Pros and cons on US Roaster 5 kilo total electric roaster

[Mcintosh34]

Has anyone used the US Roaster all electric 5 kilo roaster. How does it compare to a gas fired unit in quality, efficency and ease of use and maintainence. Thanks

 

[chast]

can't beat the gas model. Have two of them. His electric model is well built and accurate but if you can go gas you are better off. Same quality is built into the gas fired and electric. Dan is a great guy and has great customer service

 

[Musicphan]

Is there a reason you are looking at electric vs. gas? Typically you have better heat control with gas due to quicker response time. I'm personally looking at the 5K gas... And I 2nd chast's comment... I visited Dan and his operation in OKC a few weeks ago. Solid hard working Americans building a pretty great roaster.

 

[eldub]

Do you do any cooking? If so, you probably already know the difference between gas and electric technology. If not, you Ned to know that gas is considered to be more responsive than electric. And you don't send many professional chefs cooking on electric ranges for that reason.

 

[BeanGuru]

Live by the flame, die by the flame...

Do you do any cooking? If so, you probably already know the difference between gas and electric technology. If not, you Ned to know that gas is considered to be more responsive than electric. And you don't send many professional chefs cooking on electric ranges for that reason.

I have to take issue with your reference, Chef's do prefer gas, Bakers on the other hand choose electric.

Rapid temperature changes in roasting is detrimental, even if to correct your profile mid-roast. The battle to control your roast curve is won from consistency in temperature gain, not by making large adjustments. Sound roasting fundamentals are controlled and predictable temperature gains.

Gas is great, it's powerful and responsive, but it is too easy to put too much energy into the roast and destroy it. Especially if you're not a seasoned roaster and you're bringing other variables into play, like airflow, drum speed, gas pressure. Introducing additional variable risk certainly will derail your predictability.

This said, I don't think neither gas nor electric in theory have an advantage over the other when you roast with this model. With that said, Electric produces a cleaner roast with less add-ons. I'd love to see a capable electric roaster built, preferably a true infrared model not driven by gas, but electricity.

I've roasted on a Probat, Ambex and a San Francisco, they all have their attributes and I enjoy roasting on all of them. I'm currently looking into the Diedrich IR-5 or a Renegade 5 Kg for my next roaster, unless of course, anyone knows of a 1920's Probat for sale?

BeanGuru
Bringing Insight to the Coffee Roasting Community Since 2008

 

[Musicphan]

I would think energy costs on an electric roaster would be higher than gas as well? Anyone have comparison experience?

 

[chast]

Depends if you are talking NG or propane. propane is really expensive here. Gas you need a plumber and venting and permits. Electric not as much. If it costs you 5K for installation then electric would be cheaper. You can develop a great roast with the electric once you get the feel of the roaster. I prefer gas but would not hesitate to get US Roaster's electric version if that was my only choice

 

[BeanGuru]

I would think energy costs on an electric roaster would be higher than gas as well? Anyone have comparison experience?

Unless you're running a wind or solar farm, electric will almost always be more expensive in the US. But without doing calculations, it would be hard to imagine it would make much difference in your bottom line. Even if the difference was +20%, what would that be in terms of cost per unit of coffee - and couldn't you charge for that as a premium for an electric roast? Similar to using USDA Organic beans and being Organic certified, you can and should charge a premium for that as well.

BeanGuru
Bringing Key Insight to the Coffee Roasting Community Since 2008

 

[eldub]

I try and answer the concerns below at the end of each paragraph. However, the system wouldn't let me post in that manner without adding at least 10 characters on the beginning or end.

I have to take issue with your reference, Chef's do prefer gas, Bakers on the other hand choose electric.

…………………….Why take issue? You say yourself above that chef's prefer gas. And we're not baking beans, we're roasting them.

Rapid temperature changes in roasting is detrimental, even if to correct your profile mid-roast. The battle to control your roast curve is won from consistency in temperature gain, not by making large adjustments. Sound roasting fundamentals are controlled and predictable temperature gains.

………………………. Not sure what this has to do with the topic at hand. We have no problem maintaining and controlling temp gains on our gas roaster.

Gas is great, it's powerful and responsive, but it is too easy to put too much energy into the roast and destroy it. Especially if you're not a seasoned roaster and you're bringing other variables into play, like airflow, drum speed, gas pressure. Introducing additional variable risk certainly will derail your predictability.

……………………. I've never destroyed a roast with our USRC 12 kg machine. It was easy to learn on.

This said, I don't think neither gas nor electric in theory have an advantage over the other when you roast with this model. With that said, Electric produces a cleaner roast with less add-ons. I'd love to see a capable electric roaster built, preferably a true infrared model not driven by gas, but electricity.

I've roasted on a Probat, Ambex and a San Francisco, they all have their attributes and I enjoy roasting on all of them. I'm currently looking into the Diedrich IR-5 or a Renegade 5 Kg for my next roaster, unless of course, anyone knows of a 1920's Probat for sale?

BeanGuru
Bringing Insight to the Coffee Roasting Community Since 2008

 

[Mcintosh34]

Thanks for all your input. From what I have gathered here and from Dan U.S. Roasters, the elecric unit will do the job well, the cost to run it over gas is higher, and it might not be the best overall choice. Once again thanks for your input.