I was already leaning towards the Hottop and thought I might get the popcorn popper to use until one was available. After what you Chris said about the popper I decided that it was a waste of 25.00. It looks like the Hottop will probably work no matter how dark or light I roast and seems to be built very well. Parts are available and I can repair most of it myself. Looked at the Gene but now when the heating element goes bad you have to send it back to the factory for repair. That's a non starter for me. Once I find a bean I like I can buy enough for several months and not be at the mercy of the post office. It should be a good learning experience too.
On Mon, Sep 26, 2016 at 3:43 PM, Benjamin McCafferty <[email protected]> wrote: > Oh, I wasn’t necessarily saying you should do a hottop! I liked mine very > well but I am guessing there are many good options out there now for less > money (behmor being right up there). I haven’t looked at any of them for at > least 5 years so am not current on the latest and greatest. > > Talk soon, > bmc > > On Sep 26, 2016, at 12:39, herman dickens <[email protected]> wrote: > > 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. > 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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