Loring -vs- US Roasters 'Revelation'

[Breifne]

I'm wondering if anyone here has tried out both these roasters and could give somewhat of a side-by-side comparison. They seem to have a similar basic idea (eco-friendly, super-efficient, etc.). To me (just on researching them), the Loring looks a bit more "polished" and high-end. You pay for that, of course.

Anyone?

 

[CoffeeJunky]

Loring seem to be targeting real high end users but I can't justify the cost it comes with. I never use Loring so I can't really give you definitive comparison but for the prices they are asking, I would look at other american made roasters like Probat or Diedrich.

 

[Breifne]

Loring seem to be targeting real high end users but I can't justify the cost it comes with. I never use Loring so I can't really give you definitive comparison but for the prices they are asking, I would look at other american made roasters like Probat or Diedrich.

Yes, the price tag is certainly a bit shocking. I can tell it's a fine piece of machinery, but still ... serious money.

I'm really liking what I'm seeing from the US Roasters Revelation, though. Comparable efficiency to the Loring, but far less money. Maybe not quite as many "bells & whistles" or shiny parts as the Loring, but you're still looking at a lot of savings in fuel costs.

 

[ellatas]

Both these roasters are recirculating which creates a higher risk of explosions within the roaster if the CO content becomes too high. This should not occur, but is a risk. Also, I have heard reports of roasters needing to short batch on a Loring in order to achieve a roast time (similar to comments on Diedrich on earlier threads).

 

[RONKLEIST]

No one wants to invest money into an afterburner; it does nothing to improve the performance of your roaster and dramatically increases your fuel bill. There are now safe, inexpensive alternatives to afterburners for remediation of smoke and odor, which also improve the performance of the roaster itself.

 

[topher]

I will write about my experience on the revelation after I have spoken to the manufacturer. I played on one a little bit a couple of weeks ago. I just want to understand the controls a little better before I give my thoughts. The one I used was BIG. Only a 70 kilo but massive compared to my 60 kilo Ambex.

 

[almico]

I will write about my experience on the revelation after I have spoken to the manufacturer. I played on one a little bit a couple of weeks ago. I just want to understand the controls a little better before I give my thoughts. The one I used was BIG. Only a 70 kilo but massive compared to my 60 kilo Ambex.
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Interested on your thoughts, Topher. I am in the market for a 5-7kg roaster right now. The new Loring Nighthawk is sweet, but at $49K + shipping, + install, + $3K venting kit, it's about a $60K price tag for a 7kg roaster. Ouch.

I was also looking at the Revelation. $45K-ish and similar roasting method and energy savings. The software looks interesting in that it can learn and repeat saved profiles.

Then I was looking at the Coffee-Tech Silon SR7. Very different roaster, but the IR heat and perforated drum can produce some very nice coffee. $26K + $14K for the commercial air scrubber, Avirnaki.

I have a couple of locations where I can install this roaster; unfortunately, height is an issue in both. I think the Loring and Revelation might be too tall.

 

[RONKLEIST]

Last month I presented a lecture during World of Coffee in Amsterdam on the 6 current methods for dealing with chaff, dust, smoke and odor. The lecture included diagrams of the air path on the Revelation and the Loring; both recirculate the air in the roaster and destroy the smoke and odor "insitu".

Revelation utilizes a catalytic element on the outlet side of a chaff cyclone to incinerate smoke and odor. Loring uses a single power burner in the center of their chaff cyclone to provide a single source of heat for roasting and incineration of smoke and odor. I am not certain of the air inside the Revelation, but because the only air entering the Loring comes via that one burner, the air is quickly depleted of oxygen and becomes rich in products of combustion. Both reduce/eliminate smoke and odor from the roast exhaust, but their prices are much higher than conventional roasters of comparable quality.

Conventional roasters have several alternatives for controlling smoke and odor, starting with afterburners; effective, but at a terrible cost in fuel and to the environment. Electrostatic filters also can be used, but the caveat is they get dirty fast and need frequent cleaning, and they need additional filtration to treat the odor. VortX offers an "EcoFilter" that fits any roaster and has proven effective at removing chaff, dust, smoke and odor; it is self-cleaning and operates for less than $0.20/hour.