Home Roaster Suggestions

[KarlSchneider]

My current Hottop is on its last legs. I have been happy with the results of weekly roasting in it since 2002. The simple solution is to replace it with a new one. However i wonder if there are roasters who would recommend sample roasters made by Probat, Diedrichs, or Has Garanti or others. Given my limited free time and skills I am not particularly interested in building a roaster from parts as some are.

I guess the simple question is why spend 3x - 5x for a high end roaster? I can see the issue of durability since my current Hottop lasted 3 years and a roaster costing 3x might easily last 10 years.

KS

[miKe mcKoffee]

I guess the simple question is why spend 3x - 5x for a high end roaster? I can see the issue of durability since my current Hottop lasted 3 years and a roaster costing 3x might easily last 10 years.

KS

A roaster like a Dietrich or San Franciscan or US Roaster Corp or Probat might easily last your lifetime and more with proper maintenance. Beyond durability being able to control your profile comes into play.

[Ken Fox]

My current Hottop is on its last legs. I have been happy with the results of weekly roasting in it since 2002. The simple solution is to replace it with a new one. However i wonder if there are roasters who would recommend sample roasters made by Probat, Diedrichs, or Has Garanti or others. Given my limited free time and skills I am not particularly interested in building a roaster from parts as some are.

I guess the simple question is why spend 3x - 5x for a high end roaster? I can see the issue of durability since my current Hottop lasted 3 years and a roaster costing 3x might easily last 10 years.

KS

I'm several years into ownership of a 1lb probat/jebez/burns knockoff sample roaster I got from US Roaster Corp/roastersexchange.com. From what I can tell this model is no longer offered, and I had to do some pretty serious modifications before I got it to where I'm happy with both the roasting results and the roasting process. That having been said, I could never go back to one of those little "toy" home roasters.

If you buy a 1lb or 1kg roaster you have to realize that it is going to take years of use to pay for itself vs. buying high end already roasted beans. Rick "JavaMan" K. and I calculated that it would take maybe 5 or six years in my case to amortise the cost of the roaster, the mods, and the smoke hood I had custom made and installed. So, in another couple of years I'm going to consider it "paid off."

If you consider your interest in coffee to be a hobby, and if you have the financial resources, the most "honest" approach is to resign yourself to the fact that hobby expenses can't be "rationalized" or justified. You don't "need" great coffee, in fact you could give it up altogether and after a withdrawal period your body would not miss it although hopefully your aesthetic self would. So, we are talking about something that is 100% non-essential.

Given that, then you have to decide how much your time and effort are worth to you, and how much pleasure you might get from having a nice thing on which to roast coffee. If the amount of perceived pleasure exceeds the cost, and if you have the funds, then go for it; trying to justify it further than that, say with a strict dollars and cents analysis, such as "this thing costs 6x as much as that thing, is it worth it?" is really a waste of your time.

If you do go for a bigger roaster, I'd suggest one of the fully enclosed somewhat larger ones, say with a 1kg capacity. My own roaster puts out a lot of smoke, even more smoke than the smoke hood can completely evacuate, and if I could cut the batch number in half with a larger capacity (hence cutting down roasting time) I'd love it. I guess it all depends on how much you enjoy roasting. If you do get a larger roaster, unless you have a way to consume the beans quickly, you will need to embark on a freezing program. I've had very good results with that, and use previously frozen coffee in between roast sessions, which I do about every 2-3 weeks.

ken

[KarlSchneider]

Ken and Mike,

Thanks for the replies. I guess my dilemma is that I want something similar to the Hottop but more durable. For example I surely wish I had purchased my Mazzer Mini 15 years ago. I suspect the one I have will outlive me. On the other hand I have outlived more cheap grinders than I wish to count.

It sounds like the next level of roaster means at least a semi built-in arrangement. And, I am not sure I will remain where I now live. I see that Has Garanti makes a "Table Top Roaster". Has anyone seen one? I roast in an out building and the smoke is not a problem. I roast small batches weekly.

KS

[papalatte]

KS:

I've been very happy with R.K drum roaster for less than $500 I got a Drum (with commercial motor), BBQ and goodies. It's the lever of roasters. It started me in business. you can roast 1-4 pounds. I have many happy customers.
We have even roasted coco beans in it. The drum is very well made. PM me if you would like to know more......

Skip Lord (Papalatte)

[howard seth]

I noticed an interesting roaster for sale at the U-Roast-Em.com website. It seems to be is some kind of modified popcorn maker with a stirrer on a pan, with a glass cover and chaff collector - less than $200, and you can also get an optional bean cooler device to go along with it. I do not know if anyone at Home Barista has seen this set up, or used this -but it looks interesting to me. (I have burned through several Hearthware roasters(so very loud), and currently use a FreshRoast 8.

Howard

[KarlSchneider]

Some further digging suggests that the step from the Hottop to a small shop roaster is from ca. $600 to ca. $4000 If I were a business person (which I emphatically am not) I would think this is a retail opportunity gap worth exploiting. I personally have no need in increasing my roasting capacity above the three 225g batches I now do weekly. I value highly the freshness this give me. I suspect I am clearly in the Hottop user group.

KS

[RapidCoffee]

I noticed an interesting roaster for sale at the U-Roast-Em.com website. It seems to be is some kind of modified popcorn maker with a stirrer on a pan, with a glass cover and chaff collector - less than $200, and you can also get an optional bean cooler device to go along with it. I do not know if anyone at Home Barista has seen this set up, or used this -but it looks interesting to me.

This is the well-known Stir Crazy/Convection Oven (SC/CO aka SC/TO aka SC/GG) roasting combo. It consists of a Stir Crazy popcorn popper base, covered with a convection oven top. The SC serves primarily to agitate the beans, since it cannot develop enough heat on its own to roast coffee. The CO provides part (or all) of the heat for roasting. No chaff collector. The bean cooler is also inspired by home roasters: a shop vac sucks air through the beans, which sit in a colander atop a plastic bucket. Many of us have rigged these up on our own for considerably less cost.

The SC/CO is a very capable, inexpensive roasting device which handles up to 1# batches, but it's somewhat more finicky to set up and use than a drum roaster. I seriously doubt it would hold up as well as a HotTop.

[KarlSchneider]

For those who are interested I sent email today (Sunday) to Hottop. There are sending me a replacement drum which I hope will fix my problem.

This was great service. This is my second experience with Hottop Service and both have been exemplary.

KS

[papalatte]

Hot Top has all the parts and directions to repair it. IMHO It's the best machine for private use.

Skip

[swines]

I own a HotTop and the Diedrich HR-1 home roaster. There is NO comparison that can be made between the two. The Diedrich takes a lot more work (YOU have to drive the roaster for the entire roast time to get the final roast profile) - but, that's exactly what makes it so much better than the HotTop. Total control.

There is No way to rationalize the expense. However, if you like really good coffee, there is no substitute for a fully controllable roaster. The HotTop was "good" - the Diedrich is easily 10x better.

The quality of the roasted beans is far, far, far, (etc.) beyond anything that EVER came out of the HotTop. If you're really serious about roasting your own coffee, total control over the roast, and absolutely the best beans you could possibly get - then you should really look into a high-end home roaster.

Before we purchased our roaster we took the Diedrich roasting class. That alone convinced us that the cost was justified. We couldn't be happier with our decision and look forward to many, many years of using the roaster.

[KarlSchneider]

I own a HotTop and the Diedrich HR-1 home roaster. There is NO comparison that can be made between the two. The Diedrich takes a lot more work (YOU have to drive the roaster for the entire roast time to get the final roast profile) - but, that's exactly what makes it so much better than the HotTop. Total control.

There is No way to rationalize the expense. However, if you like really good coffee, there is no substitute for a fully controllable roaster. The HotTop was "good" - the Diedrich is easily 10x better.

The quality of the roasted beans is far, far, far, (etc.) beyond anything that EVER came out of the HotTop. If you're really serious about roasting your own coffee, total control over the roast, and absolutely the best beans you could possibly get - then you should really look into a high-end home roaster.

Before we purchased our roaster we took the Diedrich roasting class. That alone convinced us that the cost was justified. We couldn't be happier with our decision and look forward to many, many years of using the roaster.

swines,

On first reading I am inclined to agree with you. It seems so likely that a $4k roaster would be at least 8x better than a $500 roaster.

I was just in Boston and had the opportunity to get some Terroir Brazil and some Terroir Ethiopia beans. I assume the George H. has forgotten far more about roasting than I will ever know. But quite honestly I far prefer my own roasted beans to what I am now tasting. My preference is for darker roasts and I find both Terroir's too light. But this has nothing to do with roast quality.

So, I am inclined to think about the control you praise. But other thoughts rise. I know more than a little about fine wine. And I know that each time you double the cost of a wine you do not double the quality. In fact each step of doubling cost produces less and less of an increase in quality. The move from a $10 bottle to a $20 bottle is far greater in aesthetic value than the same doubling from $50 to $100. The same doubling in cost produces ever diminishing increases in aesthetic value.

I have no doubt your Diedrich is a beter roaster than your Hottop. Is it in fact 10x better?

KS

[k7qz]

I have no doubt your Diedrich is a beter roaster than your Hottop. Is it in fact 10x better?

I'd be interested in the answer to this question as well. I also have a HotTop but about once a month I toy with the idea of driving up to the northern realms of my state and buying a 1-1b. Diedrich roaster... Nothing wrong with the 'Top but it sure would be nice to only have to roast once a week (1 lb.) rather than two or three times a week as I do with the HotTop, given my weekly household consumption of espresso.

Note to self: Re-Read Ken's post above...

[KarlSchneider]

My current Hottop is on its last legs.
KS

Actually not true. just roasted three batches in my "restored" Hottop. The problem that I finally was able to diagnose was a sagging heating element. With great support from Hottop USA and a slow project of replacing the heating element (slow primarily because I am partially blind and low vision tends to slow down mechanical tasks) I now have a "like new" Hottop.

I am quite satisfied with the outcome.

KS