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: Disappointed
Summary: 2 Stars
I was really looking forward to this roaster. I bought it after doing quite a bit of research in roasters too so my disappointment is exacerbated.
Right off the bat I noticed that I could not use either of the pre-programmed roast settings, unless I wanted a basket full of blackened charcoal. Both pre-programmed settings burned the beans to a crisp if not monitored.
So I learned how to program it, which wasn't really intuitive at all, that or stand next to it and monitor the roast and manually stop it when the beans look right.
I say 'look' because that's all you can do - the roaster is so loud that it masks both the 1st and the 2nd crack, so you can't tell at all by listening where the beans are in their roast cycle. This caused more than one batch of both under-roasted and over-roasted beans.
After about a week of this I called IRoast customer service. After all, I SHOULD be able to use the pre-programmed settings right? Well the solution was for me to pay to ship it to them and let them take six weeks to repair and return it. I thought since it was less than a week old and seemingly defective they would simply replace it, but they didn't see it that way.
So instead I just worked with it. After much trial and error I finally got a set of pre-programmed roast settings that seemed to be doing the trick.
Lasted a little over a year. Now the IRoast routinely shuts down about half way through a roast cycle, leaving me with a basket of un-roasted beans. I have to wait 5 - 10 minutes before I can start up again.
As this totally spoils the roast profile I had to abandon the roaster. I made another one out of a couple of easily found used appliances from a local thrift store and it's worked both longer and better than the IRoast..
For the money I would have expected a roaster that worked better with better customer service that lasted longer. That's three strikes. I gave it two stars instead of one because when I finally DID get it programmed correctly, it did a good job of roasting.
Customer Review: Doesn't Last!
Summary: 1 Stars
I should have read the other reviews before buying. When I first got the unit, I was happy. I got pretty good results. After a year, just like many other reviewers note, the machine began to stop about half way through the cycle. Since this seems to happen regularly to people, it is clearly a design flaw, and the company should take responsibility. A few months ago, I would have rated this 4-stars (5 if it weren't for the noise level which makes it hard to hear the cracks). Don't buy unless they fix the problem unless you will be content to roast for only a year.Customer Review: Don't buy it!
Summary: 2 Stars
Save your money and don't get an IRoast, also known as an IRoar. It is so loud that it is impossible to hear first crack.It is so loud that you can't hear anything. If you tell me you hear second crack you aren't telling the truth. You can't use color as a guide, as oils may come out after sitting a day. The only way to use this is recording in a journal and using trial and error. I put mine on eBay and got a Behmor 1600 and am happy.Customer Review: Durability Problems
Summary: 3 Stars
I bought a Hearthware iRoast Home Coffee Roaster from Sweet Maria's two years ago. I've been pleased by its performance but not by its durability. After the one year warranty expired, I had to replace the thermoflector because the metal cone separated itself from the cylindrical post (poor design). Several months later I had to replace the entire roasting pot when the glass cracked (Hearthware Home Products will not replace the glass chamber separately). Neither problem was my fault. I followed the instructions. I didn't drop anything. I didn't put the hot pot in cold water. The thermoflector failed and the roasting pot cracked in normal roasting conditions. Hearthware refused to make any exceptions to its warranty policy. Charges for replacement parts and shipping have therefore significantly increased the initial purchase price of the iRoast machine. It's not a bargain after all.Customer Review: Excellent Roaster
Summary: 5 Stars
The IRoast2 provides the ability for the user to roast coffee beans to the desired roast, from city to full city, French and Italian roast. The chaf collector works extremely well, eliminating the loose chaf I experienced with other roasters.