IRoast2 40011 5-2/7-Ounce Coffee-Bean Roaster, Black
by IBC - Hearthware, INC
|
List Price: Category: Kitchen See more product details |
|---|
(Click here)
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of IRoast2 40011 5-2/7-Ounce Coffee-Bean Roaster, Black
Customer Review: The finest coffee you'll ever taste, just know what you're getting in to!
Summary: 4 Stars
The iRoast is fantastic at roasting coffee. In about 15 minutes you have coffee that will spank the pants off any pre-roasted stuff you can find. It is such a thrill to watch the transformation from smelly green nugget into a dark, oil steeped, glorious bean. The pre-sets are merely guidelines. Depending on your room temperature and amount you are roasting the roast time varies significanty.
The drawbacks are few but may be deal breakers for those of you in small apartments or if you have moody neighbors. 1) It smokes. A lot. Especially at darker roasts. 2) It's loud. It sounds like a hopped-up vacuum cleaner on steroids. 3) It only roasts about 1 cup of beans at a time and must rest 2 hours before you roast again. I have wanted to give gifts of roasted beans but find it difficult to keep up with the demand of my home. For this last reason I give it 4 stars.
Most of the cons are inherent issues with roasting coffee and not a reflection on the performance of the iRoast itself. Roasting beans is a true joy for anyone who enjoys coffee. I live in a small apartment with moody neighbors and I bought one! No regrets.
Customer Review: GOOD VALUE
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased the I-Roast 2, after having decent luck with I-Roast 1. Hearthware seems to have corrected some of the very minor flaws with version 1 and I am extremely happy with it. The major thing that has been corrected is the tendency of the sealed top to unseal itself, which was a mess. I have not had this happen with version 2.
With some green beans, you have to roast smaller batches (Ethopian comes to mind) or it will overheat and shut down. However, it will do almost any controlled roast you could ever want. Version 2 seems much improved in roasting the entire batch more evenly, something that was not necessarily the case with version 1. Version 2 also seems to take more slough out of the roasting chamber.
Do be forewarned that this unit is VERY noisy (as most home roasters are, with the exception of the FreshRoast), so your neighbors may hate you if you live in an apartment.
This is a great unit for the home roaster.
Customer Review: Roast your own
Summary: 4 Stars
I too thought this would end up with the bread maker, the pasta maker, the juicer, etc. but I've been using it for over a year and I make some of the best coffee around.
I make espresso and cafe creme, our favorite from a Paris trip. I am getting so good that my wife really won't drink any other espresso. But the credit goes to the roaster and the basic fact that beans have a < 7 day shelf life. You must wait 12 hours for them to breathe, then they are awesome if used with a good burr grinder. One warning: Roasting must be done outside as the beans smoke when heated to > 400 degrees and they smell something like burnt popcorn.
My neighbors see me outside in the dead of a New England winter and wonder what I am doing. Why not just buy Starbucks beans? If you have to ask you'll never know.
Customer Review: Programmed to Perfection
Summary: 4 Stars
The ability to pre-program ten different multi stages and a few other improvements made this unit a quantum leap above the original...which was already good. I found that on my unit the programmed temperatures and the temperature being shown by the unit at different stages varied somewhat, but judging by the results that didn't matter much. I have programs entered for all the coffee types that I enjoy and even have multi programs for my favorites (Yemen Mocha Matari and Yemen Mocha Sanani), and enjoy blending medium dark roasts with dark roasts of the same type bean for a unique flavor. The ability to control the roast to the last detail, saving at least half the cost of the same type of coffee purchased pre roasted, makes coffee roasting and using this unit in particular, great.Customer Review: Roasts well but its loud and smokey
Summary: 4 Stars
I purchased an I-Roast about two months ago as a replacement for a Freshroast Plus which had died. At first impression, the I-Roast appears quite a bit more refined than the FreshRoast. More importantly, the I-Roast has about twice the roasting capacity. On the negative side, the I-Roast is considerably louder and creates more smoke. For indoor roasting, attaching a duct for the smoke is a must. What I like most about the I-Roast is the tweakability of the roast condiditions. Too much heat too fast can lead to the inside of the beans being underroasted. The ability of the I-Roast to adjust the roast temperature should prevent that.