Small roaster to gain skills

[Amhas]

And as long as we're on the whole "don't buy imported stuff" thing, try to remember that you're buying imported coffee beans from some of the poorest people living in some of the poorest countries on the planet? Can you tell me why a poor Chinese worker is any less deserving of earning a living than a poor coffee farmer? Are either of them better off if I don't buy what they produce?

Steve,

You seem like a good guy and working hard to import a quality product. I appreciate, understand, and have the utmost respect for what you're doing, so please don't take my comments as an attack on what you're doing.
The concern raised here was not to say we should NEVER buy imported goods, but rather buy where and when you could locally buy US made or more appropriately stated locally made. If I could buy beans here in the US or locally I would and encourage all us to as well, but we all know that they won't grow here or at least not anything worth consuming that is. This is an apples and oranges comparison. I think someone also mention something about buying a phone made in China, well if they made a phone or computer here in the US I would buy it with out a second thought. I'm not saying this to trying to convince anyone to do as I do I am just saying we should all respect each others decisions to do so as I respect those who's decision to buy imported products. I'll be honest I was very tempted to buy one of the North machines at that price and your very prompt and attention to customer service. It is just something I feel strongly about for many many reasons far beyond what this forum is about. Sorry I didn't mean to take this of track but I felt that we should be comparing things all equal and be it good or bad I'm one to speak my opinion.

 

[MillCityRoasters]

Thanks, Amhas. I appreciate your kindness.

S.

 

[docdvm]

Interesting discussion and views from a varied readership. We all have different backgrounds so have different perspectives. As a small business owner I know what it means to the community to keep our business local whenever possible. that would require an aven playing field which is the reason that Apple a USA company manufactures the iPhone in China. Costs much less and there is a huge market right there. It just makes the best business sense for them
My perspective may be different too as I live in Canada. There are very few (0) manufacturers of roasters in Canada. It is hard to even find distributors so roasters are all shipped internationally. I did get quotes from US companies and they came in $3000 to $11000 more than the North Roaster. It is just too much for me as a hobbyist. So ordering from a U.S. distributor who supports his product is best case for me. If I could find a local roaster that I could drive over to pick up, I would not hesitate. There are none that compete on price , features and support. Is it worth another $3000 for a 500 GM roaster made in the us compared to the North 1 kg roaster depends on your situation. I guess if you are a commercial roaster you would buy a sample roaster and a larger batch and amortize that expense over 10 years. The differences would be minimal then. But for a hobbyist with no expectation of profit then a couple of thousand dollars is significant.

So that is why I placed my order for the North TJ-067. I will forward my experiences to the forum whenever I receive it.

 

[beanwagon]

Thanks again to everyone for weighing in on this thread. Your enthusiasm and willingness to share your thoughts and ideas is greatly appreciated.

I do understand some of your strong opinions on US vs. foreign built (and supported) roasters. I have similar feelings myself. I can draw other parallels...with food, I aim to buy local and I aim to buy organic. However, it's not always the best option for me in my particular situation. Also, the lines can get blurry...I recently moved to Michigan and was committed to buying an American car. But, upon deep research, I discovered that a Subaru was actually the best investment for my family and our specific situation. I was happy to find out that the Outback is 100% made in America (Lafayette, Indiana). All very important things for us to consider in our daily decisions!

As many of you have mentioned, so many different factors come into play when deciding what roaster is best and most appropriate. The best we can do is really think it through. I am considering...what are my values? what is my budget? what is my forcasted workload? what other business items will suffer if I choose the wrong roaster (with respect to time, money, support, etc).

Thanks again for all of your honest feedback and thoughts! I'll keep you posted on my decision

 

[docdvm]

Thanks again to everyone for weighing in on this thread. Your enthusiasm and willingness to share your thoughts and ideas is greatly appreciated.

I do understand some of your strong opinions on US vs. foreign built (and supported) roasters. I have similar feelings myself. I can draw other parallels...with food, I aim to buy local and I aim to buy organic. However, it's not always the best option for me in my particular situation. Also, the lines can get blurry...I recently moved to Michigan and was committed to buying an American car. But, upon deep research, I discovered that a Subaru was actually the best investment for my family and our specific situation. I was happy to find out that the Outback is 100% made in America (Lafayette, Indiana). All very important things for us to consider in our daily decisions!

As many of you have mentioned, so many different factors come into play when deciding what roaster is best and most appropriate. The best we can do is really think it through. I am considering...what are my values? what is my budget? what is my forcasted workload? what other business items will suffer if I choose the wrong roaster (with respect to time, money, support, etc).

Thanks again for all of your honest feedback and thoughts! I'll keep you posted on my decision

Good luck with your purchase. I see we ended up off topic in a manner . I guess there are so many decisions and choices to make. I never regretted my decision to buy a HotTop and felt that it could still serve my needs. But as I learnt more about roasting i realized its limitations and am now ready to progress in my roasting obsession. Did I roast the best tasting coffee I ever had on the HotTop. I thought so and my family also really enjoy the difference. Can a master roaster do better. I would expect so especially when it comes to consistent roasts. On the HotTop I found that every roast was a little different and fan and heat had to be monitored. The electric heat was slow to change the temp so I had to get a feel for how the roast was progressing and adjust the heat and fan to with every roast being different. This was most evident on back to back roasts. With my first roaster, the IRoast, sample size was just too small so I bought the hotTop after 6 months of roasting.

Now you have the Huky as an option. It seems to be an intermediate roaster as it is heavier than the Hottop and uses gas heat. If I was doing this all over again I would consider the Huky. Yes it is not made in the USA but there is nothing available locally that can compare. Cost is reasonable comparatively as the next best roaster cost wise would be the North TJ-067 at $$3000 difference. Maybe someone who uses a Huky can comment on their experiences.

 

[Hankua]

OK Steve; you win

I knew politics was not going far on a coffee forum.

And I did correspond with "Mr. Tim" offline and found his English excellent ....

 

[Hankua]

I can comment on the Huky and how it compares to a professional level one pounder. Just got finished roasting four one pound batches in 1.5 hours including warmup and shutdown. The Builder has stated the machine has run all day long at a local school; although I doubt anyone really wants to do this. The level of control, heat retention, usability, are superior on the Yang-Chia machines and I assume on other expensive pro models compared to the Huky.

One great aspect of the Huky are the three possible thermocouple placements that Mr. Li can supply on a new machine; making it a great learning tool. He's got the ET thermocouple in the drum center and the MET thermocouple just above the drum. Using digital thermometers or Phidget 1048 with the Huky is quite educational.