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Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

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  • Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

    Reading a review of a roaster today, I came across the following quote
    These days I generally don’t enjoy coffee roasted in domestic hot air equipment. I find these coffees tend to be harsh, underdeveloped and lacking in complexity
    This is exactly what Ive found from the home-roast coffee Ive tried from a number of sources - even though there are some palates that prefer coffee that way, mine isnt such a fan. So does roasting like a professional require professional equipment? My dream is probably a sample roaster, but if it cost $15000, Id be $16000 short right now, and while I know I have to learn somewhere if I start, Im just about to start living in a flat, and not happy drinking sub-standard coffee. So is your popper roast guilty of the above? What about a Gene? Or a Hotptop? Or Dudley? And how many roasts do you have under your belt to learn to master them?

  • #2
    Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

    I have been home roasting for about three months short of 9 years. I have used the following roasters in that time:
    - Hearthware Precision
    - Hearthwarte Gourmet
    - Popcorn poppers (bought, tested, and sold or given away three)
    - Hearthware iRoast2
    - Genecafe
    - at least one of Every model of Hottop made (I work for them as an independent contractor).

    I agree that most unmodified air poppers create an overly-bright underdeveloped roast. The Hearthware iRoast2 was the only fluid bed roaster of the above examples that produced a quality roast for me. The Genecafe also is very capable of producing a roast that rivals commercial roasts, but its lack of programmability as well as its inability to have profiles saved means that it is a hands-on machine for every roast. Its cooling function is marginal as well since it blows the cooling air through the heating elements metal chamber before the air is passed over the coffee.

    The early models of the Hottop, while capable, lacked user control to get the most from the bean. The last two models, the KN-8828P and more so, the KN-8828B are both very good and capable roasters that allow the user to created a smooth, balanced, developed coffee.

    The KN-8828B is the only one of the above bunch I use, and have been using for a year or two now. All the other sit on display shelves or have gone back into their boxes. They create an excellent espresso roast that makes a good straight espresso as well as flavor that cuts through milk in a cappuccino.

    The other benefit is that the Hottops are tanks, built to last.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

      Hi coffeehorse.
      I read this comment too - and was a little nervous, since I was on the verge of purchasing my own piece of domestic hot air equipment.

      The roaster/blogger in question did mention that he had limited experience with machines such as hottop and gene.

      I have very little experience in terms of roasting - but secretly wonder whether this comment may be more about build quality than heat source type discussions - the question I have in my head is whether equipment like a barbecue would offer advantage in terms of heat retention and cope better with ambient temperature than a BM (which offers very little insulation by comparison - and whether these factors may be responsible for overall taste, rather than air vs gas.

      I may be barking up the wrong tree entirely however

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

        i think this is the adventure, knowing that great quality coffee IS able to be made out of these contraptions we build pushes us to achieve it, we win some we lose some, but its a fantastic journey all the way, i have no where near the roasting experience that others have, i have only roasted about 50kg or so, but i have friends and family that rave about my coffee, its a great feeling to have the inlaws saying they wont drink coffee anywhere else,

        So in short, yes, amazing coffee is available to you, its all up to you, the maker......

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

          Originally posted by 6C684E5757524D5A553B0 link=1250961818/5#5 date=1251085344
          So in short, yes, amazing coffee is available to you, its all up to you, the maker......
          Without saying a bad workman blames his tools, if the equipment we use is lacking in comparison to that of a commercial roaster, we are still behind the 8-ball... And thus our coffee is not as good as it could be.

          This does not bother me as I love the experience of home roasting and my palate isnt all that well developed. But this is the point CH is making I believe

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

            Originally posted by 5E5B5C5641534B4053320 link=1250961818/3#3 date=1250989083
            I didnt get one laugh out of your post alternately no one got one fact from mine.
            Ill try to add you to my favourites list for "Home Roaster info, search no further comprehensive/authoritative/awesome".
            One Q: If I turn a 110V HT up side down will it work on 240V?
            BTW are you just up the road from down the hill you know Big Bend Road or over the other side?
            Kind Regards
            Lindsay, but not TIC (tongue in cheek) just now.
            Im not sure of the Melway coordinates for the mo.
            what on earth are you on about? :-?

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

              A common message that comes up many times on CS is that we dont all have the same taste (literally, in coffee or figuratively, in coffee equipment and methods. This is not much different to, say, someone saying they prefer wood-fired pizza to home-made pizzas.

              CH may well not like the taste of hot-air roasted coffee but that does not mean you will also not like it.

              I KNOW I cant make coffee as good as what Dudley (in the capable hands of Dennis) can produce. But, as WSully recommends, enjoy the experience.

              And FWIW I really enjoy my home-made pizzas using Leb bread as a base. (beats those at Dominos/Pizza Rat frinstance).

              KT: :-?

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

                Originally posted by 4B415443434C585E2D0 link=1250961818/8#8 date=1251086497

                KT:  :-?

                And not the first KT post that has made me think exactly the same thing...

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

                  Originally posted by 797169637E1A0 link=1250961818/9#9 date=1251087126
                  Originally posted by 4B415443434C585E2D0 link=1250961818/8#8 date=1251086497

                  KT:  :-?
                  And not the first KT post that has made me think exactly the same thing...
                  Thanks, folks, for saying so (you as well as WSULLY). I had n idea what to make of such a post that seemed to be designed to be disruptive and insulting.  I wonder why such behavior is tolerated here on what has otherwise been a friendly forum. Comments like that seem counter-productive at best. I do try to use humor where appropriate, but in this thread I thought the OP was serious so I tried to offer some constructive assistance.

                  Takes all kinds I guess, but you dont have to let them into the house.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

                    Originally posted by 42717E74694F573E100 link=1250961818/10#10 date=1251090179
                    I thought the OP was serious so I tried to offer some constructive assistance.
                    It was, and you did (as usual)

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

                      Hi,

                      Interesting where did you read the review?

                      I know of at least one coffee shop in Brisbane that roast with a hot air fluid bed roaster. They make superb coffee and are listed in numerous places as producing great coffee including here at CS.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

                        Originally posted by 596A656F72544C250B0 link=1250961818/10#10 date=1251090179
                        I had n idea what to make of such a post that seemed to be designed to be disruptive and insulting
                        Randy

                        I suspect that he is either on drugs or just deliberately trying to appear clever rather than insulting.

                        When you put your location (N39.725° W121.49°) into Google maps as a lat long you get a spot near a "Big bend road". The first part of his post he is saying that he took the opposite approach to you and acknowledging that he didnt provide any info.

                        I guess turning a 110v unit upside down is using it on the bottom of the world in Australia.

                        All in all probably better to speak english and avoid misunderstandings KT. Or are you actually a bot? In which case does anybody know how to tell?

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

                          Originally posted by 4D4F48484B41422E0 link=1250961818/13#13 date=1251116563
                          Originally posted by 596A656F72544C250B0 link=1250961818/10#10 date=1251090179
                          I had n idea what to make of such a post that seemed to be designed to be disruptive and insulting
                          Randy

                          I suspect that he is either on drugs or just deliberately trying to appear clever rather than insulting.  

                          When you put your location (N39.725° W121.49°) into Google maps as a lat long you get a spot near a "Big bend road".   The first part of his post he is saying that he took the opposite approach to you and acknowledging that he didnt provide any info.

                          I guess turning a 110v unit upside down is using it on the bottom of the world in Australia.

                          All in all probably better to speak english and avoid misunderstandings KT.   Or are you actually a bot?   In which case does anybody know how to tell?
                          We have a couple running at present... ;D

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

                            Originally posted by 012C2D263C213C31480 link=1250961818/0#0 date=1250961818
                            Or Dudley? And how many roasts do you have under your belt to learn to master them?
                            Im still learning.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Avoiding home roaster syndrome (and starting to roast)

                              Originally posted by 04252E2E2933400 link=1250961818/15#15 date=1251117234
                              Im still learning.
                              As are we all.... 8-)

                              Mal.

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