Micro TostaCaffe .. ?

['Q']

I don't see this having been mentioned on here before. It looks interesting and a good size.

Micro TostaCaffe


Thoughts?

[Kaffee Bitte]

Now I will preface this with the fact that I am an utter noob as far as roasting goes, but....
10 mins for 1 lb. 20 mins for 2 lbs. 30 MINUTES for 3 lbs! Even longer for four! Sounds like it's only any good for about two pounds maybe three. OTOH it does roast a lot more than the hottop for just a couple hundred more.
It does look to allow you some control, but I wonder how much of the sites hype is believable.
If you buy it I'd love to hear how it does.

[RapidCoffee]

I've been using an AeroRost II (same website) as my primary roaster for over two years, more or less happily. It's basically a George Foreman electric rotisserie oven with a halogen heat lamp to increase the roasting temperature. The Micro Tosta Caffe (gawd what a name) appears to be a slightly beefed up model. I wouldn't take the website info as gospel, but drum roasters do take longer for larger batch sizes.

The AeroRost easily handles 1-1.5# in under 20". You can roast 2# or more, but there is a definite risk of fire (this has happened to me twice). Nonetheless it's been a nice combination of ideal batch size and convenience, especially in winter, when I can roast in my fireplace. If you're interested in the Aerorost, get the stainless steel drum upgrade. Perforated aluminum sheeting melts.

IMHO electric rotisserie ovens have great potential for home coffee roasters. The Behmor 1600, a new 1# roaster based on a Ronco rotisserie oven, recently took Best New Product at SCAA. Feature-laden for the price, it's been the subject of much discussion on CoffeeGeek and other coffee-related fora, and should be coming out Real Soon Now. Anyway, nice to have alternatives to the 1/2# Bravi, GeneCafe and Hottop.

['Q']

I did notice the AeroRoast II on their website after posting this and it also looks like it could be a good option. Nice tip on the drum upgrade. Maybe best to wait for the Behmor 1600 to come out though.

[DaveC]

10 mins for 1 lb. 20 mins for 2 lbs. 30 MINUTES for 3 lbs! Even longer for four! Sounds like it's only any good for about two pounds maybe three. OTOH it does roast a lot more than the hottop for just a couple hundred more. It does look to allow you some control, but I wonder how much of the sites hype is believable.

I guess you need to find out if it's a case of quantity over quality, a 20 or 30 minute roast does seem a bit of a long time and may not bring out the best in the coffee.