 Excellent, if it lasts |
| Review Date: June 26, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Steve, |
Pros:
= Easy 1 step, no going outside
= Perfect for light roasts
= Adequate volume (1 cup of beans for light roast, 3/4 cup for dark)
Cons:
= can't leave unattended because of risk of fire
= may not last according to other reviewers
= takes a long time for dark roasts
4 out of 9 reviewers so far say this product will not last and they gave it a 1. About half of the others do not seem to have had it long. I just got it and have tried it once. If it lasts, it will be perfect for me. It's so easy, you can pour beans into the unit and 20 minutes later pour them into a grinder (although you're supposed to let the cooked beans "age" 12 hours).
It's all 1 step because:
1) you don't have to go outside because there is no smoke,
2) you don't have to seperate chaff, and
3) you don't have to cool off the beans
I like light roasts and it takes 15 minutes of heat time instead of 7 minutes (faster units) to do a light roast, which means you can control cook time better. Cool time is 5 minutes. Since the unit stays hot after using, you need to remove the beans right away which are pretty warm to the touch but not hot. The first 2 or 3 minutes it is just heating itself up, so heat time for a light roast (almost a medium by my standards) is about 12 minutes. The chaff looks like it's not coming out, but there was no chaff in the beans when I poured them out. The instructions say you have to clean it after every use, but it seems to me that no holes will be obstructed or unusually dirty even after 5 uses of light roasts. Only the screen needs to be emptied of chaff after each use. For my first use, I poured in the beans, pressed start (default time is 20 which is 15 minutes cook time, 5 minutes cool), and 20 minutes later, poured the beans into a jar for storage. |
Perfect? No, but great
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| Review Date: September 12, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Neil J. Fruit, II, |
I began roasting coffee in a WearEver popcorn popper, but living in a cold climate I did not want to be outside in the middle of winter roasting coffee. I purchased a Nesco Coffee roaster from Burman Coffee Traders about 11 months ago. This roaster produces virtually no smoke while allowing the smell of the roasting beans to pass through so you can use the smell to aid your roasting. I needed the smokeless feature because we have no range hood/exhaust fan. About 1 month ago (when the roaster was just over 10 months old) I left my son in charge of watching the roaster while I stepped away for a few moments. Needless to say, the roaster began to smoke and the auger froze. My son did immediately unplug the roaster. After a thorough cleaning all seemed to be well as the auger still worked, etc., but there was no heat. I called Customer Service at Nesco and was graciously and politely assisted by a CS representative. The CSR gave me a return authorization. Two days later I mailed the box and two days after that Nesco received the roaster. One week later I had what appears to be a brand new roaster sitting on my steps after work.
I think the quality of the roaster is above average, but the customer service was outstanding. I must admit that the week without the roaster was difficult, having become quite accustomed to exceptional coffee roasted at home and freshly ground. This is a great product. It is not a commercial roaster and it should not be expected to perform like one. All-in-all this is a great roaster, but it is available cheaper at other sites that also offer free coffee samples to get you started. |
The ideal indoor roaster - just let it COOL DOWN FULLY between roasts
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| Review Date: March 29, 2010 |
| Reviewer: David Branner, East Coast of the United States |
As you see, I have given this machine the highest possible rating. I'm sorry to say that many of the people who have given it lower ratings have probably been using it incorrectly, as I'll explain below.
The Nesco's ability to fully filter all the smoke produced by the roasting process makes it ideal -- and almost unique on the market in this respect -- for indoor use. I always use mine near an open window, since even without the smoke there are a lot of roasting smells produced, but essentially all the other models I've investigated are impossible to use indoors because of the smoke produced.
Many reviewers on this site complain of parts wearing out quickly, but though they may mean well, they've been doing something wrong that is no fault of Nesco's. After many roasts, I have never had any trouble with parts wearing out for one very good reason: I let the machine COOL DOWN FULLY for 20-25 minutes between roasts. The inside of the machine gets very hot and stays hot for some time after the outside seems cool. If you use the machine when the parts are still hot, they will (not surprisingly) wear out quickly. It takes a good 20 minutes for everything to cool down to normal, after which the machine functions perfectly.
I also never use more than the recommended quantity of beans, which could overload the machine.
If you're impatient roasting only a quarter of a pound of beans and then having to wait 20 minutes before the next roast, you may be happier just buying roasted beans outside somewhere. If you live in an apartment, though, this machine is a godsend. There is no comparison between freshly roasted beans (even counting the 2-7 days needed for their post-roasting chemical processes) and what is usually purveyed on the market.
There is good information about the strengths of this machine (particularly the long period of time between first and second "crack") on the Sweet Maria's website. |
Nesco Coffee Bean Roaster
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| Review Date: May 17, 2010 |
| Reviewer: H. Britt, |
| The Nesco CR-1010 Coffee Bean Roaster works perfectly and is reasonably priced. I have used it 5 times now and it produces consistently good results. It is easy to clean. I brag to everyone that I finally found something made in the USA. |
Nesco Coffee Bean Roaster
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| Review Date: June 1, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Robert E. Roseliep, |
| We have used a Zack & Dani's similar roaster for several years with the only problem being the drive belt failed due to heat fatique. Apparently Zack & Dani bought their proprietary roaster from Nesco. So far we like the Nesco very much, it is basically the same as the Zack & Dani machine with a few improvements; we have only roasted a couple of batches of beans but so far so good. |
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