Mapping Hottop roasting chamber temperature/time to bean temperature

[Spin]

Hi Everyone,

I have been roasting and enjoying homemade coffee for 9 months. I have been using an IR2 with good success. My doctor requires me to enjoy only decaf so I added a thermometer to the IR2 to help get a reliable result. Going by color is hard with decaf and sound is impossible with the IR2. I roast 2 batches to make my favorite mix. One batch is roasted to 430 degrees (bean temp) and the other to 448 (bean temp). Both normally take 14-15 minutes to roast to completion.

I have ordered a Hottop 8828B roaster and am awaiting delivery. I understand the hottop measures roasting chamber temperature and not bean temperature. Is there a relationship between the hottop roasting chamber temp/time and bean temp and if so what is it?

Reading the discussions here has truly helped my adventures into coffee enjoyment. Thanks a bunch for sharing your knowledge and experiences.

Spin

[Randy G.]

From my website:
10- Adding Temperature Monitoring to the Hottop Coffee Roaster
http://home.surewest.net/frcn/Cof...wToHottopTemp.html



The readout on the machine will vary from the bean temperature, and although the bean:display temperatures are fairly close at about 400 degrees F., there seems to be differences depending on the amount of coffee being roasted, the voltage, etc. The best thing is to add a sensor to monitor the bean temperature.

There are lots of digital thermometers out there. Try this one at the low end, cost-wise:
http://www.web-tronics.com/digtherwkpro.html
for about $18. Add the KTSS-HH probe from Omega for about $30.

The hardest part is punching the holes in the bean loading chute cover.

[cafeIKE]

Is there a relationship between the hottop roasting chamber temp/time and bean temp and if so what is it?

Not much, except at 1st crack. Never roasted decaf in the UHT, so can't comment definitively.

[Spin]

Thanks a lot guys. I am going with Randy G.s thermometer setup. Very nice job. cafeIKE thanks for the info as it definitely tells me the thermometer is needed. Much appreciated.

Spin