I have heard that a gas flame from a properly adjusted burner has a moisture content and is therefore different than a dry heat. Does or would this be a factor in roasting? Just to name two roaster types. Say between an electric drum roaster and a gas heated drum roaster?
Richard

Richard,

there is a difference in bread baked in electric oven and in gas oven. Chinese medicine also claims type of heat has importance - basically it says that electricity is not enough substitution for fire and from that we can have a sort of lack of energy, vitality and similar problems.
Now moving onto the unhealthy examples, smoking. I used to smoke (I happily quit and recommend it to everyone ) and I smoked cigarettes, cigars and pipe. I experienced how the type of heat affects the taste of the smoke. The gas flame is worst, matches are better, petrol lighter tasted best and also a very unique was the taste of the smoke started from a fireplace - like with a piece of burning twig etc. Maybe the type of the twig would also matter. I haven't tried coal as lighter.

Yet for the coffee beans my intuition suggests that electricity would do. Yet again this same intuition (but accompanied with a bit of reasoning) sets me against freezing (both greens and browns).


EDIT

Oops. I read it 'does type of heat affect coffee taste', sorry for the off-topic