Which roaster?

Roasters and roasting

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Which roaster?

Postby qwerty69 » Mon Feb 08, 2010 11:52 pm

I was wondering if anyone could explain the differences between the main home roasters?

I may be interested in getting one, but as I know nothing about home roasting the kit involved and the skills required are currently beyond me.

Any thoughts, information would be appreciated.
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RE: Which roaster?

Postby lsjms » Tue Feb 09, 2010 12:11 am

If shopping now I would buy a Behmor unless I could afford a quest M3.

As it is, I had great success with a heat gun, I would not say it took much time to learn to make very enjoyable coffee. I have an old hottop now which certainly not leagues ahead of the heat gun, but I love the cooling tray and drum part of it, quiet and classic.

I recommend a kilo of greens from hasbean a 15 quid heatgun from b&q, I think you will love it and it's a cheap way to have a go.
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RE: Which roaster?

Postby CakeBoy » Tue Feb 09, 2010 12:49 am

The Gene is a hot air roaster, the Hottop and, I believe, the Behmor are radiant heat. The Behmor has a form of afterburner for cooling, the Gene employs a fan and the Hottop empties into a traditional stirring pan with a fan.
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Postby double_shot » Tue Feb 09, 2010 2:27 am

This video may help you get a better idea about the Behmor 1600. I have just got one and it seems pretty idiot proof so far. The smoke reduction is pretty impressive. I use mine on top of the hob and use the hood extractor for a minute or so just after second crack, there is an increase in smoke at that stage.

It's not as big as a regular sized microwave oven. The build quality is not as robust as the average microwave though. As an introduction to roasting, I think it's good value @ £199 although mine was secondhand. There are also no filters to buy. It just needs an empty roast cycle done every five roasts.

Oh and you can roast a one pound batch of beans!

Here's a link of the Behmor in action...

http://theotherblackstuff.ie/machines/behmor-video-clip/

Here is a review...

http://theotherblackstuff.ie/machines/machine-review-behmor-1600/

This may also be useful it's a software package to help profile on the Behmor it can also be used along side other roasters.

http://www.behmorthing.com/BehmorStatus.htm
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Postby bruceb » Tue Feb 09, 2010 11:14 am

This is my subjective opinion, having used all three of the roasters mentioned. From the standpoints of usability, flexibility, build quality and general results obtained there is no question in my mind that the HotTop is a class above the others. Even the original HotTop without Digital display or programmable cycles is superior.

That said, the HotTop is not without its weaknesses. It will not roast 500g satisfactorily (nor will either of the others), it has limitations in flexibility, as do the others and it is more expensive. It also creates a lot of smoke. The replaceable filters have not been an issue for me in well over 1000 roasts as I simply stopped changing them. I haven't noticed any difference in roast quality and there is always a lot of smoke (which my 2kw extractor handily removes from the kitchen).

No home roaster is without its weaknesses and you either learn to live with them or you build your own. Most of the problems are related to the manufacturer's fear of litigation because of safety issues. To be really flexible and adaptable a roaster has to be able to catch on fire. As soon as the roaster is designed not to be able to cause serious damage it becomes crippled.
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I decided I needed a bit of a change so I roasted some Monsooned Malabar. That was a change!
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Postby orrinoconnor » Tue Feb 01, 2011 3:48 pm

Now having used the Behmor, I think it's excellent, definitely the best value around.
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Postby CakeBoy » Wed Feb 02, 2011 12:51 am

orrinoconnor wrote:Now having used the Behmor, I think it's excellent, definitely the best value around.


They are good. Glad you sorted a roaster :D
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