gajetjunkie Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 Posts: 139 Location: Houston , TX Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Valentina Semi-auto ,... Grinder: Mazzer Mini ,Capresso... Vac Pot: Not yet , French Press Drip: Technivorm Roaster: Behmor , SC/TO
Posted Thu Dec 4, 2003, 1:57pm Subject: Is roasting smoke toxic ?
Hi , I just roasted my first few batches with the stircrazy/convection setup , and was inhaling quite a bit of smoke . Is there any health hazard associated with roasting smoke ?
I'm a newbie at this , but I found the stircrazy/convection to be great.
Thanks to everybody for all the good info , It's made the learning curve alot easier .
Posted Thu Dec 4, 2003, 2:21pm Subject: Re: Is roasting smoke toxic ?
I have mild asthma & do many things to keep it under control & prevent flare ups. So, IMO, smoke (fireplace, cigarette, cigar, leaves, whatever) is bad for your respiratory system. My routine with the Hottop is to leave it outside, but keep watch from inside until about 18 minutes. I then go out with one of those goofy masks ($2 at Walmart). I determine when the roast is finished by the cracks, color & sheen & try to avoid standing where the smoke is blowing. When the beans begin dumping, I go back inside. This way I keep my exposure to the smoke to a minimum.
Posted Thu Dec 4, 2003, 3:02pm Subject: Re: Is roasting smoke toxic ?
I think Roxie is correct. Smoke in your lungs can't be a good thing. I do however love the smell of roast smoke.
I am convinced that the smoke is corosive. When I started home roasting the rate at which my range hood was corroding increased rapidly. My wife noticed this as well and pointed it out. About 8 months ago I dismantled the hood and had the sheet metal parts powder coated. Recently the switches for the fan motor and lights got irratic. I found them to be contaminated with roast smoke. (the stuff which accumilates inside of your roaster) I cleaned the switches and the hood is working again, but I decided that this can't go on.
As much as I love my HWP and have learned how to use it I decided to get a Z&D. The claim is that they have a cat to eliminate or greatly reduce the smoke.
Now that I have figured out how to do roasting profiles with my HWP, I guess I will have to hack into the Z&D when it arrives and start the learing curve again.
Phil
gajetjunkie Said:
Hi , I just roasted my first few batches with the stircrazy/convection setup , and was inhaling quite a bit of smoke . Is there any health hazard associated with roasting smoke ?
I'm a newbie at this , but I found the stircrazy/convection to be great.
Thanks to everybody for all the good info , It's made the learning curve alot easier .
Posted Thu Dec 4, 2003, 3:48pm Subject: Re: Is roasting smoke toxic ?
PJK Said:
As much as I love my HWP and have learned how to use it I decided to get a Z&D. The claim is that they have a cat to eliminate or greatly reduce the smoke.
I'm waiting for somebody to post an afterburner mod for the FR+. :)
Seriously, I agree that coffee smoke is probably not great for your lungs or your wiring, paint, etc. I started roasting in the garage so the smoke at least is out of the house. But since I'm sitting over a bowl with a heat gun, I'm pretty much exposed to a lot of it. Actually, that works for me because the light is really bad and my nose tells me more than my eyes.
gajetjunkie Senior Member Joined: 14 Nov 2003 Posts: 139 Location: Houston , TX Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Valentina Semi-auto ,... Grinder: Mazzer Mini ,Capresso... Vac Pot: Not yet , French Press Drip: Technivorm Roaster: Behmor , SC/TO
Posted Thu Dec 4, 2003, 4:18pm Subject: Re: Is roasting smoke toxic ?
After reading all the posts on the smoke , I definately believe it is not good for you and sounds like it is corrosive so I will try to limit my exposure.
I was wondering if anybody has had an adverse reaction to the smoke ie: headache , lightheadedness, high feeling ?
Seems after my first couple of batches I had kind of a buzz feeling . Of course this could be a good reaction depending on how you look at it.
Posted Thu Dec 4, 2003, 6:02pm Subject: Re: Is roasting smoke toxic ?
Kinda off topic, but on a serious note, most any kind of smoke is toxic to pet birds, even in amounts that might not bother humans at all.
Birds have a very efficient respiratory system. Efficient at processing oxygen, and efficient at taking in toxins. Thus we have the "canary in the coal mine", which really did work well as a early warning system for gasses in the mine.
When you have two parrots you have to think about how you do thing around the house in a different way.
Anyone that has birds probably knew this already, but you never know.
Posted Thu Dec 4, 2003, 6:38pm Subject: Re: Is roasting smoke toxic ?
Something to consider are the unknown dangers of long term, chronic exposure to roasting smoke. Maybe for most people the "dose" of smoke from a single roasting session is "harmless". But who knows what the consequences are of years of this exposure.
Noel Mano dell 'operatore> Macinadosatore> Miscela> Macchina espresso
Posted Thu Dec 4, 2003, 7:06pm Subject: Re: Is roasting smoke toxic ?
narc Said:
Something to consider are the unknown dangers of long term, chronic exposure to roasting smoke. Maybe for most people the "dose" of smoke from a single roasting session is "harmless". But who knows what the consequences are of years of this exposure.
On a serious note, if there are any problems from chronic exposure, would the SCAA know? Are roasters at Starbucks, and the other large commercial chains dropping like flies after a few years?
Symbols: = New Posts since your last visit = No New Posts since last visit = Newest post
Forum Rules: No profanity, illegal acts or personal attacks will be tolerated in these discussion boards. No commercial posting of any nature will be tolerated; only private sales by private individuals, in the "Buy and Sell" forum. No cross posting allowed - do not post your topic to more than one forum, nor repost a topic to the same forum. Who Can Read The Forum? Anyone can read posts in these discussion boards. Who Can Post New Topics? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post new topics. Who Can Post Replies? Any registered CoffeeGeek member can post replies. Can Photos be posted? Anyone can post photos in their new topics or replies. Who can change or delete posts? Any CoffeeGeek member can edit their own posts. Only moderators can delete posts. Probationary Period: If you are a new signup for CoffeeGeek, you cannot promote, endorse, criticise or otherwise post an unsolicited endorsement for any company, product or service in your first five postings.
= No New Posts since last visit 