coffee
Electric roasting, measured
Energy, consistency and what changes in the cup
Frogwise Editorial · 5 min read · Reviewed 2026-08-01
Electric roasting is not automatically greener. It is greener when the grid it draws from is clean, and when the machine recirculates heat.
Energy per kilogram
A well-run drum roaster uses roughly 1.0–1.6 kWh per kilogram of green coffee. Recirculating electric machines sit near the lower end because they reuse exhaust heat rather than venting it.
Profile control
Electric elements respond faster than gas burners, which makes small-batch repeatability easier and reduces the number of learning batches wasted.
What it does not fix
Roasting is a small share of a cup's total footprint. Farming and milk dominate. Electric roasting is worth doing, and worth keeping in proportion.
- roasting
- energy
- research
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