Quest M3 Roaster

[Tex]

You cannot truly profile on a behmor though. What Tex wants costs about $5k-$8k . Even the Mini 500 supposedly does not hit it's 1lb noted 'capacity' and it costs $3k.

I think one of the problems with this is that reliable motors for anything that can run 24/7 are not cheap. Just for a reliable motor you would be looking at $500 dollars, then add a centrifugal blower that can handle the high air temps it will need to deal with for add $300-$500 (a fan with plastic in it would not work), if you want a cooling tray you need to add another blower which will run you another $300-$500 and another motor for $300-$500 to turn the agitators, now you need a 1/8" to 1/4 inch SS drum so add $80-$100, you still have to pay a skilled welder to make the frame and drum vanes with most master welders charging $40-$75 per hour and you still have to do 'finish' work on the roaster like paint and polish.

A high quality 1lb roaster would cost a manufacturer in the US so much money to make that I am sure they try to avoid it like wild fire. Not many people would pay a 'keystone' price double that of what the manufacturer sank into making the roaster. In a manufacturing business like that you need to at very least double your money with the low number of machines you would sell on a yearly basis. So, say they spend $2.5k-$4k making it you are now at your retail price of $5k-$8k.

The costs involved in such a small roaster are likely why most manufacturers avoid them altogether and just go with 1kg capacity being their smallest roaster. A consumer / small commercial roaster can better justify spending $5k-$8k on a 1kg or 2.2kg roaster than a 1lb.

But you're talking about a commercial 1k roaster like the Dietrich IR-1. A prosumer roaster like I want doesn't require the robust build of a commercial unit, nor all the bells & whistles. Lets see: 1 lb minimum capacity, variable heat & blower, and enough BTUs to get the job done right. I can cool the beans in my $50 fan/colander rig, manual profiling is good enough, and there's no need for ducting. That's about it, isn't it?

[petershek]

Why 200 grams? That'd work for a sample roaster but is too small for my needs. I seldom blend and go through ~1 lb of greens a week; almost always SO.

So where's the 1 lb consumer drum roaster?

After a decent amount of experimentation, (and after some expert advice) I've settled to a 165g batch with this roaster.  You could charge a full half pound, but it limits the profiles you can use. I just run 8-12 small batches at a sitting, and enjoy the variety.  Convenient roasting inside is nicer than big charges.

Very well said. 

The M3 is so convenient to use and to clean so it doesn't bother me to roast another 150-200g batch (of other variety of beans) which takes no more than 15 mins.  Unless you're roasting for someone else or roasting for business then it's another story.  For home/office use, I'd prefer to have at least 3 to 4 variety of freshly roasted varieties readily available for me to choose, instead of sitting a large bag of roasted coffee compelling me to finish within a week. 

[petershek]

You cannot truly profile on a behmor though. What Tex wants costs about $5k-$8k . Even the Mini 500 supposedly does not hit it's 1lb noted 'capacity' and it costs $3k.

I think one of the problems with this is that reliable motors for anything that can run 24/7 are not cheap. Just for a reliable motor you would be looking at $500 dollars, then add a centrifugal blower that can handle the high air temps it will need to deal with for add $300-$500 (a fan with plastic in it would not work), if you want a cooling tray you need to add another blower which will run you another $300-$500 and another motor for $300-$500 to turn the agitators, now you need a 1/8" to 1/4 inch SS drum so add $80-$100, you still have to pay a skilled welder to make the frame and drum vanes with most master welders charging $40-$75 per hour and you still have to do 'finish' work on the roaster like paint and polish.

A high quality 1lb roaster would cost a manufacturer in the US so much money to make that I am sure they try to avoid it like wild fire. Not many people would pay a 'keystone' price double that of what the manufacturer sank into making the roaster. In a manufacturing business like that you need to at very least double your money with the low number of machines you would sell on a yearly basis. So, say they spend $2.5k-$4k making it you are now at your retail price of $5k-$8k.

The costs involved in such a small roaster are likely why most manufacturers avoid them altogether and just go with 1kg capacity being their smallest roaster. A consumer / small commercial roaster can better justify spending $5k-$8k on a 1kg or 2.2kg roaster than a 1lb.

But you're talking about a commercial 1k roaster like the Dietrich IR-1. A prosumer roaster like I want doesn't require the robust build of a commercial unit, nor all the bells & whistles. Lets see: 1 lb minimum capacity, variable heat & blower, and enough BTUs to get the job done right. I can cool the beans in my $50 fan/colander rig, manual profiling is good enough, and there's no need for ducting. That's about it, isn't it?

Have you considered the heat gun upgrade at the trier hole of M3 that is being mentioned in HB?  Before I switched to M3 I was using a heat gun setting.  I felt it was comparatively sluggish for M3 to respond to my input (changing heater power/fan speed) when compared to my old setting despite the immediate out-of-roaster aroma is much better with the M3.  Controlling the BT in M3 is, comparatively, more like driving a rally race car that I've to steer much earlier before reaching the apex due to all the heat latency associated with the drum/heating elements/casing etc.  I'm quite sure the heat gun idea would work for 1lb in the M3.  Using the heat gun as an additional on/off heat source, without adding heat latency, can let roasters to manipulate profiling more easily.  You can get sharply ramped or immediately flattened ET/BT using the heat gun. You can hold the BT at a particular temperature for the desired time with ease.

In fact, after adding the SSR switch to M3 for using TC4/Artisan/Kona, my next step will be adding the heat gun at the trier hole. 

[BoldJava]

...
Even with the Mod, there's no guarantee that you'll get a 1 # batch to first in a short time if your looking for a bright roast, which is why I roast 250 g batches now.

Don't we all do that?  While the Gene Cafe claims 10.5 oz, its sweet spot is 230 grams, 8 oz.   Gene is now producing its 1200 model in the 220V, claiming 42 oz roast.

[farmroast]

Andy at CS has been working on a USB connection to run the functions of the Bmore. I'm not sure he'll ever release it for reasons I'm guessing    . There's a workable concept with the Bmore, open mesh drum with IR/radiant heat. But it needs a major redesign IMO.
There will never be a 110v true 1lb solid drum homeroaster UL certified.
 
The Quest is a fluke and I just hope they don't close up shop anytime soon. Don't snooze and lose. I've been following them since the start and they are quite a roaster and will end up in the homeroasting Smithsonian someday and highly sought after.

Anything bigger is going to have to be 220v or gas and HAVE to deal with exhaust piping or a 1000w afterburner that would throw significant heat into the room. I don't see those happening. Make it a closed afterburner system like a commercial Loring and it would be big bucks.
The option will continue to be homebuilds, use at own risks

Is the 220v Gene going to be UL approved for US home use?  

[BoldJava]

...

Is the 220v Gene going to be UL approved for US home use?   

Don't know.  No discussion on it anywhere.  I have seen it flashed up at SCAA meetings and then it disappears.  It is now listed on its Korean site but none of the online translators seem to pick up the script.

[farmroast]

...

Is the 220v Gene going to be UL approved for US home use?  

Don't know.  No discussion on it anywhere.  I have seen it flashed up at SCAA meetings and then it disappears.  It is now listed on its Korean site but none of the online translators seem to pick up the script.

I just can't see that happening. They may be thinking of it as a cheaper option for a small in cafe commercial roaster. But will not be intended for home use. The afterburner on that Gene is 1300w!
 Home Roasters Underground

[petershek]

My roasts today  :

[jspain]

My roasts today  :

I'm impressed! Nice graph! 

[mp]

My roasts today  :

I'm impressed! Nice graph! 

+1

 

[Warrior372]

What power is the new heating element CoffeeShrub had the manufacturer replace the original with? I watch Tom's video on it the other day again and he says that they were having problems with the original element so he had the manufacturer swap it out with a . . . . I want to say larger one?!?

[farmroast]

What power is the new heating element CoffeeShrub had the manufacturer replace the original with? I watch Tom's video on it the other day again and he says that they were having problems with the original element so he had the manufacturer swap it out with a . . . . I want to say larger one?!?

From what I've heard it's just one that will handle a bit more voltage without frying.

[Bendo]

For those of you considering buying the Quest M3:

I got mine a few weeks ago (direct from Taiwan) and was surprised to discover Mr.Yen has made some design changes. The heater on the left side is now more powerful (the heater which is closer to the bean mass). It takes roughly 1.5 more amps to roast now. (They say they haven't got around to making the user manual changes yet, so be aware).

So far, I like the change. Seems you can do some pretty big roasts now without the need of a heat gun. The sweet spot now seems closer to 250g (10A or 1200W), but I'm still experimenting so this may be early before I can say for sure.

[BoldJava]

For those of you considering buying the Quest M3:

I got mine a few weeks ago (direct from Taiwan) and was surprised to discover Mr.Yen has made some design changes. The heater on the left side is now more powerful (the heater which is closer to the bean mass). It takes roughly 1.5 more amps to roast now. (They say they haven't got around to making the user manual changes yet, so be aware).

...

Welcome Ben and keep us informed on the Quest.  Folks are always looking to upgrade and if the Quest can now solidly perform on 230 grams rater tan the 200, more members would give it a second look.

[Bendo]

The new Quest has me a bit confused as I'm trying to understand the power output I am seeing (720W or 1200VA). If it's the former, the 10A of power I'm drawing is not so bad. If it's the latter, I'm concerned a bit about life on my over-driven 100V left side heating element.

All that aside for a moment, the roasts have been great and I love the level of roast control I have now.