1 - 2 kg Coffee Roaster

[grigden]

Hi all,
I am so sorry I have not replied- that is so rude.
I have been distracted by non coffee related issues.
Thanks so much for all that info.
I am not looking to spend the big $$. -
Perhaps the Coretto option looks good.
I am getting back into researching and now have plenty to go with.

My apologies to all again for posting and running.

Thanks

Glynn

[JKM]

Hi Glynn, if your still there...

What are the 1-2kg options?

Probatino gas 1kg $20K
Torrefattore 2.4kg $16K
Solar electric 2kg $13K
H/G electric/gas 1kg $7.7K
H/G 2kg $14K
Proaster electric/gas 1.5kg $13K
TJ-067 electric 1kg $4.9K
Toper 1kg $?
Diedrich $?

I missed a few out but generally over 1kg is commercial. Do your homework, get your advice from the experienced and have fun learning to roast.

[DesigningByCoffee]

G'Day Chris,

Perhaps I got the wrong end of the stick, I got the impression the OP was looking for a home roaster, what I meant was the Coretto is not a compromise when compared to other home roasters available.

As far as airflow is concerned IMO one of the mistakes a lot of Coretto users make is using a H/G without variable blower speed, very important.

Not suggesting a bank of em in a commercial situation.

Fully concur Yelta

While I will freely admit upfront that i have no commercial roasting experience (as much as I'd love to!) I do believe the humble corretto, for repeatability and tweakability, has many benefits in the home roasting (i.e. under 2-3 kg a week) world.

With a bit of practice, you can develop a new profile from scratch, or repeat any given profile, independent of frustrating elements such as ambient temperatures or varying batch sizes. And to be able to precisely tweak different zones in a roast from also gives you huge scope for making the most out of each origin. Batch sizes of 750g are possible, and back to back roasts are very doable. I can roast 2kg or so in just over an hour if need be.

I agree with Chris that a commercial roaster is really the only way to go when roasting becomes a commercial scale venture - which is kind of the tricky spot I'm in now (oh for that HG 5kg! . I'll have to make do with a couple of correttos for the time being! But the benefits mentioned for the commercial roasters are also available on a good corretto setup (temp variability, adj airflow etc).

If the OP simply wanted to simply roast 1-2kg coffee a week (hence asking about a 1-2kg roaster) - then $15-20k is a big jump! But multiple roasts on a a well setup home roaster will do a great job. From what I have found - the results from the ole corretto are certainly not a step backwards in flavour (this conclusion is drawn from experience - in the cup ) and are a great learning tool.

The results certainly won't be identical to a commercial roaster - roast dynamics are simply too complicated for that, but they can be amazing in a different kind of way

And like the whole coffee process - in the end it's the nut behind the p/f (or the roaster!) that allows the magic to happen!

Now about that HG5 Chris…


Matt

[TC]

G'Day Chris,

Perhaps I got the wrong end of the stick, I got the impression the OP was looking for a home roaster, what I meant was the Coretto is not a compromise when compared to other home roasters available.

As far as airflow is concerned IMO one of the mistakes a lot of Coretto users make is using a H/G without variable blower speed, very important.

Not suggesting a bank of em in a commercial situation.

Who knows Jon,

I guess it wasn't that important to get answers to the question. I took it as a business related question but could easily be wrong as well. We weren't provided with much to go with- hence my initial reply.

The phone often rings with people who would like to make a business venture out of a 2kg roaster- so who knows? My advice in this situation is that the numbers are very difficult to make work if it's a one string bow and someone's walking away from their source of income.

Congrats on the 3k posts. Well done!

Chris

[DesigningByCoffee]

Too true BXP
We all benefit

And likewise - congrats Yelta - quite a milestone!
Matt

[bxp]

Sort of puts you off bothering to reply to these types of posts, when there is no feedback.

Grahamk

Don't be discouraged, just because the OP is gone plenty of registered and unregistered people will be reading this. I appreciate the insights of everyone here from pros to nespressos.

[Yelta]

Thanks Guys.

[chokkidog]

Congratulations Yelta! Always enjoy your posts and contributions to the discussion. 'Without fear or favour'!!

[sidewayss]

Well done Jon.

[Yelta]

Ha, just noticed 3000 posts, nice round figure, happy dance.

[Yelta]

Sorry Jon- I have to disagree.

Whilst home roasters produce very good results, they are not commercial roasters and the key differences are fine temperature control and even moreso, control of airflow. These help contribute to beautiful even roasts.

I can roast on Behmor, Gene or on the commercial roaster. Whilst I can get close, it is impossible to replicate my commercial profile and result in the cup.

My opinion? If the (absent?) OP is considering a commercial venture as distinct from a hobby that some mates might contribute financially to, it needs to happen with commercial machinery for quality and consistency. It's why I don't just use 10 domestic roasters.

G'Day Chris,

Perhaps I got the wrong end of the stick, I got the impression the OP was looking for a home roaster, what I meant was the Coretto is not a compromise when compared to other home roasters available.

As far as airflow is concerned IMO one of the mistakes a lot of Coretto users make is using a H/G without variable blower speed, very important.

Not suggesting a bank of em in a commercial situation.

[TC]

Don't be fooled into thinking they are a compromise, far from it...

Sorry Jon- I have to disagree.

Whilst home roasters produce very good results, they are not commercial roasters and the key differences are fine temperature control and even moreso, control of airflow. These help contribute to beautiful even roasts.

I can roast on Behmor, Gene or on the commercial roaster. Whilst I can get close, it is impossible to replicate my commercial profile and result in the cup.

My opinion? If the (absent?) OP is considering a commercial venture as distinct from a hobby that some mates might contribute financially to, it needs to happen with commercial machinery for quality and consistency. It's why I don't just use 10 domestic roasters.

[GrahamK]

However, I get the feeling we might be talking amongst ourselves here.

Reckon so. They enquired about the Coffee Tech that was for sale, but not returned to this post. Sort of puts you off bothering to reply to these types of posts, when there is no feedback.

Grahamk

[fatboy_1999]

I have a 4lb drum from a US maker that can do 2kg of green without issue.
I roast on an enclosed gas BBQ with a rotisserie.
I normally do ~1.8kg as it produces ~1.5kg roasted.
However, I get the feeling we might be talking amongst ourselves here. :-)

Brett.

[Yelta]

Hi Grigden
A well setup corretto can do 700-750g roasts comfortably. Even buying brand new components, you can build them for under $300- I'm currently building two new identical corretto's so I can roast 1.4kg batches
Cheers Matt

I agree with Matt.

A well set up Coretto will roast 750 gram batches without any problems.

If you already have some of the components i.e. old bread maker or good quality heat gun it can be done quite inexpensively.

Don't be fooled into thinking they are a compromise, far from it, a Coretto will produce high quality roasted beans, is cheap to set up, not complicated, very reliable and will not wear out or break down, I've been roasting 700 + grams in mine weekly for the past 5 years.

• The major items you would need are.
• A new or SH bread maker
• Heat gun,with variable heat and fan speed.
• DMM to monitor temp, available on Bean Bay
• A bean cooler, cheap and easy to make, plenty of info available on this forum.

If you want to have a play to get an idea of the process, you can get by with a heat gun, an old mixing bowl and a wooden spoon, probably not a bad way to start, gives you a real insight as to what your trying to achieve.