IRoast2 40011 5-2/7-Ounce Coffee-Bean Roaster, Black
by IBC - Hearthware, INC
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: IBC - Hearthware, INCBrand: Iroast
Model: 40011
Color: Black
Product features:
- Versatile appliance roasts coffee beans for any brewing system
- Roasts up to 5-2/7 ounces of green beans; built-in 4-minute cooling cycle
- Automatic or programmable roasting profiles; adjustable time and temperature
- Save up to 10 profiles; LCD display; wind-tunnel and thermoflector technology
- Measures approximately 7 by 7 by 12-1/4 inches
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of IRoast2 40011 5-2/7-Ounce Coffee-Bean Roaster, Black
Customer Review: A Love/Hate Relationship
Summary: 3 Stars
I have had my I-Roast for almost a year now. After reading so many rave reviews about this product, I have to wonder if I got a defective one. I've used it at least a hundred times; up to 5 times a week whenever I have green beans. Before I had the I-Roast, I roasted beans by stirring them in a big cast-iron skillet. That process took at least 20 minutes, 30 if I wanted coffee that was roasted evenly. I could roast over 1/2 pound at a time in the skillet. The I-Roast takes just a bit longer than 8 minutes, start to finish, to roast my beans to medium-dark. I have to rotate the thing manually the whole time, to ensure even roasting, but it's better than stirring for half an hour! The amount of coffee beans it roasts is (irritatingly) about 1.5 days worth, so I have to roast two days in a row, then I get a day off. Obviously, since I do still use the thing, I like it better than the skillet.
First of all, I must make a quick note about the instruction booklet. Really, all they would have had to write is "Quick Start Guide - press a "preset" button, then press the "roast" button." The instructions don't actually state those steps. Instead, they explain all the parts and features of the machine, then leave you to figure out how to start it. It took me so long to fool with the buttons, and refer back to the booklet the first few times I roasted, that SOMETHING went wrong and the machine didn't actually start the roasting until the countdown timer had hit about 3:00. I still have that non-starter problem if I leave the roaster plugged in, too. The heat element stays on all the time (also bad for that electricity bill), so we make sure to unplug it when we're done. If the thing is plugged in for more than about 10 seconds before I push the "roast" button, it doesn't start roasting until a random number of minutes have ticked off the countdown. It just sits, counting down silently, while I tear my hair out, hoping my beans have enough time to get roasted when it finally does decide to start. At the beginning, I ended up finishing a few batches in the skillet. Unplugging the machine for any reason during the cycle doesn't seem to help either - it just confuses the I-Roast even more.
We noticed right from the start that during the (hotter) second and third cycles, the beans don't move very much. This problem produces charred black beans at the bottom of the pot, yellow beans at the top, and a kitchen full of smoke. The troubleshooting guide in the instruction booklet said that if the beans don't circulate enough, you should use fewer beans. I have tried to roast JUST the amount for one day's worth of coffee (since I'm "not allowed" to run it more than 7 times a week, that'd be the smallest amount I could get away with) with the same result. I found out that if I constantly tilted the roaster to different angles, to shift the beans, I could get a nice even roast in just a few minutes. The "Preset 1" setting wants the beans to roast for 13 minutes (including "cool" cycle). I choose "Preset 1," gently tilt the machine in a circular motion through the entire cycle (the first and cool cycles don't really move the beans much either), and I've never had it down below 4:00 before pressing "Cool" and waiting the 4 minutes more.
Some internal part of my I-Roast burned out just the other day. At the time, the roaster shut off, and I smelled that nasty buring-electronics smell. Luckily, it seems that the part that fried wasn't that important - the roaster still works. As a bonus, because of damage to the sensors, I can now take the pot off during the cool cycle without the roaster freaking out and playing its old tricks. Now I don't have to be so precise about how dark the beans are when I press cool... I can just take the pot off when they're perfect. Hooray for malfunctions! I do like to use the cool cycle as long as I need to, though... it finishes the beans more uniformly.
I do have a few more things I wanted to comment about. Most importantly - don't lift the pot by the handle while it's attached to the heater base. It's too much weight for the handle to bear. Our handle broke within 3 months (mind you, I was holding it by the handle to rotate the machine while it roasted), and the whole pot fell apart when the handle broke. We tried to epoxy it where the plastic broke (under the handle, at the point of the screw), but the sensors were too smart for that. We had to order a new pot - and they aren't cheap! Now I just hold the machine by the heater base - it doesn't get hot - and that seems to work fine (I make sure to keep my hands away from the air intake on the back). The outer plastic on the heater base feels a little flimsily attached, but so far, so good. Also, there are small holes around the edges of the screen-part of the lid. They get filled with glop, and cleaning them out really helps with air circulation. I think that the lid is poorly designed, in general, although I do like the chaff collecter... it seems like magic! The lid doesn't let enough air OUT, which is the reason the beans don't circulate. As a test, I took the chaff collector out and also I didn't cinch down the lid assembly... it was extremely messy, and it took a bit longer, but the beans were flying around all over the place, and it roasted the coffee without my having to rotate the machine! Finally, the cooling cycle doesn't really cool the beans. In fact, the heat element doesn't turn off and they still go on cooking. You need to press "cool" a few shades lighter than your preferred bean-darkness. It DOES say that in the instruction booklet. I just wanted to stress the point. It's very easy to wind up with black beans.
I can see why drum roasters are so much better, but I HAVE been spoiled by this machine. I wouldn't want to roast in a skillet again. It took me a lot of fooling around to get it right, but now I do like my little troublemaker, while it lasts.
Description of IRoast2 40011 5-2/7-Ounce Coffee-Bean Roaster, Black
The I-Roast2 allows you to personalize your own roast curvees. Program your own time and tempurature for each of the 5 roast stages. You can achieve professional results in just 15 minutes with built-in 4 minute cooling cycle. Whether you prefer Cinnamon, French, or anything in between, the choice is yours. You can roast up to 150g/5.3 oz of green beans enough to brew 24 cups of coffee. Enjoy purest, freshest, and most aromatic coffee for less than 10 cents per cup. Easy to read LCD display shows time, temperature, and roast stage for accurately monitoring the roast process. You can now save and recall 10 roast curves from memory. The I-Roast2 allows for the freshest taste and aroma. It's also healthy, versatile, economical, and fun. With the I-Roast2, you can control when, where, and how much fresh roasted coffee you want every time!Kitchen & Housewares
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