaster, looking to enhance your coffee roasting process with a more intuitive approach, make sure to check out the link below to see what we have to offer.

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