what's a good personal roaster.

[blackjava]

What would you recommend as a good roaster that would roast in minimum 1/2 pound batches for personal use?

Does any one honestly believe you can get good roast coffee from a microwave? How about a pop corn popper?

 

[topher]

no I do not think you can get good coffee out of the micro wave or pop corn popper.... check out www.ambexroasters.com they have a 2 kilo roaster that rocks...I was able to roast down to about 3 oz batches on it....

 

[blackjava]

The YM-2 is a nice roaster although its not designed for the home use.
I didn't see a price on it.

 

[topher]

sorry thought you wanted a commercial roaster for your house....I will have one someday. They run around $5,000.

 

[La Crema Coffee]

My opinion is get :http://www.diedrichroasters.com/sample.html

The for mentioned in other posts is not my first choice. Although probably less $$ I didn't like the way the YM-2's drum dump handle was balanced to make it easy to slam the " door" on the drums axle protrusion. ( I checked it out at coffee fest) I have to admit that maybe you are more gentle while getting the bean out of the drum, but I like to dump the bean ASAP! This is only my opinion and feedback.

 

[topher]

too each their own...I like that the ambex is easy to clean...and maintain...that I can roast down to 3 oz. on a 2 kilo roaster...control of the roast is great....buy what you want....but I would go with the Ambex.

 

[La Crema Coffee]

Terry from AMBEX is real nice and a VET, I'm a Vet too, to each thier own is a good way to put it. I told both AMBEX and Diedrich that I thought Geography had alot to do with the sales of thier product. Price is another, and I wouldn't complain if anyone bought from either. I expect that opionions are derived form experiance...and since I've never roasted with a Ambex I really can't say anything about the roasting.....just the initial impression. Hell, how can I not like AMBEX? THEY Provided the beer at coffeefest

 

[topher]

I haven't used a Diedrich in about 13 years...I will say this...The Ambex is much more user friendly that the Probat I used a couple of years ago! We just bought a 120 kilo, 10 kilo and 2 kilo from Toper....oh well roaster is calling.

 

[BeanGrinder]

I have three different roasters, and I'd pick Ambex. But we're off topic here...for home roasting I'd steer clear of popcorn poppers and trying to roast in a microwave oven. That just won't do.

The best of the home roasters typically does enough for one pot of coffee (I-roast or Zach & Dani, for example). Consider alternatives...

You might look at the spit-mounted roaster attachment for your backyard grill. It's a drum roaster of sorts and uses the heat from a gas grill. The only problem I see with that is when your Kenya tastes like beef or chicken - be sure to use a clean grill. If you're that dedicated to home roasting, dedicate a gas grill to the task and never use it for burgers & dogs.

Or, you could go with one of the modified "set it & forget it" ovens. I've seen them on eBay. AeroRoast, Micro TostaCaffe, and JavaPro-CRC are in that class. Expect to pay a few hundred.

I have not tried these products and do not endorse them. I can only tell you what some of my customers have tried, most end up buying my roasted coffee in the end. (Hey, I have great coffee, can't blame them!)

By the way, none of these would work as a "get rich quick" to start a coffee shop. These are only good for home entertainment and the quality of the end product is not what you'd call professional. But it's fun and you learn a lot about coffee.

-"BG"

 

[blackjava]

This is one I've been looking at
Swissmar ALPENRöST Home Coffee Roaster – 220 volts at $400

15 different roast settings
Roasts from 2 to 8 ounces of beans at one time

Does any one know this brand?

Some thing I don't understand is why you can pay $500 to $600 for a small
home roaster and the next price range is commercial from $6000 and up.
Does no one make something in between?

 

[topher]

not sure if that is the same roaster that I saw at a show...call and make sure you do not need to replace a filter often....cuz if its the one I saw you had to change a filter every 5 batches or so...the filters where around $20 american...and they are the only company to sell this filter...like I said don't quote me on that but it is worth looking into.

 

[blackjava]

Thanks for that info.
I looked at their specifications and there is no mention of a filter. These
are all they say need to be maintained.

Take off all four (4) removable parts:

Drum
Bean Cup
Chaff Tray
Multidirectional Vent

So pardoning my ignorance, where would the filter be?

 

[topher]

sorry it was actually HotTop Electric Drum Coffee Roasters...they have a filter that needs to be changed every 20 batches...so it wasn't alpen...i have seen them at shows....even though I am not a big hot air roaster fan this is a cool little toy! :wink: I am going wait and put a 2 kilo or if I can find an old Jabez burns sample roaster at a good price....oh well keep us informed if you decide to pick up the alpen....

 

[BeanGrinder]

One more thing to research -- there have been some posts on the Internet about the tendency for the AlpenRoast to catch on fire. I'm not sure if is a problem with chaff collection or something else. Nevertheless, I'd encourage you to look into that.

-BG

 

[MichaelZ]

Personal Coffee Roaster


I first purchased the SwissMar Alpenroast when I decided to try coffee roasting at home. I was never able to get the Alpenroast to get a batch of beans to first crack regardless of the setting. Before returning it I sent them an e-mail but never received a reply, so back it went. I have since purchased a iRoast II and have been nothing but impressed at the quality of coffee it has produced. It can roast about 150 grams of bean which lasts from 2 - 4 pots of coffee depending on how bold a taste I want. It is also completely programmable allowing custom roasting profiles which are not lost when you unplug the roaster. I prefer the slightly lower initial temperature which produces a very nice roast regardless of whether I am roasting light, medium or dark beans.

My next purchase will most likely be a Hottop drum roaster, but that probably say's more about my purchasing habits rather than anything negative about the iRoast II. I love the machine.