n0ah87 Senior Member Joined: 11 Sep 2012 Posts: 6 Location: Syracuse, NY Expertise: I love coffee
Posted Tue Feb 19, 2013, 5:36pm Subject: Machine Upgrade?
Hello all! So I have posted here before discussing that I wanted to start a home roasting business and as of a month or so ago I have! Things are going great and i'm getting a steady 5lbs or so a week and I'm working out the details in becoming a supplier for a local bistro that is going to be growing its breakfast business for the weekends.
Currently I am just using a Behmor 1600 to roast and keep up with orders which is fine most of the time but there are times where being able to do two pounds or so at once would be great. Mainly though, I want more control over my roasts. I find the settings on the Behmor to be extremely limiting and frustrating when a roast doesn't finish for one reason or another or get to the level I wanted. I am registered with my local USDA office to be roasting in a church kitchen which I do most of the time but there are some times that I still...ahem...roast at home. Not looking for a debate on whether or not that is ethical or up to code since its the reality of the situation currently. Can't always get into the church when I need to for a small order.
Anyways, I live in upstate NY so it's very cold and snowy in the winter which eliminates the use of a rottisserre grill setup for pretty much 4-5 months of the year. Is there another solution that anyone can think of that would help out with this and still allow me to provide a great product? I was thinking maybe a modded Ronco rotisserie machine would do the trick but I'm not sure how much they can do and how quickly? There are some options on ebay that are also electric roasters but it says that they take upwards for 20 minutes to roast 1kg.
Basically, I've looked through the interwebs and I feel like I'm beating my head against the wall. I'm open to any and all suggestions that would allow me to roast larger batches, still relatively portable if it needs to be, electric hook-up, and lots of control.
Truly appreciate any help, insight, or advice you may have!
oldgearhead Senior Member Joined: 25 Jan 2010 Posts: 353 Location: Go Colts! Expertise: I like coffee
Grinder: Virtuoso by Baratza Drip: Chemex,Dilongi DCM900 Roaster: 1/2K Fluid-bed
Posted Wed Feb 20, 2013, 6:41am Subject: Re: Machine Upgrade?
Matt, My first order of business would be a vent ystem. As the size of your roasts increase, so does the smoke and fumes. I have roasted in my unheated garage down to 36F. However everything works better above 42F. I use a home-built, electric (120V/19A), heat-reclaiming, 500 gram, fluid-bed roaster. I would NOT try it inside our house.
My thoughts on electrically heated 1 Kg roasters is you will require 220V and 2.5Kw for a heat-reclaiming unit, or 220V and 5Kw for on non-recycling fluid-bed roaster. Above 2 Kg.? Propane is your friend.
Commercially, the Diedrich IR-1 is your only (1Kg) electric option. Personally, I think the HR-3 is a much better roaster, but it needs gas. So you must pay $7000, build your own, use barbecue grill, or settle for something in the 200-500g size. If your choice is a smaller roaster, then you need to take a hard look at its back-to-back capability. To me, 5 pounds a week isn't a lot of coffee. If fact even my old, highly-modified, Z&D (Nesco) has done it. But its forte' is back-to-back.
Whatever you do, ventilate or move outside, I toast your success..with a pre-heated cup full of 3 day rested, Peru SGH, roasted 48 seconds past the end of first crack, drip-brewed with 204F water after a pre-soak of one minute.
feistygoatcoffee Junior Member Joined: 25 Feb 2013 Posts: 6 Location: Interwebs Expertise: Pro Roaster
Posted Mon Feb 25, 2013, 3:58pm Subject: Re: Machine Upgrade?
Hi Matt,
I'm in the exact same place as you. Home roasting, with 2 Beemers, around the same volume per week. I've been saving/ planning on getting a SF6 from Coffee PER once I get my dollas together (14k). Scaling from hobbyist to 'oh wow I'm selling coffee' is a difficult cognitive shift (at least for me) and I'll happily stay up till 3 in the morning roasting on a busy week. I live in a place where I have to roast outside and it's difficult, but it's a slow organic growth.
Have you thought about running two beemers (on separate outlets of course) simultaneously? If you're doing 12oz/roast then you'll be able to get 1.5# an hour (adjusted for cooling cycle etc). It's not the greatest still, but if you have the space, it's a cheap way to increase within your comfort zone.
oldgearhead Senior Member Joined: 25 Jan 2010 Posts: 353 Location: Go Colts! Expertise: I like coffee
Grinder: Virtuoso by Baratza Drip: Chemex,Dilongi DCM900 Roaster: 1/2K Fluid-bed
Posted Tue Feb 26, 2013, 10:22am Subject: Re: Machine Upgrade?
Here is the newest concept for fluid-bed roasting. The builder doesn't state it, but I believe it is a vacuum (pull-through) design that incorporates two particle separators, a cyclone on the vacuum side and baffle in the outflow. Very sound basic concept for larger batches of the same bean. I prefer hearing the 'cracks', and seeing the bean development. / Click Here (www.coffeeroastersclub.com)
btw - Several states, and CSA, will require your LP source to be located outside.
Snaxx Senior Member Joined: 11 Dec 2008 Posts: 115 Location: Northeast Michigan, LP Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: KitchenAid A9 Drip: Technivorm Moccamaster Roaster: I Roast2
Posted Tue Feb 26, 2013, 7:49pm Subject: Re: Machine Upgrade?
Wow, that's quite a concept! I only watched about 3 minutes of that video to see that it's a long way from a prototype to a practical roaster. Nothing very compact about the design. Is there any reason some glass for viewing couldn't be designed into the roaster to make it possible to monitor the process?
At least one Whole Foods Market that I often visit, used to have a fluid bed roaster in the store. I never paid a lot of attention to detail, but as I remember, it had a large column of glass, maybe 8-12 inch diameter and 2 - 3 feet tall for the roast chamber. This was ducted straight up to a giant air filter device, and then straight up from that to an exhaust out the roof. At least once when I saw it just after a roast, there was about a 5 pound load resting in the bottom of the glass chamber. The footprint of that roaster was a lot smaller than this concept machine. Perhaps someone out there would know more about these Whole Foods roasters to add detail to, or clarify what I remember.
Snaxx Senior Member Joined: 11 Dec 2008 Posts: 115 Location: Northeast Michigan, LP Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: KitchenAid A9 Drip: Technivorm Moccamaster Roaster: I Roast2
Posted Tue Feb 26, 2013, 9:46pm Subject: Re: Machine Upgrade?
This could be a similar roaster I remember from Whole Foods, though it seems to be lacking the big filter on top. This one looks like it just has an exhaust hood nearby above the top. Anyone know what this is for brand or other info on it?
Posted Wed Feb 27, 2013, 5:54am Subject: Re: Machine Upgrade?
n0ah87 Said:
Anyways, I live in upstate NY so it's very cold and snowy in the winter which eliminates the use of a rottisserre grill setup for pretty much 4-5 months of the year.
oldgearhead Senior Member Joined: 25 Jan 2010 Posts: 353 Location: Go Colts! Expertise: I like coffee
Grinder: Virtuoso by Baratza Drip: Chemex,Dilongi DCM900 Roaster: 1/2K Fluid-bed
Posted Wed Feb 27, 2013, 7:01am Subject: Re: Machine Upgrade?
Snaxx - When viewing Len's (Coffee Roaster Club) Five-pound-Air roaster remember you will have to get rid of the chaff and smoke that will be emitted when you start to roast larger batches of beans. In other words, you will need the cyclone and shop vac separators regardless of you roaster choice. A wood-shop cleaner may have a slightly smaller foot-print but it may not be designed for +200F air nor have a vent attachment.
Perhaps a taller smoker (with legs) would be easier to operate:
Posted Mon Mar 4, 2013, 1:18pm Subject: Re: Machine Upgrade?
I am in the same boat as well. Have you looked into Sonofresco 1kg roaster? They will be launching a retrofit soon allowing for custom roasting. 1 kg batch size for $3400 isn't a bad price for a bran new commercial roaster. I personally want it because I will be focusing on freshness so 1 kg works. You can also buy more down the road if you start roasting larger batches. 2 Behmor's in the meantime is a great idea though! I have a Behmor right now and I love it but I have found that hot air roasters amp the aroma of the bean which is a big plus for me.
krivera1 Senior Member Joined: 21 Sep 2011 Posts: 15 Location: El Paso Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: Jura F9, Nuova Simonelli... Grinder: Mahlkonig K30 Vario WCT Roaster: Gene Cafe
Posted Tue Mar 5, 2013, 9:21pm Subject: Re: Machine Upgrade?
Here's a company I ran across when I was looking at options for larger batch roasters. They're pretty industrial looking, but you can get 3-4 pound roasters for less than a grand.
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