I was listening to the description of the Fresh Roast on the Sweet Maria's site and noticed that it mentioned that it had a mechanical timer, like the old Hearthware. Does this mean the new Hearthware has a digital timer? My question arises because I'm blind and plan to begin roasting my own coffee. I think I can tell, by sound of the cracks and aroma, the level of donness I want without seeing the beans. But, controls are important, digital controls and displays are of no use, whatever. As you can imagine, this makes microwaves so much fun to use. The web page also mentioned that the Fresh Roast was quieter, if one is listening for the cracks as a critical factor, this may be important. So, for those of you who have both units, imagine roasting with your eyes closed and tell me which one would work better for me. We can safely assume that a sighted wife will read the instructions to me. [grin] Dan homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
I'm no fan of the FreshRoast, but if I were blind it would be my= first choice. The FreshRoast is very quiet. Hell the= Hearthware Gourmet is so loud you could destroy your hearing. The one drawback you may find is the FreshRoast doesn't do a= great job of cooling down. This means each subsequent roast will roast= faster. This will give you less control than the Hearthware Precision. Some have posted ways to cool the FreshRoast down to extend roast= time, but I've been unsuccessful in slowing mine down. Mine has= 3 drilled holes on the top and it still roasts as fast as it did= when it was brand new. mas <Snip> your <Snip> homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
In a message dated 12/21/2001 12:12:33 PM Pacific Standard Time, coconut writes: << Dan >> Dan if you e-mail me your address I'll send you a Hearthware Gourmet for free...Jerry homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
Dan, My experience is with the Fresh Roast and the Poppery II. I have not used the Hearthware but read plenty about it, mainly on this list. I would have to say the Fresh Roast is your best bet. You can definitely hear second crack so from there it's only a matter of experimenting with time, which in your case you could measure by counting. The time does shorten with consecutive roasts but for my taste concerns I have found the time getting to second crack is irrelevant. I just received the new Fresh Roast Plus and can't comment on it. Others posted comments earlier. But the timing is suppose to be a bit more consistent. Oh, you may want to use oven mits, if you happen to grab the wrong place on the container or top it could be very hot. steve |
Hi Dan, An interesting challenge ... I've used both, and each would have advantages and drawbacks for no-look roasting. With the Freshroast: You'll hear the second crack as a rapid crackling. Somewhere in that period, you can set the machine to cool and be able to get a somewhat consistent roast within the full city to Vienna range. I usually return to my FR when I hear the second crack. But for lighter or darker roasts, there would be few non-visual clues besides knowing the correct roasting time Also there's no pointer on the timing dial, so you'd have to turn it completely off to the left, then about twenty degrees to the right to get the full cooling cycle. However, setting the machine up for roasts is a lot easier, at least for someone clutzy like me, since the roast chamber and lid sit in sleeves. They can be dropped in rather than twisted on. With the HWP: It's big virtue is repeatability. Once you have the right roast, the same dail setting will reproduce it consistently. But I could never hear the cracks. The only way to get to the right settings when roasting a new batch of beans, is to watch the roast. My guess is that if you enjoy experimenting with different beans and roasts, the FR may be more useful. But if you have a favorite blend and roast, the HWP, once properly set, will do the job more consistently. Jim |
Hi Dan, I really doubt you will need oven mits to do your roasting. I have all the confidence in the world that you will only grab a hot spot once or twice and you will know exactly where not to grab again until after the cooling cycle. Most of us are sighted, but I for one learned that lesson early in my roasting hobby. The digital timer on the Hearthware should not be a problem because it is a rotary dial with no digital display. The old Gourmets are really loud, but on the Precision model I leave the dial in the full clockwise position and listen for the cracks. After some internal delay (as in brain dead internal sometimes) I manually stop the roast after first crack has stopped. The button on the left immediately above the rotary dial (the one I leave at the full clockwise position) is 'start' and the button on the right is 'cool.' If you want to try to use the timer, just turn the dial anti-clockwise all the way and rotate it clockwise till it feels right and hit start. That never really worked for me but it does for some. Quite a few of us roast with the Alpenrost and none of us can see into that one. You roast by muffled cracking sounds and smoke. You and your neighbors can smell the smoke. Sometimes it just rolls out the garage door by the end of the roast. I don't hear as well as I used to, so I often have my wife help listen for the cracks so I know how the roast is progressing. I can't help on the Fresh Roast because I haven't tried it yet. For me, roasting is mostly listening for first crack to end and then deciding how long to wait before I hit the cool button. The big challenge will probably be when you drop the first cup of beans on the garage floor and you try to figure how to get out without falling on your can. Good luck and welcome to the list, Terry F Clearwater, FL In a message dated 12/21/01 4:20:29 PM Eastern Standard Time, steve writes: <Snip> |
Dan - I own and use the Freshroast, the Freshroast Plus and the Hearthware Gourmet. I'd think that one of the Freshroast units would best suit you. Here's why... + The Hearthware is indeed quite loud. It can be difficult to hear second crack. Both Freshroast units are quiet enough to hear both first and second crack distinctly. + The Hearthware's timer has a range of up to 15 minutes... a real twist around the dial. In contrast, the Freshroast has a five minute timer. It's rotation is about one quarter turn... making it far easier to tell where you are on the dial by feel. + The Hearthware's chaff collection system directs air-flow out four horizontal vents. Consequently it's a bit tricky to get a fair smell of what's happening in the roaster. The Freshroast vents its exhaust straight out the top... you've got just one spot to put your nose, and you can do it without stooping over. Finally, I recommend the Freshroast, because with that machine I often *do* close my eyes and roast by smell alone... very handy when dealing with tricky beans like Yemenis. I have been unable to achieve the same kind of "roast by smell" success with the Hearthware. Best regards, and happy roasting! -deCadmus Doug E Cadmus decadmushttp://www.bloggle.com/coffee |
My thanks to all who have commented on using the various roasters without eyesight. I will probably burn my fingertips once, but not twice, mama did not raise no dummy here. [grin] I considered the Alpenroast, but it will not handle some of the smaller beans and I happen to like some of those quite a lot. I think the Hearthware will do, nicely. Knowing me, I'll end up with a roasting business, I tend to do things in a large way. It would probably be politically incorrect, but I could call my business, Three Blind Beans, and have a logo of three mouse shaped beans running into one another. The motto could be, "We blind taste everything before shipping." Like I said, I'm politically incorrect. Dan homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
In a message dated 12/22/01 4:34:35 AM Central Standard Time, decadmus writes: <Snip> Hi Doug, I've tried to get perfectly roasted Yemenis out of the FR and never quite made it. Please tell me what to smell for. Jim |
I think you'll do alright with the Gourmet. It is a bit loud, but it can be quieted by wrapping a large rubber band around the base and putting a dowel between the band and the body on the right side(facing it). I can hear first and second cracks, and my hearing is pretty deteriorated, so you shouldn't have any problem... <Snip> You realize, that being blind, you are allowed to be PI concerning blindness. It's a clause in the law. People within the group are allowed to be PI in regards to that group...Ya gotta love it...lol Good luck, Angelo <Snip> homeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |
I also would recommend the freshroast over the Hearthwares because of ease= of hearing the 2nd crack. One big advantage of the Hearthware Precision= that no one mentioned is that it has a button to start the cooling cycle,= so it's much easier to start the cooling process, instead of turning a= knob to where it feels like cooling probably starts. Also, it cools long= enough to really cool. It is hard though, because it launches the beans= into the glass, to distinguish the 2nd crack from the beans hitting the= sides of the container. Finally, someone said you could set it once you found the right setting= for a roast as it would be consistent. This assumes that you are 1. roasting inside, since temperature change effects the precision more= than either of the other two.2 2. Roast only a single bean 3. roast that bean only to a single degree of roast. ( I often roast two= batches, one barely and one well into the 2nd crack), giving me 3 kinds of= roasted beans: a full city, an italian and a blend. 4. That your wife will check and make sure it is set right before you= start. I predict, you'll set it pretty much at the end for an over long roast and= then stop it when it is done as you like, regardless of which of the 3 you= choose. All are wonderful. I use the Gourmet in winter and the Precision= in summer because the precision doesn't handle low temperatures very well= so I'm forced to roast in a box. Also, it's not as fun to roast in the= winter when it's cold and drab and windy and raining as in the summer when= it's nice out, so faster roasts are better. I switched from a freshroast= (which a friend is still using fine) because I wanted longer roast times. Steve Shank Oregon Computer Solutionshttp://www.steveshank.comDo You Yahoo!? Get your free @yahoo.com address athttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast">http://mail.yahoo.comhomeroast mailing listhttp://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast |