$25 Stovetop Roaster

[ajay]

Inspired by the recent thread on the (unfortunately named) Baby Roaster, I picked up this purpose-built roaster off the shelf at a local middle-eastern grocers.

The lady in the shop told me that it is from Syria. The powered version cost $25 but there is an unpowered version with a hand-crank that sells for $10. I decided to damn the expense and buy the powered unit.

This is a well thought-out machine. It has a 2.5 litre aluminium bowl as the roast chamber with four internal vanes. This is coupled to a small but powerful electric motor by a a hollow threaded rod. The motor, set well away from the heat source, turns at a constant 4.5 RPM and is controlled by an on/off switch. I imagine it is a rotisserie motor unit.

A wooden handle provides insulation for lifting the unit. Counterweights on the front ensure that it sits steadily by balancing the weight of the motor. Two wingnuts allow for height adjustment over the heat source by tilting the bowl up or down.

Obviously the Syrians have been roasting their own coffee at home for a long time and have this pretty well sorted. I asked the lady how much it would roast and she suggested 500g but suggested I would have to work it out for myself.

Has anyone seen or used one of these?

Tomorrow, we roast!

[Koffee_Kosmo]

Re: $25 Stovetop Roaster

Its a gem mate
I agree damn the expense
Get the top of the range model

KK

[ajay]

Re: $25 Stovetop Roaster

Get the top of the range model  

Oh its going on the top of my range tomorrow! ;D

[Dennis]

Re: $25 Stovetop Roaster

Its cute and I love these sorts of gadgets.

Are you sure its only 4.5rpm?  If so, that seems very slow and I imagine the beans would just sit around in the bottom of the chamber even with the baffles.

Be sure to let us know how you go!

[ajay]

Re: $25 Stovetop Roaster

Are you sure its only 4.5rpm?If so, that seems very slow and I imagine the beans would just sit around in the bottom of the chamber even with the baffles.

Hi Dennis,

It is definitely 4.5 RPM. Here is a picture of 300g of beans in motion. The bowl is moving anti-clockwise and the beans are constantly tumbling from 3 oclock to 7 oclock.

We will see how it goes but I am optimistic that this will work given a bit of trial & error.

cheers
Andrew

[Weaponhead]

Re: $25 Stovetop Roaster

So where do we get them? Precisely! Looks like an easy way to start home roasting to me!!!

[dewy]

Re: $25 Stovetop Roaster

Yeah, I really hope you are in Melbourne...? Id love to grab one of these babies.

[flynnaus]

Re: $25 Stovetop Roaster

Certainly looks the goods. Great find and looking forward to a report on your first roast.

Itd be good to have a glass lid so you can check out the roast colour without having to stop the roaster.

[dsgfh]

Re: $25 Stovetop Roaster

If this works well theres going to be a forum full of people feeling very silly about reinventing the roasting wheel for 10 times the price.

[lindsayra]

Re: $25 Stovetop Roaster

Hi CSrs,

Warning!!!
I warn snobs not to read this thread, this is an outrage.
Dont people know that the coffee retail community has spent a lot of time and wind in creating the illusion that coffee roasters cost multiple hundreds of $s and if they look like a $10 motor and a couple of dog bowls, then you gold plate the dog bowls and allude to mystical properties.
Surely in this technological world it is only reasonable to make large financial offerings to the marketing departments that make us aware of the finer technological things in life.

One only hopes that reason will prevail.

Lindsay

PS Sorry Jon,
as close to Orange and Green as I could get,
its the Irish in me.

[A_M]

Re: $25 Stovetop Roaster

I want one just because I can...

Where from ?

Is the shop a local or part of a chain and if so are they in other states...

[A_M]

Re: $25 Stovetop Roaster

The dreaded red on green.  ;D

I see nothing...

But ashamed to admit a search on Google and local phone book has little in teh way of middle-eastern grocers in Brisbane.....

So interesting little shops and some I visit but have never seen any thing like the item above.

Would suggest they will be sold out and many of us will have units on back order..

[Yelta]

Re: $25 Stovetop Roaster

I see nothing...

Weve had an edit, will delete my post.

[Bosco_Lever]

Re: $25 Stovetop Roaster

If this works well theres going to be a forum full of people feeling very silly about reinventing the roasting wheel for 10 times the price.

And if it doesnt and the result is similar to roasting in a rotating tin can, the same can be said here.
It is interesting how easy it is to make comments about products and processes without firsthand experience :

[ajay]

Re: $25 Stovetop Roaster

OK,

I have done a roast with this machine on top of a portable butane stove, after first doing a sacrificial roast to burn it in and see how it works.

I declare it fit for purpose, but it wont be replacing my main roaster:
http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1274011412/ .

I roasted 300 grams of PNG Wahgi in about 20 minutes. It will take a while to get used to roasting with gas - this isnt my most even roast, but I am sure with practice results will improve.

• a speed control would be good. Different bean quantities need different speeds to keep the tumbling going.

• the little lid is a pain. I did sort out how to jam it into place, but as

  Itd be good to have a glass lid so you can check out the roast colour  

• while Im at it, a temperature probe would be handy

I made an espresso straight after cooling it and it tastes just like coffee that needs to degas for a few days.

I bought the roaster from a shop called Yassino International Food and Gift Store in Sydney Rd Brunswick, Melbourne. It is a great shop, well worth a browse. Top up on giant couscous (mougrabiah) and pomegranite molasses while you are there. They are very friendly and helpful people. It is an import/export business so I hope they will be pleased to meet whatever market demands my thread creates.

If you get one, please post your impressions.

Thanks for all your comments and enquiries
Andrew