The Hearthware i-Roast Has Arrived!

[jsolomon]

More likely, I'll just haul the thing into the "office" (sort of an alcove in my apartment, which has a window) and do it in there by the window.

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Its always best to vent stuff directly out the window, especially if you are doing something illegal.

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And, never forget to record your illegal activities for posterity with a camera and postings on the World Wide Web

[bottom-dragger]

been roasting for about 5 years. started with the old model of the fresh roast, now using a precision that i love dearly but i'm not sure how much longer it will live.

we tend to roast dark and there is smoke and a smell that some may find offensive. we roast in the utility room and found by mistake that you don't want to be running the dryer at the same time as it will suck all the smoke out of the room and impregnate you clothes. i don't find it offensive and have had some compliments on the way my clothes smelled.........

if you don't like to cook, i don't think you'll like to homeroast. where we live, i have no idea of the history of the beans.

joe

petersburg, ak

[Fat Guy]

First, I roasted some coffee in the oven on a half-sheet pan.

It came out surprisingly well -- better, I think, than most of my efforts in the FreshRoast machine I had been using.

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can you expand on this a little?

thanks,

chiel

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It's incredibly simple: you put your oven on its highest setting, you lay the coffee beans out in a single layer on a half-sheet pan, and you roast them until they're done. As long as you know the visual and audible cues for doneness, you're all set. Afterwards, dump everything into a colander and sift out the chaff, which will also help to cool the beans. This is the one tedious part of the process.

[slkinsey]

And when am I going to get a sample of these beans? Hmm?

Some questions: what beans are you roasting, and what are you roastng for (drip, presspot, espresso)?

[MGLloyd]

In regard to oven roasting, the best results are achieved using a gas oven and a perforated sheet pan, as recommended by Kenneth Davis. I have heard of people doing this in an electric oven and a regular sheet pan and getting fine results, however.

[ElsieD]

Well here we are, 4 years later. I am looking at buying the iRoast 2. I found this thread interesting but it abruptly stops in 2005. I'd be interested in knowing if those of you who have this machine still use and like it. And, a couple of other questions: How steep is the learning curve? Does the iRoast 2 produce less smoke than previous models? Where does one buy the beans?

Thanks for any information you can give me.

[theisenm85]

Well here we are, 4 years later.  I am looking at buying the iRoast 2.  I found this thread interesting but it abruptly stops in 2005.  I'd be interested in knowing if those of you who have this machine still use and like it.  And, a couple of other questions:  How steep is the learning curve?  Does the iRoast 2 produce less smoke than previous models?  Where does one buy the beans?

Thanks for any information you can give me.

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I love my i-roast 2. It is small quantity, so I generally only use it for cupping a large variety of coffees rather than drinking. (I buy coffee for a green bean retailer) That means relatively light roasts. That said, I've more than put the thing through its paces (25 basically back to back roasts - done on 2 side by side machines, one roasts while the other cools to not trip the circuit) and not had a problem with it. With proper use and cleaning, it should last quite a while.

I'm not sure of the comparison between models for smoke... but I have set off smoke alarms roasting inside, so I generally keep it outside. If you have a hood or a dryer vent, like someone else mentioned, I have heard that will fix any smoke issues.

As far as learning curve, I don't think it's all that bad. A couple of roasts should do it. It's much more about learning how coffee roasts than physical operation of the machine.

A few tips: Always clean out the chaff collector, no matter what. Air roasters depend on good air flow to work, not doing it will mess up roasts and probably your roaster.

Don't trust the 5.3 oz that the label claims you can roast. I have had my machine for a while now, but I generally go with 4.3ish oz per roast on regular size non-decaf beans. Your mileage may very, but 5.3oz is quite high in my experience.

If you wipe down the inside of the roasting chamber with your hand or some sort of paper towel with every roast, you'll rarely ever have to clean the thing.

I don't want to turn this into a personal advertisement, but if you want info on where to get green beans, you can toss me a pm. Also, there are some great green bean retailers mentioned in this thread, as well as elsewhere in the forum.

[Richard Kilgore]

Well here we are, 4 years later.  I am looking at buying the iRoast 2.  I found this thread interesting but it abruptly stops in 2005.  I'd be interested in knowing if those of you who have this machine still use and like it.  And, a couple of other questions:  How steep is the learning curve?  Does the iRoast 2 produce less smoke than previous models?  Where does one buy the beans?

Thanks for any information you can give me.

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I like my I-Roast2 a lot. I roast outside due to the smoke, so not during the Winter months. It took me a couple of roasts to get an acceptable result - mostly a matter of not trying to use them right away and letting the beans rest for two days to de-gas.

Check out sweetmaria's.com for green beans and equipment.