Hi,

have been thinking about, and reading about a possible roaster upgrade for awhile. Have not found a definite one-is-better consensus, and specifically want to know which roaster will be better for a small NYC apartment.

The behmor has been nice, but very limited in terms of control. I want to have more control and use artisan, which I believe both of these can do well. I was pretty much just thinking of the hottop, but for only $250 or so more, the quest is also an option.

I'm mainly concerned about the amount of smoke (I can roast near my stove and open my kitchen window) and if roasting in my kitchen is really an option with either. I use the behmor in my kitchen and that's ok.

The huky also came into view, but not sure how the gas powered thing works...also lots of extra parts to buy? That is kind of an outlier...I could possibly be convinced, but only if it could work within the limitations of space.

Also, in general....what kind of improvement (or decline in quality, since the behmor does everything for you) can I expect? Have done a fair bit of searching, here and elsewhere, so hope this Q is not too redundant.

I did the Behmor to Quest move. I don't notice any increase in smoke. If anything, there is a little less. The Quest is a joy to use and definitely will give you more control, but there is a learning curve.
Bob

Depending on your desire to track/control the roasts with a computer, the HT also has the option of adding the HTC+TC4C controller/going arduino/etc, and then using RoastLogger or Artisan. Very possible Quest has the same options but I'm only familiar with the HotTop.

Quest or Huky... If you want gas then Huky.. If you want electric then quest.. I had Behmor and then Hottop and now Huky.. Wish I would have skipped Hottop stage... Don't be intimidated by the Huky and the ordering process..its quite easy and the stock stove works great.

Small NYC appartment means the Huky is probably not as good a choice. I have a Behmor, Hottop and now Huky but can't comment on Quest. I really don't see much smoke difference. The best way to reduce smoke is learn to enjoy coffee that doesn't go into second crack. That's when the smoke really goes ballistic. I feel that "balanced" coffee tends to not go into second crack at all. Many of the long time members here probably agree.

You really want probes and data logging, it will totally open your eyes to what's going on during the roast. You will be able to micro adjust roast curves to really make much better tasting coffee. You can try all sorts of roast concepts, reading about them here, and see how the taste changes. Even just stopping the roast at a precise point is very helpful and has a huge impact on the taste. Artisan is not the only game in town. I have an iPad and really like Roatmaster. It auto data logs to a BluTherm digital bluetooth thermometer, but BluTherm is limited to 2 probe inputs. There are other hardware options for PC than include more probes. I've used this setup with Hottop and Huky both. Both apps are a bit tough to learn initially.

Huky: Plus: probes are pre-installed. Can roast double the load as Hottop. (Hottop is really limited to 230g loads IMHO, roasts too slow with larger loads) So you roast half as often. Has more controls than the Hottop, Gas, shutter, strong fan. No electronics and beeping, kind of simple in concept. Minus: Larger footpring with all the parts. You "might" be able to use your kitchen gas stove if that's what you have. Would need investigation, I think Huky needs a strong gas stove. Or you would have to get a small propane tank. (is this forbidden in an appartment?) Could extend the Huky exhaust vent right up to the stove fan area using some flexible 3" hose, or out the windows as some have done. The main unit is a hair smaller than a Hottop, but with exhaust pipe, fan, trays, it needs more space to operate and store. So think of pulling the main unit out of the closet along with a propane tank, it's included stove (unless you have a gas stove that works) exhaust tubing, a fan or two, a tray and funnel or two and assembling it. The Huky has a few issues. Not horrible, but beans can fall between the drum and front plate into the flame below, about a dozen beans get trapped in the exhaust pipe and are taken out later, not to be mixed with the roasted beans because they are under roasted. Some have had chaff clogs in the exhaust. Some have had drum rubbing against housing.

Hottop: Don't get the P model you want full manual control. Plus: A highly regarded roaster. Probably better suited to an appartment versus Huky. Fully self contained, (probably like the Quest). Has it's cooling tray integrated, does great quality smooth even roasts. A ton of info on the web including parts, how to's etc. Minus: Fan doesn't do much, electric is slow to react. A bit of a job to add probes. I did two probes through the bean chute. Also lots of loud beeping from this unit. It beeps when it thinks you should load the beans, it beeps if the rate of heat rise is too fast (safety??) It beeps when it thinks you should end the roast, it beeps when it's done cooling the beans. Some of these beeps require you to hit a key to acknowledge or it will dump the beans into the try for you. (not fun) So I got tired of the beeps. You may be able to turn it off somehow. Also my motherboard fried. Probably a rare thing.

Quest: Someone needs to compare this to the Hottop. I hear very good things about it as well.

Jason like you I am going through a similar thought process and researching roasters.

My take is that a Huky isn't in the cards for you for reasons of size and practicality. However, be aware there has been a good deal of discussion detailing the pros and cons of the Huky and Quest with one of the more recent threads being Huky 500 or Quest M3 Redux.

Between the Hottop and the Quest my reading of the views here is that the Quest has a greater draw to those really wanting to profile their roasts. I am not sure if there have been any recent improvements in the Quest design (I know there were some changes in May 2013) but others here may be able to comment on any changes to either the Quest or Hottop. Good luck.

reading up on this a bit more, and surprised that I missed the coffee shrub description nugget that says the ideal roast size is 120g or 4oz...max is 200g or ca 7oz. What kind of batch sizes do you typically do?

Also it says the best way to use the roaster is sessions of several hours, so you don't heat/cool/heat/cool the drum over and over. That would actually be better for me...roast a lot every couple of weeks or so.

I was surprised by the small batch size, I must say. 10oz is a typical size in my behmor for me.

I have a Quest and roast usually 150-180g. It has been a bit of a step down in roast size from my HG/BM, where I used to roast ~250g. But in the end, I usually roast a couple of times back to back. I also tend to drink a bit more coffee now, which may be related to some roast quality increase...so combined with the small batch size, I would say that it's not always the most easy for me. If I could roast 2-4x as much, I probably would, just because of convenience.

Other than the batch size being a tad small for my liking, the Quest performs very well in all other regards, and I'm more than impressed with it's quality both in build and in the cup.

Now knowing the above, I'm not sure if I would get a Huky instead as I do like the versatility of electric to roast indoors on my stovetop under the hood during the winter time. Maybe a Huky can be set up for the same thing, but mostly I've seen propane or other gas burners on them that I probably wouldn't use indoors.