IRoast2 40011 5-2/7-Ounce Coffee-Bean Roaster, Black
by IBC - Hearthware, INC
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List Price: Category: Kitchen See more product details |
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Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of IRoast2 40011 5-2/7-Ounce Coffee-Bean Roaster, Black
Customer Review: Perfect for a couple of coffee lovers
Summary: 5 Stars
Home roasting is one of the most rewarding activities I've gotten into, and the i-Roast is one of the funnest "toys" I've bought in a long time, though this sophisticated appliance is in no way a toy; I call it that because it's so much fun to use.The i-Roast roasts about 5 - 6 oz. of green coffee beans at a time. This is a perfect amount for a couple of coffee drinkers who, like me, want to brew their coffee (we make espresso) using fresh roasted beans (within the last 12 - 36 hours) and ground just prior to brewing.
The i-Roast lets you adjust the roasting cycle (11 - 15 min.) to get exactly the roast you like though you would probably be perfectly happy with the medium-dark roast already programmed into it. Honestly, you wouldn't have to mess with the roasting cycle at all, unless you start to feel more curious, adventurous, or are finicky about the subtle taste differences obtained.
Minor negative feature: typically, fluid (air-driven) coffee roasters are inevitably louder while in operation than are the drum-type roasters. Even so, the i-Roast is far less noisy than our blender, which would drive me nuts if I had to run it for 15 minutes. Maybe it's just so much fun to smell that unspeakably attractive aroma (roasting coffee) and to study the beans as they slowly change from yellow-green to dark brown that I haven't paid much attention to the sound of the motor.
A little LED window displays some useful information while the i-Roast is underway (e.g. it tells you what stage of the roasting cycle it's in), but I've found that it's a little hard to read the LED without bending down close by. It would've been nicer if they'd made that a backlit display, but they didn't and it's truly a minor thing.
Roasting coffee beans inevitably generates some smoke, so at some point in your roasting cycle all your household smoke alarms will go off if you try to do this indoors. Handily, the i-Roast comes with a nifty little gizmo that lets you attach one of those aluminum dryer vents to its exhaust (in the lid). This makes it easy to direct the smoke to an open window or to your range exhaust vent.
Customer Review: Perfect for a newbie or more experienced roaster
Summary: 5 Stars
The IR2 delivers what it promises. This roaster has a decent, though somewhat small capacity, which is great when one is roasting with just one coffee drinker in the house. Though, roasting more is a cinch. This roaster allows one to get to know the bean and set the cycles to roast it just right. It may take a few roasts of a type of bean to hit the sweet spot, usually you have to dial in to hit it, this roaster makes that easy. It comes with two presets, which I don't use. But, you can set and store up to 10 of your own presets, which can be up to five (5) cycles each, at any of the roaster's temperatures.
Some might say that a beginning roaster will outgrow the roaster and need to move to a Behmor or another higher end roaster, or a less expensive hot gun/bread machine roaster. But, with the presets, plus the flexibility of the machine, I believe that one can get great use from the IR2 and really learn about the different beans and the roasts they like.
The company is great with service issues, which is always nice. Cleaning the machine is some work, but well worth it and part of any home roasters roasting method - or it should be.
I say if you are begging, get this roaster and learn what coffee really tastes like. As my friends say, it now tastes as good as it smells. Amen on that!
Customer Review: Excellent machine, easy to use
Summary: 5 Stars
i am a complete novice about coffee roasting, so i bought this machine and some green coffee beans and gave it a try. i was amazed at the ease of use and the simplicity of roasting. i programmed my own roast (that i found online) in less than 5 min, and although rudimentary, the programming is easliy done by following directions in the manual that comes with the machine. if i could re-engineer the machine i would make the capacity larger, because the roast volume of 1/3lb (or less) makes it necessary to roast coffee often. to ensure even roasts with this machine, you must not overload it. the coffee beans expand as heat is added and can overwhelm the fan motor resulting in some beans being exposed to hot air longer than others (over roasting). if you keep your quantity on the low side and get a good color chart for roast colors, you will be very pleased with the ease of use this machine offers. buy some good good green coffee from a reputable seller and you will be set to enjoy some of the best coffee you've ever tasted.Customer Review: Best roaster I've used
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been roasting my own coffee for six or seven years. I have used many different roasters (heartware something, alpenroast, many others i can't well remember and most recently a freshroast ). My wife (dosen't drink coffee) has always complained about the smell of roasting and brewing coffee. She says it smells like burnt seeds. The iroast is the first time she has said it smells like coffee(even tasted some). By puttting in my own times and temps I was able to roast coffee that was as good as when I used to use a cast iron pot and spoon over open flame, only much easier now. Not only is the coffee better tasting than the others buy cleaning the unit is quicker and easier. I'm impressed and would highly recommend the iroast to anyone who roasts or wants to roast coffee.Customer Review: Fresh coffee!
Summary: 5 Stars
Most people have NEVER had a cup of coffee made with fresh roasted beans. Roasted coffee is like produce and is best used in the first three days after roasting. Since all coffee is at least three days old by the time it reaches you.... Most of the "gourmet" coffee is over roasted to cover up ho hum green beans. I was shocked when I had my first cup roasted in my I-Roast. It smelled wonderful and tasted even better with no bitter aftertaste. Be warned, you will want to drink more coffee, much more! P.S. I buy my green beans online at http://www.sweetmarias.com/ their Sumatra triple pick is WONDERFUL!