Time for an upgrade

[RobertL]

I am ready for an upgrade to a new roaster and would like the opinion of the GCBC community. I generally roast a pound of coffee a week for myself and sometimes I roast for co-workers. I have been researching all the options I listed in the poll and I think it is really between the RK drum and a Hottop B. I like the convenience of the Hottop but I'm not crazy about the batch size, it would do for now but I'm afraid later I would desire more. I like the control you have with the Hottop and all the bells and whistles. I like the batch size of the RK drum but it seems like a lot of effort to roast one pound for myself. The RK doesn't have all the fancy gadgets the Hottop has but it seems like you really don't need them. What is your opinion? Am I missing something?

[peter]

If your climate allows roasting outdoors, my vote would be for the RK drum.

For the times you need more capacity, you'll have it.  The lack of controls on the grill/drum will make you learn the roasting process better.  I like the idea of flames more than electric element, and if I had a grill I'd have it insulated with a blower blowing in air to really make it controllable.  The big downside is no good way to monitor bean temps, but you can work around that.

I'd have a grill, but don't want to roast outside.

[dickcoffee]

I have the 4 pound RK drum with a high speed motor and I love it.  I typically roast 2 pound batches and freeze the amount I can't use or give away right away.  I do wish I could monitor the bean temp, but I can get pretty consistent results by paying real close attention to smell, smoke, time, and crack - and I log all of these for every batch so I know what to expect - sort of.  The outside temperature does seem to make a small difference.  I keep the batch size to 2 pounds because I like the idea of finishing my roasts in about 14 minutes or less. 

[BoldJava]

I am ready for an upgrade to a new roaster and would like the opinion of the GCBC community...

Choices, choices.  I am trying to remember where you live in Texas, as the RK offers year round opportunities for you if you are further south.  I use the Gene in the winter, as I can vent it out the window.  The RK will give you body, body, body.  The Gene offers a bit more nuanced bean.  I am used to the quirks of the Gene, installing new heaters about every 18 months when I overdo the roasting duration/repeatedeness. 

There isn't a bad choice in your lineup.  For your volume, a Gene would serve you well, as would the Hottop.  I haven't used the Hottop but would guess that it would give you a better bean, with more similarity of a drum roast.  Should you have any questions about the RK or Gene, ask away.

BJava

[J.Jirehs Roaster]

I would lean toward the Gene Cafe (from those choices) if your still fairly new to roasting or the RK Drum if you have roasted a while and are familiar with the smell, smoke and sound of a good roast profile..   I go through a little more than a pound a week.. I roast up to one pound of green at a time (14 oz is the sweet spot, good control and fills a quart mason jar) on a modified SC/TO.  if you can get the components easy enough its a great starter roaster IMHO

I am looking at a bbq drum roaster as a step up for me, I have a new 3 burner grill that I think has the BTUs to get the job done at least three seasons here..

[RobertL]

Choices, choices.  I am trying to remember where you live in Texas, as the RK offers year round opportunities for you if you are further south. 

I'm just south of Houston so there's not much of a winter but the summer heat has driven me to roasting early in the morning or later at night.

I roast up to one pound of green at a time (14 oz is the sweet spot, good control and fills a quart mason jar) on a modified SC/TO.  if you can get the components easy enough its a great starter roaster IMHO

Yeah I'm still working on my SC /TO I managed to separate the power so the fan runs by itself. I also bypassed the thermostat and I'm going to pick up a router speed controller to try the Tex method soon. The SC/TO will be my back up roaster I'm getting rid of my Behmor and replacing it with the new roaster.

[peter]

Curious as to why the sc/to will be relegated to back-up duty.  It will do anything a Gene can do, so I'm curious as to why you will build that and then spend $500 on a Gene or more on a HT.

[dickcoffee]

I live in northern Indiana - close enough to Lake Michigan that I can hear it roaring on a windy day.  I keep my Weber 36000 btu grill with the RK in my garage and wheel it out to the drive on nice days.  On not so nice days I just roast close to the garage door but in the garage.  I do use the winter to sample some pro roasts from a variety of roasters around the country.  But, looking at my log from last winter, here's what I find:  I roasted on November 7, December 4, February 14, February 16, February 18, a couple of times in March.  I failed to record the outdoor temp. on these occasions but my recollection is that whenever we had a somewhat nice day - even in the 40's, with some sun, I'd take advantage and roast.  Actually those roasts last winter were with a one pound CRC basket and a 2 burner Weber grill.  I got my RK and the bigger Weber in May but suspect I'll use it the same way this winter.

[RobertL]

Curious as to why the sc/to will be relegated to back-up duty.  It will do anything a Gene can do, so I'm curious as to why you will build that and then spend $500 on a Gene or more on a HT.

So you think the SC/TO could consistently produce a roast equivalent to a Gene, Hottop or RK drum? I guess I under estimated the potential of the SC/TO. I'll add that to my options on the poll, stick with the SC/TO. 

[Tex]

I've had a Hottop & can categorically state the SC/CO can out-produce it, both in quality & quantity per hour - plus it won't have those two super-annoying safety eject points the Hottop has. Oh, it'll also be ~ $700 cheaper!

[peter]

I've had a Hottop & can categorically state the SC/CO can out-produce it, both in quality & quantity per hour - plus it won't have those two super-annoying safety eject points the Hottop has. Oh, it'll also be ~ $700 cheaper!

Tex...  my brother in arms...  I never thought we'd have this much in common!

The main advantage of the sc/to IMNSHO is how simple it is to control.  Once you know how early to turn on the heating element to start the temp rise, vs. batch size, and how the beans will coast upward once you kill the heat, you can create and follow virtually any roast profile you desire.

[ecc]

I think people that are still in learning mode should avoid larger batches.  Larger batches are about production, more experience can come from smaller more frequent batches. You should also not underestimate the proportional effects larger batches have on smoke and chaff,  and the increase in danger of fire.   Losing control of a large batch (or losing power) can be spectacular. 

The overall cleanup and maintenance can vary widely between roasters, but the amount of mess usually goes up with the batch size.  Bad trade-off to me saving time roasting using a big batch, just to spend more time on maintenance and cleaning.

Outside gas roasters used semi-indoors require serious attention to safety, and non-trivial cleanup.  In populated areas, outside roasters can also generate quite a few conversations with neighbors.  Severe heat or cold have obvious negative effects on the roaster and the roaster.

Electric roasters are power bound at the outlet, getting larger batches will usually mean using more convection, which isn't the worst thing that can happen but it does narrow the fairway.

Smaller batches mean more roasting opportunity for learners, more freedom for experimentation, (who wants to pooch a kilo or 10 trying some crazy idea out) more variety, fresher batches ... you sure you need to roast bigger batches? 

Focus on what would be the most convenient, fun thing to roast on for you.  To me it seems like the technos like the Hottops, the cheap and handy like SC/TO, the entrepreneurial like the RK or a Sono, and the zen crowd go with Gene.   They each have their trade-offs, but any of them can make nice roasts.

EDIT: and Tex only likes roasters that he doesn't have

[Tex]

I've had a Hottop & can categorically state the SC/CO can out-produce it, both in quality & quantity per hour - plus it won't have those two super-annoying safety eject points the Hottop has. Oh, it'll also be ~ $700 cheaper!

Tex...  my brother in arms...  I never thought we'd have this much in common!

The main advantage of the sc/to IMNSHO is how simple it is to control.  Once you know how early to turn on the heating element to start the temp rise, vs. batch size, and how the beans will coast upward once you kill the heat, you can create and follow virtually any roast profile you desire.

Oh hell no - Peter & I can't be agreeing? Isn't that one of the signs of the end times?

[RobertL]

So what I'm hearing is I don't need an upgrade. Instead I should finish modifying my SC/TO and work on my roasting skills. Hmm that would leave me plenty of money for practice beans. 

[moglman]

I don't regret the HT B upgrade I made from the original iRoast.  The profile management has greatly improved my roasting skills.  I would not hesitate to go with an RK drum, and was considering one strongly, but it's less practical in CO in winter, at least in my current home.  That and the fact I'd need to modify my grill.  The HT price is pretty stiff and worse since the rise last June, and the necessary cool down between batches really extends the process of multiple roasts.  The batch size is ok for me at 200 to 225 g per roast, but of course I'd love to do a pound or two at a time.  The cooling tray is an excellent feature.  The Quest M3 is very highly rated but also not inexpensive and has a small batch size, though it is 100% manual (a good thing IMO) and is designed for continual roasts.