I-Coffee roasting experiences

[jaybee]

Just wondering if the settings are only for timer settings, which i think they are. Did you ever test the temp profile on settings 1-9 on your icoffee to see if the temp profile is the same for each and just the cooling cycle starts earlier?

My experimentation thinks its a relatively simple timing device (but I think there is a temp sensor inside, so it may come into play). In all cases, the roast profile is a beautiful ramp up then tail off profile that everyone seems to go for. I have tended to use an external cooler to cool the beans, but on one of the few times I allowed the machine to cool the beans slowly, I got one of the most delightful roasts I have ever tasted! It goes to show that it pays to ignore everyones well meaning advice and try something different once in a while

My original machine had an issue and is out of action and I am waiting on one of the new machines to come my way - I'll be testing it like crazy when it gets here and will post up some profiles.

[Woopee]

My replacement machine is starting to play up as well now. Time to get in touch with Jack again me thinks. Looking forward to your posting your testing results.

Cheers.

[Bernsbrew]

My replacement machine is starting to play up as well now. Time to get in touch with Jack again me thinks. Looking forward to your posting your testing results.

Cheers.

Is your replacement machine the new model or the former one that several here had problems with cut-outs mid roast.

[Woopee]

Is your replacement machine the new model or the former one that several here had problems with cut-outs mid roast.

My original machine was one of the first if not the first to play up. The replacement machine is an older model also. Given the problems with them I'm very keen on seeing how well the new models stack up.

Cheers.

[Hildy]

Any further word on when the new batch is arriving?

[trentski]

I purchased one of the very first iCoffee roasters from Jack and it has been faultless. I only roast 250-260gram roasts and it takes up to 27 minutes depending on ambient temps. I always pre heat and on occasion I roast one batch, cool it and bag it, measure out the next lot of beans and go again with no issue, it's not recommended though.

Just wanted to give a positive post amongst the disappointed ones here.

[sorrentina]

well I am very sorry about the many delays but I am happy to announce the new model has arrived.

Many of them have already gone out to those waiting for replacements (If you are waiting and have not heard from me please email me at sales@sorrentinacoffee.com). I expect some feedback will follow. In the meantime I will post a few brief points and observations before I get to bed.

The machine now comes with a dial that goes up to 12 instead of 9 and also an LED timer display. In other regards the machine looks just the same as before though I am told it has new electronics inside- specifically a new capacitor that shpould resolve the issues experienced in the last model.

A brief run through of operation:

setting the machine to 12 gives a total roast time of 27 minutes. Setting 11 gives 26 minutes and so on down to setting 1 which is 16 minutes. So you can have from 16 to 27 minutes roast time.

When you start the roaster: for 3 minutes exactly the timer display will spin around- this indicates pre-heating phase and does not count to the overall roast time. After preheating is done the timer will start. When the timer reaches 9 Minutes the cooling cycle will begin. The small LED will also flash.

So if you select setting 12 you will have 3 minutes of pre-heat - 18 minutes roasting, and 9 minutes cooling.

I have done some test roasts using 150 to 200 grams of beans. I strongly recommend/urge users never trying to roast more than 250 grams in this roaster. The manufacturers recommend only using 150 grams. The chaff catcher is not designed to hold a large volume of chaff- and with high chaff beans never use more than 200 grams. Hech Just Use 200 Grams or Less! Please!

I have been roasting manually as follows:

200 grams of beans, setting 8. Allow to roast for approximately 11 minutes into first crack. Press start button once to initiate cooling cycle early. Allow beans to continue roasting into the cooling cycle for a few minutes. The cooling cycle is slow and the beans will roast well for the first 3 minutes or so. Remove the beans at the start of first crack by holding down the power button. Cool the beans externally.

You could use the I-Coffee on full Auto Mode with internal cooling cycle- but it will require you to learn the correct timer setting for each bean taking into account the declining roast profile as the machine goes into the cooling cycle. I do not think you would ever need to use the settings from 9 to 12 for Auto roasting as most beans will be done after around 14 to 16 minutes roasting. For best results using the Auto mode I would suggest watching the beans and learning when to start the cooling cycle so that the roast finishes off slowly during the first 5 minutes of the cooling cycle.

Here are a few snaps of a test roast and the new dial- in the first image the dial is in preheat mode- you can't see in the still image but the lights swirl around. The end result is 2 x 2oo gram batches of Indian Elephant Hills AA - mixed together- these were taken well into 2nd crack. Looking pretty good

Several points to remember: allow the machine to cool for at least 5 minutes between roasts before roasting again. Do not use more than 200 grams of beans. Try to avoid very small and/or broken beans. Very small or broken beans can catch on the agitators- or in the chaff vents in the roast pot and this can cause the machine to stop. This is only an issue with the very smallest and most uneven beans. You can still roast them but the machine may not run as smoothly.

I have done 15 roasts so far and the machine is working very well and the machine is solid. There have been no issues. I am touching a huge piece of wood right now... an oak beam... I think that the issues experienced by some roasters will be a thing of the past with this new model.

Once again huge apologies for the long delays in getting this shipment in.

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

The machine now comes with a dial that goes up to 12 instead of 9 and also an LED timer display.

Sounds like it's been designed by Spinal Tap!

Good stuff, Jack.

[Mariner]

Sounds like it's been designed by Spinal Tap!

Good stuff, Jack.

No, not ten - eleven.

Can't wait to get my hands on this. Hopefully produces the same high standard (minus reliability issues) of the old model.

[soviet]

I have one of the first models that cut out. The all the way to the left at start worked for a few months though nowadays not so much. Love hate relationship with the thing but dam it does do a good roast. For cold days I have found that an oven over the glass helps keep the heat in and keeps roasting times consistent. Under 15 minutes for me is perfect though I am a one crack fan, love the lighter roast for single origin shots and aeropress.

[argus]

A glimmer of hope for those who like me were not entitled to a replacement because our units were already out of warranty and are just about ready to throw the i-Coffee out of the nearest window. My roast times had blown out to 25+ minutes for 250g and I would get multiple stoppages during the roast despite turning the dial all the way back to the left when the unit is started or restarted so roasting had become a somewhat unpleasant chore.
This morning I noticed there was slight build-up of what looked like white dust on the outside of the holes on the 4 upper plastic vents on the sides of the unit. I popped them out with a knife to clean them and was shocked to find the holes in the vents were totally blocked on the inside by fibres that appear to have come from the insulating material used around the pot.
I went ahead and ran a roast with all 8 vents removed and roast time came down to 19 minutes for 250g to 220°C bean temperature (I fitted a probe in the side of the unit some time back). This was repeated for the next 2 roasts. On the final roast I re-installed the bottom 4 vents and found it extended roast time by 30 seconds. This also seems to have cured the multiple mid roast stoppages I was getting. Note however that this does not fix the fundamental stopping problem, I tried running without turning the dial back to the left and it did still stop mid roast, but when I do turn it back to the left I no longer had any midroast stoppages during the 4 roasts this morning.
Of course ymmv and you remove the vents at your own risk since doing so opens up the possibility of severe burns, electrocution and or death since there is now nothing stopping you sticking a finger into the operating unit. I ran out of time this morning but I will probably make up some replacement guards out of a course mesh so they can’t block up but prevents stray fingers from going where they shouldn’t.

[jaybee]

I have a brand new ICoffee (Thanks Jack) rolling at first crack beside me and its working like a superstar. I'm profiling it as I type and things are looking fantastic....

Ok, a few mins later and I have another classic ICoffee roast, 20 mins to second crack onset (230 C) and 200g of Peruvain. I've included the profile to enjoy!

One other thing of note, there is now a user adjustable temperature setting on the front of the machine. It's discrete, as there is no need to play with it at all, but for those who love to experiment...

[malliemcg]

I've been playing about with one of the new ones and it's all going well (barring a solenoid in my coffee machine going pop meaning extractions not working so good) - so I've thrown though around 10-12 roasts of between 150 and 200gm. The first few roasts seemed to be a little more temperamental than later roasts, regardless of bean type, after about roast #6, everything seems to have bedded in nicely.
I will say (and jack has said this) the smaller beans do seem to be more problematic and copping the odd stop is something I think I can live with. I have also noticed that roasting at night during winter (4-8C) is not something I'd recommend - in winter do it during the days when it's 15+C ambient temps just for keeping the roast times decent.

The result in the cup is jolly good, I'm just getting my profiles and blends back on track but overall I'd say this one is a little more difficult to master than the original one (due to the auto stop kicking in with little beans) but overall, still a capable and competent roaster!

[Mariner]

Wow, good to see the new machines rolling out, big thanks to Jack from here too!! He has exemplified great customer service and graciousness with regards to all the issues.

My new roaster is at home waiting for my return from sea.

To JayBee - you started me on this little machine some time ago....good advice. Do you have any instructions how to install temp probes? I know you mentioned it before on this post somewhere.....

Regards,
Frank.

[Barry O'Speedwagon]

Frank,
I had no problem actually using the bead-type thermocouple in the i-coffee and just closing the lid on it. I bought a few spares, but I must have done 40-50 roasts with the original one and it still works. Not too hard to line it up with the bean mass. Not sure if the specs of the new version have changed, but I had no problem with just dangling a bead in the bean mass..you can just bend the wire a little immediately above the bead to ensure that it stays in the bean mass, rather than on the surface of the roasting vessel. I did buy the probe thermocouple too, but never bothered installing it (and voiding warranty).
Cheers
BOSW