HotTop or Gene Cafe?

[Niko]

That's a really nice roaster indeed!
Man, forget the GC or the HT....I gotta' start saving my pennies now. I already got a price quote for the 1lb and 6lb .
But hey...you get what you pay for.

[Jeff]

That's a really nice roaster indeed!...
But hey...you get what you pay for.

Can you say Home Equity Line of Credit? I did. The interest is tax deductible! Woohoo!

C'mon over and roast any time you want.

[Niko]

C'mon over and roast any time you want.

Thanks! :D
Only problem is that I'm all the way out on West Coast...

[bbqnut]

Sorry for jumping in so late. Thought I would mention 2 things.

First, there is a new roaster coming on the market, and I did a first impression article on it:

Behmor 1600: http://www.ineedcoffee.com/07/behmor1600/


Second, being the gadget-freak that I am, I am now looking again at the Hottops, especially now that there is both a KN-8828P & KN-8828B. I know I want to try one out, and I love to tinker, but $900 still seems steep. $700 is a little better. Anyone else have some opinions between the two? I did read Randy Glass' articles, but still undecided.


Chris

[logicfix]

I've got to get this upgrade for my Hottop! It sounds like this will be a real sweet ride.

http://www.hottopusa.com/news.html

I found this video of the Hottop digital working. Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3foXzKC ... ed&search=

[Niko]

Sorry for jumping in so late. Thought I would mention 2 things.

First, there is a new roaster coming on the market, and I did a first impression article on it:

Behmor 1600: http://www.ineedcoffee.com/07/behmor1600/


Second, being the gadget-freak that I am, I am now looking again at the Hottops, especially now that there is both a KN-8828P & KN-8828B. I know I want to try one out, and I love to tinker, but $900 still seems steep. $700 is a little better. Anyone else have some opinions between the two? I did read Randy Glass' articles, but still undecided.


Chris

My iRoar2 isn't healthy these days and I have a feeling the days are numbered. When do you think this Behmor 1600 will be available to the public? I'm now steering more towards the newest Hottop model.

[earache]

My iRoar2 isn't healthy these days and I have a feeling the days are numbered. When do you think this Behmor 1600 will be available to the public? I'm now steering more towards the newest Hottop model.

I heard the Behmor was going to be ready in Sept. or Oct. That was too long to wait for me and I also had some doubts as to the quality of the machine. I ended up with the new programmable HT. Love it.

[Niko]

I might jump on that same bandwagon.
I do not want to be a crash-test dummy for some new machine.

[bbqnut]

I am liking the Behmor so far more than the Genecafe.

As with most roasters of this style, the roasts will never come out as bright as a Fluid Air Bed style of roaster (iRoast sort of fits into that category, and I will keep it around for when I want a brighter roast for drip and such).

I am doing a full review article that should be due out on Sep 1, so I will post when that goes live.

I think for the price and capacity, it is pretty hard to beat, and it seems pretty well made and designed.

Chris

[Weska]

I will advocate the Gene, even though I shouldn't based on such minimal experience.

I've had it home about ten days and done three roasts that have improved steadily as I get accustomed to the machine. I'm coming from stove-top roasting, so it's easy to impress me with a purpose-built machine.

Also of note is that I'm using a nominal 230v machine on nominal 220v current. I was prepared to add a variac to the mix in order to sustain necessary roasting temperatures, but that now seems like overkill.

Still, the Gene looks well-built and well-designed. Does what it claims to do rather predictably. I'd started as I would have for stove-top with over a minute into second crack (I like dark.) but this was over-roasted by any standard. (Not undrinkable, but it made an espresso resemble a napolitana's output.)

I've not used, nor even seen, the Hottop or the Behmor. That could be grounds for disqualifying anything I say. However, it seems to me that the Gene offers greater visibility during the roast than the other two and more on-the-fly control than the Behmor. (I'm not using that yet, but I expect to. I just let it go flat out to the max for now. Once I know where I want it to stop, I may tinker with the path to that end point.)

Everyone has already noted the Gene's greatest weakness. Cooling is far from ideal. I give it instructions to stop at 100 C on cooling and toss the beans between a big sieve and a pan for a couple of minutes to completely cool it down.

[Niko]

How are back to back roasts in it?
This seems to be the Hottop's major weakness, back to back roasts require a bit of work by what some people have said.
I did read about the cooling weakness of the Gene, now I'm wondering what is the Behmor's Kryptonite...

You can't have it all :D

[chas]

I'm not sure I'd call it a weakness since it's purposeful by design. You can "start" another roast right away on the Hottop, it just won't start another heat cycle until its cooled down first. By doing it this way, they are trying for more repeatable roasts versus maximizing throughput.

You can still get about two roasts or about 1lb an hour. For my needs that's fine.

[Niko]

You can still get about two roasts or about 1lb an hour. For my needs that's fine.

Yes! Yes!
...hit me up, I need about 2 lbs per roasting session (twice a week at least)

[Weska]

Back to back is not something I need to do, Niko. Can't tell you from experience.

From what I've read, you should allow an hour between roasts to assure reasonable consistency. The Gene does get itself very hot. I can smell the volatiles baking out of the plastic, at least while it's new. The plastic housing is uncomfortably warm to the touch during the last passages of a roast.

I doubt that back to back throughput is going to be a strong point with it.

The only thing you could do is use its cooling cycle and then supplement with maybe a Shop-Vac sucking air through it.

[Niko]

...or buy 2 Gene's to do back to back roasts :D

I can do back to back roasts all day long on my iRoar2 because I have a high velocity fan to cool it off for 5 minutes between roasts. It works well...a little too well sometimes, if I leave it on for too long the roaster gets stone cold in no time.

[earache]

I can cool my Hottop pretty quickly by opening up all of its orifices and using a shop vac.

[Niko]

I'm leaning pretty heavily towards the Hottop (sounds like porn).
I would like to see more reports on the Behmor because of the capacity but the other two roasters have some longevity on record.

[Niko]

OK...here's the big money question.
WHAT IS THE AVERAGE BATCH SIZE you guys do on your Hottops?
Is it 250g's
or 300g's?

[chas]

255g, i.e. 9oz even

[Weska]

And I'm regularly doing 250 grams in my Gene. It looks like--but I haven't tested this--that it could do 300 grams with aplomb. But I'm using a 230v machine on nominal 220v at flat out maximum. So all this needs to be confirmed in a less speculative, more controlled way.

[Niko]

They claim the Gene has a 300g capacity, I guess nobody really uses it to the full extent if the roasts are uneven
Lots of them say they load it up to 250 most of the time.

[earache]

I've run 275g in my HT with good results, but usually do just 250.

[Niko]

Is it because you don't usually need more than 250g or does the roast get pretty uneven past the magical 250?
I'm curious about how a 250g roast looks in quality compared to the same exact beans roasted at 275g and 300g.

[earache]

I usually run 250g batches just because everyone talks about that being the ideal batch size for HT's. I also have the time to run a few batches during the week. That said, I haven't really noticed much difference between 250 and 275 batches except slightly longer run times on the 275's, but then my taste for the differences might not be as developed as yours might be.

[Niko]

I'm not concerned about the taste differences, uneven roasts would bother me. Beans that are a mixed bag of burnt, medium and light tones tells me that the roaster didn't agitate like it should (essentially the batch was too large). Of course some beans tend to have a slightly uneven roasted look to them but it's normal. Sometimes I have to drop my batches down from 150 to 135 grams on my iRoar to get them to circulate better.
Just the other day I managed to "bake" a batch when I was simply trying to slow the damn roaster down...no dice, the espresso tasted like

[earache]

Hi Niko,

I haven't noticed any uneven roasts regardless of batch size. The HT does a really good job of circulating the beans, and the heating elements span the entire roasting chamber which would help keep the temp. pretty even. Of course some SO beans like Ethiopian's have a few stragglers which just don't keep up with the roast.

[Niko]

What was the largest batch you roasted?
Was it 300?! :D

[earache]

Only 275

[Niko]

No, that's great news...275 is good!
Now try 300 ....

[earache]

You really want one don't you... if I can help in your justification of purchase I will

Probably won't roast again until late next week, but will try 300.

[Niko]

OK.
I'll wait for the 300 to come out next next week.
gre:

[bbqnut]

Shameless plug on the my latest tutorial for the Behmor 1600:

http://ineedcoffee.com/07/behmor-tutorial/


Chris


PS - I still want a Hottop!!! ...at least to try...

[chas]

I tried 10oz of green Kona in my HT, which I think is a worst case situation since the moisture content of this Kona seems to be as high or higher than anything else I've ever roasted. Bottomline: it worked fine. It did take about 2.5 minutes longer than a std 9oz roast. Also, first crack on 9oz is almost always 385F give or take. With 10oz first crack didn't start until 405F. The beginning of 2nd crack, which is where I shut it down, still occurred at 414F but it took a lot longer to push from 405 to 414 than usual.

That said, the program I was using was set up for 9oz. The result might be very different if I actually tweaked the program for 10oz. It'll be later tomorrow or Wednesday before I do a taste test and can report the most important result of the test - baked or roasted.

I think the reason Randy Glass in his reviews of the original HT warned against 10oz were two fold 1) 10oz would either go through the entire cycle and shut down before getting to the desired roast level 2) The unit would shut off early which he thought was because the extra load was causing beans to directly contact the heat sensor and fool it into thinking the temperature was too hot.

With the programmable HT there is still the "lawyer feature" where it auto shuts down at 414F. However, instead of just shutting down, now it beeps and you have 30seconds to hit the override button before shut down. I guess they want to be sure at that stage of the roast that someone is right there minding the store so the HT doesn't burn the house down. I just wish they'd made that temp closer to 420F since 414F is right were 2nd crack usually starts.

There is actually another "lawyer feature" in the new ones. Since I have upgraded the original version (twice), I don't have the version with the new chaff collector. The new chaff tray is larger which is a very nice touch. However, there is a sensor switch on it which knows whether you dumped the chaff tray since the last roast. This will not let you start a new cycle if the chaff tray hasn't been removed and reinserted.

[Niko]

Was it "baked" or did it roast well?
I thought you were tired of Kona, then again I forgot that you used to blend it with a monsoon. Do you still do that or do you pull S.O. espresso with the Kona?
I've managed to bake a batch once, the taste was out of this world (not in a good way), how would you describe a "baked" batch flavor-wise?

[chas]

They definitely seemed roasted and not baked though my wife made a statement that they didn't seem up to snuff. She wasn't aware that I had done anything different with that batch and was thinking I had used a different bean.

[4vDesmo]

FYI, I just had an interesting half-hour discussion with Joe Behm about his Behmor 1600 roaster. I too am considering a new roaster to replace/supplement my I-Roar, and I wanted to know what was going on with his new goodie.

He was very willing to tell me all about it, and said he fully expects it to be available "before kids are putting on their Halloween masks". Before could be 1 day, could be 1 week, but he seemed pretty confident in his estimate. MSRP is $400.

So if you haven't already made a decision and dropped your paycheck on the HotTop or Gene Cafe, the Behmor should be interesting and available soon.

Steve

[Niko]

I think I can wait this one out, might be worth it just to get more feedback from more users in the very near future.
Thanks for the update, Steve.

[earache]

OK.
I'll wait for the 300 to come out next next week.
gre:

Well Niko, I did your 300g's last week and I'm actually pretty happy with how it turned out. As you'd expect, roasting time increased, but all in all the roast turned out very even. Considering I was roasting Ethiopian dry processed beans (SM Ethiopia Harar Horse Lot 14659) I didn't find too many light beans in the batch. I timed the roast at about 15:20, stopping just into SC. The batch turned out yummy as usual.

While it appears that 300g is doable, I don't think I'm going to be doing anything more that 275. At 275, the HT really stayed on profile and there was only a minimal increase in roast time, but at 300 I felt that the HT struggled a bit. When I did the 300 the weather wasn't the best and I had a cold wind to deal with... don't know if that had any effect.

So there's your test. Let me know if you have any questions.

Eric

[Niko]

I roast indoors so 300g's might be OK for me.
I'm sure the cold wind had some effect on the HT, my iRoar2 has a hard time with colder weather also.

[bbqnut]

So what should I buy? KN-8828P or KN-8828B?

I made the decision to buy, and cannot make up my mind.

Seriously though, the P is more money, but I like being able to put all the segments in beforehand (and this helps in sharing profiles).

The B, while cheaper and simpler, seems way too hands on...

Please, just make the decision for me. :D


Thanks

Chris

[Niko]

Go for the P!
I'm 99% sure on the Hottop and it would ONLY be the "P".
Yeah!! Then we can swap profiles an such.
...if only I would get off my ass and order one.

[chas]

Do it! The support and parts availability is excellent, too. You know how important that is.

[bbqnut]

Go for the P!
I'm 99% sure on the Hottop and it would ONLY be the "P".
Yeah!! Then we can swap profiles an such.
...if only I would get off my ass and order one.

I was afraid that would be the verdict.

This was the only video I could find of the P:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3foXzKCxaA

I am leaning toward the B, since Coffee Bean Corral has them for $25 off, and they do not currently have the P. The big saver is no tax since they are not in California.

Lemme see which lens I can sell ....

[4vDesmo]

I've been thinking about a new roaster, and noticed that coffeegeek's user ratings are consistently very high (overall 9.0) for the Gene Cafe, and very inconsistent for the HT (overall 7.2). Hell, even the I-Roast2 is that high.

I don't know how much weight you'd want to give these reviews, but I certainly read and considered them when I was spending $ on a S1. Even your's Niko!

The old fire-hazard HT reviews certainly have a tendency to bring down the overall average, but still - no bad reviews for the Gene?

As for the $25 deal, maybe coffee bean corral can order you a P model?

As for me, still looking, still undecided.

[bbqnut]

I can tell you from firsthand experience, the iRoast original and iRoast2 units are both riddled with problems. I could rehash them, but the noise and horrible programming interface are enough. The resulting flavor (when you can trick it into doing so), is great.

The Genecafe while built very well, and very consistent, it was consistently mediocre.

And the Hottops? It is rare to see people selling them, and most hang on to them. They cite great service, reliability, and of course they love the flavor. This is secondhand experience.

So I guess review ratings don't mean that much to me.

I am actually prepared for the Hottop to be a bit less to my liking in the flavor department over the iRoast. I think in general I just prefer the Fluid Air Bed flavor. However, I hope that the larger batch size, lower noise, and importantly - repeatability - will have me at my final roaster for awhile.

The other problem with the 8828P is that at nearly $1000, I am half way to something like a used Sonofresco (Monster/Syd & Jerrys). Those are very, very repeatable, reliable, and I love the flavor from those. My friend has one, and I am considering giving up roasting altogether, and just having him do it for me (at a nominal cost).

[bbqnut]

Looks like Russ at www.CoffeeBeanCorral.com does have the P in stock, and should be making it active on the site soon.

Hey Niko, I will order one if you order one

Chris

[Niko]

Lemme see which lens I can sell ....

Sell the 80-200/2.8!
...you hardly ever use it

Hey Niko, I will order one if you order one

Chris

I know, I know...if I would kick my other habit for a while. I have an ever-growing cup collection worth more than a VII! If I just stop that itch I can start a new one :D

Maybe we can get Steve to fly us over a couple of Hottops so we can save on tax

[bbqnut]

As soon as the CBC gets the P up there, my Amex will be ready.

Niko, I hope you are a real man, and do the right thing

[Niko]

Ain't no Amex here....just a bunch of lonely Franklins in an empty iLLy tin :D

[4vDesmo]

Ok, now we know Niko's piggy bank isn't inside his mattress. At least if you put it in a coffee tin you're reminded what its for, huh?

Too bad there isn't some place reasonably close to actually get a look at this stuff before buying it. I'm a hands-on guy, but maybe I'm alone in wanting the touchy feely before buying. Geez, I've spent $500 flying an airplane to look at things that cost about the same as the flight. And I'd do it again.

Let's go!

[Niko]

You look for any excuse to fly that thing :D
....I'll bring some cans of coffee with me.

I just realized something, Sweet Maria's is just across the bridge for me but I'm not sure if they would demo one of the Hottop "P" models.
You know what means, you're going to have to fly up here and I'll drive us all the Oakland.

[4vDesmo]

If you're gonna fly, you'd better bring cans of Ben Franklins with you. Coffee can come too.

SM's must like you. When I tried to "drop by" to check out (and probably buy) a Quickmill Andreja, I was told to fuggitabowdit. And now look what I'm using!

I am willing to subject myself to the task of a 2 1/2 hr flight (each way) in order to witness the HT in action. Tough duty, but someone (me) has to do it.

If you show up with a noob in tow they may banish you!

[Niko]

Not sure if they like me or not but if I tell them I'm bringin' Steve, Chris and an iLLy tin full of Benjamins....I think they might reconsider since we'll probably walk out with 60lbs of greens and 3 Hottops
...WOW, did you notice how that sounds? Sounds like an opium deal but we're talking coffee!

[bbqnut]

I dont think seeing it in action for even a couple of roasts would be enough to know if you really like it.

You have to buy it & try it for a few weeks, and either keep it or sell it at that point.

[bbqnut]

I just ordered one at Coffee Bean Corral for:

$920 - $25 code ROAST = $895 + $20 shipping =

$915 out the door + 5lbs of free coffee (I got some Uganda Bugisu).

Niko, just do the right thing, you promised you would trade profiles with me.

How are we going to trade profiles when you don't have your roaster? :?



Chris

[Niko]

Damn.
You are quick.
...I started this thread many moons ago but I need to end it by getting that Hottop and shutting up.
I was actually invited to try a Hottop (new digital) model by a member of this forum.
Jackiechang offered and I might call him in the next few days...

I'd love to see it in action but I'm pretty sure I'll place my order right after that.

[bbqnut]

Just get one, and if you really don't like it, sell at a small loss.

To me, that $100 or whatever that I lose selling it is worth having it for a few months (and all the time I saved by NOT researching it to death).

I broke something on my i-Roast 2, and that was the impetus for this purchase, though I had been thinking about it for a long time.

[bbqnut]

I just realized the title of the thread....

Niko you are pretty much obligated at this point to buy a Hottop.

Call it peer pressure, I don't care. I just want someone else to have spent money on the same thing as me. Makes me feel less guilty.

[Niko]

All right, all right....I'm getting one very soon I promise.
Oops, I just made a promise in public!
Now I have to keep my word and make you feel less guilty
...besides, I'll wait for your 1st profile and then I'll use it on my new Hottop, Mwuhahaha!










The only thing that held me back every time I have my finger on the trigger is that damn Behmor roaster, they keep making new announcements - it's coming soon, roast 1lb batches for $400, and so on, etc.. blah blah blah

[4vDesmo]

So much for our roadtrip to SM's, huh Niko?

[Niko]

Yeah, no kidding!
This "Chris" guy is waaaay too fast for us.
Looks like I might succumb to peer pressure and then you'll have to fly out and check out the roaster at my house.

I'll even have some Idido Misty Valley waiting... :D

[chas]

Just to get you guys going here are two files you might find useful.

One is a blank Hottop template and the other one I have filled in with the three profiles I currently am using.

http://www.s1cafe.com/wforum/docs/HTPrograms.xls
http://www.s1cafe.com/wforum/docs/HTPro ... ledOut.xls

[Niko]

Interesting.
How does the modified Rand Glass profile work?
Does it extend the time between 1st and 2nd crack pretty well?

Another interesting side note, I've finally managed (tricked) my iRoast into a pretty extended time between the cracks without baking a batch. The flavor difference is amazing, too bad I discovered this in the Autumn of the iRoasts life

Well guys, nine months (or so) later and I've finally decided on the Hottop.
Now I just need to decide where I'm buying it from, I had a direct contact from Hottop....


Almost forgot, thanks for sharing those profiles, Chas. I'll be sure to share some of mine (if they're any good) :D

[bbqnut]

Hey Niko, please check your PM.

[Niko]

Thank you.

[bbqnut]

Those profiles are great. Thanks Chas.

Another little tool that is worth investing in, a Kill-a-Watt for $20.

As you know, all electric roasters are sensitive to household voltage.

That way, you guys can also note the idle & running voltage with each profile and bean. That makes sharing profiles even more beneficial.

http://www.amazon.com/P3-International- ... 302&sr=8-1

[Niko]

That is a nice gadget indeed!
I borrowed a friends Killawatt to gauge what kind of power my Macs suck, funny thing is they're very conservative and one of them has about a dozen HD's.

[chas]

Do they make a version of that with a 20A plug?

What I have that is more useful is a Variac with a voltmeter on it. That way I can see the idle and running voltage AND I can do something about it!

[bbqnut]

Do they make a version of that with a 20A plug?

What I have that is more useful is a Variac with a voltmeter on it. That way I can see the idle and running voltage AND I can do something about it!

Link please? I think need one of those now!

[Niko]

A Variac?
Sweet Maria's sells those.

[admin]

I bought my Variac from Coffee Bean Corral but they didn't seem to carry them anymore.

I keep mine cranked to 130V no load. It drops to 120V when the heater element is running. YMMV. I have the Hottop plugged into the outlet farthest from the breaker box and this is a big house.

[bbqnut]

A Variac?
Sweet Maria's sells those.

I meant one with a voltage readout.

Maybe they all have those.

I have an old Bell+Howell frankenstein.

I guess I could just use the Kill a watt in conjunction with a regular Variac.

[bbqnut]

SM even has Variac T-Shirts

http://www.sweetmarias.com/Merchant2/me ... de=6511-XL

[Niko]

Yeah, I know...
they got some weird stuff.
Hey, it's the SF Bay Area what can I say?!

[bbqnut]

If you could give me a link to the SM Variacs that would be great.

Also tell me how you navigated there - their site is hands down the worst organized, and has been for several years.

If they think their business is great, they would probably have a heart attack with the business increase with a proper site. OK, got that off my chest.

[Niko]

No wonder!
Looks like they discontinued them!!

http://www.sweetmarias.com/prod.obsolete.shtml

Scroll down a bit and you'll see it

[bbqnut]

OK, I found this one, which is 20 amps. Might just get it. Looks like the same from SM.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Metered-Variac-Vari ... dZViewItem

I know some buy the 5 amp and just put a 15 or 20 amp fuse in. Does anyone here do that?

[chas]

Yes, I bought the 5A model which is ivory and has one outlet instead of two but otherwise looks identical to the red one. I blow about 1 fuse a year on it. It doesn't even get warm so I don't have any concerns about using it that way.

[bbqnut]

I just bought the 20 amp for now.

Might buy a cheaper one for a backup.

[4vDesmo]

Another interesting side note, I've finally managed (tricked) my iRoast into a pretty extended time between the cracks without baking a batch. The flavor difference is amazing, too bad I discovered this in the Autumn of the iRoasts life

Niko - what was the iRoast trick? I'm lucky if I can get past 8 minutes plus 4 cooldown.

[bbqnut]

Not to answer for Niko, but I did write a little article on the iRoast:

http://www.ineedcoffee.com/07/iroast2-guide/

[4vDesmo]

Thanks for the link Chris - I'll see what I can do with mine following your suggestions.
I think part of the short roast time problem is my ambient temps have been 100+ (Vegas + summer = hot) for the majority of time I've been using the iRoast. I roast outside to keep the smoke out of the house. I've already noticed a difference in the past week or so as we've started cooling off.

[bbqnut]

You can start by just reducing your final temp.

You may waste a batch or two this way, but eventually you will find the temp at which the beans don't over roast, and adjust the rest from there.

[Niko]

I was just going to mention that ambient temps play a HUGE role on the iROOOOOOOOOOOOAR.

BTW, Chris...forgot to mention to you, I already ordered the Hottop! I called Russ and spoke to him personally, he's a really nice guy and he's shipping me a free Hottop Programable Digital, all I had to pay for was the shipping YEAH RIGHT, NOT!
Thought I'd get you with that one....

Anyways, I did order one for the same deal you got and I should have it on hand by next Friday.

FINALLY, THIS THREAD ENDS UP WITH A HOTTOP...(not that the Gene is any worse, rather a different choice).

[bbqnut]

I guess he had to have them drop shipped from Hottop, so I am now getting mine Friday not Wed.

Oh well, that is a bummer, but still inside of next week.

[Niko]

What do you mean? I just ordered mine today about 4:30 ET so he won't ship it until tomorrow.
Is he having them shipped directly from Hottop?

[bbqnut]

Well, I had tracking numbers the day I ordered. But they turned out to be the gloves and beans.

I guess he was out of stock on the P model, so he is shipping directly from Hottop, at least for me.

However, since it is FedEx, it should arrive to me by Thurs or Fri. You will probably be in the same boat.

Either way, I suspect we will both have ours by ri/Sat, as I think the FedEx they use may deliver on Saturday.

[Niko]

Gloves?
I didn't order any stinkin' gloves!
I assume those are for your BBQ roasting??

Maybe you're correct about the shipping directly from Hottop...I asked if he had any left and he said "YES" so maybe he meant he'll get a roaster to me one way or another :?
I should have a tracking number tomorrow (Friday). I'm getting some free Rwanda beans with mine, they make a nice component for one of my killer blends.

[bbqnut]

You get gloves for free.

I'll put my Uganda against your Rwanda in a blend any day.

Actually, I know a lot of guys that used Uganada in blends, and I never really got my hands on very much, so it will be a new experience for me.

[Niko]

I once had a Rwanda that I'd take over a Kenya anyday!
I forget the name but it made a wicked S.O. Espresso....ah, I can still taste the long chocolate finish after a year.

Now I'm puzzled over the gloves....are you saying he throws in a pair of gloves without mentioning them?

[bbqnut]

I once had a Rwanda that I'd take over a Kenya anyday!
I forget the name but it made a wicked S.O. Espresso....ah, I can still taste the long chocolate finish after a year.

Now I'm puzzled over the gloves....are you saying he throws in a pair of gloves without mentioning them?

They do mention the free gloves, but it is a little hidden. See if you can find it:

http://www.coffeebeancorral.com/Product ... d=HOTTOP-P

Also, if you are into African coffees, check out the Malawi Mapanga. This bean literally does different stuff at different stages of the age. I have gotten Oreo cookie, Honey, Berries, and many other nuances depending on age and preparation.

And my friend says he avoids the blood beans (Rwanda, Uganda, & Malawi all fit in that category at one time or another). His reasoning is that when there is civil war, coffee goes downhill. I will just leave it at that.

[chas]

With those free asbestos gloves you guys no longer need the No Burn Steam Arm!

[Niko]

Chas, do you roast with gloves on your Hottop?


I can only assume how they came up with the name "Hottop".... while R&D some dude burned himself while touching the top of the unit and screamed out "Hottop, hottop, hottop!" three times 'cause it hurt so much so then came the rails in the design after that incident. :D

[bbqnut]

With those free asbestos gloves you guys no longer need the No Burn Steam Arm!

That would be a good look

[chas]

Chas, do you roast with gloves on your Hottop?

I don't even roast with gloves on my hands!

[Niko]

Chas, do you roast with gloves on your Hottop?

I don't even roast with gloves on my hands!

All right....I just got it

With those free asbestos gloves you guys no longer need the No Burn Steam Arm!

That would be a good look

That would be an interesting video for the collection!
...I'll get right on it.

[bbqnut]

Niko,

An FYI - looks like my roaster via FedEx is still coming Wed.

[Niko]

FedEx, hmm...
my invoice says UPS.

I bet yours arrives in one piece!

Anyone wanna take bets on how many pieces my roaster arrives in??

[4vDesmo]

You guys are killing me! All these new toys in transit and I can't have one. Yet.

I'll just have to sit back and watch the action I guess - kind of like watching the kids at Christmas.

[chas]

Anyone wanna take bets on how many pieces my roaster arrives in??

I'm guessing six.