By Monday my Hottop will be a framed 2-D plaque on my kitchen wall. It will NEVER kill another batch again.
Positive Product Points
I can't think of a single one. It's shiny?
Negative Product Points
Incredibly inconsistent, affected by minor voltage variations, affected by ambient temperature and gentle breezes.
Detailed Commentary
Today I finally decided that I will take my Hottop out on the street this weekend and crush it flat with my truck. I regret the money I spent on it but I regret the really fine coffees that it has baked and/or burned over the last 3 years even more. About an hour ago it baked a wonderful Costa Rican COE to death (21 minutes to first crack in a 90 degree ambient environment with the voltage spot-on at 117 VAC. On other occasions using the same profile it has hit a roaring 2nd crack in 13 minutes in 50 degree weather. Inconsistency is the keyword here.
The few batches out of more than a hundred over the last 3 years that looked OK and timed out OK were insipid and flat. This machine could make a St Helena taste like Folgers.
I am getting VASTLY better results from my 'Stir-Crazy' that I built this summer. Also from my old standby Poppery 1.
I've been roasting in one machine or another for over thirty years and this is the only machine that has beat me (I even got some usable roasts out of my 'Zach & Dani's' before it failed in 3 different ways 1 month out of warranty).
Buying Experience
I bought it from Sweet Maria's. They are gods. I would never say anything bad about them or their excellent service.
