Roasting divices and their special taste...

Roasters and roasting

Moderators: GreenBean, Gouezeri, bruceb, CakeBoy

Roasting divices and their special taste...

Postby michel » Wed Dec 10, 2003 8:13 pm

The more I see and the more I read about the hottop (thanks Phil for infecting me with the 'hottop-virus' :wink: ) the more I want one. A few weeks ago I was sure to buy the I-roast of Hearthware when it would be available on the european market... but now I can only think of the hottop. I just roasted 320 grams and it took me over an hour with the hearthware precision roaster, and although thats not a problem, but as it were four roasts, I had to clean the chaff-chamber 4 times empty the basket aso... And then there is the taste issue!

My question:
Does any of you have experiences with different roastingdivices (preferably a side by side comparison)?
I can imagine, and have read a 'thousand' times that a drum-roaster (like the hottop) because of its slower roast gives a different/better profile to the beans... On the other hand the 'Crema-meeting' in the Netherlands - where they did a side by side comparison - concludes there is almost no difference in taste...
(link to crema-meeting in english):
http://www.netspresso.com/cremaeng.htm

But, as said just before: I have read a lot of posts and articles who say the opposite...
Anyone any deeper insight..?

Thanks,
Michel
User avatar
michel
 
Posts: 366
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2003 9:55 pm
Location: Hoorn (50km above Amsterdam)

Postby Steve » Thu Dec 11, 2003 6:28 am

I used a alpenroast for a while Michel, of which I was impressed. But I did really over use it and it wasnt robust enough to stand up to my battering.

I've yet to see the Hottop but Phil is deffinatley more than impressed with it and I've heard lots of positive things about it too.

I think the I roast will just mean that theres a chice not necersarly a very different one.
User avatar
Steve
Founder Member
 
Posts: 3442
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2003 5:58 pm
Location: Stafford UK

Postby Sunnyfield » Sun Dec 14, 2003 10:40 pm

I have compared Phil's HT roast against my IMEX roast (same bean) and the HT is soooo much better. More body, more aroma, cleaner looking bean and the IMEX has a toasted taste and the HT luckily does not.
La Marzocco GS/3, Elektra Nino, Feima 800N solid drum gas roaster
User avatar
Sunnyfield
Founder Member
 
Posts: 547
Joined: Sat Aug 23, 2003 11:11 am
Location: Hong Kong, China

Postby michel » Sun Dec 14, 2003 10:59 pm

Great to hear Eward!
I'm going to save some money... put HWP to her limits and when she breaks down it'll be: HOTTOP time! :D
User avatar
michel
 
Posts: 366
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2003 9:55 pm
Location: Hoorn (50km above Amsterdam)

Postby phil » Sun Dec 14, 2003 11:36 pm

Michel - who will you buy it from?
User avatar
phil
Founder Member
 
Posts: 2321
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2003 12:05 pm
Location: Swindon, UK

Postby phil » Sun Dec 14, 2003 11:39 pm

Oh and btw, the roasting experiments of Jim Schulman appear to show that the difference in taste between roasting devices is largely a function of the temperature profile of that device. Jim showed that coffee air-roasted to an approximation of the Hottop profile tasted pretty like the Hottop result.

I think he's recently decided that there may be some second-order effects here, but to first order I think the above sounds like a good rule of thumb.
User avatar
phil
Founder Member
 
Posts: 2321
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2003 12:05 pm
Location: Swindon, UK

Postby michel » Sun Dec 14, 2003 11:52 pm

----
Michel - who will you buy it from?
----

Don't know yet, as it may take several months to demolish HWP :roll:

----
Jim Schulman appear to show that the difference in taste between roasting devices is largely a function of the temperature profile of that device. Jim showed that coffee air-roasted to an approximation of the Hottop profile tasted pretty like the Hottop result.
----

Do you mean you can approximate the taste of the hottop with an air-roaster? If so: how can I regulate HWP temps to make this happen - if possible at all -?

thanks,
Michel
User avatar
michel
 
Posts: 366
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2003 9:55 pm
Location: Hoorn (50km above Amsterdam)

Postby phil » Mon Dec 15, 2003 12:13 am

First you need to have a copy of the Hottop profile.

Secondly, you need a variac and a thermometer. You use the variac to alter the input voltage of the HWP, slowing down the roast. If possible, you hack the HWP so that you only vary the voltage of the heating circuit, not the fan.

That sort of thing. I got a second-hand 10A 240V variac for UKP40. You may well be able to do something similar in the Netherlands. You can get cheap digital thermometers with a K-type thermocouple too, although being a flash so-and-so I went a got an Extech EA15 datalogger (cost a whole lot more but I can publish graphs on the site).
User avatar
phil
Founder Member
 
Posts: 2321
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2003 12:05 pm
Location: Swindon, UK

Postby michel » Mon Dec 15, 2003 6:32 pm

Let me think about it... as this means a lot more 'extra' stuff in the house...
Another question though:
How does your hottop do, without the variac? Do you really need a variac and thermometer to get those great roasts you are obvious getting?

Thanks Phil,
Michel
A kitchen without espresso-gear is like a body without a soul.
User avatar
michel
 
Posts: 366
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2003 9:55 pm
Location: Hoorn (50km above Amsterdam)

Postby phil » Mon Dec 15, 2003 8:34 pm

Do I need them? No not really. The variac insulates me from voltage sensitivity issues, which all electric roasters suffer from. The thermometer allows me to be more precise in my determination of roast endpoint, when I'm roasting a type of coffee I've roasted before.

It's all because I'm a coffee geek, really.
Last edited by phil on Tue Dec 16, 2003 9:41 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
phil
Founder Member
 
Posts: 2321
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2003 12:05 pm
Location: Swindon, UK

Postby michel » Mon Dec 15, 2003 9:24 pm

I'm a geek too... or at least I thought I was... :?
No really, if the Hottop - without any other devices/wires aso - makes a better roast than the HWP, I'm willing to pay the bill (it roasts more quiet, while more beans can be roasted in one roast... so there are two reasons already - not to mention the looks: WOW - to buy a Hottop over the new I-roast...)

Michel
User avatar
michel
 
Posts: 366
Joined: Tue Oct 21, 2003 9:55 pm
Location: Hoorn (50km above Amsterdam)

Postby alans » Tue Dec 16, 2003 10:00 am

The variac insulates me from voltage sensitivity issues, which all electric roasters suffer from.

I was of the opinion that 240v power was a lot more stable than 110v so voltage would matter less. Am I wrong?
User avatar
alans
 
Posts: 241
Joined: Fri Nov 07, 2003 11:02 am
Location: Dublin, Ireland

Postby phil » Tue Dec 16, 2003 10:20 am

Try putting a voltmeter across your supply and then turn on a heavy duty appliance such as a washing machine or tumble drier (better still both). Watch the voltage drop by up to a couple of volts.

You'd be surprised how much difference a couple of volts in 240V makes to the roasting time. I first noticed this effect 6-8 months ago when I began to wonder about the unrepeatable roasts I was getting (up to 30 seconds longer to 2nd crack).
User avatar
phil
Founder Member
 
Posts: 2321
Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2003 12:05 pm
Location: Swindon, UK


Return to Roasting - Equipment and Techniques

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 24 guests