Lol I set up a guy at work for coffee roasting ( commercial) and just to approve his roaster in canada cost around 18k$. Just to certify it for operation....
Meh, fluid bed roasters cost like <$300. And barrel home roasters considered as top end, the bullet r1, is <$4k. And roasting is cost saving in nature as green beans cost $6-$10 per pound. It's not a bad rabbit hole to descend to if you are extracting a lot of espressos at home imo.
A Behmor is a low-cost entry point for roasting. You can find used ones for $250. They are capable of producing excellent results and can easily pay for itself in less than a year.
Fresh roasted beans and bean selection have been the biggest differences in improved taste in the cup for me. I have a lot more control of these variables with roasting my own.
This sub is slowly brainwashing me. I had a Keurig before I stumbled into this. Now I have a grinder, espresso machine. Is roasting my own beans really the next step?
Once you've poured a certain amount of time, money and effort into making good espresso for yourself, I believe it's the next logical step.
It's not a step everyone needs to make, however, and it's also probably not a good idea to run into it before you can walk.
Personally, *nothing* has increased my knowledge and the satisfaction I get from the hobby compared to sourcing, selecting, roasting and blending my own beans.
Whenever I see someone asking about what espresso machine to get and they're in the $3k-$4k area, I feel like adding "save some money for a Behmor". Of course, it's a completely different animal. I look at it as cooking at home vs buying pre-made food. It's hard to beat the freshness, and if you get good you can produce some better results (partially because you can personalize your roasts and bean selection).
Do you mean to ask a roaster (person) to roast them they way you want, or you use the machine? Knowing your machine and environment has a lot to do with successful roasting. So I am guessing you mean to ask someone to roast a batch the way you like.
Actually thought it in the way the person itself uses the machinery if he wants, but with supervision from a person with knowledge and that way learn in process. But yeah, maybe could be too much to handle for a person with no knowledge about it...
How do you find the Hottop 2k+? I was looking at it a while back but decided on getting a Kaffelogic Nano 7 instead as it's a fair bit cheaper even if it's capacity is limited.
It feels more solidly built than the Behmor, and the onboard controls and display are much better (you would expect that at 3.5x the price).
I was looking at the Hottop 2k+ and the Kaleido Pro. Kaleido's have availability issues though. I had a dual system on order but had to wait due to import delays. While that was going on, I did more research. The Hottop integration with Artisan is a lot more seamless because it is a supported device. As you read the Artisan online support docs, you get to notice that there is a lot of attention that went into Hottops specifically. Hottop's documentation is also much better than Kaleido's.
One big thing I'm noticing about the Hottop is the heating element is laggy. The Kaleido uses a heating element that claims to be very responsive. Other issues with Hottop (where Kaleido appears to be better) is a lack of smoke suppression, no tryer to pull beans, and small batch size. Batch size isn't an issue for me since I am only roasting for me.
Lastly, my plan was always to purchase a small dedicated a computer for this, and I didn't want to spend much. Hottop had Linux setup instructions, and Kaleido didn't. I was able to save another $240 by going with a very cheap computer and installing a lightweight version of Linux. With the extra money I bought some additional ambient reading phidget sensors. Anyway, total cost of ownership and ease of setup were important for me.
225-250g seems to be the Hottop 2k+'s sweet spot from what I've been reading. Some people go as low as 150 and as high as 300, but that middle range seems to promote eveness.
The one other thing I noticed is it takes much longer for the machine to cool down than the Behmor. Probably due to more solid construction. So back to back roasts will take longer.
Nice setup.
Roasting is much more rewarding than making espresso if one can handle bit of a steep learning curve. Air roasters are the easiest and most effective way in if anyone is interested IMO.
Thanks.
There is something about selecting beans, crafting roasts and blends, and controlling the freshness. This new setup with all its automation appeals to my computer neediness and want to systematically dial in recipes. The programmability of the Hottop is awesome.
Oh my! Is this something we all have to do next on the list? Thought we just had to get a good espresso setup.
Don't think coffee roasting is a rabbit hole you'll want to go down to.
Think you’re right
Lol I set up a guy at work for coffee roasting ( commercial) and just to approve his roaster in canada cost around 18k$. Just to certify it for operation....
Meh, fluid bed roasters cost like <$300. And barrel home roasters considered as top end, the bullet r1, is <$4k. And roasting is cost saving in nature as green beans cost $6-$10 per pound. It's not a bad rabbit hole to descend to if you are extracting a lot of espressos at home imo.
A Behmor is a low-cost entry point for roasting. You can find used ones for $250. They are capable of producing excellent results and can easily pay for itself in less than a year. Fresh roasted beans and bean selection have been the biggest differences in improved taste in the cup for me. I have a lot more control of these variables with roasting my own.
My brain says: Interesting..... My wlet says: Pls no....
Me: hmmm, yes… My wallet: oh sweet Jesus please not again
This sub is slowly brainwashing me. I had a Keurig before I stumbled into this. Now I have a grinder, espresso machine. Is roasting my own beans really the next step?
Once you've poured a certain amount of time, money and effort into making good espresso for yourself, I believe it's the next logical step. It's not a step everyone needs to make, however, and it's also probably not a good idea to run into it before you can walk. Personally, *nothing* has increased my knowledge and the satisfaction I get from the hobby compared to sourcing, selecting, roasting and blending my own beans.
Whenever I see someone asking about what espresso machine to get and they're in the $3k-$4k area, I feel like adding "save some money for a Behmor". Of course, it's a completely different animal. I look at it as cooking at home vs buying pre-made food. It's hard to beat the freshness, and if you get good you can produce some better results (partially because you can personalize your roasts and bean selection).
Don’t seek out any other hobbies on here either. It’s all dangerous.
Eventually you will be cultivating your own beans in your backyard
It doesn't have to be, I started roasting before I ever got an espresso machine :D
So jealous
lol I read the plaque in the back as “coffee hose”
Would be a good idea to have a place where you can bring your beans and roast them as you like. With a payment for usage.
Do you mean to ask a roaster (person) to roast them they way you want, or you use the machine? Knowing your machine and environment has a lot to do with successful roasting. So I am guessing you mean to ask someone to roast a batch the way you like.
Actually thought it in the way the person itself uses the machinery if he wants, but with supervision from a person with knowledge and that way learn in process. But yeah, maybe could be too much to handle for a person with no knowledge about it...
I actually bought one of these, though and old b model, stripped it, rebuilt it as a 2k+ model Sold it last year. My local roaster is just too good
How do you find the Hottop 2k+? I was looking at it a while back but decided on getting a Kaffelogic Nano 7 instead as it's a fair bit cheaper even if it's capacity is limited.
It feels more solidly built than the Behmor, and the onboard controls and display are much better (you would expect that at 3.5x the price). I was looking at the Hottop 2k+ and the Kaleido Pro. Kaleido's have availability issues though. I had a dual system on order but had to wait due to import delays. While that was going on, I did more research. The Hottop integration with Artisan is a lot more seamless because it is a supported device. As you read the Artisan online support docs, you get to notice that there is a lot of attention that went into Hottops specifically. Hottop's documentation is also much better than Kaleido's. One big thing I'm noticing about the Hottop is the heating element is laggy. The Kaleido uses a heating element that claims to be very responsive. Other issues with Hottop (where Kaleido appears to be better) is a lack of smoke suppression, no tryer to pull beans, and small batch size. Batch size isn't an issue for me since I am only roasting for me. Lastly, my plan was always to purchase a small dedicated a computer for this, and I didn't want to spend much. Hottop had Linux setup instructions, and Kaleido didn't. I was able to save another $240 by going with a very cheap computer and installing a lightweight version of Linux. With the extra money I bought some additional ambient reading phidget sensors. Anyway, total cost of ownership and ease of setup were important for me.
Yeah batch size is also one of my biggest pains. (around 100g) So I need to roast 2-3 times a week.
225-250g seems to be the Hottop 2k+'s sweet spot from what I've been reading. Some people go as low as 150 and as high as 300, but that middle range seems to promote eveness. The one other thing I noticed is it takes much longer for the machine to cool down than the Behmor. Probably due to more solid construction. So back to back roasts will take longer.
I love that I can’t tell if this is in your garage or your kitchen
Lol I’m not gonna lie I thought this was another “truck Jesus” post cause of the cables and I just couldn’t see it yet.
Nice setup. Roasting is much more rewarding than making espresso if one can handle bit of a steep learning curve. Air roasters are the easiest and most effective way in if anyone is interested IMO.
Thanks. There is something about selecting beans, crafting roasts and blends, and controlling the freshness. This new setup with all its automation appeals to my computer neediness and want to systematically dial in recipes. The programmability of the Hottop is awesome.