The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

[Beanz.]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

Yassino International Food and Gift Store in Sydney Rd Brunswick, I assume this is allowed as it was in the link below previously

http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?num=1279884970

[freddy123]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

hello all,

Long time lurker 1st time post so be gentle.  Currently roasting with a turbo oven on a large piece of wire mesh to even out the roast(No mods) works quite well.  I would love to try my hand with one of these but cant figure out where to buy one of these in Melbourne for $25/35.  If its not against any rules please post where we can find them so this obsession can become pathalogical....PLEASE

[KJM]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

Hey - thats great news. The one I have is pretty old (as in it has been there for 20+years...) but the price is the same.

The only really dodgey thing about it is the vanes inside the drum are (literally) made of a cut up tin can and beans do jam behind them a bit. But for $25, an endless amount of tinkering can be done.

And it does decent roasts. Itd have to be about the cheapest roaster setup - $25 for that plus $15 or so for the camping stove!

/Kevin

[Beanz.]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

Toddlers are also available for sale in Melbourne. It is a bit hard to see in the photos but I think the ones in Melb have a slightly different mounting arrangement at the back but the rest looks identical.
$25 for the manual version and $35 for a 240 VAC motorised version.
The motorised version is not a particulalrly safe design but could be the basis for a conversion to a 12VDC drive.
The manual version is a better option and could also be converted to a drive made from a battery operated BBQ rotisserie motor.
The shaft on the manual version is a threaded tube and steam comes out very close to the operators hand so a bit of care needs to be taken or alternatively a modification could be made to the handle.
I like the Toddler better than the Baby Roaster as you can take off the lid to have a quick look at the beans during the roast without any drama. There is no comparison regarding construction. The Baby Roaster is a nice piece of engineering and looks great. The Toddler is a cheap basic bit of gear that does the job. It is easily affordable for those starting out or wanting to experiment.
I would suggest anyone buying one strips it down and removes the paint on the internal nut and washer prior to roasting. Also give it a good scrub to get out any residue left from the manufacturing processes.

[Dimal]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

PM me an address Mal, Ill send you some.  Love to hear your views on it.

Too right mate, would love to try some....

Mal.

[KJM]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

Have you tried a cup or two yet? Would be interesting to see how they compare with the baby and to some extent, with my Behmor.... (Ive got a similar blend to your namesake one, so can make a basic comparison )

Yes - been ground and drunk!

My daughter rates the Malawi as "hmmmm.... Malawi! ;D" from it, so I conclude she approves. The KJM blend is kind-of interesting - as noted in the thread elsewhere - Im not convinced its better, but it is different from the Gene.

PM me an address Mal, Ill send you some. Love to hear your views on it.

/Kevin

[KJM]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

hmmm what about the chaff?
What is the purpose of the pair of pipes with what look like bicycle bells  :-? [smiley=laugh.gif]  ?

...and you roast all beans simultaneously ?

Well lu, the chaff just sits in the drum till you tip it out! I have an external bean cooler, so it just goes woof in there and I get covered with chaff after the roasting

I did say it came from the local Lebanese Bakery (lovely food!) - so theyre purely decorative. The "bells" probably cost more to put together than the rest of the roaster! The tips (just visible) screw on the end of the pipe that makes the base, and they have filed a groove in the pipe to hold a circlip and washer that the whole thing tightens down onto... The bells themselves look like theyve been hand tooled. The rest of the thing is very simple in comparison!!

Anyway, works well!

/Kevin

[lu]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

hmmm what about the chaff?
What is the purpose of the pair of pipes with what look like bicycle bells  :-? [smiley=laugh.gif]  ?

...and you roast all beans simultaneously ?

[Dimal]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

Right - just for Mal!  250g batch of the KJM blend..

Excellent stuff mate.... 8-)

Have you tried a cup or two yet? Would be interesting to see how they compare with the baby and to some extent, with my Behmor.... (Ive got a similar blend to your namesake one, so can make a basic comparison )

Mal.

[KJM]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

Right - just for Mal! 250g batch of the KJM blend..

[KJM]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

Very nifty little roaster Kevin. Definitely has loads of possibilities but we need to see the beans...

OK OK - but itll have to wait till I roast some more ;D None left right now!

I had a bit of a binge with the Gene last weekend - I promised Fiefy Id drop off some beans, so I need to work down a small stockpile first 8-)

/Kevin

[Dimal]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

What.... No piccies of the end results

Very nifty little roaster Kevin. Definitely has loads of possibilities but we need to see the beans....

Mal.

[KJM]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

OK, so thats the device. A couple of comments from me about it:

It holds a lot of coffee! If you angled the drum, youd easily fit 500g in there...

It does 250g batches nicely. Ive not tried larger or smaller, but I think the 250g mark is the sweet spot for it. The internal paddles (OK - the internal bits of tin :) stir the beans nicely and contribute to a very even roast.

It uses stuff-all gas. The gas stove was not operating full bore when I started (as in there was insufficient gas to make it roar). I did the entire roast on the dregs of the bottle and it was done in 10mins to FC, dumped at 14mins. Impressive.

The bowl is, as you no doubt already know, aluminium.

Apart from the decorative bits on it which are a bit naff, the thing is surprisingly nice!

Anyway.

/Kevin

[denki]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

Awesome kjm! Thanks for the pics

[KJM]

Re: The (KJM) Toddler Roaster...

And finally, a view of the crank mechanism.  To avoid steam burns, I have a tiny piece of pipe that extends the pathetically small crank handle outwards...  The adjustment (the two wingnuts) permit the roasting drum to be lifted up so you get the right height to the flame.  At least, thats why Id have put them there