My Take on the iRoast 2
I like my iRoast 2. I like it a lot. It isn't my preferred roasting method these days, but it was the machine I chose when I decided to try roasting coffee at home for the first time. I remember how hard it was for me to figure out if this was really the machine for me, and then how difficult it was to figure out how to get the best roasts possible out of it, given my limited interest in the time honoured homeroaster tradition of modding.
Here are some things I think folks should think about when they consider purchasing an IR2.
The IR2 really is a small roaster. The IR2 can handle an upper limit of about 150 grams (~5.29 ounces) of green coffee beans. Really. And with some beans, for example decafs and peaberries, you will no doubt find that the maximum weight for achieving acceptable results is considerably less. If you're like me, you may calculate how much coffee you go through in your household now, and make the decision to buy the IR2 based on that amount.
This might be a mistake. Most people soon find that they drink more coffee once they begin roasting and/or they start roasting for friends, family, and co-workers.
The IR2 was designed for (relatively) light usage. If you buy your machine thinking you will roast a couple of times a week, it can be a true inconvenience when you later find that you need to roast more often than that. It can also take you beyond the usage the manufacturer envisioned when designing the machine.
Chances are you won't have an opportunity to read the owner's manual until after you buy your roaster. When you do, you will find that the manufacturer's recommendation is that you wait two hours between roasts. Note the warning:
And in case you're wondering, those are not 8 ounce cups of coffee, much less the big mugs many of us are used to enjoying. Remember, roasted beans weigh considerably less than green beans. 150 grams of greens produce enough roasted coffee for about 85-100 ounces (give or take), unless you are fond of dishwater. And remember, with some beans, you will roast less than 150 grams at a time.
It's like night and day. It makes sense that most people who begin roasting at home have left the world of pre-ground far behind. With a modicum of practice and attention, you will find that there is a huge difference between what you can get out of your iRoast and the whole roasted beans one finds in grocery store bins, or at a great many coffee shops. It really is like night and day. This does not mean though that you will be able to do as well as the experienced professional roaster using terrific equipment.
I live in a middling size city in Central Alberta. I'll choose my home roasts every time over the output of the one place in town that roasts its own beans. If I were willing to drive an hour and a half to the big city north of here regularly enough so that I could always have fresh beans on-hand, I might not roast at all. My iRoast and I just can't compete with a truly great roaster who has years of experience, a commitment to quality, terrific greens (which we homeroasters can get, too), and more knowledge than I will ever have.
The difference might not be like night and day, but it's definitely noticeable.
In fact, as good as the iRoast2 is, and I believe it is very good, indeed, most folks who have moved on to the next class of home roasting appliances will tell you that they feel that the additional financial outlay has resulted in better coffee. In fact, it is not at all unusual for people who roast in various homemade roasters to look down on us IR2 fans.
After all, it is what it is. When it comes right down to it, the IR2 is a small appliance designed to make coffee roasting into a convenient indoor activity. Although the advertising expounds about the degree of control one can get over the roast by developing custom profiles, in truth, that ability is somewhat limited. Ideally, the home roaster would be able to tightly control the ramp up to first crack, the length of first, and the interval between first and second, customizing profiles for different types of beans.
That doesn't seem doable, well, not to the degree one would perhaps like.
For one thing, each machine has its own little quirks. I have owned two of them, and roasted with a third. Each one was different. Out of the box, and set on preset two, some machines will produce beans that are dark and oily seven or eight minutes into the roast, while other machines will produce beans that are just reaching first crack. More than that, the machine's behaviour changes over time and your IR2 new out of the box and the same machine a year later may well perform differently.
The machines on-board chip set has its limits. For example, the first three minutes of the roast are apparently set by the factory to 350 or 360F (both have been reported to be true). This doesn't mean that it is useless to set something different, as what happens after that time period is, in part, dependent on the setting you specify, but it is a limitation. There are other built in limitations/parameters having to do both with temperatures and fan settings.
Keep in mind that the temperature readings one gets from the IR2 are for the hot air as it enters the roasting chamber, and not of the beans, or the bean mass. It's also, by the way, very noisy. It can be difficult to hear the cracks, though with practice, you'll get better at it.
There are workarounds. You can add a thermocouple, or even control the voltage with a variac. If that seems too complex, relax; with practice, and a good machine, you can still roast mighty fine coffee with a far more casual mindset.
My current IR2 is a champ. I often hear from folks whose roasters produce
charcoal in 6-8 minutes. There seems to be a belief that we are supposed to
drive ourselves nuts trying to work around machines that are clearly just plain
lousy.
If everyone who discovered that they have one of those "hot" machines returned them in exchange for one that delivers a reasonably timed roast, Hearthware would most likely work more diligently on quality control. From what I understand, Hearthware's customer service is excellent, and they are happy to replace the "6 minute to charcoal" wonders.
It may be perfect for you. I've highlighted the iRoast's limitations, but that being said, you very well might find that it is a great machine for your particular needs. When it is -30 C here, the last thing I want to do is go out to my unheated garage and spend 15 minutes or so roasting coffee with my bread machine/heat gun setup. If your life is busy, and you want great coffee, but really don't have any interest in letting roasting become a major preoccupation, this machine, once you get to know it, could very well fit the bill.
Heck, if a couple of IR2 roasts a week will meet all of your coffee needs, you might just love this machine. It's a great introduction to homeroasting, and for many people, it is not just the beginning, but the end point of the journey.
Note: Also see this blog post.
