Thanks Ben. You're always helpful and it's nice to talk with someone that's had experience with the products. I think I'll probably go with the Hottop. Still love the Brewtus. Not sure what I will do if it ever wears out to the point that I can't repair it.
On Mon, Sep 26, 2016 at 3:37 PM, Benjamin McCafferty <[email protected]> wrote: > My go-to decaf when still roasting was sweet maria’s donkey blend—I never > tried to get Vivace results from Vivace greens—a tough road ahead! You can > get better results from roasting each bean type separately and then > blending afterwards (i.e. instead of roasting pre-blended greens)—but you > need a bit of time and patience to do this. The donkey decaf was a good > compromise for me, and I loved the shots it made. I would usually pull > espresso 50/50 with bourbon regular or similar for my first cup, and then > all decaf thereafter. Both were excellent. > > I used to roast this on the darker end of the recommended range; I tend to > not like a bright/acid espresso, instead favoring more > syrupy/earthy/dark/sweet when I can get it. > > And by the way, apologies to the rest of the list for this somewhat > off-topic thread. Happy to take it off-line if no-one else is interested. > > best, > bmc > > On Sep 26, 2016, at 12:11, herman dickens <[email protected]> wrote: > > Yeah the top model is 1600. That's the b model with programmable features. > I love vivace! I used to buy beans from them but the post office only got > them here on time about half the time. I went there a couple of times when > I was in Seattle and loved the place. The coffee is great. We're you able > to get your roasts comparable to Vivace? I'm having the same problem with > decaf and that alone is enough to make me want to roast my own. Even from > cc it takes anywhere from 1 day to 5 to get the order. If it goes to the > 5th day I either have to drive 30 minutes to the post office or wait 2 > days, until Monday, to get my coffee. It's getting old and I'd much rather > roast a time or two each week and have fresh beans all the time. > > On Mon, Sep 26, 2016 at 2:39 PM, Ben McCafferty <[email protected]> wrote: > >> I would call it more of a "long term leave of absence" from roasting. :) >> Partly because I can no longer get into my garage, partly because I found a >> local roast that I like and can get without too much shipping expense >> (Vivace). I originally started roasting because getting fresh decaf beans >> to blend with regular was cost prohibitive--decaf only lasts about 4 days >> post-roast in my experience then and then gets really thin and watery. At >> vivace's suggestion, I also went to refrigerating my beans which makes a >> massive difference in shelf stability for the decaf. All those things >> together made it less urgent to roast my own; but, i still love to do it >> and will do it again once the garage is cleaned out later this year. >> (Haha...) >> best, >> bmc >> PS--can't BELIEVE how expensive the hottop is now! I paid about $750, now >> they're $1350!!! >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> On Sep 26, 2016, at 09:59, herman dickens <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >> Ben I looked at the Hottop *KN-8828B-2K+ but Hottop is on vacation for >> another week or so and I haven't talked to them. Looks like they're not >> available anywhere right now and they are pricey. Did you quit roasting? If >> so why? I know we both like to tinker and this looks like something I'd >> enjoy.* >> >> *Herman* >> >> On Mon, Sep 26, 2016 at 12:51 PM, Benjamin McCafferty <[email protected]> >> wrote: >> >>> Hey! I had an i-roast too! That was a fun little unit, until it burned >>> up one day. It was perfect for someone like me who drinks some decaf—small >>> batches and easy to see the beans. I had forgotten all about that until you >>> mentioned it. >>> b >>> >>> On Sep 26, 2016, at 08:05, Craig Stout <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> Hey Herman - go to the website www.sweetmarias.com - Awesome place, and >>> a VERY slippery slope. I have been roasting for 15 plus years and I really >>> believe that it is the only way to get the best coffee, (as you already >>> have one of the best machines!) . I have had 2 i-roasts (still have one as >>> a backup) and currently have a gene-cafe - I like it a lot, however at that >>> price point there are lots of different options. You could try the popcorn >>> popper, but personally I would dive in and get a good roaster - you won't >>> regret it. Just remember, always roast outside in the garage - you would be >>> amazed how much smoke you produce. Good luck.... >>> >>> On Mon, Sep 26, 2016 at 8:00 AM, herman dickens <[email protected] >>> > wrote: >>> >>>> Hi. I've been on this forum a while and have always gotten good advice >>>> here. I'm thinking about getting a roaster and roasting my own beans. Right >>>> now I usually use a bag a week of beans, 12oz, that I get from counter >>>> culture coffee. I have a subscription and for the most part that works >>>> great but because of circumstances beyond my control I run out of coffee 2 >>>> or 3 times a year. I do have issues with the post office occasionally >>>> losing the order or delivering it several days late but for the most part I >>>> get my coffee before the weekend. Right now I'm using their Big Trouble >>>> blend and I also use Hologram and Apollo to mix things up. I'm looking for >>>> a recommendation for green beans and a roaster. I may just get a popcorn >>>> popper to begin with to see if I like the results better than what I'm >>>> already using. Any ideals and recommendations will be appreciated. Thanks >>>> in advance. >>>> >>>> Herman >>>> >>>> -- >>>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>>> Groups "Brewtus" group. >>>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>>> an email to [email protected]. >>>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus. >>>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "Brewtus" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google >>> Groups "Brewtus" group. >>> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send >>> an email to [email protected]. >>> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >>> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus. >>> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >>> >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Brewtus" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> >> >> -- >> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups >> "Brewtus" group. >> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an >> email to [email protected]. >> To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. >> Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus. >> For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. >> > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Brewtus" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Brewtus" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To post to this group, send email to [email protected]. > Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/brewtus. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout. > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Brewtus" group. 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