Toper 1kg from hottop?
-
charlesaf3
- Posts: 294
- Joined: 16 years ago
My hottop is dying, After putting through around 250 pounds of coffee in the last four-five years. So I'm thinking it's time to step up my game. There's a used toper 1kg not terribly far from me - gas I believe.
Searched a bit on toper but got more info on the electric model. Is this a good step up roaster for someone who only wants to devote limited time to roasting ( I'm not ecstatic about hottops reliability, but my chief issue is how often I have to roast, so a kg every week or 2 would be perfect. And would help me work on my espresso, taking away a variable)
The alternative wold be buying a USRC or San Francisco 1 pound sample roaster. But I think the 1 pound limitation would bother me.
Thoughts and advice?
Searched a bit on toper but got more info on the electric model. Is this a good step up roaster for someone who only wants to devote limited time to roasting ( I'm not ecstatic about hottops reliability, but my chief issue is how often I have to roast, so a kg every week or 2 would be perfect. And would help me work on my espresso, taking away a variable)
The alternative wold be buying a USRC or San Francisco 1 pound sample roaster. But I think the 1 pound limitation would bother me.
Thoughts and advice?
-
TomC
- Team HB
- Posts: 10552
- Joined: 13 years ago
If you're ready to take on that challenge, including hauling, setting up, proper ventilation, learning ( without setting fire to the surroundings) etc, then why not? It's not a ginormous roaster and you'll probably love it once you get it under your thumb. Get a fire extinguisher, consult a HVAC expert if you're unsure, and proceed with caution. You'll likely destroy plenty of roasts in the process, but enjoy every minute of it.
You'll be completely re-learning how to roast, using your senses primarily. The different sounds of the beans in the drum during 1C and 2C, aroma, sight, etc.
You'll be completely re-learning how to roast, using your senses primarily. The different sounds of the beans in the drum during 1C and 2C, aroma, sight, etc.
Join us and support Artisan Roasting Software=https://artisan-scope.org/donate/
-
boar_d_laze
- Posts: 2058
- Joined: 17 years ago
On the one hand, I want to jump right into this conversation since the subject is one I've done so much research on recently; but on the other hand -- of the roasters you've mentioned -- I only have significant practical experience with HotTops.
Toper's are a very respected brand. On the positive side, they're well built, and pass all US safety regulations. On the negative, finish is a little bit rough and it may (or may not) be a challenge getting BT and ET probes well sited. Whether or not the one you're looking at is a particularly good buy for you, depends on condition, price, and how you'll end up using it.
It depends on the particular roaster, but I think 1kg is too large for the amounts you roast. Someone roasting ~50kg per year won't save much time by using a 1kg instead of a 500g roaster. These things aren't like a HT. They transition from batch to batch very quickly. While you finish the note-taking, weighing, labeling and clean-up for the first batch, you'll only have a couple of minutes left on the second; and so on.
Anyway, you're starting this thread with a false premise. You have a LOT of options in 500g - 1kg gas, drum roasters. The better you understand your own priorities and roasters in general, the better able you'll be to match a particular roaster to our unique criteria.
After a long and bumpy road I'm replacing my HT with a USRC Sample Roaster. So -- y'know -- obviously -- I think it's a great choice.
But who knows... at the right price the Toper might be perfect for you.
BDL
Toper's are a very respected brand. On the positive side, they're well built, and pass all US safety regulations. On the negative, finish is a little bit rough and it may (or may not) be a challenge getting BT and ET probes well sited. Whether or not the one you're looking at is a particularly good buy for you, depends on condition, price, and how you'll end up using it.
It depends on the particular roaster, but I think 1kg is too large for the amounts you roast. Someone roasting ~50kg per year won't save much time by using a 1kg instead of a 500g roaster. These things aren't like a HT. They transition from batch to batch very quickly. While you finish the note-taking, weighing, labeling and clean-up for the first batch, you'll only have a couple of minutes left on the second; and so on.
Anyway, you're starting this thread with a false premise. You have a LOT of options in 500g - 1kg gas, drum roasters. The better you understand your own priorities and roasters in general, the better able you'll be to match a particular roaster to our unique criteria.
After a long and bumpy road I'm replacing my HT with a USRC Sample Roaster. So -- y'know -- obviously -- I think it's a great choice.
But who knows... at the right price the Toper might be perfect for you.
BDL
Drop a nickel in the pot Joe. Takin' it slow. Waiter, waiter, percolator
-
sversimo
- Posts: 218
- Joined: 13 years ago
I agree, I tend to roast 2x500g instead of 1x1000g, that way you can do some small changes and see if you can taste a difference.
-
germantown rob
- Posts: 231
- Joined: 15 years ago
I look at it slightly different then the comments above as an owner of a 1kg machine. I can roast from 225g to 1000g so I can do as many 500g roasts as I like but I have the option of doing 1000g roasts for those times I need to get 10kg roasted in a short period of time.
The biggest problem with a Cafemino is the lack of control over heat so all profiling is done with airflow only.
I would also like to add that there is nothing on a HotTop that can't be fixed. 300lbs of coffee is when I changed the element for the first time and have close to 1000lbs roasted on my machine.
The biggest problem with a Cafemino is the lack of control over heat so all profiling is done with airflow only.
I would also like to add that there is nothing on a HotTop that can't be fixed. 300lbs of coffee is when I changed the element for the first time and have close to 1000lbs roasted on my machine.
-
boar_d_laze
- Posts: 2058
- Joined: 17 years ago
Rob makes a few good points.
The first is that -- with a little TLC --- your HT probably has a lot of good roasts left in it. There isn't much which isn't user replaceable.
The second is more subtle, in that it isn't one Rob intended to make overtly. That is, some roaster have wider ranges than there in terms oof the max and min amounts they actually do well.. The real limits are something you very much want to know.
Finally, it is a very good idea to have an idea of your roaster's basic operations. Like the Toper, my Amazon does all heat control with dampers. It's not a drawback, but it sure is different!
BDL
The first is that -- with a little TLC --- your HT probably has a lot of good roasts left in it. There isn't much which isn't user replaceable.
The second is more subtle, in that it isn't one Rob intended to make overtly. That is, some roaster have wider ranges than there in terms oof the max and min amounts they actually do well.. The real limits are something you very much want to know.
Finally, it is a very good idea to have an idea of your roaster's basic operations. Like the Toper, my Amazon does all heat control with dampers. It's not a drawback, but it sure is different!
BDL
Drop a nickel in the pot Joe. Takin' it slow. Waiter, waiter, percolator
