Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

"Thomas Reat" > wrote in message
om...
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

There are basically 2 kinds of purpose-built home roasting devices. The
most common and least expensive are "air roasters," similar to commercial
"fluid bed" roasters at least in concept. Examples of this are Freshroast
Plus (FR+) and Caffe Rosto. A thriftstore hot air popcorn popper will
produce similar results at a lot lower cost. The other common type is
consumer level drum roasters, of which the Hottop (HT) and Alpenrost (alp)
are the most common. The Z&D as I understand it works mostly by conduction
of heat and this is distributed to the beans by an auger.

A third option if you are handy and after you get obsessed with the coffee,
is to convert a home BBQ grill into a drum roaster; you can either fabricate
a drum yourself or buy one from either of at least 2 alties who sell them.

None of the purpose built home roasters has a great reputation for
reliability and service, although the HT is generally considered much more
robust than is the alp.

Speaking only for myself I'd suggest avoiding the alp due to reliability
issues and inability to control roast level very well unless you are lucky
or have exceptional hearing. Any of the home air roasters will give you a
chance to observe the process of roasting and to learn if you are interested
in it. There are reliability issues with these as well so you might end up
tossing those just like you might toss an alp.

My suggestion is to go over to the Sweet Marias site and read about roasting
devices. A popper would be a very minor investment and enable you to learn
whether or not you really want to do this on a regular basis. If you do
then hang around here to read about how the current roaster crop is holding
up vis a vis reliability. There is at least one new roaster out there now,
the new Hearthware, which may merit consideration if people find it
reliable. If it were me I'd either stick with the hopper or move on to a
BBQ roaster if my interest continued and if a BBQ roaster was feasible for
my living arrangements.

Best,

ken

"Thomas Reat" > wrote in message
om...
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

There are basically 2 kinds of purpose-built home roasting devices. The
most common and least expensive are "air roasters," similar to commercial
"fluid bed" roasters at least in concept. Examples of this are Freshroast
Plus (FR+) and Caffe Rosto. A thriftstore hot air popcorn popper will
produce similar results at a lot lower cost. The other common type is
consumer level drum roasters, of which the Hottop (HT) and Alpenrost (alp)
are the most common. The Z&D as I understand it works mostly by conduction
of heat and this is distributed to the beans by an auger.

A third option if you are handy and after you get obsessed with the coffee,
is to convert a home BBQ grill into a drum roaster; you can either fabricate
a drum yourself or buy one from either of at least 2 alties who sell them.

None of the purpose built home roasters has a great reputation for
reliability and service, although the HT is generally considered much more
robust than is the alp.

Speaking only for myself I'd suggest avoiding the alp due to reliability
issues and inability to control roast level very well unless you are lucky
or have exceptional hearing. Any of the home air roasters will give you a
chance to observe the process of roasting and to learn if you are interested
in it. There are reliability issues with these as well so you might end up
tossing those just like you might toss an alp.

My suggestion is to go over to the Sweet Marias site and read about roasting
devices. A popper would be a very minor investment and enable you to learn
whether or not you really want to do this on a regular basis. If you do
then hang around here to read about how the current roaster crop is holding
up vis a vis reliability. There is at least one new roaster out there now,
the new Hearthware, which may merit consideration if people find it
reliable. If it were me I'd either stick with the hopper or move on to a
BBQ roaster if my interest continued and if a BBQ roaster was feasible for
my living arrangements.

Best,

ken

"Thomas Reat" > wrote in message
om...
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

I was asking the same questions several months ago and it seems that the
most unreliable appliance ever made is a home coffee roaster. You get a
handful of roast coffee and they all seem to me to be finicky. Some folks
seem to like their popcorn air poppers especially after they rewire them
with variacs and thermostats but I chose to make a BBQ drum roaster.

I have yet to hear one complaint from anyone about these and in my
experience the results are excellent. I just wish Ron had come to market
with his drum several weeks sooner so I wouldn't have had to build mine.
See Ed's site for additional links: http://www.homeroaster.com/


--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.

"Thomas Reat" > wrote in message
om...
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

I was asking the same questions several months ago and it seems that the
most unreliable appliance ever made is a home coffee roaster. You get a
handful of roast coffee and they all seem to me to be finicky. Some folks
seem to like their popcorn air poppers especially after they rewire them
with variacs and thermostats but I chose to make a BBQ drum roaster.

I have yet to hear one complaint from anyone about these and in my
experience the results are excellent. I just wish Ron had come to market
with his drum several weeks sooner so I wouldn't have had to build mine.
See Ed's site for additional links: http://www.homeroaster.com/


--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.

"Thomas Reat" > wrote in message
om...
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

Buy a stainless steel dog bowl for $ 8 and a commerical-quality heat gun for
$ 45-60 and join the dogbowl side of the force. Details on heatgun roasting
can be found at www.coffeegeek.com, in the home roasting talk forum. Do a
search or look for postings with the words 'heatgun' or 'dogbowl'.

You will be surprised at how well this works.

Regards,

Michael Lloyd
Mill Creek, Washington USA

"Thomas Reat" > wrote in message
om...
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

Buy a stainless steel dog bowl for $ 8 and a commerical-quality heat gun for
$ 45-60 and join the dogbowl side of the force. Details on heatgun roasting
can be found at www.coffeegeek.com, in the home roasting talk forum. Do a
search or look for postings with the words 'heatgun' or 'dogbowl'.

You will be surprised at how well this works.

Regards,

Michael Lloyd
Mill Creek, Washington USA

On Fri, 02 Jan 2004 22:30:57 -0800, Thomas Reat wrote:

> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

To be fair, there are a lot of happy Alpenroast owners out there but I
wouldn't get one. They can be cranky and have problems with smaller
beans. A Z&D might be cool. It's not what I would get but I can see the
appeal. A popcorn popper is a better deal than most hot air roasters.

If you really don't care about batch sizes, a Z&D or a popper would
probably be your best bets. If you want larger batches some day, you
could try a whirley pop, a bbq drum or a heat gun.

I think the important things are beans and heat. The rest is just what's
convenient.

Jim

On Fri, 02 Jan 2004 22:30:57 -0800, Thomas Reat wrote:

> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

To be fair, there are a lot of happy Alpenroast owners out there but I
wouldn't get one. They can be cranky and have problems with smaller
beans. A Z&D might be cool. It's not what I would get but I can see the
appeal. A popcorn popper is a better deal than most hot air roasters.

If you really don't care about batch sizes, a Z&D or a popper would
probably be your best bets. If you want larger batches some day, you
could try a whirley pop, a bbq drum or a heat gun.

I think the important things are beans and heat. The rest is just what's
convenient.

Jim

I have been using, and quite satisfied with, the Zach and Dani roaster. In
addition to doing exactly what I need it to do, it does it without having to
stand over and nursemaid it. If you have a grinder, a phone call to their
customer service department will yield a price of $90 for the kit.
For me, a key factor in the decision for Z and D was the smoke & fumes
elimination system. I use my Z&D roaster in an inside room that does not
even have a window. Smoke is not a problem.
Alan M
"Thomas Reat" > wrote in message
om...
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

I have been using, and quite satisfied with, the Zach and Dani roaster. In
addition to doing exactly what I need it to do, it does it without having to
stand over and nursemaid it. If you have a grinder, a phone call to their
customer service department will yield a price of $90 for the kit.
For me, a key factor in the decision for Z and D was the smoke & fumes
elimination system. I use my Z&D roaster in an inside room that does not
even have a window. Smoke is not a problem.
Alan M
"Thomas Reat" > wrote in message
om...
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

In alt.coffee Thomas Reat > wrote:
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster,

Yes


> or is the $250-$300 better spent?

Yes


Is
> the HotTop worth the $600?

Yes

Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150,

Dunno


though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

Buy a hot air popcorn popper if you want a good cheap roaster. Buy a
hottop if you want a great expensive roaster. Buy an Alp if you want a
very good midpriced drum roaster.


--
....I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who

In alt.coffee Thomas Reat > wrote:
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster,

Yes


> or is the $250-$300 better spent?

Yes


Is
> the HotTop worth the $600?

Yes

Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150,

Dunno


though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

Buy a hot air popcorn popper if you want a good cheap roaster. Buy a
hottop if you want a great expensive roaster. Buy an Alp if you want a
very good midpriced drum roaster.


--
....I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who

"Thomas Reat" > wrote in message
om...
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

A used Poppery II is the best low-cost entry into the hobby. You can find
them on eBay for $10 or so. Search web pages for recommended modifications.
With an added thermometer (I use a Weber food thermometer) and a can stuck
into the chamber, I do up to 6.5 ounce batches quickly and very repeatably,
up to and including French Roast. Total investment: about $25 dollars and
one can of corn (but, you can eat the corn).

The Poppery II is also very reliable. There have probably been hundreds of
thousands of Poppery IIs and their clones sold over the years. I don't
think any 'home roaster" can claim the experience or reliability of a
Poppery II, judging from the comments posted online.

A BBQ roaster is a good option, but unless you have metal fabrication skill,
the cost of entry is about $100 (plus BBQ, if you don't have one). If you
don't
care about batch size, try the air popper route and put the saved money
towards
green coffee, a grinder, and a decent brewing pot.

"Thomas Reat" > wrote in message
om...
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

A used Poppery II is the best low-cost entry into the hobby. You can find
them on eBay for $10 or so. Search web pages for recommended modifications.
With an added thermometer (I use a Weber food thermometer) and a can stuck
into the chamber, I do up to 6.5 ounce batches quickly and very repeatably,
up to and including French Roast. Total investment: about $25 dollars and
one can of corn (but, you can eat the corn).

The Poppery II is also very reliable. There have probably been hundreds of
thousands of Poppery IIs and their clones sold over the years. I don't
think any 'home roaster" can claim the experience or reliability of a
Poppery II, judging from the comments posted online.

A BBQ roaster is a good option, but unless you have metal fabrication skill,
the cost of entry is about $100 (plus BBQ, if you don't have one). If you
don't
care about batch size, try the air popper route and put the saved money
towards
green coffee, a grinder, and a decent brewing pot.

On Sat, 3 Jan 2004 08:37:46 -0700, Ken Fox wrote:

> If it were me I'd either stick with the hopper or move on to a
^^^^^^
> BBQ roaster if my interest continued and if a BBQ roaster was feasible

That's gotta be a freudo rather than a typo.
The h is a long way from the p.

On Sat, 3 Jan 2004 08:37:46 -0700, Ken Fox wrote:

> If it were me I'd either stick with the hopper or move on to a
^^^^^^
> BBQ roaster if my interest continued and if a BBQ roaster was feasible

That's gotta be a freudo rather than a typo.
The h is a long way from the p.

(Thomas Reat) wrote in message . com>...
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

Well, at least the folks here are being a little more open minded.
Not all have been very charitable about the Z&D even though they
probably don't own one. I have a Z&D roaster that I got a few months
ago and have cheerfully roasted about 30 pounds of coffee in it
without a hitch, making it pay for itself about 3 times over (in
savings)from what I was paying at the local roaster for "the good
stuff". It works as well as it did the day I got it, and shows no sign
of wear at all.

I bought it after contacting a couple of folks of the group found by
searching the archives that *actually owned one* to see how they liked
it. All but one were really positive. The one that wasn't was sent a
cheerful refund.

The best tip about this machine I can give you is to put on the mitts
and pour out the coffee on cold stoneware plate (put in the freezer
when you start your roast)as soon as you are through roasting. The
auger is hot and I think it continues to cook the beans that touch it
at the base. Although the cool cycle works pretty well, spreading the
beans out on a cold plate cools them almost immediately.

Pros: Excellent for medium roasts. Your roast timer has a five
minute cool down cycle in it, so it actually doesn't roast as long as
some folks think. Further, it will indeed roast a DARK(black)oily
roast for the espresso machine with no problem. Larger roast chamber
than its competitors translates to around 6 oz of coffe per batch.
And with the auger system, all beans are stirred vigorously throughout
the roast making the roast very even. Replacement parts are available
through their excellent customer service (DAMHIKT)at a reasonable
price. Last, it comes with 3 full pounds of coffee to roast. Best of
all, if you don't like the quality of coffee it makes, send it back
within 30 days for a full refund! No harm, no foul. This is tough to
beat.

Cons: If I don't get the top on correctly, it will shut down the
machine and sit until I reset it. I think this is more of an operator
problem than a machine fault. It does put a little chaffe out on the
counter, more or less depending on the coffee beans. I think this is
far outweighed by the fact that I can roast inside anytime since there
is NO smoke at all.

Try it, you'll like it. You may or may not outgrow it. I cannot see
*me* spending hours modifying a popcorn machine to save $50 to make a
machine that roasts about 3 ozs of coffee and makes smoke in the
house. I was seriously looking at the Alpenroast, but after reading
the archives to this group on the machine I decided against it.

The best advice you received so far was to get something affordable to
see if you will actually enjoy the process enough to keep roasting. I
roast coffee for the next day or two while I am fixing breakfast on
Sunday. I roast again on Wednesday and again during the week as
needed. I drink about the normal pound a week. This little machine
makes that all incredibly easy for me to hav efresh roast on hand.

I can't imagine anything to do with roasting being too much easier,
although this dog bowl business sure looks interesting...

OK, before I get blasted: I am not affiliated with Z&D company, not a
family member or godfather to the kids and I don't even live in the
same city. They don't pay my rent or send me free coffee.

As a general contractor I have bought so many crappy machines I am
just happy to buy something that works as advertised and has actually
payed for itself.

Robert

(Thomas Reat) wrote in message . com>...
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

Well, at least the folks here are being a little more open minded.
Not all have been very charitable about the Z&D even though they
probably don't own one. I have a Z&D roaster that I got a few months
ago and have cheerfully roasted about 30 pounds of coffee in it
without a hitch, making it pay for itself about 3 times over (in
savings)from what I was paying at the local roaster for "the good
stuff". It works as well as it did the day I got it, and shows no sign
of wear at all.

I bought it after contacting a couple of folks of the group found by
searching the archives that *actually owned one* to see how they liked
it. All but one were really positive. The one that wasn't was sent a
cheerful refund.

The best tip about this machine I can give you is to put on the mitts
and pour out the coffee on cold stoneware plate (put in the freezer
when you start your roast)as soon as you are through roasting. The
auger is hot and I think it continues to cook the beans that touch it
at the base. Although the cool cycle works pretty well, spreading the
beans out on a cold plate cools them almost immediately.

Pros: Excellent for medium roasts. Your roast timer has a five
minute cool down cycle in it, so it actually doesn't roast as long as
some folks think. Further, it will indeed roast a DARK(black)oily
roast for the espresso machine with no problem. Larger roast chamber
than its competitors translates to around 6 oz of coffe per batch.
And with the auger system, all beans are stirred vigorously throughout
the roast making the roast very even. Replacement parts are available
through their excellent customer service (DAMHIKT)at a reasonable
price. Last, it comes with 3 full pounds of coffee to roast. Best of
all, if you don't like the quality of coffee it makes, send it back
within 30 days for a full refund! No harm, no foul. This is tough to
beat.

Cons: If I don't get the top on correctly, it will shut down the
machine and sit until I reset it. I think this is more of an operator
problem than a machine fault. It does put a little chaffe out on the
counter, more or less depending on the coffee beans. I think this is
far outweighed by the fact that I can roast inside anytime since there
is NO smoke at all.

Try it, you'll like it. You may or may not outgrow it. I cannot see
*me* spending hours modifying a popcorn machine to save $50 to make a
machine that roasts about 3 ozs of coffee and makes smoke in the
house. I was seriously looking at the Alpenroast, but after reading
the archives to this group on the machine I decided against it.

The best advice you received so far was to get something affordable to
see if you will actually enjoy the process enough to keep roasting. I
roast coffee for the next day or two while I am fixing breakfast on
Sunday. I roast again on Wednesday and again during the week as
needed. I drink about the normal pound a week. This little machine
makes that all incredibly easy for me to hav efresh roast on hand.

I can't imagine anything to do with roasting being too much easier,
although this dog bowl business sure looks interesting...

OK, before I get blasted: I am not affiliated with Z&D company, not a
family member or godfather to the kids and I don't even live in the
same city. They don't pay my rent or send me free coffee.

As a general contractor I have bought so many crappy machines I am
just happy to buy something that works as advertised and has actually
payed for itself.

Robert

(Robert L. Witte) wrote in message . com>...
> (Thomas Reat) wrote in message . com>...

<snip>

> Well, at least the folks here are being a little more open minded.
> Not all have been very charitable about the Z&D even though they
> probably don't own one. I have a Z&D roaster that I got a few months
> ago and have cheerfully roasted about 30 pounds of coffee in it
> without a hitch, making it pay for itself about 3 times over (in
> savings)from what I was paying at the local roaster for "the good
> stuff". It works as well as it did the day I got it, and shows no sign
> of wear at all.
>
I've had my Z&D for a year now. I've not had any problems whatsoever
with it. It's very easy to use, no smoke, no problems, no hassles.

Stan

(Robert L. Witte) wrote in message . com>...
> (Thomas Reat) wrote in message . com>...

<snip>

> Well, at least the folks here are being a little more open minded.
> Not all have been very charitable about the Z&D even though they
> probably don't own one. I have a Z&D roaster that I got a few months
> ago and have cheerfully roasted about 30 pounds of coffee in it
> without a hitch, making it pay for itself about 3 times over (in
> savings)from what I was paying at the local roaster for "the good
> stuff". It works as well as it did the day I got it, and shows no sign
> of wear at all.
>
I've had my Z&D for a year now. I've not had any problems whatsoever
with it. It's very easy to use, no smoke, no problems, no hassles.

Stan

I will add my ditto to all of the other Z&D owners that have posted their
positive comments. My Z&D has been performed flawlessly for over a year now.
Quality, price, NO SMOKE, and too many other pluses to list.
Alan M
> <snip>
>
> > Well, at least the folks here are being a little more open minded.
> > Not all have been very charitable about the Z&D even though they
> > probably don't own one. I have a Z&D roaster that I got a few months
> > ago and have cheerfully roasted about 30 pounds of coffee in it
> > without a hitch, making it pay for itself about 3 times over (in
> > savings)from what I was paying at the local roaster for "the good
> > stuff". It works as well as it did the day I got it, and shows no sign
> > of wear at all.
> >
> I've had my Z&D for a year now. I've not had any problems whatsoever
> with it. It's very easy to use, no smoke, no problems, no hassles.
>
> Stan

I will add my ditto to all of the other Z&D owners that have posted their
positive comments. My Z&D has been performed flawlessly for over a year now.
Quality, price, NO SMOKE, and too many other pluses to list.
Alan M
> <snip>
>
> > Well, at least the folks here are being a little more open minded.
> > Not all have been very charitable about the Z&D even though they
> > probably don't own one. I have a Z&D roaster that I got a few months
> > ago and have cheerfully roasted about 30 pounds of coffee in it
> > without a hitch, making it pay for itself about 3 times over (in
> > savings)from what I was paying at the local roaster for "the good
> > stuff". It works as well as it did the day I got it, and shows no sign
> > of wear at all.
> >
> I've had my Z&D for a year now. I've not had any problems whatsoever
> with it. It's very easy to use, no smoke, no problems, no hassles.
>
> Stan

Ken,
I got a Freshroast Plus for Christmas and I am quite happy with it. I
can get a good dark espresso roast or a meduim roast. I don't mind the
smoke as I roast in the garage. I am still keeping my fingers crossed
since I read of a few people having problems with their FR+'s. When I do
multiple roasts I have to reduce the time since it gets hotter the more
you roast. That may be why some people have problems with it. I do look
around the thrift shops for the poppery to see what all the fuss is
about. Anyhoo, I'm not affiliated...just a satisfied newbie roaster.
Finally! A decent cup of coffee! Had I known it was this easy I would
have got into this a looooong time ago.
Cheers!
Dominick
--
Dominick Fiumare Email:
Facilities & Services Voice: 505-646-2529
New Mexico State Univ., Box 30001, MSC 3545 Fax: 505-646-1269
Las Cruces, NM 88003

Ken,
I got a Freshroast Plus for Christmas and I am quite happy with it. I
can get a good dark espresso roast or a meduim roast. I don't mind the
smoke as I roast in the garage. I am still keeping my fingers crossed
since I read of a few people having problems with their FR+'s. When I do
multiple roasts I have to reduce the time since it gets hotter the more
you roast. That may be why some people have problems with it. I do look
around the thrift shops for the poppery to see what all the fuss is
about. Anyhoo, I'm not affiliated...just a satisfied newbie roaster.
Finally! A decent cup of coffee! Had I known it was this easy I would
have got into this a looooong time ago.
Cheers!
Dominick
--
Dominick Fiumare Email:
Facilities & Services Voice: 505-646-2529
New Mexico State Univ., Box 30001, MSC 3545 Fax: 505-646-1269
Las Cruces, NM 88003

Coming back to an old thread with a negative answer and I hope this has
not already been thrashed to death he

Here is a roaster NOT to buy. It's new here in Germany and I've never
seen it anywhere else, but things like this do not usually remain local.
You can look at it he

http://www.dieckmann-aroma-kaffee.de/

It roasts an amazing 300g and is basically a heat-gun with a small,
plastic-gear driven rotating drum. The price is €199 or about $230.

Reading the well-hidden instructions it says (albeit in German): DO NOT
USE WITH NORMAL GREEN COFFEE BEANS! THESE HAVE NOT HAD THE CHAFF REMOVED
AND CAN BE A FIRE HAZARD.

What this means then is you can only roast the "pretreated" beans sold
by Dieckmann in 300g portions in plastic bags for €2.50. The beans look
vaguely like the description of monsooned Malabar, ie. a dirty,
yellow-grey color. I don't have any idea whether they are preroasted or
how the chaff is removed, but I think it is obvious why one would not
want to own one of these.

Just a warning to German alties and/or in case this thing shows up on
other markets.

Bruce "who likes to remove his own chaff, thank you" B

Coming back to an old thread with a negative answer and I hope this has
not already been thrashed to death he

Here is a roaster NOT to buy. It's new here in Germany and I've never
seen it anywhere else, but things like this do not usually remain local.
You can look at it he

http://www.dieckmann-aroma-kaffee.de/

It roasts an amazing 300g and is basically a heat-gun with a small,
plastic-gear driven rotating drum. The price is €199 or about $230.

Reading the well-hidden instructions it says (albeit in German): DO NOT
USE WITH NORMAL GREEN COFFEE BEANS! THESE HAVE NOT HAD THE CHAFF REMOVED
AND CAN BE A FIRE HAZARD.

What this means then is you can only roast the "pretreated" beans sold
by Dieckmann in 300g portions in plastic bags for €2.50. The beans look
vaguely like the description of monsooned Malabar, ie. a dirty,
yellow-grey color. I don't have any idea whether they are preroasted or
how the chaff is removed, but I think it is obvious why one would not
want to own one of these.

Just a warning to German alties and/or in case this thing shows up on
other markets.

Bruce "who likes to remove his own chaff, thank you" B

Thanks for the warning!
I just saw these in a shop in Freiburg (DE) during Christmas and was
precisely wondering how the chaff was supposed to be collected...
Luckily my Christmas shopping had already ruined me so that I couldn't
afford one.

Serge


Bruce B > wrote in message >...
> Coming back to an old thread with a negative answer and I hope this has
> not already been thrashed to death he
>
> Here is a roaster NOT to buy. It's new here in Germany and I've never
> seen it anywhere else, but things like this do not usually remain local.
> You can look at it he
>
> http://www.dieckmann-aroma-kaffee.de/
>
> It roasts an amazing 300g and is basically a heat-gun with a small,
> plastic-gear driven rotating drum. The price is ?199 or about $230.
>
> Reading the well-hidden instructions it says (albeit in German): DO NOT
> USE WITH NORMAL GREEN COFFEE BEANS! THESE HAVE NOT HAD THE CHAFF REMOVED
> AND CAN BE A FIRE HAZARD.
>
> What this means then is you can only roast the "pretreated" beans sold
> by Dieckmann in 300g portions in plastic bags for ?2.50. The beans look
> vaguely like the description of monsooned Malabar, ie. a dirty,
> yellow-grey color. I don't have any idea whether they are preroasted or
> how the chaff is removed, but I think it is obvious why one would not
> want to own one of these.
>
> Just a warning to German alties and/or in case this thing shows up on
> other markets.
>
> Bruce "who likes to remove his own chaff, thank you" B

Thanks for the warning!
I just saw these in a shop in Freiburg (DE) during Christmas and was
precisely wondering how the chaff was supposed to be collected...
Luckily my Christmas shopping had already ruined me so that I couldn't
afford one.

Serge


Bruce B > wrote in message >...
> Coming back to an old thread with a negative answer and I hope this has
> not already been thrashed to death he
>
> Here is a roaster NOT to buy. It's new here in Germany and I've never
> seen it anywhere else, but things like this do not usually remain local.
> You can look at it he
>
> http://www.dieckmann-aroma-kaffee.de/
>
> It roasts an amazing 300g and is basically a heat-gun with a small,
> plastic-gear driven rotating drum. The price is ?199 or about $230.
>
> Reading the well-hidden instructions it says (albeit in German): DO NOT
> USE WITH NORMAL GREEN COFFEE BEANS! THESE HAVE NOT HAD THE CHAFF REMOVED
> AND CAN BE A FIRE HAZARD.
>
> What this means then is you can only roast the "pretreated" beans sold
> by Dieckmann in 300g portions in plastic bags for ?2.50. The beans look
> vaguely like the description of monsooned Malabar, ie. a dirty,
> yellow-grey color. I don't have any idea whether they are preroasted or
> how the chaff is removed, but I think it is obvious why one would not
> want to own one of these.
>
> Just a warning to German alties and/or in case this thing shows up on
> other markets.
>
> Bruce "who likes to remove his own chaff, thank you" B

I own an Alpenrost and 3 FR+ modded with aluminum bases and on
individual Variacs.

2 of our friends (at our recommendation) bought Z&Ds in the past few
months and love them...rave about them actually. No smoke/in the house
roasting in one case.

Another acquaintance has a 5 kilo Deidrich (sp?) and gets great results!
He also sells a bunch of coffee.

I store the Alp on a shelf most of the time, because every 2 months it has
to be opened and 'adjusted' using the volt ohm meter and an allen wrench...
and the roasts are too dull for my liking. I do have the benefit of comparing
the taste of the roasts between my setups. The Alp is limited to roasting
beans of adequate size as well...small beans stick/burn and fall through
the screen in the drum.

The throughput on the Alp is about the same as the 3 FR+. I can turn out a
pound an hour with the FR+ and slightly less with the Alp.

The FR+ have thousands of roasts on them now, and I have been toying with
the idea of looking into a 1 pound BBQ setup as long as it can handle smaller
loads... I only roast ½ pound at a time, and prefer to have 2-3 types of beans
and 2 espresso blends on hand all the time. I have not seen an 8-12 oz
BBQ roaster.

L a r r Y

(Thomas Reat) wrote in message . com>...
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

I own an Alpenrost and 3 FR+ modded with aluminum bases and on
individual Variacs.

2 of our friends (at our recommendation) bought Z&Ds in the past few
months and love them...rave about them actually. No smoke/in the house
roasting in one case.

Another acquaintance has a 5 kilo Deidrich (sp?) and gets great results!
He also sells a bunch of coffee.

I store the Alp on a shelf most of the time, because every 2 months it has
to be opened and 'adjusted' using the volt ohm meter and an allen wrench...
and the roasts are too dull for my liking. I do have the benefit of comparing
the taste of the roasts between my setups. The Alp is limited to roasting
beans of adequate size as well...small beans stick/burn and fall through
the screen in the drum.

The throughput on the Alp is about the same as the 3 FR+. I can turn out a
pound an hour with the FR+ and slightly less with the Alp.

The FR+ have thousands of roasts on them now, and I have been toying with
the idea of looking into a 1 pound BBQ setup as long as it can handle smaller
loads... I only roast ½ pound at a time, and prefer to have 2-3 types of beans
and 2 espresso blends on hand all the time. I have not seen an 8-12 oz
BBQ roaster.

L a r r Y

(Thomas Reat) wrote in message . com>...
> Is the Alpenrost a good roaster, or is the $250-$300 better spent? Is
> the HotTop worth the $600? Is a Zach and Dani's so much worse (at
> about $150, though infomercials make me suspicious)? I don't care how
> big a batch it makes, but I do want a very good one.

Well, not one to keep anything a secret, here are my two bits on
roasters. Much of what I have to say will either be redundant or
contradict what has been said here so far.

I lust after a big sample roaster, a Probat, Diedrich, etc. I could
easily sell 25 lbs of fresh roast beans per week. I have not found a
machine that I could afford, so this is just dream stuff.

The Hotpop looks lovely, but doesn't have a big enough capacity for the
price, AFAIAC.

I just did my 200th roast using a stock Hearthware Precision roaster.
Its bean capacity is too small for my taste and I don't like the noise
(sounds like a loud vacuum cleaner) but it has never failed me, two of
my friends own the same machine and are happy with theirs, and the roast
is reliable. I like being able to watch the beans while they are
roasting and have hundreds of pictures of roasts at 1, 4, 5, 6, 7
minutes. The results are excellent and are virtually independent of
ambient temperature and quantity of beans up to roasting capacity. For
most beans a very dark French roast takes 7'30'' and I usually don't go
anywhere near that far. It takes some time until you can recognise first
and second crack, but they are there and for most beans are discernable.
Second crack usually occurrs, depending on the bean, of course, at 6-7
minutes, whereby things happen very quickly after that (1 min. later you
may have charcoal). Real big beans are a problem as they are with all
fluid-bed roasters. You can only do about 40 g of Maragogype or they
won't be lifted adequately by the airstream and some will burn while
others stay green.

All-in-all I am happy with this roaster, which I bought from Ivo and
which (perhaps significantly) is a 240V model. I have read many horror
stories about these roasters not lasting for more than a few roasts, but
I can only say that after 200 roasts I have had no problems at all with
it. YMMV, obviously. This last sentence is true for almost anything, of
course. It is very important to keep it clean. Especially the chaff
collector on top should be cleaned after every roast and washed in
detergent after every 3 roasts. I always let mine cool for half an hour
at least before doing another roast. This probably has a lot to do with
length of useable life. It also severly limits the amount of beans you
can roast in an afternoon.

My main roaster is an Alp, which I snagged on eBay, brand new for $100,
complete with a few kilos of beans. Some poor guy bought it and died
before he ever got a chance to use it (probably died of stale coffee)
and his widow had someone sell it on eBay. I have owned it for 18 months
and have done 120 roasts in it so far.

The Alp deserves a few paragraphs. For my use it is almost perfect. It
is VERY touchy about two parameters: 1) quantity of beans, and 2)
ambient temperature/relative humidity. As has been noted here it does
not do a dark roast on it's own. It won't usually go past full-city
roast unless you coerce it, which is not difficult. I can turn beans to
charcoal if I want to (which I don't) and there is no real trick to it.
You just set the roast setting to maximum (15) and use 180 g of beans
instead of 230 g. The darkness the Alp will roast to is very easily
adjusted by adjusting the amount of beans to the gram. I use an old
analytical balance, but any good digital balance with an accuracy of 1 g
will do fine. The less beans the darker the roast.

As to ambient temperature, at 30°C in the summer I can do 220 g as dark
as I like. At 16°C in the winter I can only do 200 g or less. Relative
humidity also has an effect; the higher the humidity the smaller the
mass of beans you can roast. It goes without saying that you need to
keep an accurate roast log with this roaster. Every parameter you can
think of should be noted and the results carefully studied so you can
repeat roasts.

Very small beans, peaberries, etc. will stick in the drum and burn and
smoke, but I have not noticed that such a roast tastes smoky or had any
other problems with it. I just knock the burnt beans out with a wooden
spoon and go on. I let the Alp cool down an hour before using again. I
worry about the plastic housing near the fan. It is becoming slightly
deformed and discolored. This roaster seems quite well designed and well
made, but I am put off by the amount of plastic material in the hot-air
path. The fan is also plastic. I have never taken the machine apart, but
probably will have to do so as I cannot get the fan shrouding clean
anymore and I am afraid the dust could catch fire. I have seen an Alp
that caught fire because of this and it was just so much rubbish.

After 3 or 4 roasts it is important to wash the chaff tray, vent screen
and outlet hood and the roast-bean hopper. After 5 0r 6 roasts the
reflecting inner liner of the door should be cleaned and polished. By
carefuly removing 2 self-tapping screws it can be removed and washed. I
do mine in the dishwasher. Of course, after every roast the chaff needs
to be removed from the tray and the roasting chamber, the fan and the
outlet hood.

I roast under a 1/2hp vent hood in the kitchen and it doesn't completely
get rid of the smoke problem, but my wife enjoys the smell, so what can
I say? If this is a problem for someone it sounds like the Ben and Jerry
(ummmm Zach, something) roaster might be a better solution. Both of my
roasters make LOTS of smoke. Also, a small vacuum cleaner is an absolute
necessity, especially with the Alp as you need to removed any chaff that
has gotten stuck in or around the heating element.

I love improving on espresso shots, enjoy the complements I get on milk
espresso drinks and get a kick out the look on people's faces when they
see my big commercial espresso machines, but the biggest joy I get out
of coffee is roasting. A well-roasted, carefully blended coffee has
become my own personal equivalent to the hígher-deity espresso shot so
many dream of.

Best wishes,

Bruce "ol' smokey joe" B

Well, not one to keep anything a secret, here are my two bits on
roasters. Much of what I have to say will either be redundant or
contradict what has been said here so far.

I lust after a big sample roaster, a Probat, Diedrich, etc. I could
easily sell 25 lbs of fresh roast beans per week. I have not found a
machine that I could afford, so this is just dream stuff.

The Hotpop looks lovely, but doesn't have a big enough capacity for the
price, AFAIAC.

I just did my 200th roast using a stock Hearthware Precision roaster.
Its bean capacity is too small for my taste and I don't like the noise
(sounds like a loud vacuum cleaner) but it has never failed me, two of
my friends own the same machine and are happy with theirs, and the roast
is reliable. I like being able to watch the beans while they are
roasting and have hundreds of pictures of roasts at 1, 4, 5, 6, 7
minutes. The results are excellent and are virtually independent of
ambient temperature and quantity of beans up to roasting capacity. For
most beans a very dark French roast takes 7'30'' and I usually don't go
anywhere near that far. It takes some time until you can recognise first
and second crack, but they are there and for most beans are discernable.
Second crack usually occurrs, depending on the bean, of course, at 6-7
minutes, whereby things happen very quickly after that (1 min. later you
may have charcoal). Real big beans are a problem as they are with all
fluid-bed roasters. You can only do about 40 g of Maragogype or they
won't be lifted adequately by the airstream and some will burn while
others stay green.

All-in-all I am happy with this roaster, which I bought from Ivo and
which (perhaps significantly) is a 240V model. I have read many horror
stories about these roasters not lasting for more than a few roasts, but
I can only say that after 200 roasts I have had no problems at all with
it. YMMV, obviously. This last sentence is true for almost anything, of
course. It is very important to keep it clean. Especially the chaff
collector on top should be cleaned after every roast and washed in
detergent after every 3 roasts. I always let mine cool for half an hour
at least before doing another roast. This probably has a lot to do with
length of useable life. It also severly limits the amount of beans you
can roast in an afternoon.

My main roaster is an Alp, which I snagged on eBay, brand new for $100,
complete with a few kilos of beans. Some poor guy bought it and died
before he ever got a chance to use it (probably died of stale coffee)
and his widow had someone sell it on eBay. I have owned it for 18 months
and have done 120 roasts in it so far.

The Alp deserves a few paragraphs. For my use it is almost perfect. It
is VERY touchy about two parameters: 1) quantity of beans, and 2)
ambient temperature/relative humidity. As has been noted here it does
not do a dark roast on it's own. It won't usually go past full-city
roast unless you coerce it, which is not difficult. I can turn beans to
charcoal if I want to (which I don't) and there is no real trick to it.
You just set the roast setting to maximum (15) and use 180 g of beans
instead of 230 g. The darkness the Alp will roast to is very easily
adjusted by adjusting the amount of beans to the gram. I use an old
analytical balance, but any good digital balance with an accuracy of 1 g
will do fine. The less beans the darker the roast.

As to ambient temperature, at 30°C in the summer I can do 220 g as dark
as I like. At 16°C in the winter I can only do 200 g or less. Relative
humidity also has an effect; the higher the humidity the smaller the
mass of beans you can roast. It goes without saying that you need to
keep an accurate roast log with this roaster. Every parameter you can
think of should be noted and the results carefully studied so you can
repeat roasts.

Very small beans, peaberries, etc. will stick in the drum and burn and
smoke, but I have not noticed that such a roast tastes smoky or had any
other problems with it. I just knock the burnt beans out with a wooden
spoon and go on. I let the Alp cool down an hour before using again. I
worry about the plastic housing near the fan. It is becoming slightly
deformed and discolored. This roaster seems quite well designed and well
made, but I am put off by the amount of plastic material in the hot-air
path. The fan is also plastic. I have never taken the machine apart, but
probably will have to do so as I cannot get the fan shrouding clean
anymore and I am afraid the dust could catch fire. I have seen an Alp
that caught fire because of this and it was just so much rubbish.

After 3 or 4 roasts it is important to wash the chaff tray, vent screen
and outlet hood and the roast-bean hopper. After 5 0r 6 roasts the
reflecting inner liner of the door should be cleaned and polished. By
carefuly removing 2 self-tapping screws it can be removed and washed. I
do mine in the dishwasher. Of course, after every roast the chaff needs
to be removed from the tray and the roasting chamber, the fan and the
outlet hood.

I roast under a 1/2hp vent hood in the kitchen and it doesn't completely
get rid of the smoke problem, but my wife enjoys the smell, so what can
I say? If this is a problem for someone it sounds like the Ben and Jerry
(ummmm Zach, something) roaster might be a better solution. Both of my
roasters make LOTS of smoke. Also, a small vacuum cleaner is an absolute
necessity, especially with the Alp as you need to removed any chaff that
has gotten stuck in or around the heating element.

I love improving on espresso shots, enjoy the complements I get on milk
espresso drinks and get a kick out the look on people's faces when they
see my big commercial espresso machines, but the biggest joy I get out
of coffee is roasting. A well-roasted, carefully blended coffee has
become my own personal equivalent to the hígher-deity espresso shot so
many dream of.

Best wishes,

Bruce "ol' smokey joe" B

Bruce B wrote:

>
> The Hotpop looks lovely, but doesn't have a big enough capacity for the
> price, AFAIAC.

Aw heck! I meant Hoptop. Sorry about that. Or was that Pottop? Pophot?

Bruce "cold bottom" B

Bruce B wrote:

>
> The Hotpop looks lovely, but doesn't have a big enough capacity for the
> price, AFAIAC.

Aw heck! I meant Hoptop. Sorry about that. Or was that Pottop? Pophot?

Bruce "cold bottom" B

completely
> get rid of the smoke problem, but my wife enjoys the smell, so what can
> I say? If this is a problem for someone it sounds like the Ben and Jerry
> (ummmm Zach, something) roaster might be a better solution. Both of my
> roasters make LOTS of smoke. Also, a small vacuum cleaner is an absolute
> necessity, especially with the Alp as you need to removed any chaff that
> has gotten stuck in or around the heating element.
>
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Bruce "ol' smokey joe" B
>

Hi Bruce

Thanks for a well written essay on roasters.

Do not hesitate and open the Alp to clean the interior after 12 month of
use.
The first indication that the machine is becoming too dirty is the need to
increase the setting to a higher number to obtain the usual roast color.


--
Ivo van der Putten

www.ivanderputten.nl
www.ongebrand.nl

completely
> get rid of the smoke problem, but my wife enjoys the smell, so what can
> I say? If this is a problem for someone it sounds like the Ben and Jerry
> (ummmm Zach, something) roaster might be a better solution. Both of my
> roasters make LOTS of smoke. Also, a small vacuum cleaner is an absolute
> necessity, especially with the Alp as you need to removed any chaff that
> has gotten stuck in or around the heating element.
>
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Bruce "ol' smokey joe" B
>

Hi Bruce

Thanks for a well written essay on roasters.

Do not hesitate and open the Alp to clean the interior after 12 month of
use.
The first indication that the machine is becoming too dirty is the need to
increase the setting to a higher number to obtain the usual roast color.


--
Ivo van der Putten

www.ivanderputten.nl
www.ongebrand.nl