The Nesco Home Coffee Roaster
The Nesco Home Coffee Roaster
The roast controls are, like an Alpenrost, a bit lacking in that you can only set the roast time, then hit the Roast button. I keep hoping for a roaster with roast curve controls to truly allow custom roasting (the next generation Precision due out in May 2003 boasts this). But I think appliance manufacturers, trying to simplify machines, avoid customer confusion, and limit liability, are uninspired to build more user-programmable controls into machines. With the Nesco, you simply choose the time you want to roast (default is 20, max is 30) and hit the roast button. But what I think is a nice improvement over the Alp is that the roast setting actually does correlate to time, and counts down as the roast progresses: a setting of 26 is a 26 minute roast+cool cycle (cooling is 5 minutes.) Roast batch size is optimally 4 oz. To roast darker you can reduce the amount of coffee in the batch too (same as the Alpenrost, but opposite of the air roasters, where you get a darker roast by increasing the amount of coffee.)
New Fresh Roast models: SR 500 and SR 300
New Fresh Roast models SR 500 and SR 300
The new Fresh Roast models are available…both machines feature a larger capacity, more stable build, and quieter fan than the FR+8. The Fresh Roast is an easy-to-use, quiet, quick roaster, a great value for the price. The roast time is about 7 minutes for a Full City (medium-dark) roast, with a 3 minute cool-down cycle. This includes 4 or 8 types of green coffees, 1 pound of each, and your choice of a Brewed Coffee Sampler, Espresso Sampler, Half Decaf-Half Regular, or All Decaf selection. The SR500 model has a rheostat to adjust fan speed (+/- 10%), a digital timer and three heat settings.
The Fresh Roast SR 500 uses the body of the new SR 300 and adds in some much appreciated controls: a simple mechanism for setting low, medium or high heat, and a rheostat for adjusting fan speed (+/- 10%), as well as a digital timer. Temperature settings for the three settings:
- High temp. = 490 degrees
- Medium temp. = 455 degrees
- Low temp. = 390 degrees
To have a nice slow heat warmup I liked HIGHEST possible air flow early in the roast, no matter the heat setting (I used both medium and low heat settings throughout the roast). In terms of price and control over the roast, the SR500 is in line with the Hearthware iRoast2. I used the highest fan speed and got an acceptably even roast with the SR500. If you add a bit of stirring to the beans, or switching to cool to extend the roast, it becomes a great little roaster. In my opinion – the SR500 is a better roaster than the SR300, and worth the extra money.
Fresh Roast SR 300
The Fresh Roast SR 300 is essentially an improved model of the Fresh Roast +8 roaster that we’ve sold for years. The SR300 has a more stable base than older models. Roasts take about 6.5 to 7 minutes to get to a City+ roast level. You can control roast time, but, as with older Fresh Roast models, you have no control over the heating element or fan. The SR300 essentially is the SR500, running on high heat and the medium fan setting. To be totally honest, I have a few problems with this roaster: the fan doesn’t move the coffee well at the beginning stages of the roast, so roasts can end up with scorched beans if you don’t take care to prevent them. These problems existed with the Fresh Roast +8 – so it is not new.
Hearthware i-Roast 2 Coffee Roaster
Hearthware i-Roast 2 Coffee Roaster
Fresh Look at the i-Roast 2
There are more roasters available, more choices in batch sizes programmability. The i-Roast 2 gives you 2x the batch size of the Fresh Roast + 8, a longer, more even roast and better control. The quality of the roast is very good. The cooling cycle is effective and the machine is easy to use on the preset settings. The i-Roast 2 is a good choice for a 1 or 2 coffee drinker household, especially if you know that you like the brighter, cleaner style of roast that an air roaster produces.
It is very important to not overload the machine. The design of the machine means it is sensitive to the amount of chaff the coffee produces, so with dry-processed coffees you need to use a smaller batch size. Because decaf produces less chaff, it is best to leave a bit of chaff actually in the chaff collector from a previous roast to get an even decaf roast.
It is very important to clean the top screens on the unit. Over time, the screens in the top lid can clog, restricting air flow, so it is important to brush and periodically soak the screens in a strong cleaner. This makes the motor work harder and can shorten the life of the roaster and can reduce the roaster’s capactity.
The i-Roast 2 has good air flow, and agitates the coffee well, resulting in a very even roast. As a result of that high speed fan that moves the coffee so well, the machine is LOUD, like a hair dryer at first, and is a bit more quiet after the fan speed drops in the middle of the roast. 4) While the machine has all this programability, I think that eventually people (meaning me, Tom) stop using this feature, and start to simply use the factory default roast settings, because the result is good, and the interface to program the machine is not fun to use. The roaster seems designed to use at eye level, because the controls face horizontally. Hearthware has improved their customer service customer too – so I can feel good about selling the roaster again.
The Hearthware i-Roast 2 has the following features:
- convenient batch size for 1 to 2 people (8 ounces by volume, 6 ounces by weight)
- 2 presets that offer a good roast and very easy operation
- Programmability of time and temperature for further customization
- Allows for storage of up to 10 memorizes roasting profiles, even when the machine is unplugged
Please Note: Profiles for Prest 1 and Preset 2 are significantly different from the presets on the i-Roast #1
Preset 1 on i-Roast 2: Stage 1: 450F for 10 min.
Preset 2 on i-Roast 2: Stage 1: 455F for 6:00min; Stage 2: 400F for 4:00; Stage 3: 435F for 1:30
The Whirley-Pop 6 Quart Popper
The Whirley-Pop 6 Quart Popper
Stainless Steel Stovetop Popper
The stainless steel pot had metal gears – this was an improvement over the plastic gears on the aluminum pot that could fail prematurely. The Whirley-Pop 6 Quart stovetop popper just happens to be a competent coffee roaster (in the right hands!) and has been our standby stovetop popcorn popper – roaster for years. This is the same stovetop popper you will read about in Home Coffee Roasting by Ken David’s (it is also labeled the Theater II by the same manufacturer). It does produce smoke (more coffee in the batch and darker roasts means more smoke) but a good range hood will handle it. You can also use this method on a gas camp stove or other portable heat source. The Whirley-Pop is light-gauge aluminum but it is the best stovetop popper for roasting coffee out there. Here’s instructions for stovetop roasting. You can get the Whirley Pop 6 Quart with our one of our Samplers at a discounted price – $10 for the 4 Pound Sampler ($17 ala carte) – or $20 for the 8 Pound Sampler ($32 ala carte). This includes 4 or 8 types of green coffees, 1 pound of each, and your choice of a Brewed Coffee Sampler, Espresso Sampler, Half Decaf-Half Regular, or All Decaf selection. You really need to preheat your popper to a set temperature to get consistent roasts. Stovetop coffee roasting in a popcorn popper has some great advantages and a few caveats that you need to know before trying this method.
The benefits of Stovetop Popper roasting:
You can roast more in one batch than air roasters, and more than some expensive drum roasters! With the Stainless popper you might be able to roast a bit more too. You can get good roast results through the entire range, from City roasts to Dark French/Spanish roasts. Lighter roasts are a bit more difficult with this method. You can have total control over the length of the roast, getting more of a “drum roast” profile, which some people prefer for espresso.
The problems with Stovetop Popper roasting:
Stovetop roasting produces a lot of smoke, mainly because you are roasting more coffee in each batch. You need to be patient … to roast coffee well the process takes 8 to 15 minutes, and you need to stand there and slowly crank the roaster the whole time. Stovetop poppers might require some adjustments and occasional repairs to keep working right. Poppers are for DIY people (do-it-yourself). Some coffees don’t get along with stovetop roasters and tend to jam them up … namely the Yemeni coffees and other small-bean types. Peaberry coffees roast especially well because they “roll” in the popper.