So I finally succumbed to the roaster upgraditis and bought the Mini 500 roaster. It is assembled and sits on the garage floor right now. I have to install vents this weekend.

Why wait? Open the door and fire it up!

Cool. I'm interested to see what you think of it! How was the shipping from Taiwan?

Did you get the regular or plus model? (ie solid drum/perforated drum)

Regards, Henry

I guess if the Quest M3 is the micro-Probat L, this is the Mini.

BTW, who would want a perforated drum in a ventilated roaster? Burns invented perforated drums to get convective ventilation; but as far as I know, all more recent mechanically ventilated commercial drum roasters have solid drums.

another_jim wrote:BTW, who would want a perforated drum in a ventilated roaster? Burns invented perforated drums to get convective ventilation; but as far as I know, all more recent mechanically ventilated commercial drum roasters have solid drums.

Yea, I don't understand that either...

From their website linked above: "The Characteristics of Direct-Flame [perforated drum] Roasters" -- Just as how lightly roasting the surface of fish (cod?) in Japanese cuisine and searing the surface of a steak using high heat in [other] cuisines will not only seal in the juices but also create a fragrant burnt aroma, when it comes to coffee this [direct-flame technique] will increase the intense fragrance and strong mouth-feel of espresso. It also magnifies the special characteristics of certain coffees. (ex Kenya, Kona, etc)

I think that's Chinese for "De gustibus, etc, If you want perforated, we got perforated"

Another link to the roaster line roasters

I got the regular, solid drum version, after much consideration.

Shipping was via the airline, at additional NT$3000, about USD$94, due to weight.

As for the fish reference, I think it was bonito fish, a type of tuna commonly served with the outside seared with a pink center, generally looks like this:

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... CA8Q9QEwAw

My wife would not allow me to roast until the vent is in place for fear of carbon monoxide. I did fire it up briefly to make sure everything works. By the way, does any one know of "no-loss stack head"? It was mentioned on the Sep/Oct issue of Roast, but I just could not figure it out.....

As for the roaster, it is definitely more solidly build then my current HotTop. All parts seem interchangeable, should anything breaks. The vendor did mention, if desired, the solid drum can be swapped for a perforated one.

How much did it run you? And how much do you roast per week?

It is about $2400 new currently. I packed and shipped myself, for about $94 via the airline. When I contacted Yang Chia the manufacturer in Taichung via the e-mail instead of the vendor Bella Taiwan, it was about $2700 FOB plus about $300 shipping to San Francisco last year, but you will have to arrange custom brokerage yourself. However, from what I heard, you can arrange Fedex for custom brokerage and shipping service, but I never tried.

I roast about 1-2 pounds per week with the HotTop. Maybe I'll roast more now....I can't wait for this weekend when I can install the vent and start roasting. The minimum for Mini 500 is about 250g, per manual.