by bronc » Sun Mar 24, 2013 4:55 pm
All my roasts so far have been very even in terms of colour. The stirring mechanism is very good and agitates the beans very well. I have no way of controlling the temperature except for the thermostat. I don't want to put any more money in this because I see it as a temporary solution until I have got myself a Gene/Hottop.
I keep track of the temperature using the digital thermometer but even though the tip touches the beans it mostly measures the temperature of the air, not of the mass of the beans. I heard the first signs of 1C at ~13min which is too slow but I wanted to first dry the beans which didn't work out very well. At around 15-16min I'm pretty sure the 2C started and I dumped the beans as they were getting dark and oil started showing on the surface.
I've noticed that the beans are very fragile and I can easily crack them with my fingers. They look a bit bloated and crack when just a little pressure has been applied.