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Coffee roasters - the mechanical type, and not the human profession - come
in all varieties of shapes and sizes. Not surprisingly then prices range
from a few dozen dollars to nearly a thousand. Of course, as with any
manufactured product and roasting coffee machines are no exception, price
doesn't necessarily equate exactly with quality. Beyond looking for a
reliable brand, make and model here are a few tips about what coffee roaster
to look for; based on how serious a coffee enthusiast you really are...
How much involvement do you actually want? Some
people love to be chemists. They like to mix and stir, whir and measure.
Coffee roasters vary considerably along this dimension. Some simple stove
top roasters are basically just a sauce pan with a tight lid and a special
handle. The
handle contains a crank that allows the coffee roaster to stir up the beans
during the process. Stirring is an essential method employed to keep the
roasted coffee beans from burning on the base, as well as to keep the hot air circulating
evenly from within. Even
in this simple set up, you need to ensure that the coffee roaster has a
thermometer in the lid. Temperature control is essential for proper coffee
roasting. At
the other extreme are roasting coffee machines that do it all for you.
Simply pop in a pre-determined amount of green coffee beans from a bag,
close the lid and walk away for a few minutes, job done.
These deluxe
coffee makers have inbuilt thermometers, thermostatically
controlled heating mechanisms, ingenious air-flow monitoring geometry, and
rotating canisters and a built in timer to automatically shut down the
device at the exact time. At
the upper end of the price range, these Roll Royce roasting coffee machines
do everything but eliminate the smoke that invariably goes hand-in-hand with
the process.
How effectively do coffee roasters heat and circulate air? The
most common type are air coffee roasters, these work more or less like a
popcorn machine Hot air is circulated throughout the coffee mixture, while
the beans are agitated. This gives ultimately gives a uniform roast and some
roasting coffee machine models can even filter out the chaff produced as the
outer skins exploded from the expansion of the coffee bean. Most
coffee roasters will allow you to watch the process through a glass
exterior; this will enable you to judge the degree of the desired roast.
Frequently they have pre-set amounts on the dial ranging from light to dark,
so you can easily select how you want your coffee to taste. The
ability to circulate air evenly and heat uniformly is critical, and
therefore the designs of roasting coffee machines vary as manufactures try
to produce the best coffee roaster that accomplishes this objective. For
example, a coffee roaster with a heating source only at the base and
constricted air flow is going to provide an uneven roast and therefore
likely to produce an inferior cup of coffee. Drum
coffee roasters help overcome this problem, by providing as the name
suggests, a rotating drum that uses gravity to move the coffee beans around,
rather than coffee roaster relying solely on a stirrer at the base.
Beware, though. Many coffee roaster do not have windows for observing the
roasting process – This is a must have feature for those who like to
experiment and fine-tune their coffee roast. And, not surprisingly, with the
greater quantity of coffee bean comes a larger volume of smoke. Be prepared
to ventilate well unless or course you like you house to constantly smell of
coffee Once
confined to more professional use, home coffee roasters are now readily
available, and have the added benefit of being able to roast larger
quantities of coffee. Useful for those large dinner parties, where you want
the
freshest possible coffee, and of course to impress your guests with your
coffee roasting techniques. |
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