Hottop, basic appreciation

[Belgik]

A good month ago, I bought the "basic" Hottop. I didn't think the extra cost for more (electronics) was -at my stage of involvement- justified.

I've now roasted (only) 4 times since it was delivered to me, and each roast has been fabulous, a revelation. For those who wonder "why only 4 roasts in a month?" well, I still have some store-bought roasted beans in the freezer, which I'm using up "in between". Also, my consumption of coffee boils down to only 250 grams per week...

I admit my roasting is 100% manual (except for the electrical motor powering the rotation of the drum). I literally sit in front of the "bean window" and observe the machine doing its thing. Set to "manual eject" (power level 7), I sit through first crack and try to pick up 2nd crack to eject within the beginning of that, any case not beyond intended "city".

I like the basic simplicity of this machine. A rotating drum, a heat source, a filling orifice, a dumping orifice, and a cooling plate. Steel, almost no plastic. I've removed, after the 4th roast, the drum, so as to remove the chaff in the very back of the "drum chamber". Everything is "hardware". Easy to clean, stainless or chromed steel.

Some minor quirks: the removable glass window mounting plate allows water to infiltrate, so it should be removed for washing the glass. A detail.

Question: would all screws in this machine be "metric" or "imperial"? Given Taiwan I would think the latter, but maybe some one knows for sure?

Paul

[GeorgeW]

Most people with the HT have found your method the one to employ in that it gives full control over the roast. I always press the "Plus" button three times to make sure I can take it far enough.

I'm not sure I understand the glass and water bit. I take off the front viewing plate when the glass becomes mucky and wash this in the sink with the aid if a cleaning pad before drying and replacing the plate. No problem.

Tired of having to take out the roasting drum in order to clean I modified a hand vac so as to reach the parts that other vacs can't reach and so remove all the chaff.

http://i22.photobucket.com/albums/b332/ ... CT0442.jpg

[bruceb]

George, I believe he means washing the glass plate without removing it from the front closure. When you do this water gets into the mounting between the glass and the metal. I usually either take out the glass to clean it or just ignore the water which evaporates while the machine is heating up.
I use a bottle brush to loosen the chaff along the front side of the drum and then vacuum while tipping up the machine. I haven't yet found a pipe that I can fit into the vacuum cleaner hose that will fit into the chaff collector opening (haven't looked very hard either).

[Bertie_Doe]

My Hottop accessory, is a mains powered handheld vac. I've managed to tape on a 25cm length of soft plastic tubing, about 10mm external diameter. I got it from my regular home-brew supplier. The odd bit of chaff sometimes sticks to the end, but not a big problem. I replaced the filter last week for the first time. The old one is over a year old, but I was getting a few drips of condensation dropping down. The filter change hasn't altered roast times.

QC

[GeorgeW]

George, I believe he means washing the glass plate without removing it from the front closure. When you do this water gets into the mounting between the glass and the metal. I usually either take out the glass to clean it or just ignore the water which evaporates while the machine is heating up.
I use a bottle brush to loosen the chaff along the front side of the drum and then vacuum while tipping up the machine. I haven't yet found a pipe that I can fit into the vacuum cleaner hose that will fit into the chaff collector opening (haven't looked very hard either).

I wash the whole front without removing the glass and don't worry too much with the water as it disappears soon enough.
Pity that you can't find a bit of copper pie though Bruce as the Vac linked makes the job so easy. Just a quick hoover between roasts and I can't remember when I last removed the drum.

[Belgik]

Bruce, you got it right as to my intended meaning re. "water getting stuck between the glass and the mounting of the glass"... no big deal. I still take out the glass by unscrewing the 4 little screws (additional to the "gold button").
Any one know ?? "would all screws in this machine be "metric" or "imperial"? I would think the latter, but maybe some one knows for sure?
Any case, a straightforward machine, the way I like it, sound engineering. From Taiwan, with Love.

[bruceb]

Pity that you can't find a bit of copper pie though Bruce as the Vac linked makes the job so easy. Just a quick hoover between roasts and I can't remember when I last removed the drum.

You know, George, it's just not that much of a problem. I run the bottle brush back and forth between the drum and the roasting chamber wall, then tip up the machine and everything falls out. I don't even check with a torch anymore. I haven't removed the drum in months. I have to admit that I bought a copper pipe and two reducing flanges so I could fit it into the vacuum cleaner hose, but haven't bothered soldering them all together. I've got too many water pipes to solder together!

[Ordo.dk]

I'm seriously considering purchasing a Hottop basic, on sale it's roughly the same as a gene.
I still wish I could get a 230V Behmor! :\

[bruceb]

Have you really looked closely at the Behmor and read the review on Sweet Marias?

[Ordo.dk]

Well, I read that it requires practice to achieve consistent roasts, but that is also true for the Imex that I have, as well as the i-Roast 2 - these roasters are actually in the same price range as the Behmor - Even the basic hottop is more than double the price of these
So my rationalisation would be that the Behmor is better at consistent roasts, plus has a higher batch capacity which is it's biggest plus for me.

If money was no concern, I'd get a Pinhalese T1B, a Roure E1-A or Discaf TN-1 These sample roasters are so very cool - Unfortunately they're 2200-3400 EUR (the cheapest being the Pinhalese which would cost an insane amount in freight and toll fees for me).

[bruceb]

My take on the SM article is that the Behmor is very distinguishable from magic.

[Ordo.dk]

I actually only like the Behmor because of it's large batch capacity and it's price... Come to think of it, I'd rather get a Hottop basic, even though it'll only do 250g... Recently I've been very close to ordering a hottop from hasbean, but then thought better of it (wife would be annoyed) - I think I need to reevaluate. What annoys me with the hottop is that it costs the same as a new hottop basic to upgrade to a digital (P-model), and you have to change filters every now and then

bruceb, I take it you don't like the behmor a lot?

I really wish I had the money to spend on a Discaf or Roure

[bruceb]

I only know what I've read about the Behmor and certainly for an espresso drinker who prefers taking beans to second crack it doesn't make sense. I'm getting the Maggio this spring and that should satisfy my needs for a long time since you can roast back-to-back with no cooling roaster cycle between roasts.

I am very happy with my digital (non-programmable) Hottop. I use it fully manually and am very pleased with my roasts. Playing with the programmable model quickly convinced me that I didn't want one of those and don't need it. I have changed filters one time in over 200 roasts.

[Ordo.dk]

bruceb, Thanks for making me pause and think. I don't think that the Behmor is for me. I am also fond of second crack and a bit beyond.

With my limited budget, I have to decide if I want the Gene or the Hottop basic - They are priced the same. I can get the gene for 470 EUR and the hottop basic for 460 EUR...

bruceb, How much is the Maggio? Before coming to my senses, I considered a bigger barrel roaster - Did you check out the Discaf and the Roure? They are 3200-3400 EUR...

[bruceb]

I believe the new price of the Maggiolino is about €3100. I could not have justified buying it at that price, but a most kind TMCer offered his for considerably less than that and I decided it was the right thing to do. I would have liked to have had a gas roaster, but I think for the size electric is fine. I have never looked at or even heard of the two roasters you mention. I will check into them just for information. Thanks.