Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Target $16 popcorn maker

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

    My first batch of Columbians taste ok. Given its the very first time Ive roasted and they were only rested for two days I was pretty pleased with the result. Not the best beans Ive tasted but very drinkable. Ill give the batch I did yesterday another couple of days and then post-Christmas Ill roast some more.
    Id read about the extension cord thing in one of the posts on CS which is why I mentioned it. Wasnt sure if it was relevant.

    Comment


    • #17
      Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

      Sorry to take over a thread but it seams that my experience might fit in here and save the creation of another.

      I have just started roasting (yesterday) and think that my popper might have already packed it in and I will go down and get myself the target one described here.

      Yesterday I did my first roast with my Tiffany Mega Popper. I roasted half a cup (about 90gr) of India Elephant Hills.

      I got first crack at 2:46 and second crack at 6:25. The roast was a little lighter than I was expecting but appeared to be a full city roast. I tried it this morning and it was quite nice (a lot better than the rubbish I usually use from the supermarket).

      I roasted another batch this morning hoping to go a little darker. I only managed to get a couple of first crack sounds at 6:20 and no second crack, turning it of at 11:23. The roast was lighter than yesterdays and quite uneven.

      Im guessing that one of the elements has packed it in or something. Can someone confirm if my thoughts sound correct and I should be on my way down to Target to get another popper?

      Comment


      • #18
        Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

        Hi MMdog,

        Most poppers have a thermostat set to the temperature to do popcorn not coffee.

        So it is possible that yours in cutting out due to being too hot and just in need of some surgery to adjust the thermostat.

        Attached is a pic of a typical popper heater with the thermostat and thermal fuse I pinched from one of the numerous popper mod sites.



        Gary

        Comment


        • #19
          Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

          Thanks for the heads up... picked up one of these poppers yesterday and tried it out; much longer toast time hopefully means tastier beans

          Comment


          • #20
            Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

            Based on this thread, I decided I would buy one of the Target poppers and see how the roast went with the reduced wattage.

            Compared to the Breville Crazy Popper this machine is just about useless. I placed 100 grams of beans (Kenya Masai Estate) into the popper and switched it on. The beans hardly moved and I could tell after a couple of minutes that some beans that have obviously been sitting next the outlet vents where showing signs of colour and there was an extremely uneven roast happening.

            As the Kenyan beans are not cheap, I chucked them into the Crazy popper and finished off the roast.

            My 2 year old Grandson will enjoy this Target popper for popcorn as I wont be using it again for coffee beans......

            This Target popper was $13.40 so Im not too distressed.

            I may add that the Crazy popper handles 110 grams with ease.

            Comment


            • #21
              Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

              Ive roasted a number of batches now, and stick to 60-80g. Absolutely no problems with the beans moving with this mass. The only uneven roast Ive had was with beans that had very uneven size and a lot of dud looking beans.

              So 100g is probably too much, but no problems with smaller mass.



              Comment


              • #22
                Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

                One way to get a bit more airflow is to open the gills in the bottom of the roast chamber a bit.

                On the Aldi popper I could only do this after disassembling the heater, so not very convenient. On the Black & Decker though, the cup comes out when you take the case apart.


                Gary

                Comment


                • #23
                  Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

                  Done a few more roasts. Definitely no more than 80g. Getting first crack 7mins rolling at 8-9mins, start of second crack at 16-17mins. Have done a few brilliant batches. Definitely better developed flavour than the hot homemaker popper. Im using a can chimney and a 20m extension cord. This popper is a ripper!!


                  My advice dont be afraid to run the roast for longer. Dont be greedy and put so much in the popper.

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

                    Thanks for the heads up... off to target to have a look now.

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

                      Well went down to Target....nothing, Target online.....nothing,Kmart.....nothing, BigW......nothing.
                      Damm WA. Will have to try ebay.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

                        Hey corrupt, not sure where in WA you are exactly but the target in the city had them about a week ago when I was there.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

                          Thanks TMonkey, rang another target and they have 5 in stock so off there tomorrow.

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

                            Have done a few more roasts recently. I did an Elephant Hills to about 18 mins, and looking at them a few days later they look over-roasted (oily sheen on the beans). An an espresso, its almost like drinking charcoal, but with milk its full of chocolate. Surprisingly smooth with milk actually.

                            Blended with some Peru Seja de Selva and Ethiopian Ghimbi this morning, and made a great long mac.

                            Roasted two Peru batches (75g) to 16-17 mins last night. I preheated the popper for the first batch, but not for the second. The result was about a minute less to 1st crack, and roughly the same to second. Looks nice, and has a much better aroma port roast than my previous attempts.

                            Looking forward to trying those over the next few days.

                            One thing I noticed is that 3-4 days in, the grind is very dry with no clumping, and a nice (if slightly gassy) pour from the naked filter. This morning, the blend poured very fast, with quite a lot of channelling, in two separate pours (the second updosing slightly and with a firmer tamp, which actually made things worse!).

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

                              I just got one of these poppers - cant wait to do my first roast in it (first roast ever!!!!)

                              Problem is - my stater pack still hasnt arrived! Anyone know anywhere retail I can buy some good single origin green beans in Brisbane on a Friday morning? Is DiBella still selling them? Any recommendations on what would be good to start with? Im desperate to start!

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Re: Target $16 popcorn maker

                                https://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?n...9904/6#6<br />

                                Heres my take on this popper, and having it tilted definitely helps with movement. Moving it around using a wooden spoon till first crack also ensures sufficient movement. I also found that putting the WHITE lid on after first crack will fasten the roasting process. Ive only done 3 batches so far, and below is the result:

                                Peru Ceja de Selva Estate (80g) - no white lid after first crack
                                FC: 5.40
                                SC: 16.56

                                Peru Ceja de Selva Estate (90g) - no white lid after first crack
                                FC: 6.13
                                SC: 17.15

                                Peru Ceja de Selva Estate (100g) - this time with lid on after first crack
                                FC: 5.30
                                SC: 13.01

                                Didnt record ambient temperature unfortunately. But with the three batches, constants are tilted popper, stirring, extension cord etc.

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X