Ross@home wrote:
>
> Check out Sweet Maria's
> http://www.sweetmarias.com/Roasters-SweetMarias.php

Huh! Somebody who ought to know thinks it's
a coffee roaster. I still don't see how such
a tiny burner could roast coffee. You really
need a lot of heat to get a good roast, otherwise
you're just baking the beans.

On 2011-06-27, Mark Thorson > wrote:
>
> Huh! Somebody who ought to know thinks it's
> a coffee roaster. I still don't see how such
> a tiny burner could roast coffee. You really
> need a lot of heat to get a good roast, otherwise
> you're just baking the beans.

So you, who have NOT been in the coffee roasting business EVER!, is
disputing someone that has been in it fer years. Is that what you
would have us believe?

nb

"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message ...
| Ross@home wrote:
| >
| > Check out Sweet Maria's
| > http://www.sweetmarias.com/Roasters-SweetMarias.php
|
| Huh! Somebody who ought to know thinks it's
| a coffee roaster. I still don't see how such
| a tiny burner could roast coffee. You really
| need a lot of heat to get a good roast, otherwise
| you're just baking the beans.

It only looks tiny. The ball is 6" across, which is pretty
sizeable, would hold a fair amount of coffee beans or,
more likely, chestnuts. As Sheldon might say, at least
a DD cup. Yeah, I'm sorry I mentioned it.

pavane

"Mark Thorson" > wrote in message ...
| Ross@home wrote:
| >
| > Check out Sweet Maria's
| > http://www.sweetmarias.com/Roasters-SweetMarias.php
|
| Huh! Somebody who ought to know thinks it's
| a coffee roaster. I still don't see how such
| a tiny burner could roast coffee. You really
| need a lot of heat to get a good roast, otherwise
| you're just baking the beans.

It only looks tiny. The ball is 6" across, which is pretty
sizeable, would hold a fair amount of coffee beans or,
more likely, chestnuts. As Sheldon might say, at least
a DD cup. Yeah, I'm sorry I mentioned it.

pavane

On Tue, 28 Jun 2011 12:21:20 -0800, Mark Thorson >
wrote:

>notbob wrote:
>>
>> On 2011-06-27, Mark Thorson > wrote:
>> >
>> > Huh! Somebody who ought to know thinks it's
>> > a coffee roaster. I still don't see how such
>> > a tiny burner could roast coffee. You really
>> > need a lot of heat to get a good roast, otherwise
>> > you're just baking the beans.
>>
>> So you, who have NOT been in the coffee roasting business EVER!, is
>> disputing someone that has been in it fer years. Is that what you
>> would have us believe?
>
>I've roasted hundreds of batches of coffee. I know
>how much heat it takes. A little alcohol burner
>isn't going to do it. The web pages on sweetmarias.com
>only shows the side of the fuel tank and the air inlets,
>not the burner head, and the caption says that the roaster
>is not his. If he never saw the roaster except for the
>picture, he might not know how small the burner is.


It was that small alcohol burner that led me to the perhaps mistaken
conclusion that it was not a coffee roaster.

Nevertheless, judging from this web page, too, it seems to be one.

http://www.sreweb.com/antique_roaste...s/DSC00261.htm


The one show on the Sweet Marias site looks as if it were a chopped
off part of a samovar.

Boron

On 2011-06-28, Mark Thorson > wrote:

> I've roasted hundreds of batches of coffee. I know
> how much heat it takes. A little alcohol burner
> isn't going to do it.

What you don't know is how thick that copper sphere is, what type of
burner/mantle design is used, what type of alcohol is used, or how
long it takes to come up to usable heat. Apparently, you also appear
unaware of what temperatures a simple alcohol lamp can acheive. Also,
size means nothing. Ancient Arabs roasted just a couple ounces of
beans in a small metal ladle. You also don't know if the actual owner
of the roaster on SM's website has ever actually used it and you don't
know the size of the burner. In short, what you don't know is HUGE
compared to what you really do know, which is nothing at all.

nb

notbob wrote:
>
> On 2011-06-27, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> >
> > Huh! Somebody who ought to know thinks it's
> > a coffee roaster. I still don't see how such
> > a tiny burner could roast coffee. You really
> > need a lot of heat to get a good roast, otherwise
> > you're just baking the beans.
>
> So you, who have NOT been in the coffee roasting business EVER!, is
> disputing someone that has been in it fer years. Is that what you
> would have us believe?

I've roasted hundreds of batches of coffee. I know
how much heat it takes. A little alcohol burner
isn't going to do it. The web pages on sweetmarias.com
only shows the side of the fuel tank and the air inlets,
not the burner head, and the caption says that the roaster
is not his. If he never saw the roaster except for the
picture, he might not know how small the burner is.

On 2011-06-28, Boron Elgar > wrote:
>
> It was that small alcohol burner that led me to the perhaps mistaken
> conclusion that it was not a coffee roaster.
>
> Nevertheless, judging from this web page, too, it seems to be one.
>
> http://www.sreweb.com/antique_roaste...s/DSC00261.htm

Yes, but Mark knows everything and his knowledge in infallible. Jes
ask him and he'll tell you.

"In the 19th century, spirit lamps, Pigeon lamps and others used a
variety of blends of alcohol and oils in Europe. Alcohol powered not
only automobiles and farm machinery but also a wide variety of lamps,
stoves, heaters, laundry irons, hair curlers, coffee roasters and
every conceivable household appliance."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_alcohol_fuel


nb

pavane wrote:
>
> It only looks tiny. The ball is 6" across, which is pretty
> sizeable, would hold a fair amount of coffee beans or,
> more likely, chestnuts. As Sheldon might say, at least
> a DD cup. Yeah, I'm sorry I mentioned it.

6 inches is small. It would be large is you could
pack it full, but for roasting purposes you can't.
At most, maybe 1/3 full. That's only enough coffee
for one or two pots.

On 28 Jun 2011 20:10:16 GMT, notbob > wrote:

>What you don't know is how thick that copper sphere is, what type of
>burner/mantle design is used, what type of alcohol is used, or how
>long it takes to come up to usable heat. Apparently, you also appear
>unaware of what temperatures a simple alcohol lamp can acheive. Also,
>size means nothing. Ancient Arabs roasted just a couple ounces of
>beans in a small metal ladle. You also don't know if the actual owner
>of the roaster on SM's website has ever actually used it and you don't
>know the size of the burner. In short, what you don't know is HUGE
>compared to what you really do know, which is nothing at all.
>
>nb

DAMN! ^^^^^^ What he said! ^^^^^^^

notbob wrote:
>
> On 2011-06-28, Mark Thorson > wrote:
>
> > I've roasted hundreds of batches of coffee. I know
> > how much heat it takes. A little alcohol burner
> > isn't going to do it.
>
> What you don't know is how thick that copper sphere is, what type of
> burner/mantle design is used, what type of alcohol is used, or how
> long it takes to come up to usable heat. Apparently, you also appear
> unaware of what temperatures a simple alcohol lamp can acheive. Also,
> size means nothing. Ancient Arabs roasted just a couple ounces of
> beans in a small metal ladle. You also don't know if the actual owner
> of the roaster on SM's website has ever actually used it and you don't
> know the size of the burner. In short, what you don't know is HUGE
> compared to what you really do know, which is nothing at all.

And how many batches of coffee have you roasted?

On 2011-06-29, Mark Thorson > wrote:

> And how many batches of coffee have you roasted?

A couple hundred. Sold off my collection of West Bend Poppery's (1
NIB!) and espresso equip during hard times. Used to use my buddy's
Hottop till it immolated. I hope to get back into it with this setup:

http://www.angelfire.com/pro2/panroa...tcoffee2.html/

Works better than the tried-and-true hot air gun/SS dog dish method,
IMO:

http://www.homeroaster.com/heatgun.html

Right now, jes cost effective to buy freshly roasted beans at our
local roaster/cafe. Problem is, he doesn't do Ethiopian and Kenyan,
my two faves. :|

nb

On 29 Jun 2011 05:51:26 GMT, notbob > wrote:

>Right now, jes cost effective to buy freshly roasted beans at our
>local roaster/cafe. Problem is, he doesn't do Ethiopian and Kenyan,
>my two faves. :|
>
>nb

NotBob, I'm one of those people who readily admit to knowing almost
nothing about coffee. I drink regular canned coffee made in a drip
machine. Two cups a day is what the Doc says I'm ok to have without
countering the meds he has me on. I would love to try some really
interesting coffees, but frankly, I haven't a clue how to go about it.
A person like you, who knows a wealth of knowledge about the subject
could teach me so much. I'm going to start a new thread here called
"The Art Of Coffee". Would you join in with your experiences, likes,
dislikes and methods? I'd love to read them and when I've read enough
to gain enough knowledge to try some of the exotic coffees you and
others know so well, I look forward to trying them! Thanks for any
help you might offer!

On 2011-06-29, James Post > wrote:

> others know so well, I look forward to trying them! Thanks for any
> help you might offer!

My best advice is, get a cheapo whirly-blade coffee grinder:

http://www.amazon.com/Krups-203-42-T.../dp/B00004SPEU

You can find 'em in yer sprmkt fer under $20, garage sales fer $2.

Get a cheapo Melitta single cup brewing cone and some filters. Also
at most sprmkts fer under $5.

http://www.amazon.com/Melitta-640007.../dp/B0014CVEH6

Go buy some really good fresh roasted (less than one wk old) WHOLE
coffee beans from a local coffee roaster. Next morning, grind 'em in
yer cheapo grinder, one cup of beans worth (follow instructions) at a
time. Immediately brew in yer cheapo drip coffee brewer. Add
just-off-the-boil hot water (stover or nuke) to drip through coffee
into a pre-warmed cup.

Enjoy the best coffee of yer life!!

If you don't like it, try a different coffee. If you get hooked, come
back fer more info.

There's is absolutely no reason why coffee drinkers in the US should
have to endure the crap coffee they stock on our sprmkt shelves
(barring financial problems). Like beer, good coffee is HERE!

nb

On 29 Jun 2011 20:46:30 GMT, notbob > wrote:

>On 2011-06-29, James Post > wrote:
>
>> others know so well, I look forward to trying them! Thanks for any
>> help you might offer!
>
>My best advice is, get a cheapo whirly-blade coffee grinder:
>
>http://www.amazon.com/Krups-203-42-T.../dp/B00004SPEU
>
>You can find 'em in yer sprmkt fer under $20, garage sales fer $2.
>
>Get a cheapo Melitta single cup brewing cone and some filters. Also
>at most sprmkts fer under $5.
>
>http://www.amazon.com/Melitta-640007.../dp/B0014CVEH6
>
>Go buy some really good fresh roasted (less than one wk old) WHOLE
>coffee beans from a local coffee roaster. Next morning, grind 'em in
>yer cheapo grinder, one cup of beans worth (follow instructions) at a
>time. Immediately brew in yer cheapo drip coffee brewer. Add
>just-off-the-boil hot water (stover or nuke) to drip through coffee
>into a pre-warmed cup.
>
>Enjoy the best coffee of yer life!!
>
>If you don't like it, try a different coffee. If you get hooked, come
>back fer more info.
>
>There's is absolutely no reason why coffee drinkers in the US should
>have to endure the crap coffee they stock on our sprmkt shelves
>(barring financial problems). Like beer, good coffee is HERE!
>
>nb

Thanks again nb. I'll try that first! I'll look around for a grinder.
I have a small one-cup drip machine already.

This is going to be fun.