Hottop "B" vs "P"

[MobJackJaVA]

Hello.

I am new to this site and to coffee roasting. I just purchased a Hottop "P" model roaster and am second guessing myself after reading some of the posts on this site. Is the "B" the way to go? Have they worked out some of the issues with the "P" that people posted about?

Ultimately I will be starting a roasting company and am using this roaster to learn about roasting until I get things rolling. Yes, I understand I'm biting off a lot but I'm motivated, somewhat intelligent, and committed.

Yes, I will be taking a roasting class with the large roaster....but I can sure learn a lot over the next couple of months roasting on a smaller roaster.

So...any thougts on "P" vs "B"

Edit: I just read Randy's review and found it very helpful in some regards and confusing in others. If my desired objective is to learn how to roast small batches on a home roaster most similar to a commercial drum roaster...should I lean towards the "P" model or the "B" model. I need to be able to replicate roasts that I'll give out as samples until I fire up my big roaster. From Randy's review it sounds like I can get repeatable results from either machine, but the "B" roaster may actually provide more real time adjustability.

Thanks!

[Randy G.]

... I just purchased a Hottop "P" model roaster and am second guessing myself after reading some of the posts on this site. Is the "B" the way to go? Have they worked out some of the issues with the "P" that people posted about? Ultimately I will be starting a roasting company and am using this roaster to learn about roasting until I get things rolling.

based on your use, I would have recommended the B model. The reason is that the "B" can be considered to be a fully manual model (or at least to say, can be operated that way). Right from the beginning I complained about the P's three minute segments that were restrictive in the nature that they work-- If you only want to use one segment for 0:30, then the remaining 2:30 is lost, and time cannot be added at the end of the roast to make up for the lost time. In the B, you can use the entire time and change the parameters (fan speed and heating element power) as often as you like. The nice thing about the "P" is that you can set a target temperature for each segment and see how close the current temperature is to that target. A hybrid of the two would be nice-- Take the P, remove the three minute segment restriction, and add the manual control of the B..

[MobJackJaVA]

Thanks for the quick reply Randy. I think you did a really good job on your review.

[MobJackJaVA]

Has anyone added a bean probe thermometer to this unit? Is it worth the effort to install one? If so, can you share your opinion of the best type and installation procedure?

Thanks,
MJJ

[Randy G.]

Has anyone added a bean probe thermometer to this unit? Is it worth the effort to install one? If so, can you share your opinion of the best type and installation procedure?
Thanks,
MJJ

Try my "How To Chapter" called, "Adding Temperature Monitoring to the Hottop Coffee Roaster" --
http://home.surewest.net/frcn/Cof...wToHottopTemp.html

[MobJackJaVA]

Randy G.....you are on this early in the morning? No doubt you are enjoying some aromatic coffee.....

Thanks for your help!

[Randy G.]

Randy G.....you are on this early in the morning? No doubt you are enjoying some aromatic coffee.....

Thanks for your help!

<yawn>Ya.. it is a bit early</yawn>... My wife has an early morning meeting 90 minutes from home, and I couldn't let her go without her coffee... You know what they say- if they can't get good coffee at home they will find it elsewhere. We had our morning cappas with homemade muffins, the dogs had their morning biskies, and I sent her off with an Americano in a travel mug-- stainless steel interior, of course!

The installation pictured there is the one I used to gather data for my reviews. It was the least invasive method I could come up with, and the easiest to reverse. it also allows the sensor to be used for other things as well. Another method would be to mount one through the rear wall and 1cm above the drum's inner surface. But that would involve a lot more work.

[Niko]

I bought the "P" because it had a prettier display. "P" is for "Pretty" isn't it?
The least they (Hottop) could've done is add a game of Space Invaders to play on the display for the first 9 minutes since there's absolutely very little action happening. It would keep me occupied and in front of the roaster instead of sitting in the next room surfing the web with a fire extinguisher in one hand and a beeping timer to remind me when to get me arse up off the chair and back in the kitchen. Oh well, that's what the iPod next to the Hottop is for .

Very interesting idea about a hybrid Hottop, Randy. I'm all for it, sounds like they should've just made it completely Programmable and with the ability to go completely MANUAL as well. Maybe that's the next upgrade in a year or two?...

[Fullsack]

I use my Variac to adjust the temp on the "P," on the fly and that works well, though I would like some fan control also.