Hottop, Digital

[garglebutt]

Re: Hottop, Digital

I typically roast 254-260gms of green beans per batch.I end up with around 205-215gms of roasted beans depending on roast duration.

That works out to a batch every 4-6 days for me depending on how much I drink during the day (I work from home) and how many visitors we have.

Ive tried roasts up to 300gms but even on the longest setting it was pushing things a bit. The roaster also puts out a lot more smoke with more beans so the drum obviously has a sweet spot and pushing it will impact the longevity and consistency of roasts I suspect.

Id be interested to see if the US price has gone up with the new model as I paid $800 USD including shipping last year for the old model.

If you are planning to negotiate a bulk discount I strongly suggest you arrange a shit load of filters as they only last 30-50 roasts and cost $10 USD each from Sweet Marias and $12 USD from the manufacturer.

As noted elsewhere I am going to replace mine with a 120mm metal screen to suit a computer fan but that will change the performance of the machine and put a lot more heat through the cooling fan.

[benthx]

Re: Hottop, Digital

Hello Fellow Coffee Friends

Well it good to see that there is an increase in Hottop related traffic. Great to see 2muchcoffeeman has started a poll!

Some of you may be aware of a psudeo drum/fluid bed roaster, the I Rosto. Not to be confused with the I Roast. It will be changed to "GeneCafe CBR-101 Series" made by Genesis Co.

It will be about 450.00USD retail. A sample roaster of the price of 250.00USD can be ordered for those looking at bringing a number in. I can tell you that a large order will bring the price down even further. But its not too ethical to discuss that price here.

As you can see there is a good margin in roasters. Of course it will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer and quanities ordered. Dealing direct there is no excuse.

Ben

[Andy]

Re: Hottop, Digital

The I-Rosto is just the rebadged I-Mex... which still suffers from being too small for the "stage 2" home roaster.

Most of us start with a popper or heatgun and would upgrade to a larger scale roaster in the right price bracket.

It is interesting (to me) that the poll shows half a dozen CoffeeSnobs that would be willing to pay nearly AU$1000 to land an upgrade that does little more than 4 times a $20 popper in batch size.

Davwhites I-Roast Digital looked like better value but still suffers from the small batch.

I still think the 500gm roaster would be the sweet-spot.

[Dimal]

Re: Hottop, Digital

Most of us start with a popper or heatgun and would upgrade to a larger scale roaster in the right price bracket.

It is interesting (to me) that the poll shows half a dozen CoffeeSnobs that would be willing to pay nearly AU$1000 to land an upgrade that does little more than 4 times a $20 popper in batch size.

Davwhites I-Roast Digital looked like better value but still suffers from the small batch.

I still think the 500gm roaster would be the sweet-spot.

Yep, I agree.

I would be interested to see what the HotTop price can be brought down to, out of interest but I think a better reality is still to design something of my own based on the information and experiences of a lot of the CS contributors here. Even if it cost me $400-$500 in parts with my own labour thrown in for nix, I should end up with a pretty worthwhile roaster. It may not have the spit and polish of a factory manufactured unit but that would be all that was missing.

You can get some pretty smart PID controllers these days, specifically designed to ramp/sink the temperature curve over a number of different custom profiles that the owner can setup and these controllers in turn, can be connected via one of many common comms links to a PC for very refined monitoring and control. Not a problem if you happen to have an old laptop/notebook in the back of the cupboard not doing anything very useful.

All in all, I would be very surprised if you had to fork out anything close to $500 to get something like this up and running. Definitely food for thought..... Hmmm.

Cheers,
Mal.

[stratford]

Re: Hottop, Digital

I am roasting batches of 260g in the Hottop...Currently roasting about 3 batches a week.

The roaster is performing very well; it is affected by the ambient temperature, as all small roasters are, but this is easily adjusted with a button press for timing.

I am noticing a bit of oil buildup around the `fin feed cover, so I must look at doing some spring cleaning soon...I also see a bit of oil coming down the right hand leg (as viewed from the front). Wired, do you get this?

All in all, the HT makes for a very enjoyable roasting experience...

Cheers....

[garglebutt]

Re: Hottop, Digital

The load chute does get grotty from the oil in the smoke rising up the chute but I havent done much about that yet as it mostly cosmetic. I dont have any actual leakage so that may be a concern.

Although you could make your own electronic drum roaster of similar design, dont under estimate the complexity in creating and managing to a preprogrammed heating profile. I expect you would be up for a substantial amount of trial and error to get it right.

I wont even start on the safety aspects of an unknown mix of electronics and very hot things together.

[benthx]

Re: Hottop, Digital

The I-Rosto is just the rebadged I-Mex... which still suffers from being too small for the "stage 2" home roaster.

Most of us start with a popper or heatgun and would upgrade to a larger scale roaster in the right price bracket.

It is interesting (to me) that the poll shows half a dozen CoffeeSnobs that would be willing to pay nearly AU$1000 to land an upgrade that does little more than 4 times a $20 popper in batch size.

Davwhites I-Roast Digital looked like better value but still suffers from the small batch.

I still think the 500gm roaster would be the sweet-spot.

I think there might be some confusion with the I Rosto and the Imex. The Imex looks like the I Roast not the Rosto.

Please clarify if I have it wrong.
Here is a picture:
http://img.alibaba.com/photo/10940083/I_Rosto__Home_Coffee_Roaster.jpg

Here is the web site:
http://i-genesis.co.kr/rosto/

Still looking!

[garglebutt]

Re: Hottop, Digital

Hmm interesting design on the i-Rosto.

Batch side is a little larger than other machines. Curious hybrid of drum and fluid bed. Id describe it as being more of a drum roaster as it is the drum rotation that agitates the beans, although it doesnt use direct heat (despite the web site mentioning radiant heat).

The airflow should provide cleaner roasts for those who like fluid beds but it doesnt recycle the air so there is going to be a lot of hot smoky air coming out of this thing. It also cools within the drum and even though the drum looks like it is a some light mesh I would expect it to take some time to cool down the surrounds. It would be good to see a manual for this sucker.

I notice a lot of errors in the Remark tab on their web site that amongst others misrepresents the batch size and cooling method for the HOTTOP.

The price is probably the biggest selling point.

[clarexican]

Re: Hottop, Digital

I think they might wish to check their math on the max capacity of the i roast "Maximum 312kgs (11 oz)" hmmm

[Avi]

Re: Hottop, Digital

Hi Ben,

Id certainly be interested in this roaster, it appears to be at the right price point, and it can roast 300g at a go. Ill keep my eye open for reviews on this device.

Avi

[fatboy_1999]

Re: Hottop, Digital

I think they might wish to check their math on the max capacity of the i roast "Maximum 312kgs (11 oz)" hmmm

Clare, I thought the exact same thing when I read it. ;D

[Andy]

Re: Hottop, Digital

I think there might be some confusion with the I Rosto and the Imex.  The Imex looks like the I Roast not the Rosto.

Doh!

I was looking at the "Caffe Rosto"


and not the "I Rosto"


Looks interesting, I too share the concern about the cooling although like all of these roasters, I think playing with one is the real answer.

[garglebutt]

Re: Hottop, Digital

The chamber on the i-Rosto is actually glass not mesh as I stated previously (couldnt see clearly in the photo).

At the top of the page on their web site there is a little Microsoft Media Player icon labelled Introduction. This is a nice video showing the machine in operation and includes the exhaust filter arrangement missing from the other photos and diagrams.

I become more intrigued... At the very least this might provide some leverage on the HOTTOP price as Im almost tempted to get an i-Rosto at the prices mentioned.

[benthx]

Re: Hottop, Digital

Hello Friends again

I thought this I Rosto might get a few of you interested.

For those who are knowledgable in the roasting dept.  I thought you would be the right people to comment on it.  This is why I posted on this subject.

I can tell you that the minium order for a reduced price is 200 units.

I DO believe that even a small group buy will get the price down under the ##edit## retail price of US$450 ##edit##

Perhaps someone from the Coffeesnob forum who really know their stuff about roasting might like to buy one for evaluation.  It is my understanding  that Tom from Sweet Marias is talking to them about its roasting profiles.

I am happy to pass on the info about price etc.....  Just email me and I will send you all that I have from I Genesis Co.

Ben

[Dimal]

Re: Hottop, Digital

Although you could make your own electronic drum roaster of similar design, dont under estimate the complexity in creating and managing to a preprogrammed heating profile. I expect you would be up for a substantial amount of trial and error to get it right.

I wont even start on the safety aspects of an unknown mix of electronics and very hot things together.

Yes Wired,

You are quite right about these issues. I am rather fortunate though, coming from an Electrical Engineering background with considerable experience in Process and Systems Control, so it would be more of an exercise in applied knowledge rather than throwing myself in at the deep end and hoping for the best.

People without the necessary quals, knowledge and experience should certainly gain the direct assistance of someone who does, for all the reasons you mention and particularly the safety aspects of such an undertaking.

That iRosto certainly does look interesting though and for the money, it would have to represent a great buy providing the build quality is up to the mark. Wonder who will be the first person to try one out?

All the best,
Mal.