Thanks Ben. It looks like it will be late November before the model I want
is available unless there's one in stock somewhere. I also looked at the
quest m3 but not sure if they're even available now. I'll keep you posted.

Herman

On Mon, Sep 26, 2016 at 4:08 PM, Benjamin McCafferty <[email protected]>
wrote:

> 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]>
> 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
>>>>>>
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