Hottop "B" vs "P" comparison

Roasters and roasting

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Postby CakeBoy » Wed Feb 20, 2008 4:27 pm

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Postby zix » Fri Feb 22, 2008 8:40 pm

bruceb wisely wrote:In my opinon, controls don't matter much on a roaster if you can't measure the bean mass temperature in real time.

Word.
Still, you have to do the best with what you have. If there is no real time temperature measurement, roasting should be easier if you can keep a close look at the beans and set the temperature to make the beans follow a pre-determined profile. I think... drum roasting is an undiscovered territory for me, but with both oven and heat gun, this is the case.
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Postby Gouezeri » Fri Feb 22, 2008 10:37 pm

Definitely agree with Zix and BB. Not all roasters are actually capable of controlling the temperature directly. The advantage of oven and heat guns as techniques is that they put you in control of the profile. Observational skills are by far the most important as a result. Personally, I don't think electronics are all they are made up to be in roasters.
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Postby Ordo.dk » Sat Feb 23, 2008 9:54 pm

bruceb wrote:In my opinon, controls don't matter much on a roaster if you can't measure the bean mass temperature in real time. The closest I've come to it on a home roaster is the HT with digital display. It measures the temperature "some where," I don't know where, but with that information I can at least reproduce roasts with little problem.


I got a HT analog, and use a multimeter with a thermocouple probe into the bean mass - It works wonderfully! Being the analog model, I cannot control much of anything else - I open the bean filler hole to control temps a bit (one can also lift the back filter)... Anyway live bean mass temperature readings really help, I feel!
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Postby nickr » Sun Feb 24, 2008 6:01 pm

I hate to disagree with everyone, but what is the point in knowing the temperature when there is nothing you can do about it? The problem with the original HT is that it follows a pre set profile. Ideally the heat input should be reduced at 1st crack, the profile of the HT takes an average point, but this can be completely wrong for some beans. (or when the supply v or ambient temp is low) This often means that the heat input is reduced well before first, resulting in an over long roast.
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Postby Ordo.dk » Sun Feb 24, 2008 6:17 pm

nickr wrote:I hate to disagree with everyone, but what is the point in knowing the temperature when there is nothing you can do about it?...

Well, if you need more heat, there is nothing you can do, but if you need a lower temperature, you can use the bean filling hole and the back filter to ventilate better.

There is also the point that you can actually roast by temperature. It will give you very reproductible roasts. I bet that the next time I roast I could just look at the temperature, and nothing else to achieve the roast level I want (if it's beans that I am used to).

I've never had an "over long" roast. For espresso the longest I've gone is just past 20 minutes.

EDIT: ...And what's the point of having a watch if there is nothing you can do about it :D
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Postby bluevalentine » Tue Apr 01, 2008 3:15 pm

cumberpach wrote:
Yo Val where've you been? 6 month sabatical is way too long - unless it was a health farm? :roll: I digress, don't you find humidity impacts profiles. It gives my Hottie swings of up to 60 secs. Of course, you may be allowed to roast indoors? - hurrumph.

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Yes, sorry for that QC, Chiefly that 4-letter word called 'work'. I spent the whole of Oct in Australia and after that France and Germany and I've been playing catch up ever since.
Yes, thank god I am allowed to roast indoors - Sibella doesn't much care for the smell but for once I managed to put my foot down. I do wish roasting coffee smelt of coffee, it would make all our lives so much easier!
Looking back over my log, I find roasts are consistent, certainly to within a 20-25 sec span which I can live with. That's matching equivalent blend to equivalent programme, i.e. Turquina Lavordo/programme 3 (BV1). I shall start clocking the climatic conditions from now on.
I find I'm roasting a little bit darker these days, especially with the Finca la Fany and Steve's Bolivian beauty. I have my own grading system (Bergamo - Algiers, getting darker as you go South). I'm somewhere between Milan and Naples currently.

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Postby Bertie_Doe » Tue Apr 01, 2008 4:33 pm

Ordo.dk wrote:I got a HT analog, and use a multimeter with a thermocouple probe into the bean mass - It works wonderfully! Being the analog model, I cannot control much of anything else - I open the bean filler hole to control temps a bit (one can also lift the back filter)... Anyway live bean mass temperature readings really help, I feel!


That's interesting, I spotted a dual input thermometer, for use on my Hottie http://tinyurl.com/3xgmwm this link will expire soon, but new at £8.50 inc P&P, was a snip. (I'll compare it against my expensive Omega tomorrow) Question : where do you fit it, do you drill through the observation window :shock:

bluevalentine wrote:I find I'm roasting a little bit darker these days, especially with the Finca la Fany and Steve's Bolivian beauty. I have my own grading system (Bergamo - Algiers, getting darker as you go South). I'm somewhere between Milan and Naples currently.
Good to be back.


Must try the Bolivian and it's great to roast dark - it's a pity Cherobyl is so far North. :oops:

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Postby Ordo.dk » Tue Apr 01, 2008 5:21 pm

cumberpach wrote:That's interesting, I spotted a dual input thermometer, for use on my Hottie http://tinyurl.com/3xgmwm this link will expire soon, but new at £8.50 inc P&P, was a snip. (I'll compare it against my expensive Omega tomorrow) Question : where do you fit it, do you drill through the observation window :shock:


I didn't see the ebay link... It was already expired... My solution is almost exactly like this one - My K-probe is way thinner, though: http://www.big-rick.com/coffee/hottop.html

If you're very handy, you could do it like this one: http://www.home-barista.com/forums/eleg ... t6526.html

That's kinda cool ;)
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Postby Bertie_Doe » Tue Apr 01, 2008 7:20 pm

Thanks Ordo and yes the 2nd one does look very neat.

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