US Roasters / Who else?

[Musicphan]

Hello all...

I'm currently evaluating different roasting equipment companies. I'm looking at a 5K or 12K roaster - most likely the 5K due to budget/start up costs. I'm looking primarily at US based equipment providers - so far I've talked with US Roaster, Diedrich, Giesen (not US based) and San Franciscan. I'm still waiting to hear back from Probat... and I've given up on talking to anyone with Ambex (3 attemps and your out..).

So that being said - am I missing any other US based manf roasters that should be considered? Any others I should consider in general? parts / service is very important to me.

So far US Roaster is the clear favorite... is anyone roasting on one? General thoughts / feedback - pro's & con's? I'm particulary curios about the profiler feature.. obviously a decent jump in cost for this feature. I'm not looking to put things on autopilot and have the profiler roast for me. I'm really looking for insight / data to help me improve roast quality.

Any feeback is appreciated..

Thanks - Mike

 

[smksignals]

Primo Roasting Equipment - World Class Coffee Roasters for the World's Best Roastmasters

Based in So Cal.

 

[slurp]

Ambex makes a great machine

 

[chast]

I have 2 US Roasters and their service is great. San Fran is another great roaster with great customer service. Ambex has been selling their roasters pretty cheap on ebay

 

[Musicphan]

Thanks Smksingles - I'll give Primo a look.

Chast - are you running with the Profiler? Like it?

Many years ago I had a great convo with Terry...but I've tried reaching the company 3-4 times in the last month. I'm concerned if I can't reach them now, what happens if I have a problem.

 

[Hankua]

There's a new import from Taiwan called the FeimaPro, not sure if your interested. One of the principals of the co. is a well know roaster who is extremely knowledgable about the craft. His English is outstanding and I'm sure training is available. I'm supposed to stop by the showroom, but that's not definite.

Import is import, no gettin around that. When price/quality is an issue, imports get consideration. Otherwise if the import has some feature you like, that's another reason.

 

[Musicphan]

Hankua - let me know how your showroom experience is like.

 

[slurp]

I have a Roaster Dynamics which is out of business. If I was looking at a new roaster it would be a US Roaster.

 

[chast]

no profiling systems on either roaster.

 

[cdc]

Hi Mike,
I've been roasting on the Artisan 6 for several months now and so far have found it to be a workhorse. I think to say that it is not heavy duty isn't quite right. It is simple, very few moving parts, but I've roasted several hundred pounds with it now and aside from various nuances of the machine that I've had to get used to I've had zero problems. I can't compare it to a drum roaster because I've never used one but I've used other fluid bed roasters since the late nineties and I find this one to be as good or better than any I've used including Sonofresco and Sivitz.
I like that the beans roast right there in front of me, it is very seat-of-the-pants roasting. I can see, hear and smell them as they progress and along with using the bean probe thermometer I can get very consistent batches roast after roast. I can roast anything from 6oz to 6 pounds which gives me a lot of flexibility for my small roasting company. I went to the Coffee Crafters factory in Liberty Lake WA to pick up my roaster and in talking with Ken I was impressed with his passion for his product and his interest in making the machine even better in future versions. The roaster components all fit nicely in the back of my pickup and it was very easy to unload and get set up. Communications with the company have been answered promptly.
I am in no way connected with the company but I've been very happy with their roaster and I think they deserve consideration. If I were looking at a drum roaster I would choose US Roasters as I've had conversations with them when I was looking and I found them to be informative and helpful and my research found their machines to be pretty bomb proof.
Best of luck in your search, there's a lot to learn.
Chris

 

[Musicphan]

Thanks Chris... I'm primarily looking at drum roasters, I should have said that in the beginning. Glad to see another US made product! So far USRC is leading the pack...

 

[wwcove]

Chris;
thanks for sharing! I have been very interested in this unit but have had some concerns about the size, looks & durability. Another concern I have had is how well fluid roast coffee is accepted by your customers. I have roasted both ways and have a couple small home roasters both fluid & drum and I must say I have more fun roasting with fluid. If you have any more details to share please see my thread on fluid roasters & the Artisan 6 as I am trying to get as many users to share their views there. Oh by the way: where do you have your roaster set up? Can it work in a garage or basement??? Thanks!

 

[Hankua]

Mike
made it to one showroom and spent three hours one to one with the sales director, another one Friday. Awesome machines, great prices, tons of flexibility, but and this is big for commercial install; no compliance tags or auto gas shut off. The safety gas valve is really not a big deal to install, their main sales area is Far East where it's not a requirement. You can read all the details with photos on my blog in a few weeks, hopefully. Shoot me an email if you have specific questions.
Hank

 

[Musicphan]

@ Hankua ... Great... look forward to reading the blog (can you post a link please)

 

[Hankua]

Sure, but there's nothing on it yet concerning the Taiwan roasters. They have a 1K machine that has more unique features than most anything on the market. Are you looking for a 4K or larger, cause I didn't ask prices on them. Most hobbyists stop at the 1K size, although I did take a look at the EVO-IV, which lights up like a Xmas tree with all the pid's. Funny it's got a pid for the cooling tray "you don't have to touch the beans with you hands" Yeah right-ha ha.

I'm a hobbyist not a pro so my perspective is different. The machine that has more unique control features interests me, not the reliable work horse for banging out tons of coffee.

hankua.wordpress.com