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Thank you for providing this information and recommendation. I took a brief look and find myself tempted. [I've never roasted before - mostly because of laziness and fear of the mess and smoke from traditional roasters - wife hates messy.] Do you own the original capacity model or the newer '100' model? If the smaller model, would you recommend the 100 model? How simple (or onerous) is the cleaning process? [My wife and I typically use ~one pound of roasted beans/week with our Profitec Pro 500 espresso machine.] Any other thoughts (pro or con) on the Ikawa roaster?Michael
I have the current production Ikawa Home, which roasts 100g. The beans lose about 15% of their weight on roasting, and I grind 20g of roasted beans for a 300ml pourover cup. I drink two cups in the mornings, so I typically roast 4 batches at a time which lasts 8-9 days. I would definitely recommend the 100g Home model (I'm not sure there is currently a 50g Home model). There is a professional model of the Ikawa that is 5x the price of the home model. It does some pretty cool things, like tracking moisture to know chemically when first crack occurs. It might come in a 50g version, but that's for a commercial roaster to test small batches before dialing in a roast on a commercial drum roaster.The Ikawa can roast back-to-back batches without any time between batches, and you can walk away, and it will complete the roast and cool automatically. The Behmor will shut off and ruin your beans if you aren't in the room when it beeps, and the Behmor needs a ~12-minute cool down between batches. It is significantly easier to roast multiple batches with the Ikawa.1. Cleanup: once a month, just the glass top. I use diluted Simple Green which is non-toxic and easily removes the "mist" from bean oils. The polished aluminum interior turns color over time, but Ikawa does not recommend cleaning it. It's more like the seasoning in a cast iron skillet.Cleanup on the Ikawa is trivial, especially compared to the Behmor. My first Behmor lasted a few years, and then the motor died. My second Behmor was extremely inconsistent. The Ikawa solves a lot of the irritations of the Behmor.2. Chaff management: The Ikawa collects the chaff in a small cup and you dump that in the trash. You can handle the insulated chaff cup with your bare hands immediately after the roast. The Behmor has a metal tray that you typically let cool before emptying (or use oven mitts). It's not horrible, but the Behmor always ended up wafting some chaff around the counter and onto the floor. It's just a lot messier in comparison to the Ikawa.3. Cool down: The Ikawa cools the beans quickly, and you can stop the roast at any point and start the strong, forced air cooldown. The Behmor has a lot more mass to cool, so if you want to stop the roast and cool within 90 seconds, you have to use oven mitts to remove the container and dump the beans. To avoid baking the beans I setup a cooling fan drawing air down over a meshed sieve. For dark roasts it doesn't matter much, but for light to medium roasts you want to cool quickly at the end to avoid losing flavor.You can download all of the roast recipes for Ikawa beans and the app comes with adjustable standard roast curves for espresso and pour-over from light to dark. I usually try a few different roast options with a new bag of beans to see what I like in the city+ to full city range.For my needs, the Ikawa has been a good compromise between convenience, control, and consistency. With the price of good roasted beans, it pays for itself in about 3 years, and the enjoyment after a getting acquainted period has been high.
Once in a while I order from Japan "UCC" Blue Mountain coffee. I grind 12 to 13 grams and pour 147 to 150 grams of hot water over the grounds.I believe the picked beans are shipped to Japan where they do the roasting.Yummy
"why not purchase Blue Mountain Coffee from the country its actually grown in."I have yet to experience the Jamacia roast and order from their web stores, but I have not gotten around to yet. I needed to refresh my memories of the UCC brand from when I was in Japan. I tried several of their other different whole beans that they sell and ship including their Kona from their big island farm. Thanks for the JACRA information it is good to learn about that.
When the green coffee suppliers have Kona or Blue Mountain in stock, it's the real stuff. They usually buy from the source, and not some stuff that that's gone through 3 hands to get to the roaster. That said, it's like stereo. You want the "n"th percent improvement, get ready to pay the price... and if you can build (or roast) it yourself, you can do it as well or better at a more reasonable cost. I think the last time I roasted Blue Mountain it was 4-5 years ago at about half the usual cost ($18 per lb. or thereabouts). The last I saw it available it was around $30.
So you think the coffee plantations are growing a different clone? I've not come across that before.
Agreed. I've been perfectly happy roasting Ethiopian, Columbian, Brazilian and Peruvian among many others. Never found the Blue Mountain or Kona varieties to justify the extra cost. That said....each to his or her own.
I had Blue Mountain coffee in Jamaica nearly 50 years ago, and I've roasted it at home several time. Other than the first experience, I've found it good, but not worth the premium compared to other good quality coffees. I've roasted many of the Kona coffees as well, but usually go back to a good Costa Rican, Ethiopean, or Indian coffee. Even some of he Mexican coffees are quite good.... it's all personal taste.
What are the Brazilian coffees are you buying?
