At The Wood Roaster, we’re often asked: “Doesn’t wood roasting make the coffee taste smoky?”
It’s a fair question and one we’re always happy to answer. Because while our name nods to the traditional craft of roasting with wood, the idea that smoke flavours the beans is actually a myth.
Let’s debunk it once and for all.
We roast with wood, but not the way you may think.
At The Wood Roaster, we use sustainably sourced Australian hardwoods as a natural heat source. Not as a way to flavour the coffee. We have a fully custom-built, temperature-controlled roaster that is fuelled by wood. The wood is burned in a separate chamber, and an air roasting technique is used to roast the beans. This gives us fine control over temperature and consistency, crucial when working with speciality-grade beans.
No smoke, just perfectly roasted beans.
Our roasting process is built around air roasting. The beans are roasted using hot air, which circulates evenly to develop the flavour inside the bean. The smoke created from burning wood is fully vented out of the system, so it never comes into contact with the coffee beans.
That means you get a clean, vibrant flavour profile that reflects the origin, processing method, and roast level, never masked by smokiness.
Why do we use wood at all?
Sustainability is at the core of what we do. We chose wood as our heat source because we can source it responsibly from sustainable Australian forests. It's a renewable fuel, and when burned efficiently, it produces far fewer emissions than gas roasting.
We also give the coffee husks from roasting to local farmers for reuse, creating a closed-loop process with less waste and more community impact.
The result? A roast you can taste and trust.
So, if you’ve been holding back from trying wood roasted coffee because you were worried it might taste like a campfire… rest assured.
You’re getting coffee that’s clean, complex, and roasted to highlight the bean.
Because at The Wood Roaster, we believe the roasting method should elevate the coffee’s natural flavour, not overpower it.