Again, feel free to borrow mine for a few months and try it out if you like.
best,
bmc
> On Sep 26, 2016, at 12:47, herman dickens <[email protected]> wrote:
> 
> 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] 
> <mailto:[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] 
>> <mailto:[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] 
>> <mailto:[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] 
>>> <mailto:[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] 
>>> <mailto:[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] 
>>> <mailto:[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] 
>>>> <mailto:[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] 
>>>>> <mailto:[email protected]>> wrote:
>>>>> 
>>>>> Hey Herman - go to the website www.sweetmarias.com 
>>>>> <http://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] 
>>>>> <mailto:[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
>>>>> 
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