Santa Came Early!!

[JohnB]

I hadn't planned on getting into home roasting quite this soon but I got an offer I couldn't refuse so here it is. A new Hottop P model:

[Niko]

[chas]

Mine doesn't have any of that white lettering across the front. What does it say?

Mine also doesn't have the red warning any more either. I think the heat vaporized it after a couple of years. Don't forget to install the two burn guards. This rascal really needs it.

[Niko]

Mine also doesn't have the red warning any more either. I think the heat vaporized it after a couple of years.

Mine is barely legible, only noticed after seeing his shiny new roaster that it says something in red.

Don't forget to install the two burn guards. This rascal really needs it.

I found out the hard way

I'm wondering about the white writing myself, I think the writing on the left says something about emptying the chaff tray after every roast but I'm not sure about the other writing (maybe something about not leaving the roaster unattended while in operation?).

[chas]

Yeah, if I squint real hard the left one looks like "Empty the chaff tray after every use" and the right one looks like "Never leave the coffee roaster unattended while in operation"

[JohnB]

Yeah, if I squint real hard the left one looks like "Empty the chaff tray after every use" and the right one looks like "Never leave the coffee roaster unattended while in operation"

We have a winner!! Not a great pic, I know but its hard to photograph chrome at night with the flash. I will install the guards tomorrow as I want the full Electrolux Vac look.

[zoey]

WOW! You are one lucky fella!

I'm having a case of roaster envy Lately I've been running my Hearthware and the iRoast at the same time. I'm sure all of you can hear me roasting, however I won't be able to hear you complain as I am now virtually deaf

[Niko]

Yeah, it didn't take much to get John into it...
I think he was corrupt already - just a little nudge "you need a Hottop, John...."
And bam! He gets a Hottop. He was on the fence and he just fall down and go boom

Hey Zoey, you need a Hottop
...can you hear me? Hello....turn off that damn iRoar when we're talkin' to ya'

And besides, friends don't let friends go deaf

[JohnB]

It was a combination of several things: Niko's nudge got me looking at websites, I find a distributor close to my home(20 miles) & send out a "give me your best cash price" email thinking nothing much would come of it, he comes back with a price even my wife said I'd be crazy to turn down. Obviously the planets were in alignment so now I have to find some green beans. No hurry as I just got 9lbs of roasted coffee in on Monday!

I was thinking of trying one of those 4 or 8lb sample packs from Sweet Marias along with a lb of some $2 crap to break in the roaster. Thoughts??

[Niko]

Bean sample packs are a nice, great way to break in a roaster and get some experience. I wouldn't put that $2 feces in the roaster, maybe a cheap wash processed (not-so-chaffy) bean will do the trick better. After all, you're seasoning the drum with the first few roasts, that scary vietnamese goo-muk would scare me

[JohnB]

so are the first couple of roasts undrinkable due to the crap burning off the inside or is most of that gone after the preheat cycle?

[Niko]

I wouldn't drink the 1st roast
My first two went in the trash, the third one I gave away.
I drank the 4th

[zoey]

WHAT Niko?? I can see your lips moving, but I can't hear a thing

[JohnB]

Do you guys ever clean the burnt oils off the drum or does the accumulated "seasoning" just get better & better? The reason I ask is the supplier I bought from said he never cleans the drum when I asked about it during the demo. Just wondering about regular maintenance besides removing chaff & changing filters. By the way he said he gets a kick out of hearing about guys that clean the filter instead of changing it. I have to admit that $10 every 5-6 months doesn't seem all that expensive if they really last that long. How often do you change/clean the top filter under the metal screen?

[Niko]

I would never clean the drum, the seasoning gets better and better.
I change the rear filter every 40 roasts, I flip it over at after 20, clean it at 30 and then replace it. It does get expensive if you roast often, they can add up to about $40-50 per year if you roast heavily and not do the above rotating and cleaning. It brings it down to about $20 per year for the cheapos like me
For cleaning I just dip the filter into some nice hot Cafiza then gently rinse it out and instantly get about 10 more roasts out of it
The top filter I have yet to change, the 100th roast is approaching soon but I might wait a little longer

[Niko]

WHAT Niko?? I can see your lips moving, but I can't hear a thing

I'm going to send you my 1st roast from my commercial deidrich roaster (when I get one). It'll have all the nice burn off from the lubricants and other manufacturing goodies

...now all I need is a shipping address and we'll be set

[zoey]

Sounds yummy! You can send it to:

1122 Boogie Boogie Avenue
Sacramento, CA. 55555

Home phone: 867-5309

[Weska]

That's a nice addition to your batterie de café. Hours of enjoyment and coffee you can't get any other way.

I've said this before, possibly on this forum, but I'm old and tend to repeat myself. Anyway, roasting your own even when the results aren't always consistent (and they mostly aren't), keeps your attention focused on really tasting what you are drinking. You may be able to buy better coffee than you can roast yourself, but you can't buy the variety and interest.

I'll say the same for home brewing.

[Niko]

John,
what's the status on your roasting?

[JohnB]

John,
what's the status on your roasting?

Status would be best described as "on hold". Haven't even plugged it in or ordered greens yet. Just shipped my Macap to its new owner in Seattle today & finally have both my SJs sorted & in use. I'll get going on picking out some greens shortly but I've got roasted coffee in the freezer to use up before I start roasting. I did get a Terroir gift certificate from Santa but I imagine it would be criminal to hone my roasting technique on George's premium greens.

[Niko]

Sounds good
I'd get some non-premium greens to roast (not for lack of experience on your part) but to mainly break in that roaster. You'll get a feel for that roaster pretty fast, I think