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by DaveCx on January 2, 2020
I still consider myself a novice although I have completed about 100 roasts on my old Behmore and a whirly popeer. The reason I went to the Hottop was for more consistent roasts, more control of the variables, and the for the datalogging capability via the Artisan software. So far after 10 roasts, I am thoroughly satisfied with my purchase.
The Hoptop is fair-priced everywhere with their vendors at around $1600. I bought it from Coffee Bean Corral because of the excellent customer service, fast turnaround time on orders and the fact that they answered my questions very quickly. Getting their coffee samples also helped with my learning curve as well.
So far, what I like about the K2+ are:
• Easy setup. There was a minimal amount of assembly to do (put on the heat grills and mount the cooling tray) and you are ready to go.
• Documentation is some of the best I have ever seen for a consumer appliance. I say this as a former tech writer and editor.
• Good user interface (controls and display). Aside from being able to control this from my laptop,
• Good control over the process.
• Consistent results
• Sturdy construction
• Easy to clean and maintain.
Cons:
• Smoke ventilates from multiple openings. Unless you rig a big hood with a powerful fan, it will set off the smoke detector in your kitchen.
• Its limited to roughly a 1/2lb (250 grams) capacity. For me this is not a problem. On my older roaster I tried full 1lb roasts and had very inconsistent roasts
• Because the heating element is electric, heat changes will have a lag time. But with experience, this becomes a mote point.
Is the K2+ for everyone? If you are serious about coffee roasting and want to perfect your craft, then I believe this is the machine for you. It will allow you to do more with your roasts than lower priced roasters and is well supported by the manufacture and the user community. Although there is a lot to be said for gas roasters, not everyone has natural gas or propane available. There are also safety concerns as well. The next up is getting a sampling roaster. This is really overkill for the home roaster unless you are planning to do this as a career.
Happy roasting!
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