In need of a new Roaster

DaveWalker · April 2017

Hi guys,

I'm looking at up grading from my Whirly Pop and after a lot of research I think I've come up with the best choices of Roasters. I'm hoping I can get some advice to help choose.

Gene CBR101
HotTop B2K
Behmor 1600 Plus
• others I may not have found yet

I'm passionate about my coffee [emoji2] I'm ready to take my roasting skills to the next level. Cheers.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Koffee_Kosmo · April 2017

My choice of the shortlist is The Behmore 1600 plus It will roast about 450/500 grams of coffee If that is suitable for your coffee consumption then it's a match Don't forget to subtract 20% of coffee weight from green bean weight to roast bean weight KK

askthecoffeeguy · April 2017

Id be learning towards the Behmor plus - 500g roasting capacity and automated cooldown cycle, plus no glass walls in the drum which in my experience causes tipping and scalding, plus get yourself another one and boom! you've got yourself 1kg roasting ability! P

DaveWalker · April 2017

Thanks for the feedback guys. Do you know of any people that have had experience with the hot top??? I love what I've seen from the Behmor, but I'm also looking for a machine that will help me come up with that special roast, something that I can transition from to a roast max for eg. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Koffee_Kosmo · April 2017

A Roastermax coffee roaster is a drum roaster Closest comparison would be the Hot Top - roast capacity is lower and is more expensive When you upgrade you can use the Hot Top as a sample / experiment roaster KK

DaveWalker · April 2017

Yeah your totally right, that was probably going to be a big reason behind what I bought. Could i utilise the machine in a store situation or would it become a paper weight. Looking around the cheapest Hot Tops I can find are about $1800. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Koffee_Kosmo · April 2017

The Hot Top will have its purpose but you need to give it a purpose, you need to be doing and experimenting with blends and profiles Otherwise it will be a door stop or you can sell it KK

211bma · April 2017

I currently have a Hot Top and have outgrown it, my next roaster will probably be a Huky 500. I want more control and larger batches. The Hot Top gives good control but always wants to do what it did on the last batch, it is a problem at times. I also want cooling to take place outside of the roasting chamber or I would consider the Behmore. Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

LeroyC · April 2017

Hi there Dave. It really depends what is most important to you. All three options are a step up from your popper, but they provide quite different experiences. I have a Behmor 1600+ and I love it. While I haven't used a Gene Cafe I can't see any reason to buy one over a Behmor. In my opinion the Behmor offers better value overall. It's cheaper for starters, gives you the option of roasting up to 450g batches, has excellent auto profiles and also gives you the ability the intervene in the process with some basic manual settings. If you go for a Behmor make sure you use some of the money you saved to buy a Heatsnob so that you can profile roasts on a computer. In the last 15 months I've done over 100 roasts on my Behmor and am really happy with it. That being said, if I could afford one I'd definitely buy a Hottop. The Hottop really is the only domestic size roaster out there that mimics the way a commercial drum roaster works (without going further to an Ailio or Huky). It's still not exactly the same as a commercial roaster, but it's definitely closer. The learning curve will probably be bigger for you, but if learning how to use a drum roaster is what you want to get out of it then it's the way to go. Just make sure you get the top of the range B-2K+. It's an extra $500 on top of the K, but if you're going to spend close to $2000 anyway I don't see the point in buying a roaster that doesn't really have manual settings. The B-2K+ has the added features of a slightly higher capacity, a built in bean temp probe, and full manual control as well as auto settings. So I guess to sum it up for overall value without breaking the bank and good mixture of features, bigger batch size and ease of use I'd go for the Behmor. But for a true entry point into the world of coffee roasting on a drum roaster with manual control and real time profiling I'd go for the Hottop B-2K+. Hope that helps.

DaveWalker · April 2017

Yeah definately Leroy thanks. I do like the Behmor in action, it looks simple but can do everything I am after. However the HotTop will give me the experience of a drum roaster that I will be needing. Thanks a lot for the advice guys, it has really helped me a lot. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

askthecoffeeguy · April 2017

only reason I'd be looking at a hottop would be for the 1kg variety and apparently they're seriously underpowered according to many commentators for their desired output capacity Ive done many commercial roasts from the time when I owned my own cafes and I still find that the Behmor plus comes closest out of all the domestic roasters Ive tried in terms of replicating cafe quality coffee and consistency sure the process is a little different to a drum roaster but the process of observation is the same in terms of observing all of the variants impacting upon the roast and then making adjustments to improve roast depth and quality if you want to experience what roasting on a commercial roaster is like I suggest you do so I've roasted with at least 1/2 a dz commercial roasters and whilst some roasters keep their methodology a closely guarded secret most I know are happy to share their enthusiasm with those who have a genuine passion for the product my five cents worth p

mycuppa · April 2017

However the HotTop will give me the experience of a drum roaster that I will be needing.

Here's a tip - the longer you hold onto that idea, the more challenges you will face in your journey. It's not correct.........not even close. Every different drum roaster means starting from scratch again......even when you have owned 5 drum roasters.......nothing is the same and nothing is useful when moving from one to the other. In fact, holding on to ideas from other platforms only creates obstacles on the road to improvement. Anyone that tried to roast on a commercial roaster using their knowledge gained on a HotTop is heading for a pretty big shock I'm afraid.

DaveWalker · April 2017

Ok. Good info, stuff I did not think of. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

LeroyC · April 2017

on 1491362536:

Ok. Good info, stuff I did not think of. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah that's the important thing to remember- you won't learn anything on the Hottop that's directly transferable to a larger drum roaster other than general stuff that you'll also pick up on the Behmor. So it's more about the basic process. And it sounds to me like you're just after stepping up and learning more about coffee and roasting so the Behmor will cover those points. If your end goal is to roast in a commercial or semi-commercial sort of setting you could always make the jump now to a small commercial drum roaster. $8000 for a JYR or something is a whole different ball game to $500 for a Behmor though, and if you're just an enthusiast like me then the Behmor is hard to beat.

Brett H · April 2017

I went from my Popper to the Behmor and it was a smooth and joyous transition. I love the poppers because you watch the beans roast right in front of you. Once you've done that a couple of thousand times you start to see patterns like, they change from green to brown. The Behmor did this for me in larger volumes with less mess at a great price; but, I now have a KKTO. What was I saying....... Oh, learning curve... yes! You'll need to learn new things irrespective of wahat you choose but some of the simple stuff (like don't burn down the shed) stays the same. It's a Behmor for me. BeanGreen used to sell them and the included beans were actually fresh :D. Start there!

K_Bean_Coffee · April 2017

I agree - The Behmor is amazing Brett. The V1 many years back had a "pick a program and cross your fingers" control system. For me this was a big Red Cross. The latest model offers a full range of control including a full manual mode. Brilliant! Cheers, Paul www.kbean.com.au

Brett H · April 2017

Do you stock them Paul?

K_Bean_Coffee · April 2017

Ummmm, yep. That's why my post above reads a little like an ad

On a serious note, I decided to stock them after a demo of the manual control at MICE. I had lost track of how far these had come since V1. Cheers, Paul

Brett H · April 2017

Great stuff! There we go Dave! Problem solved :D

K_Bean_Coffee · April 2017

Here's a link to my Behmor page: www.kbean.com.au/extras/behmor?rq=Roasting

DaveWalker · April 2017

Yep Paul has helped me out a tonne and have bought my grinder from him but unfortunately I didn't scroll down far enough on his link to see he sold the Behmor's as well and have ordered one from BeenGreen instead. But my wife wants a new espresso machine so that will definately head your way Paul once I get my roasting under control. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

DaveWalker · April 2017

Man I tell ya what I'm bummed I didn't see that on your link, I have so many orders from different places coming at the moment. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Brett H · April 2017

on 1491801886:

I have so many orders from different places coming at the moment.

Living the dream!!!

K_Bean_Coffee · April 2017

on 1491801368:

......But my wife wants a new espresso machine so that will definately head your way Paul once I get my roasting under control.

Excellent Dave. I'll wait for your call

Cheers, Paul

yoshjosh1985 · August 2017

on 1491268723:

Hi guys, I'm looking at up grading from my Whirly Pop and after a lot of research I think I've come up with the best choices of Roasters. I'm hoping I can get some advice to help choose. Gene CBR101 HotTop B2K Behmor 1600 Plus • others I may not have found yet I'm passionate about my coffee [emoji2] I'm ready to take my roasting skills to the next level. Cheers. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Hey! are you still looking to upgrade? I have a 500gm North roaster for sale. Less than 1.5years old. Around 100 roasts on it in Sydney area. It is great option and if you want experience with a commercial drum roaster this is it. although what everyone says is true i feel once you learn this kind of machine you can apply principles you learn to other machines, still have to learn there nuances from scratch but definitely helps with how probes work and using program and controls etc - what they do. Anyway if you are still in the market for something let me know. FYI - I want to upgrade myself thats why I am selling.

Brett H · August 2017

Hi YJ... Pictures or it never happened :D

yoshjosh1985 · August 2017

on 1503554702:

Hi YJ... Pictures or it never happened :D

Right no worries. I have a few photos. I am trying now to upload. FYI I will be out of the country for 10 days from Sunday for any serious interest will have to wait until then.

Brett H · August 2017

Wow!! Lovely looking unit. Hope it roasts as good as it looks

askthecoffeeguy · August 2017

what would the price on this roaster be and does it need to be flued in? p

InspectorGadget · August 2017

I did a review on a Hottop back in 2005 and they forgot to charge me for the roaster...well not forgetting but the review got a lot of coverage for them and they were delighted. I did keep waiting for the invoice but it never arrived. 12 years on it is still working. It is dead simple to use and always gives a good result, it is hard to fault, except for the price which is rather high but it is a great product. I've never had a single problem in that time, just replaced filters thats all.

Brett H · August 2017

They're a rather small volume roaster for the price are they not? At 400g the new Behmor is really quite amazing. KBean had it delivered to my door within the week (Melbourne to Brisbane) which is remarkable service! I've only done a couple of roasts but this little roaster is a category killer :D

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