Our new Ambex YM-30 just arrived!

[seeingcoffee]

Thanks to Topher for steering me toward Ambex. In February, I flew to Florida, met Amer at Ambex, placed the order, and...three months later at our doorstep, this beauty arrived. The installation is 90% complete; and I have had a chance to do a few roasts.

Here is my background: Prior to acquiring this roaster, my entire coffee roasting experience has been with air roasters. I performed tons and tons of roasts on a Sivitz half bag unit. Drum roasting is a completely new monster to me. If anyone has any advice to help me transition to drum roasting, it would be much appreciated.

I ordered The Coffee Roaster's companion by Scott Rao...which will hopefully help me get a better grasp over drum roasting. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

[peterjschmidt]

Gorgeous! Very clean setup.

 

[wisnulie]

good information
thanks all

 

[slurp]

looks great! congrats!

 

[wwcove]

Very nice unit! Do they provide a manual for this? I would love to read it! I have emailed them but they never replied. Seems like some really nice machines. A friend of mine said he has had one for 15 years with no problems at all!!!

 

[topher]

congrats! Who did the install for you? Just wondering why they didn't turn the chaff collector so it was a straight shot off the roaster. Email me if you have any questions. [email protected]

 

[seeingcoffee]

The chaff collector's input is on the right side; and the roaster's exhaust exists from the right side. The chaff collector was fabricated in Turkey; and from what I understand, the configuration was not relayed to the manufacturer...so I ended up with the standard issue chaff collector. It would have taken two exhaust elbows to allow for the mounting of the chaff collector such that the door faces the front. That would have further obstructed the flow of the exhaust.

This chaff collector is a temporary fixture. I am not impressed with its quality. It leaks exhaust, the doors are not bent to snugly fit around the body, and it is undersized for a 30K roaster. I plan to have one fabricated (or fabricate it myself if I can find the time) and will move the exhaust motor location to the chaff collector. I will get rid of the existing exhaust motor and install a three phase unit with a frequency drive so I can have complete control over it.

 

[seeingcoffee]

Very nice unit! Do they provide a manual for this? I would love to read it! I have emailed them but they never replied. Seems like some really nice machines. A friend of mine said he has had one for 15 years with no problems at all!!!

Unfortunately, there is no manual for it. It is very self-explanatory, though. All the parts are easily obtainable; and Amer (the owner of Ambex) is a great resource for technical support.

 

[coffeemessiah]

I have an Ambex YM15. Looks like you got your afterburner from CoffeeTec in California. I talked to them recently about buying one and wasn't sure if Ambex would help. Did they help you with it or did you buy it on your own seperately?

 

[seeingcoffee]

I did not purchase my afterburner from CoffeeTec. It was purchased from Selkirk Manufacturing in Seagle, ID. Craig is a pleasure to work with in every way imaginable; and I would purchase my next unit from him without hesitation. Not only is his pricing reasonable, the unit is very well built...MUCH better than afterburners used by coffee roasters in my area. His web site is: Thermal Afterburners For Coffee Roasting Systems

 

[Franciskoh]

Dear friends, i heard that afterburner usually priced quite close to the price of a roaster itself, any recommendation for cheaper version?

 

[seeingcoffee]

Our afterburner and its exhaust components cost more than the roaster. This is completely dependent upon your area's air quality requirements. I notice you are in Singapore. I'm not familiar with the requirements there, but my area (northern California) has very strict requirements, which requires an afterburner to burn the smoke, odor, and (for new installations) have a low NOX burner. Check your local regulations and you might be able to have a lower priced solution. Don't skimp on quality. I bought a higher quality afterburner and am very glad for the decision.

 

[seeingcoffee]

We were recently featured in The Sacramento Bee, our local newspaper. Here is a link to the artice, which contains several photos of the Guatemala coffee from Manos Campesinas we roasted.

Pachamama launches East Sac coffee cafe and midtown roastery | The Sacramento Bee

 

[coffeemessiah]

I mentioned CoffeeTec because they use your roaster setup as the stock photo for the afterburner. I was under the impression they made them themselves.... it was listed for $19750, a bit high on my budget range. Its good to know that Ambex is still around though and that they delivered on your roaster. I know they went through some kind of weird upheaval, but I think these are the original guys. I live near by Clearwater so I might go in person to see what they can do.

 

[Franciskoh]

Dear seeingcoffee, back in Singapore have rather stringent regulations on air pollution and its quite similar to your area as well, authorities going tough on smoke particles and odor emissions. i may try apply to the authorities using commercial air filter system as a replacement for the afterburner as its a much cheaper option. Thanks seeingcoffee for your reply and have a nice day.