I apologize if this request for assistance is on the wrong board. I have a new Toastess TCP-388 and a new Presto Poplite and I can't get either to yield results anything like the Sweet Maria's video. I can't get an audible crack. I have to go to 10 - 15 minutes to get any color at all and there is little coffee smell from the beans. I can't get anywhere close to a dark roast. The Toastess does not seem hot at all. The Presto is a little hotter but still no dark roast after 12 minutes.

Do I have two "bad" poppers? Are my beans too old? Your thoughts would be most appreciated.

Thanks Jim. I tried a full cup of green beans in the Toastess and got a little better result. Still no dark roast but at least a city roast in 12 minutes.

You didn't mention if you had modified the popper in any way. The thermal safety on some poppers opens at a very low temperature, preventing them from reaching effective roasting temperatures. While I would never dream of bypassing such an important safety feature or advocate that anyone else do so, there are apparently many scofflaws who have posted instructions for doing just that. (If you decide to live dangerously but don't feel qualified to play around with electricity, get the help of a knowledgeable but equally wrongdoing friend.)

Jim

Mods, mods, mods. Looks like I've got some work to do. But first a trip to Portland to sample some excellent coffees.

I've had a lot of success with both Poppery IIs as well as the original Poppery. All of them were able to get to 1st and 2nd crack no problem with 4 ounces of green beans. With the IIs you will need to stir them at the outset. The original Poppery is actually better but needs to be modified to separate the fan and heating element. If you don't, you'll get to 2nd crack too soon. Once you do separate the fan and element, you can oscillate the heat to extend your roast time.