Okay, got to at least mention another roaster option - which I've been using for four of the five years I've been roasting... a heat-gun. I started with a FreshRoast and have dabbled with a convection oven, but nothing compares to my heat-gun method. I am keenly aware of a roast's progress and can easily speed it up or slow it down. With the method I've developed, my roasts (with one-pound of greens) hit first crack between 7:30 - 9:00, and if I want to go into second, that typically starts around 11:00 - 13:00 (depending on the profile I'm shooting for). Best thing is that I've been using the same heat-gun for four years, and it's still going strong (it's the Milwaukee gun you can get for about $50-60 from Lowes). OK, one more thing that's better than that - the roasts are consistently excellent.

If you're dead-set against heat-gunning, I certainly understand, but I would certainly advise anyone interested in roasting to consider it... especially if you like to be really-involved in the process.

RAS wrote:If you're dead-set against heat-gunning, I certainly understand, but I would certainly advise anyone interested in roasting to consider it... especially if you like to be really-involved in the process.

Actually, I'm curious about it -- the same guy who introduced me to home roasting apparently uses a heat gun for some of his roasts. I haven't tried it. What do you use to hold the beans? My friend uses an old bread machine that he has modified, which is why I haven't looked too hard at it -- I don't have a spare bread machine sitting around. Where can I find out more about it?

Actually, I'm curious about it -- the same guy who introduced me to home roasting apparently uses a heat gun for some of his roasts. I haven't tried it. What do you use to hold the beans? My friend uses an old bread machine that he has modified, which is why I haven't looked too hard at it -- I don't have a spare bread machine sitting around. Where can I find out more about it?

Heat gun/bread machine roasting is huge in Australia. They are nicknamed Corretto roasters after a coffee snob forum member. Bread machines can be found at thrift shops real cheap.
http://coffeesnobs.com.au/YaBB.pl?board=roasters
farm

My heat-gun set-up is beautiful in its simplicity - and that's part of the reason I love it. I hold my beans in a mesh strainer that I then set inside a stainless steel bowl. The strainer sits pretty snug inside the bowl. Idea here is that air is allowed to move around the strainer better, and mimic more of a fluid air bed. The set-up also helps with chaff control. I'll be roasting this weekend and will take some pictures of my set-up.

One reason this method works for me is that the weather here in Southern California is never "bad" and I can roast outside year-round. Where I roast, chaff on the ground is not a concern, and smokier roasts don't cause any problems.

Again, the primary reason I continue to roast this way is the complete control I have, and the view I've got of the beans as they roast. I see everything - and can control everything. Also, as I said before, I'm still using the gun I bought four years ago. And it gets used at least once a week. Simple and reliable really appeals to me... My wife says that's because I'm simple. I think that's a compliment.

Sorry that I failed to add that I don't use a bread machine to agitate the beans. A simple stirring implement works fine for me. I've developed a method where I stir with my left hand with a varying radius pattern to make sure all beans get agitated, while I hold the heat-gun in my right hand, also moving it in a circular pattern, though out of phase. Both hands move clockwise, and the stiring and "gunning" circles make a bit of a figure-eight. May sound complex, but it's not.

A few day delay (lots going on), but finally some pictures of my trusty roasting rig. As I've already said, this simple way to go should be considered by anyone who really enjoys the process of anything, not just the finished result. Heat-gun roasting does take some practice, but once you've got a good method, it produces excellent results. I have been so happy with the roasts that I'm getting that I don't see trying another roasting method for a very long time - if ever.
First picture is of all the gear I use, all packed away (all fits nicely):

Next is a close up of the strainer sitting inside my stainless steel bowl, and my stirring utensil (half of a set of tongs):

Next is my cooling rig - very effective. It's a paint bucket with the bottom cut off. Fits perfectly inside the lip of the upturned Honeywell fan, which is powerfull enough to blow beans out of the cooling strainer (though when there's a pound in there, all beans stay put). Cools a pound in about 2 minutes.
Finally, a roasted pound. Ethiopian Idido Misty Valley - 1/3 roasted to City+, 2/3 roasted to FC... Yes, a blend like this is possible in the same roast, but that's a different post.

Pretty impressive rig!

Sometimes, I feel like half the fun of home roasting is getting to build all the cool things we use! The cooling unit, you use a regular "vornado" type fan and a paint bucket?

Yeah, "inventing" things has been a big part of the fun. I'm a bit of a DIY'er, so I enjoy it. And, yes, it's a Honeywell brand "Vornado"-style fan. I bought the white paint bucket from Lowe's, but I'm sure you can get them from any paint-supplier. I cut out the bottom with a Dremel tool, and cut down the sides a bit so that my mesh-strainer fit perfectly inside of it. It really does work great - it is powerful and cools beans quickly, but it also does a great job of blowing any remaining chaff out. Finally, when I'm finished roasting, I take the bucket part out and use the fan to blow away any chaff that scatters around the area I roast... You know, into the neighbor's yard .

I have them both and have used the Gene going on two plus years and the Behmor for the past year. I would encourage you to consider the Gene over the Behmor.

Behmor - Easy plug and play. Most I can get out of it is 13 oz. Sixteen oz batches never get past a 'city' roast for me and I enjoy 'full city.' Little smoke but plenty of roasting aroma that lingers, even roasting under externally vented stove with window open. Difficult to 'sense' the roast as visibility is really obscured. Excellent value.

Gene Cafe - More visible/conscious approach to roasting as the beans can be seen as the roast develops. Personally makes it more enjoyable for me. Harder to hear the cracks than Behmor but I take meticulous notes and time cracks/distance between cracks. Gene delivers, time after time, when I pay attention to temps/times. Putz-ey, but once you learn your profiles (I have 3 favorites, mainly base on growing elevation), you can really dial a bean in. I use the XL chaff collector, venting it via an aluminum tube out the window. Use a small 3M window fan to also pull odor and smoke. Minimal accumulation and no smoke alarms triggered. Note: I pull all my beans at edge of 2nd crack, using the "E" stop, cooling with a shop vac arrangement.

Taste? Gene, hands down. I noticed that the Behmor "underdevelops" (if there is such a word) a bean's taste and characteristics. First noticed it with two El Salvador cups of excellence, one a pacamara. Then, I took 5 Bolivians from the National jury (Invalsa's beans) and cup them, side by side out of the Behmor and the Gene. The Gene delivered a better roast/flavor/mouthfeel on each of the five.

Note: I have voltage issues so I use a 20W variac with both the Gene and the Behmor. It holds both machines right at 120. I do about 4-5 lbs per week and the Gene keeps on tumbling.

Just my experience and opinion. If I had to do it over again, I would buy the Gene in a second. Good luck on your purchase. Finally, never leave the room while roasting and have a fire extinguisher within reach.

B|Java

The Gene Cafe Roaster is on sale this week at Storehouse Coffee. I trust publishing the link is OK. If not, mod pls pull it. Thanks.

http://www.storehousecoffee.com/homeroast.html

B|Java