Hello,
After a few months of reading this digest, I've taken the plunge and
purchased a Hottop roaster.
I have a few,well, maybe just one  or two questions.
Tom mentions on his site ( www.sweetmarias.com) that you are able to
roast back to back.
Question:
Do you have to go thru the preheat cycle each time you roast?
( selecting temp, waiting for the unit to beep that it's ready)
I know that the unit is warm already, but...
Also, On my first roast or after a 30 minute cool down, when going thru
the pre heat cycle, I noticed that the  heating elements begin glowing.
If I do not wait that long ( 15-30 min), they don't glow ( as if it's
not really heating up).
I'd hate to screw this thing up on my first day.
Maybe these  are lame questions, but until you use the unit, you don't
know. 
Thanks for any info.
Eunice

Hi Eunice,
 I'm sitting in a hotel suite, trying to get my eyes to focus, so this
may not make much sense - apologies to all.
 One is supposed to be able to accomplish back to back roasts with the
HotTop, but I have never been able to.  One of the major problems with
the preproduction units no reset at the end of roast (corrected) and
some units had to be unplugged before they could be used.  My HT is
sporting the same chip set as the released units and I still cannot do a
back to back.
  I thought once that the preheat cycle was possibly skipped and one
could just begin the next roast cycle. However I wound up with a stalled
roast.
  Most of us allow 10 minutes for the unit to cool significantly before
starting a second roast. And occasionally I get a note from someone who
is able to crank them out with 4 or 5 minutes of downtime.  I find the
10 minutes a minimum for my unit - and usually run almost 20 minutes
before I crank it up again. This works out to be just the right amount
of time for me to clean out the chaff from the last roast, and place the
beans into a vacuum container and mark them - have a double and go for
the next roast.
John - hopelessly lost in Houston - Why do all these people live here?
How come so few speak English?
On Tue, 2003-07-08 at 00:46, Eunice Thompson wrote:
<Snip>

Eunice,
Congratulations on your new Hottop.  I've got about 10 roasts on mine
now.
Yes, you must go through the preheat cycle each time.  You'll notice
that the Hottop turns itself all the way off at the end of the cooling
cycle, so you have to start by turning it on again.
After you set up the temp and press the start button, the Hottop takes
its own temperature and if it doesn't think it is cool enough, it just
sits there running its fan for awhile, cooling off some more.  That's
why if you start it up immediately after roasting it takes longer to
preheat.  I don't think it hurts anything, though.
I've found that I get the quickest cycle time if I remove the nosepiece
and the bean-chute lid when the machine finishes its cooling cycle.
Then I let it sit for oh, maybe 10 minutes while I dechaff and store the
beans. (The Hottop is not nearly as good at dechaffing as an air-roaster
or the ALP.  Smaller drum holes, I guess)
-- Rick
P.S.  I think I mentioned that the Hottop was the most civilised roaster
I've owned.  Sunday evening I was in the kitchen roasting coffee for the
week ahead when I heard my brother ask my mother what I was doing.  She
said "I don't know, he said he was going to roast coffee."  Woohoo!  I
was in the middle of roasting and they couldn't even tell it in the next
room.
[RF]

Ailing John wrote:
<Snip>
Removing the nose plate and the bean-chute cover seem to make mine cool
faster.  I get the feeling that if I set my little fan blowing into the
open nose, I could probably get it cooled down in a couple of minutes.
-- Rick

Rick,
I'm sure it would do the trick.  Like you, I've learned to use the
waiting time to deal with the completed roast. I think in the interest
of science I'll give the fan a try when I get home. And you're also
right in pulling up the filter and removing the cover plates accelerates
the cooling - more ways for the heat to rise out of the chamber. 
Good news.. I can have coffee again... 4 days without coffee is about
equal to a trip to purgatory.
John
On Tue, 2003-07-08 at 16:45, Rick Farris wrote:
<Snip>

John Abbott wrote:
<Snip>
Wait a minute Reverend John. I thought you had to be Catholic to believe 
in purgatory. Maybe your not really sick. It just might be the thought 
of papal infallibility that making you swoon. ;-)
(p.s. I'm Catholic, I'm allowed to talk about myself)
<Snip>

Of course I believe in Purgatory - Purgatory Mild Sample - PMS - all of
it bad!
The good news about this whole thing is that we've found a fabulous
hotel, jacuzzi in the room and a fractional T1 Cat5 connection in the
room.  Since we came back to the room this afternoon I've been brewing
coffee (yeah!!!! I can have coffee again) in the E-siphon and
downloading everything I always wanted.  Wish I could focus - but its
working.
Anyone know of a good roaster in Houston?  We may be here one more
night.
John - sitting in the hottub, playing on the laptop, drinking Guatemalan
On Tue, 2003-07-08 at 19:28, Ben Treichel wrote:
    John Abbott wrote:
    
    >Rick,
    >
    >I'm sure it would do the trick.  Like you, I've learned to use the
    >waiting time to deal with the completed roast. I think in the interest
    >of science I'll give the fan a try when I get home. And you're also
    >right in pulling up the filter and removing the cover plates accelerates
    >the cooling - more ways for the heat to rise out of the chamber. 
    >
    >Good news.. I can have coffee again... 4 days without coffee is about
    >equal to a trip to purgatory.
    >
    
    Wait a minute Reverend John. I thought you had to be Catholic to believe 
    in purgatory. Maybe your not really sick. It just might be the thought 
    of papal infallibility that making you swoon. ;-)
    
    (p.s. I'm Catholic, I'm allowed to talk about myself)
    
    >
    >John
    >
    >
    >On Tue, 2003-07-08 at 16:45, Rick Farris wrote:
    >  
    >
    >>Ailing John wrote:
    >>
    >>    
    >>
    >>>Most of us allow 10 minutes for the unit to cool
    >>>significantly before starting a second roast. And 
    >>>occasionally I get a note from someone who is able
    >>>to crank them out with 4 or 5 minutes of downtime.
    >>>      
    >>>
    >>Removing the nose plate and the bean-chute cover seem to make mine cool
    >>faster.  I get the feeling that if I set my little fan blowing into the
    >>open nose, I could probably get it cooled down in a couple of minutes.
    >>
    >>-- Rick
    >>
    >>
    >>
    >>homeroast mailing list
    >>http://www.sweetmarias.com/maillistinfo.html    >>">http://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast    >>To change your personal list settings, seehttp://www.sweetmarias.com/maillistinfo.html    >>
    >>    
    >>
    >
    >
    >
    >homeroast mailing list
    >http://www.sweetmarias.com/maillistinfo.html    >">http://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast    >To change your personal list settings, seehttp://www.sweetmarias.com/maillistinfo.html    >
    >  
    >
    

Hi all,
Thanks everyone for your help and info.
I feel like a roasting newbie again.
Ummm, anyone interested in a used Hearthware Gourmet, please contact me
off list.
I can hear myself think again!! :-)
Eunice

Hey John,
'fraid roasters are fairly thin on the ground here in Houston.
While I have been roasterless I have had some success with Wholefoods Markets at the intersection of Kirby and West Alabama. They have an air roaster in their coffee section that they seem to know how to use. They also tag their roasted bean bins with the roast date ( usually 1 to 2 days ).
This store supplies their other stores in the region.
 
It's not home roast but you certainly can get good crema from their stuff.
 
Good luck,
 
Rod
 
John Abbott <coffee> wrote:
Of course I believe in Purgatory - Purgatory Mild Sample - PMS - all of
it bad!
The good news about this whole thing is that we've found a fabulous
hotel, jacuzzi in the room and a fractional T1 Cat5 connection in the
room. Since we came back to the room this afternoon I've been brewing
coffee (yeah!!!! I can have coffee again) in the E-siphon and
downloading everything I always wanted. Wish I could focus - but its
working.
Anyone know of a good roaster in Houston? We may be here one more
night.
John - sitting in the hottub, playing on the laptop, drinking Guatemalan
On Tue, 2003-07-08 at 19:28, Ben Treichel wrote:
John Abbott wrote:
>Rick,
>
>I'm sure it would do the trick. Like you, I've learned to use the
>waiting time to deal with the completed roast. I think in the interest
>of s
 cience
 I'll give the fan a try when I get home. And you're also
>right in pulling up the filter and removing the cover plates accelerates
>the cooling - more ways for the heat to rise out of the chamber. 
>
>Good news.. I can have coffee again... 4 days without coffee is about
>equal to a trip to purgatory.
>
Wait a minute Reverend John. I thought you had to be Catholic to believe 
in purgatory. Maybe your not really sick. It just might be the thought 
of papal infallibility that making you swoon. ;-)
(p.s. I'm Catholic, I'm allowed to talk about myself)
>
>John
>
>
>On Tue, 2003-07-08 at 16:45, Rick Farris wrote:
> 
>
>>Ailing John wrote:
>>
>> 
>>
>>>Most of us allow 10 minutes for the unit to cool
>>>significantly before starting a second roast. And 
>>>occasionally I get a note from someone who is
 able
>>>to crank them out with 4 or 5 minutes of downtime.
>>> 
>>>
>>Removing the nose plate and the bean-chute cover seem to make mine cool
>>faster. I get the feeling that if I set my little fan blowing into the
>>open nose, I could probably get it cooled down in a couple of minutes.
>>
>>-- Rick
>>
>>
>>
>>homeroast mailing list
>>http://www.sweetmarias.com/maillistinfo.html>>">http://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast>>To change your personal list settings, seehttp://www.sweetmarias.com/maillistinfo.html>>
>> 
>>
>
>
>
>homeroast mailing list
>http://www.sweetmarias.com/maillistinfo.html>">http://lists.sweetmarias.com/mailman/listinfo/homeroast>To change your personal list settings, seehttp://www.sweetmarias.com/maillistinfo.html>
>
 
>
Rod Stephens
Remember, amateurs built the ark - Professionals built the Titanic.

Thanks for the guidance Rod.  We also found some veggie foods that we
can't get at home. So the car is more filled going home than it was
coming.
John - headin south to the border
On Wed, 2003-07-09 at 09:00, Rod Stephens wrote:
<Snip>

Sorry most of time when I send those links I do it from the send a link
menu. It just opens a small window and I insert the address to send it to.
All I see in is the subject line and a icon attachment.
Off to see the doctor about the leg, yipee

And of course pay no attention to my previous post this a.m. unless you're a
wandering John!  Thought I was sending it off line to him and did not have
my 2 cups of coffee under my belt before operating email......

I've seen mention made about using Teflon lubricant on the Hot Top. I would
like to know if anyone could suggest where I can get some of this lube.
I've also read about the use of a variac with the HotTop. I don't have any
problem  roasting  to the degree of darkness that I want for my espresso
roasts, and I wanted to know if there is a reason I might want to use a
variac.

At 6:34 PM -0500 5/8/04, Bruce Tanner wrote:
<Snip>
Teflon is only one of the possibilities. I've used it, but I think I 
get better results with LubriPlate Pure TAC, which is a white 
food-grade grease (H-1 rated, which means OK for incidental food 
contact), that's generally available at bearing supply stores.
<Snip>
For two possible reasons. One is to stabilize the voltage so you get 
repeatable roast times if your line voltage varies. The other is to 
modify the roasting profile for different beans. When roasting fairly 
lightly for espresso, for instance, many beans like to have the 
first-to-second time stretched out.
Best,
	David
-- 
"The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by 
men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding."
Justice Louis Brandeis

Any swimming pool supply store has the Teflon lubricant

I am contemplating getting a HotTop roaster at some point and had some
questions.  Does anyone know if there are any other differences
between the current version sold at SM and the new one with the
digital readout?  If not, since the price appears to be the same if
you get the new one and the old one and buy the readout separately, it
seems to me to make more sense to just get the older version and get
the readout later if I want to do so.  Of course, I'm not the most
mechanical person, so is there anyone out there with the older version
who's added the digital panel?
Tara

Tara:
I really do not think there is any difference between the digi read out and the regular old Hot Top except the digi read out...
That said, Tom sells the new panal for 100 bucks; I believe the price of the newer model is more money.
That said, is it worth it and how accurate is it? If you will need to buy yet another temp guage to see if the built in guage works?
More to go out on the unit and cause it to not function properly.
My thoughts on the digi are I want the panel to play with because I am not sue how you control a close temp with the way it is built. How much control is there or is it just to let you know how hot it is?
ginny

Thanks, Ginny.  I'm thinking I might just bite the bullet and get the
regular HotTop - if I want to upgrade the panel, I can always do that
later.  As Tom points out on the SM site, the price for the new one
will be $100 more than the current one, so not much incentive to wait.
 The batch size of my FR is starting to wear on me, esp. since I'm now
making espresso - I spent the better part of a day roasting about 12
oz.  I love the idea of an RK drum, but not too likely that I'll roast
outside in the winter and the downdraft in my kitchen isn't too
horrible.  I like to pan roast on occasion, but I'm not consistent
enough at it to really do it regularly - I destroyed some Harar the
other day and it just about killed me.  Now to figure out what 5 # to
order with the HotTop!
On 6/29/05, ginny  wrote:
<Snip>
nd the regular old Hot Top except the digi read out...
<Snip>
the newer model is more money.
<Snip>
 yet another temp guage to see if the built in guage works?
<Snip>
t sue how you control a close temp with the way it is built. How much contr=
ol is there or is it just to let you know how hot it is?
<Snip>
ribes) go tohttp://sweetmarias.com/maillistinfo.html#personalsettings<Snip>
ribes) go tohttp://sweetmarias.com/maillistinfo.html#personalsettings<Snip>

I agree. I have been thinking about buying the digital panel but still =
just
considering it. One advantage to converting is if you don't like the =
digi,
or if the new panel does crap out, you could always put the original =
back on
at no cost.
Terry

Tara,
It's fairly easy. The hardest part is being patient with the tabs while
sliding the old panel out, then it's unplugging a connector from the old
panel and plugging it into the new one, then sliding the new panel on
jiggling the holding tabs.
Anybody have some neat trick for sliding the panel out?
DJ

We swapped ours out, twice really.  The first time, the panel did not 
yet show the temp in F, and when we talked with Michael at Hottop, he 
kindly sent us the updated update.  I love it.  My husband replaced it 
both times.  The only chore is to pry the old one off, but its not 
hard.  It helps to disassemble the back of the machine because you can 
reach some of the tab to make it easier.  Michael has good 
instructions.  The rest is simple.
Barbara
javafool wrote:
<Snip>

Actually there are several differences:
- the roasting time can be extended by 2:30 minutes, vs. 1:40 with the
older one
- you can set the length of the roast directly between 17:00 and 21:59
- after pre-heating, the readout counts down the roast time remaining to
zero
- there's a chamber temperature readout function (not bean temperature)
by pressing a button
I'm not sure if the actual profile changed.
DJ

I contacted HotTop about this, supposed to get a call back, but
thought I'd throw it out for anyone's input.  My new HotTop (used
maybe 6 times now), makes a horrible squeaking for the first few
minutes it's on - after it's warmed up it seems to have subsided
somewhat and once it's ready to have the coffee dumped in the
squeaking stops completely.  Is this something I need to worry about -
it's annoying, but doesn't seem to affect how it roasts the coffee. 
Second, I've noticed that it drips a small amount of liquid from the
back end.  Doesn't seem to be oil - could the smoke be combining with
the steam and producing this?  I'm not even close to being an engineer
(although I can set up a wicked surround sound stereo system), so any
input from those who could help would be greatly appreciated.
Tara

In short, I wouldn't worry about it.  It comes and goes.
In long, usually the squeaking comes from the bearing where the shaft that
runs through the drum is supported by the front plate.  I've never lubed
mine, but I seem to remember someone suggesting a food-grade white
lubricant.  I would suggest not lubing.  If you do, use a tiny amount
because anything more than you need will end up in your roasted beans.
-- Rick

<Snip>
I found Michael at HotTop to be very responsive and helpful - hope you hear
from him soon.

Tara:
Sounds like your drum is too tight.
Perhaps they will suggest a way to loosen it or stop it from rubbing.
ginny

Possibly out of alignment?http://home.surewest.net/frcn/Coffee/HOTTOPFAQ.html#21The newer Hot Tops, however, are supposed to be supported on both ends from 
what I gather.
Respectfully,
Rich Adams

At 10:39 PM 7/21/2005, Tara wrote:
<Snip>
Tara,  I don't recall ever experiencing it with my Hottop, but Randy Glass 
mentions it in his "Hottop Bean Roaster Unofficial FAQ" at 
www.espressomyespresso.com .  Briefly, his answer is "condensation from the 
beans."
I can't give you the link directly to the page, as Randy is "framing" the 
site. The link is in the bottom right-hand box on the main page -- just 
under the "OTHER" title.  It's question #12.
If you haven't read the FAQ and his Hottop review, you should check them out.
--
Terry Stockdale -- Baton Rouge, LA
My coffee pages:http://www.TerryStockdale.com/coffee/coffee.shtmlMy newsletter and tips:  http://www.TerrysComputerTips.com

I had the same problem with my Hot Top when I got it. Some times the drum=
 
gets knocked out of alignment. If you take the front cover off so you can=
 
rotate the drum manually. Then remove the bean shoot cover, place your 
finger in the shoot so you can feel the top of the drum (be careful of shar=
p 
edges) as you turn it. You should be able to notice any high or low spots i=
t 
should be even during the entire rotation. If not you need to gently apply=
 
pressure to bend it back in to alignment. 
I did this after the first three weeks of use and not had any squeaking or=
 
rubbing since. 
Check out this link.http://home.surewest.net/frcn/Coffee/HOTTOPFAQ.html#22On 7/21/05, Tara Kollas  wrote:
<Snip>
-- 
George Holt
Waxhaw, NC 28173

Actually this is the Hot Top link for drum alignment.http://home.surewest.net/frcn/Coffee/HOTTOPFAQ.html#21On 7/22/05, George Holt  wrote:
<Snip>
 
<Snip>
 
<Snip>
arp 
<Snip>
 it 
<Snip>
y 
<Snip>
r 
<Snip>
-- 
George Holt
Waxhaw, NC 28173

Jeffrey Pawlan told me that the new HTs have internal drum bracing to help
them keep their roundness.  Dan
<Snip>
from
<Snip>

Thanks, everyone - I'm going to check it out tonight when I get home.
On 7/22/05, Terry Stockdale  wrote:
<Snip>
s
<Snip>
he
<Snip>
out.
<Snip>
ribes) go tohttp://sweetmarias.com/maillistinfo.html#personalsettings<Snip>

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
Tara,
I found that the screw that holds the front cover on may be to tight.  =
From time to time my Hottop will squeak and I just give the screw a =
little bit of a turn to either loosen or tighten and it goes away.
David

Did you try tightening or loosening the brass screw by the window *****USING
GLOVES****? I have had that problem and tightening or loosening the screw
helped. Again, it gets hot enough to melt fingers so be very careful.
Terry

I'm going to try this tonight - I seem to recall that when I first got
it, I was taking things apart to see how they fit back together and
may have tightened this too much when replacing it.
On 7/22/05, javafool  wrote:
<Snip>
ING
<Snip>
ribes) go tohttp://sweetmarias.com/maillistinfo.html#personalsettings<Snip>

Oh Tara,
I forgot to mention that my Hottop has always dripped at the rear. I try to
remember to remove the cover where you load the coffee beans and the air
filter immediately after each roast, while the machine is still hot, to let
everything dry out a little better. I just reassemble the cover and filter
before my next roast. No problem in, well, I guess about two years.
Terry

Have you tried adjusting the thumb-screw that attaches the front glass
cover so it doesn't sqweek but it's on firmly?
I've never experienced any kind of a drip. Are ypu in a very humid
environment? Where exactly does it drip from?
Maybe you should have Hottop USA check it out, although I know it's a
pain returning it.
DJ

I loosened the screw a little - it was really tight.  It's really
humid here - hot, humid, hazy...  Someone else on the list (sorry, I
forgot who), mentioned that they get drippings, too.  I'm going to
roast some tomorrow and see if loosening the screw helps with the
squeaking.
On 7/22/05, DJ Garcia  wrote:
<Snip>
ribes) go tohttp://sweetmarias.com/maillistinfo.html#personalsettings<Snip>

Concerning the drippings, you are actually pulling quite a bit of water =
out
of 9 ounces of beans. If they have 15% moisture content by weight, you =
are
removing over 1 1/4 ounces of water from a batch of coffee (Pint's a =
pound
the world around, right?). Some goes out the vent in the top, most is
probably drawn out the back by the fan, but some always drips from seam =
just
above and behind the rear leg of my roaster.
I live in central Florida so the humidity is only high here in spring,
summer, fall and part of the winter.
Terry

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
Hello.  This is my first post here after lurking for about a month.  Any
help would be much appreciated.
 
A friend and I went in on a Hottop roaster together and just roasted our
10th batch with marginal results (it is the digital model, if that makes =
a
difference).  By far, the best batch was our first.  The roaster came =
with a
package of coffee labeled "Mandheling, 250 g, roast for 21 minutes."  We =
did
as instructed.  It was probably the best coffee either of us had ever =
had.
My friend is using a super-automatic espresso maker and I am using an HX
espresso maker.  
 
Since then we have roasted 7 batches of Puro Scuro blend, and one batch =
each
of decaf Espresso Donkey blend and Italian Espresso blend (all from =
Sweet
Maria's).  Some have been good and some undrinkable, but nothing close =
to
that first batch.  We've taken the Hottop apart and cleaned it out a =
couple
of times.  We may not be waiting long enough after roasting to try the
coffee (typically 12 hours, but we are waiting longer now - 36 to 48 =
hours).
If I had to pick one word to describe the flavor it would be sour.  =
Since we
are using different grinders and coffee machines, with similar results, =
I
believe it must be the roast.  We start timing into the second crack
starting with the very first "pop" of the second crack.  For the Puro =
Scuro
this is typically 19-20 minutes into the roast.  We stop 10 to 40 =
seconds
into the second crack (following the advice on the SM website, plus or =
minus
a little).  The first crack typically starts 16.5 to 17 minutes into the
roast.
 
My first question, is there anything obvious we should change or check?
 
My second question, is there a coffee or coffee blend that is =
particularly
forgiving and my give us more consistent (good) results (a "newby" =
blend)?
 
Many thanks,
Frank
 
 

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
Monkey is a fairly forgiving blend. Take it 20 sec into 2 nd crack. wait =
4 days. Espresso takes a little longer to peak.Brew at 210.5 degrees =
measured at the group head. It sounds like 
1 You are not giving it enough rest
2 you are not brewing at the correct temp
Your times seem correct for the hottop It is probably working fine

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
Your times sound about right for a HotTop.  Since you have the digital =
model, you might want to check the temperatures during the roast to make =
sure you're really getting to 2nd crack.  I usually get 1st crack about =
385 and 2nd crack about 405.  What do the beans look like - are they =
medium dark brown, but not black or oily when you stop the roast? 
Make sure your HX is working properly and that the water is hot enough =
when it hits the grounds - sour coffee sounds as if the water is too =
cool to extract espresso properly.
You may do better with a single origin coffee than a blend while you're =
learning the ropes.

Frank Cascarano wrote:
<Snip>
Frank,
I found Puro Scuro to be sour in my Isomac Amica until I turned up the 
PID temperature to 211 degrees. I had been using it at 209 for Monkey 
and Moka Kadir. The two degrees cured the sourness completely. You might 
want to try adjusting your pressurestat. I don't know how to increase 
the temp on the superauto. I don't use Puro in my Solis Master 5000 for 
that reason. Good luck. I generally roast by the sound and smell. Tom 
gives good hints as to when to stop. Puro Scuro I do about 20 seconds 
into the second crack. That's the set of cracking noises that comes 
after the first set stops for a minute or two. The seconds sound like 
breaking toothpicks, as opposed to the first's breaking pencil sound.
Michael

Thanks for your suggestions and information.  I'll be giving them a try.
I'll also be bringing home a thermocouple from work to test my water =
temp on
my espresso machine.
Thanks again,
Frank