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1/2lb loads in the hottop
rustic_roaster
Top  #1 Print Post
Posted on 04/17/2013 2:30 PM
I am a new owner of a used hottop 8828P and about ready to roast some coffee. I see the recommendation for the hottop is 9 oz or 250gm, but that does not divide evenly into pound increments very easily. I dont usually buy more than a pound or two of any type coffee as I like to try different varieties. I plan to roast the first batches by the book and use 9oz, but I in the future I want to use 8oz so I dont end up with a bunch of odds and ends.

The manual says you can use less or more coffee to fine tune the roast level. Is 8oz about 90% of the recommended amount, is this in the acceptable less coffee range? Anyone else roast roast 1/2 pound batches?
 
ginny
Top  #2 Print Post
Posted on 04/17/2013 3:00 PM
roast 1/2 pounds, it's perfect and then you have the same amount for your next batch.

I roast 8oz's all the time and my guess is that most do the same.

ginny

beach
 
Randy G
Top  #3 Print Post
Posted on 04/17/2013 3:10 PM
250 grams is the "Optimum" amount. You can go as low as 225 grams but watch the roast carefully as the smaller the mass of beans the quicker things happen, particularly in the last 4 to 6 minutes. You can roast up to about 275 grams, but it slows things down. I have done 300, but do so no longer as it flattens the taste profile.

Life's too short to drink bad coffee.
 
Web
rustic_roaster
Top  #4 Print Post
Posted on 04/17/2013 4:04 PM
Glad to hear 1/2 lb loads are OK. I will still go by the book on the first couple as I planned to roast the remainder in the pot to compare. I figure the alternative was to buy more coffee or learn how to blend the remainders.

I drink my coffee thru some sort of drip thing(machine or clever coffee dripper) and currently do a fast roast so the quicker roast time should be less of a shock to the system.


Thanks for the information.
 
ciel-007
Top  #5 Print Post
Posted on 04/17/2013 11:30 PM

Quote

Randy G wrote:

... I have done 300, but do so no longer as it flattens the taste profile.


Randy, do you recall the roasting profile you used when you experimented with 300g? Ciel
Ciel... seeking Heaven in my cup with ................................................................................................................. EXPOBAR Brewtus II - MAZZER Mini E - MAHLK?NIG Vario - GeneCafe - RAF-1 Extreme (Modified B-2 HOTTOP) - BellaTaiwan XJ-101
 
snwcmpr
Top  #6 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2013 7:05 AM
I always do 225 grams.
Ken in NC
--------------
Backwoods Roaster
"I wish I could taste as well as I wish I could roast."

As Abraham Lincoln said "Do not trust everything you read on the internet".
 
rustic_roaster
Top  #7 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2013 10:36 AM
I looked at the product sheet on the hottop site and it has the capacity listed there as 225-300g. Funny it is not in the operations manual.
 
Barrie
Top  #8 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2013 2:08 PM
Hmm. I am new to the hottop but tend to buy beans in 5-10 lb batches. That way, I can get an idea of things before a given bean runs out. So, since 9 roasts of 252 grams comes to exactly 5 lbs., that is the amount I use. Allowing for the weight loss in the roast, that provides +/- 1/2 lb batches of roasted beans?

Ordered 5lb of French Roast blend and 5lb. Kenya Nyeri AA Gatomboya from SM yesterday morning. Should be here this afternoon. cross fingers
Barrie (San Diego, CA)
"So much to learn, so little time."
Hottop 2K+., Artisan, Jura Capresso ENA 3 (i.e. espresso).
 
Randy G
Top  #9 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2013 2:24 PM
Rustic- would you send me the link to the page where you saw that on the Hottop site? I will change that. Also, When I was doing 300 grams it was a few years ago. Honestly, I can't even remember what model I was using. Now,. I would not recommend using that much coffee in the KN8828x models at all. About 275 is the most I would recommend.

Life's too short to drink bad coffee.
 
Web
ginny
Top  #10 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2013 2:40 PM
There are always errors and typos in manuals...

Show me one without and I will buy you a cigar.

My new Hot Top 8828B 2K on page 3 tells me that on page 19 I can find out about:

"Getting the MOIST from my KN 8828 B 2K,

skip to page 19 and of course we have the word MOST.

I though it quite funny since getting the moist out of the HT is something I have always been interested in...

written in the USA and typeset in ??? no editor need apply.

ginny


smoking
Edited by ginny on 04/18/2013 2:55 PM
 
ginny
Top  #11 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2013 2:52 PM
We all buy differently. I buy my beans in 2 pounds as a rule unless I am reordering a bean I love and get a five pound.

That way I can roast a 1/2 pound, see if I like the bean and/or roast and go from there, stick with the 1/2 pound roasts, roast a couple of 10 oz batches and what is left over goes into a magic bean bag as a surprise roast.

I can take those few ounces and toss them in the Fresh Roast to use up as well.

You need to simply play around with what you like and are comfortable roasting.

I buy 2 pounds since it allows me the ability to try more beans and not have too much left that my stash gets too freaking big...

ginny

beach
 
rustic_roaster
Top  #12 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2013 3:01 PM

Quote

Randy G wrote:

Rustic- would you send me the link to the page where you saw that on the Hottop site? I will change that. Also, When I was doing 300 grams it was a few years ago. Honestly, I can't even remember what model I was using. Now,. I would not recommend using that much coffee in the KN8828x models at all. About 275 is the most I would recommend.


this is the link for the product sheet
http://www.hottop...2a-Web.pdf

I was actually looking for power consumption when I found power it also had capacity on this link.
http://www.hottop...2K-web.pdf
Edited by ginny on 04/18/2013 3:12 PM
 
Randy G
Top  #13 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2013 3:43 PM
OK- yes it says "up to" and "capacity," and it will work for that mush mass, but it will not give the best results. For drip it might be OK, but it makes for a flat tasting espresso. In basic terms the "225-300" is the smallest recommended and greatest recommended amount to roast.

Life's too short to drink bad coffee.
 
Web
ginny
Top  #14 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2013 4:00 PM
I do not drink flat espresso and that is all I drink.

The entire issue of how many beans to put in your roaster depends ONLY and only on ONE THING.

YOUR PERSONAL TASTE, PERIOD.

Any roaster company/maker can and will only recommend, they must be on the safe side, stay within those parameters if you need to.

The rest is in the taste buds of the roaster.

I get great results from 227 grams of beans. I get great results from 275 grams of beans.


ginny

cool
 
ginny
Top  #15 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2013 4:08 PM
>>>We have found the HotTop is very sensitive to changes in the WEIGHT of the green coffee you use in a batch. You must weigh the coffee, and be consistent! (We currently offer an accurate Salter digital scale for this purpose). 9 oz. (250 grams) is the recommended roast batch size. If you are not getting roasts dark enough to your taste, you can reduce the batch size to 7 or 8 oz, and effectively shift the entire roast range toward a darker roast. Whatever you chose, be consistent with the batch size.<<<

The above from Thom at Sweet Maria, yet another opinion but look at his suggested possible batch sizes, 7 to 8 oz's...


Thoms Hot Top tip sheet:

http://www.sweetm...34c1f738fb

ginny

greenman
 
ciel-007
Top  #16 Print Post
Posted on 04/18/2013 11:47 PM
Over the past year, I spent a lot of time (and wasted a lot of beans) experimenting with diverse roasting profiles in my two HT roasters. In the course of these experiments, I discovered that it is possible to obtain excellent espresso results with 290-300g loads in my HT-B model. However, achieving excellence with such large loads requires a relatively "aggressive" roasting profile. Namely, a profile that uses very high bean dropping temperatures, and roasting with the HT set to maximum power right from the start. Large loads roasted in this aggressive manner are capable of producing an espresso pull that is complex, bold and bright.

Because of certain design constraints, my HT-P model does not allow me to use such an aggressive roasting profile; consequently, I was not able to achieve such levels of excellence in my espresso pulls for large loads (290-300g) using a HT-P model
Ciel... seeking Heaven in my cup with ................................................................................................................. EXPOBAR Brewtus II - MAZZER Mini E - MAHLK?NIG Vario - GeneCafe - RAF-1 Extreme (Modified B-2 HOTTOP) - BellaTaiwan XJ-101
 
rustic_roaster
Top  #17 Print Post
Posted on 04/19/2013 9:44 AM

Quote

Barrie wrote:

Hmm. I am new to the hottop but tend to buy beans in 5-10 lb batches. That way, I can get an idea of things before a given bean runs out. So, since 9 roasts of 252 grams comes to exactly 5 lbs., that is the amount I use. Allowing for the weight loss in the roast, that provides +/- 1/2 lb batches of roasted beans?

Ordered 5lb of French Roast blend and 5lb. Kenya Nyeri AA Gatomboya from SM yesterday morning. Should be here this afternoon. cross fingers


I like being able to drink different coffee everyday, but I suppose with a couple different types and roasting to different levels I could create some variations.

Although as I went through my beans the thought of drinking only two types next week changed my original plan to do a side by side compare, so I roasted a Sumartan and a Nicaragua yesterday and will do a couple different type today.
 
ciel-007
Top  #18 Print Post
Posted on 04/19/2013 12:22 PM

Quote

rustic_roaster wrote:

I like being able to drink different coffee everyday, but I suppose with a couple different types and roasting to different levels I could create some variations.


My last purchase consisted of 75 lbs of quality greens. The lot included coffees from several continents, along with some great Columbian decaf. Such a sizeable purchase not only allows me to keep roasting costs to a minimum, but it also allows me to create some magnificent blends.
Ciel
Ciel... seeking Heaven in my cup with ................................................................................................................. EXPOBAR Brewtus II - MAZZER Mini E - MAHLK?NIG Vario - GeneCafe - RAF-1 Extreme (Modified B-2 HOTTOP) - BellaTaiwan XJ-101
 
ginny
Top  #19 Print Post
Posted on 04/19/2013 12:37 PM
You say "the lot," so you bought a bunch of beans or you hand picked your beans to make this lot of beans?

ginny
 
rustic_roaster
Top  #20 Print Post
Posted on 04/19/2013 1:00 PM

Quote

ciel-007 wrote:

Quote

rustic_roaster wrote:

I like being able to drink different coffee everyday, but I suppose with a couple different types and roasting to different levels I could create some variations.


My last purchase consisted of 75 lbs of quality greens. The lot included coffees from several continents, along with some great Columbian decaf. Such a sizeable purchase not only allows me to keep roasting costs to a minimum, but it also allows me to create some magnificent blends.
Ciel


So how long will 75lb last? Is that just for personal usage or include enough for gifting.

I only had a small amount of mexican coffee left and mixed it with some kenyan coffee and the result was nice. May it would not be as hard as I thought to hard to keep the palate entertained.
 
ciel-007
Top  #21 Print Post
Posted on 04/19/2013 1:25 PM

Quote

ginny wrote:

... you hand picked your beans to make this lot of beans?



I discovered that some local commercial roasters are willing to sell greens to amateur roasters like me at a substantial discount... as long as the volume involved is not trivial. The 75 lbs of beans that I purchased included 7 different origins that I hand picked myself. I can now chose among the various origins to create different roasting blends.
Ciel... seeking Heaven in my cup with ................................................................................................................. EXPOBAR Brewtus II - MAZZER Mini E - MAHLK?NIG Vario - GeneCafe - RAF-1 Extreme (Modified B-2 HOTTOP) - BellaTaiwan XJ-101
 
ciel-007
Top  #22 Print Post
Posted on 04/19/2013 1:31 PM

Quote

rustic_roaster wrote:

So how long will 75lb last?


Given the increasing number of people that keep popping in for an espresso, I need at least 3 lbs of roast a week. My modified HT can now produce that much roast in about 90 minutes. I expect that the 75 lb purchase may last about 5 months. If you are looking for unique and truly "superb" pulls, careful blending from select origins is the only way to go.
Ciel... seeking Heaven in my cup with ................................................................................................................. EXPOBAR Brewtus II - MAZZER Mini E - MAHLK?NIG Vario - GeneCafe - RAF-1 Extreme (Modified B-2 HOTTOP) - BellaTaiwan XJ-101
 
ginny
Top  #23 Print Post
Posted on 04/19/2013 8:01 PM
Hi all:

I just looked to see what I had done with my last few batches in the HT,
the Burundi Kirimiro Teka I got I measured out 3 10oz bags ready to dump so that leaves me with 2 oz which I will add to my other 2 oz leftover and roast when it reaches 8o r 10 ounces.

one of my neighbors KNOWS when I have Burundi in the roaster and always stops for a cafe crema or two...

love the Africans.

Ciel, you got a great deal considering you could pick your own and were not forced to take a ready made lot of coffee.

Have a great weekend all...

-g

tikibar is open
 
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