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Hottop Coffee Roasterby Phil Jordan Description of the machine - Pt 1The Hottop is an electrically-powered table top drum coffee roaster, capable of roasting 250g per batch according to the manufacturer (although some users claim to have roasted batches of 300g or so most effectively - in fact there are reasons why this might sometimes be a good idea - see later).
The first impression when you take the machine out of the box is that it's a fairly large piece of kit. The overall footprint is 25.5 cm by 48 cm, and it stands 36 cm tall. The drum housing is the most striking part of the machine, being finished in chrome or something similar. The base and drum mounting are constructed of a solid plastic material. At the front of the machine is a removable, perforated metal cooling tray, with a motorised stirring arm. When the roasting stage is complete the coffee is dropped into the cooling tray, where air is blown up through the coffee to cool it by a fan mounted in the base, while the coffee is simultaneously stirred by a rotating arm mounted on the cooling tray. This is a very similar configuration to that used in many professional drum roasters. The drum housing is not insulated - during use it can get quite hot. This upset many of our North American cousins, many of whom seemed to feel that while they were far too intelligent to deliberately touch a surface which reaches a temperature of over 200° Celsius during operation, they couldn't speak for the rest of the world. In fact some people seemed to get upset about the roaster's name, feeling that it was a reference to this perceived safety risk. Whatever. The machine ships with a pair of removable wire guards which clip to the outside of the drum housing and prevent you from doing anything silly in that area. The front cover of the drum housing is removable: it is attached by a knurled screw. The cover also contains a clear glass window through which you can easily see the beans while they roast. After removing the front cover, the (removable) front mounting plate for the drum axle is exposed. Access to the interior of the drum is also possible - in fact easy. It's a good idea to clean the drum out regularly as some chaff and broken beans can become trapped inside the drum and not fall into the chaff tray. Under the drum is a chaff collection tray, which slides out for cleaning (it is not necessary to remove the front cover for this). The front drum mounting plate is easily removed by removing the four Philips screws which retain it. The drum then slides out easily and can be cleaned thoroughly. Apparently the drum is dishwasher-safe, but I stick to cleaning mine with a soft brush and a pointed knife to remove trapped bits of bean. The interior contains a corkscrew arrangement of thick wire attached to the inside surface of the drum, and three impeller plates. Between them these serve to tumble the beans within the drum as it rotates, and to move them along the length of the drum to ensure even heating. Removing the drum, the only features of note within the drum housing are the rear drive mounting for the drum axle, the heating element (on the side of the drum opposite to the user control panel) and a small circular insert on the rear face of the drum enclosure. This is the temperature sensor, and some sources report that it should be cleaned occasionally to remove deposits of burned coffee oils. This may be so, but after over two hundred roasts I can detect no sign that mine requires cleaning. One side of the roaster is dominated by the control panel. This is extremely simple to use, but I have to agree with those who say that it is too simple. There are four buttons, marked variously Start | Power, Eject, Plus and Setting. There is also an arc of seven red LEDs labelled from 1 to 7 to indicate the level of roast pre-selected. The rear of the roaster contains a fan assembly, used to draw heated air through the roasting chamber and to remove smoke. The air passes through a large removable filter assembly before being ejected from the rear of the roaster. Earlier versions of the roaster used a activated-charcoal impregnated foam filter material. This material is removable and according to the manufacturer should be replaced after approximately thirty roasts. Later versions use an additional layer of white microfibre material. This two-part filter is also supplied to all customers buying replacement filters. Beans are introduced into the roaster via a chute on the top of the drum housing. This chute has a loose-fitting lid with a cool plastic handle, and is left in place during roasting. The Hottop’s roasting profile is a pre-programmed curve of temperature over time. The roaster’s control circuit utilises the roasting chamber temperature sensor and heating element in conjunction to attempt to achieve a pre-programmed temperature at a given time from the start of the roasting session. Various factors such as the moisture content and size of the beans and the ambient temperature affect how well this is achieved. Description of the machine - Pt 2The front cover of the drum housing is removable: it is attached by a knurled screw. The cover also contains a clear glass window through which you can easily see the beans while they roast. After removing the front cover, the (removable) front mounting plate for the drum axle is exposed. Access to the interior of the drum is also possible - in fact easy. It's a good idea to clean the drum out regularly as some chaff and broken beans can become trapped inside the drum and not fall into the chaff tray. Under the drum is a chaff collection tray, which slides out for cleaning (it is not necessary to remove the front cover for this). The front drum mounting plate is easily removed by removing the four Philips screws which retain it. The drum then slides out easily and can be cleaned thoroughly. Apparently the drum is dishwasher-safe, but I stick to cleaning mine with a soft brush and a pointed knife to remove trapped bits of bean. The interior contains a corkscrew arrangement of thick wire attached to the inside surface of the drum, and three impeller plates. Between them these serve to tumble the beans within the drum as it rotates, and to move them along the length of the drum to ensure even heating.
Removing the drum, the only features of note within the drum housing are the rear drive mounting for the drum axle, the heating element (on the side of the drum opposite to the user control panel) and a small circular insert on the rear face of the drum enclosure. This is the temperature sensor, and some sources report that it should be cleaned occasionally to remove deposits of burned coffee oils. This may be so, but after over two hundred roasts I can detect no sign that mine requires cleaning.
Description of the machine - Pt 3One side of the roaster is dominated by the control panel. This is extremely simple to use, but I have to agree with those who say that it is too simple. There are four buttons, marked variously Start | Power, Eject, Plus and Setting. There is also an arc of seven red LEDs labelled from 1 to 7 to indicate the level of roast pre-selected.
The rear of the roaster contains a fan assembly, used to draw heated air through the roasting chamber and to remove smoke. The air passes through a large removable filter assembly before being ejected from the rear of the roaster. Earlier versions of the roaster used a activated-charcoal impregnated foam filter material. This material is removable and according to the manufacturer should be replaced after approximately thirty roasts. Later versions use an additional layer of white microfibre material. This two-part filter is also supplied to all customers buying replacement filters. Beans are introduced into the roaster via a chute on the top of the drum housing. This chute has a loose-fitting lid with a cool plastic handle, and is left in place during roasting. The Hottop's roasting profile is a pre-programmed curve of temperature over time. The roaster's control circuit utilises the roasting chamber temperature sensor and heating element in conjunction to attempt to achieve a pre-programmed temperature at a given time from the start of the roasting session. Various factors such as the moisture content and size of the beans and the ambient temperature affect how well this is achieved. Tags: hottop |
