Roasters Gas and Electric

[SJM]

How is it that there aren't "entry level" gas roasters the way there are "entry level" electric roasters. 

It has just come to me that there is no way in h*** that I could cook on an electric stove, so why have I been trying to roast with an electric roaster? 

[milowebailey]

cost.... the gas valve train is $500 or more.  by the time you add cooling fan, drive motor and sheet metal you are now at $2000 or more in cost just to build one... add marketing, labor and profit you are now at $6000....

that is an entry level gas roaster

The Sono is probably the least expensive entry level gas roaster, if you want a fluid bed roaster... one fan no motors is how they keep the cost down.

[SJM]

So it's really true that there's nothing until you hit that high $$ mark, eh?
I can't help but think that with gas roasts would be much easier to control. 

[SJM]

Also responsiveness, running a gas roaster is going to be like driving a sports car, very responsive but easy to drive into a ditch while roasting with electric requires some pre-planning because of heat lag in the elements, it's like piloting a boat.  probably not the best analogy, but I think we agree.

That's exactly what I mean.
I am hopeless at "pre-planning"

Susan

[JojoS]

Huky 500 is probably the only entry level gas fed coffee roaster out there.

[jimbo]

cost....

The Sono is probably the least expensive entry level gas roaster, if you want a fluid bed roaster... one fan no motors is how they keep the cost down.

I think for most home roasters, the Sono is a good option.  Especially with the ADR they now offer.  The 1# with ADR is under $3000.  And I think with the different configurations they now offer for sample roasters make it even more attractive.  Not a US Roaster or Diedrich by any stretch of the imagination, but certainly worth consideration as an entry level gas roaster.

Just MHO, and full disclosure, yes I have a Sono.  I also have a Behmor and a Hottop.  Of the three I prefer the Sono.

[RobertL]

Susan you're not happy with your hottop?

[Intrepid510]

Huky 500 is probably the only entry level gas fed coffee roaster out there.

Bingo, I am assuming your want is not batch size, right?

[SJM]

Susan you're not happy with your hottop?

It's not that I'm not happy with it.
It's that I think I might be happier with a machine that was more responsive.

The HT is a huge improvement over the Behmor, but I am not great at figuring out where the pointer is on the face and then deciding to down fan or up heat and .....  I just think it's a bit muffled, and I'm not sure I want to spend too much time learning how to operate it as opposed to learning how to roast.

[peter]

I spent 8 years or so, roasting on two SC/TO's, so I know what it's like to roast w/ electric.  Both gas and electric have delays in response time, there is no getting away from it.  Gas might be more responsive, but that doesn't mean you turn up the flames and things instantly jump.  Either way, you have to plan ahead.  A greater concern is batch size vs. roaster capacity, and how warmed up the roater is.  I generally roast close to the capacity of my Ambex (with 4 of the 5 burner jets installed) and I still need to think ahead 5min., same as with the SC/TO's. 

The key with either is to come up w/ a basic roast profile and stick with it, and that will take out the variable of having to think ahead during the roast.  What has worked for me, has been to keep a log on every roast with time/temp/gas pressure/airflow, cup the results of each roast and when I find a coffee that really sings, I go back to my roast log and make up a 3x5 card.  So the next time I'm doing that coffee I simply pluck that card out of my Rolodex and roast away. 

I think the gas vs. electric debate is pretty much a moot issue.

[milowebailey]

Susan you're not happy with your hottop?

It's not that I'm not happy with it.
It's that I think I might be happier with a machine that was more responsive.

The HT is a huge improvement over the Behmor, but I am not great at figuring out where the pointer is on the face and then deciding to down fan or up heat and .....  I just think it's a bit muffled, and I'm not sure I want to spend too much time learning how to operate it as opposed to learning how to roast.

Susan

Forget about fan speed during the roast til you get used to roasting with the hottop.  Set it to 100% and roast,  set a ramp and let it run.  Next batch change one variable, airflow to say 50%, with the same coffee.  Try some different things on one coffee.  Then move to the next.  Once you get 100 roasts under your belt you will know the roaster, then consider (or not) changing settings during the roast.  Don't make it too complicated.   Many commercial roasters manually control the roast.  My Ambex is that way.  The controller is me.

A gas roaster might be easier since with most Gas roasters, all you can change is gas flow and air flow, and they won't be 100% repeatable all the time since they are levers (a damper and a manual gas valve) and are not digitally controlled.   But I can get consistant results on the Ambex and similar roasts with my hottop... 1/2 lb vs 3 - 4 lbs.

Get to know the hottop and what changing one thing does to several coffees.  (high grown, vs low grown).  It's like espresso... I still think a lever produces a better shot than any PIDed, computer controlled pump machine.  Keep it simple!

[SJM]

It would take me two years to get 100 roasts at the rate I'm going .....

But....I like this "keep it simpler" approach and will haul the HT onto the back deck today and see if I can get started ....

Susan

[milowebailey]

It would take me two years to get 100 roasts at the rate I'm going .....

But....I like this "keep it simpler" approach and will haul the HT onto the back deck today and see if I can get started ....

Susan

It took me a couple years to know the Ambex too....

[Mlee]

I have dibs on the Hottop when it goes up for sale

[SJM]