Is $6,200 too much for a home roaster (pics)?

[Scott M]

I'm looking at buying a new home/small roastery business roaster and find I am very interested in the new Diedrich IR-1.



My thoughts are that since I roast up to four pounds/day for myself and friends, I need the semi-commercial machine for reliable roast profiles and consistancy in the finish.

Thoughts, Comments, Alternatives?

Scott M

[just plain Maria]

My answer I think would be double sided: one one hand, "this is ridiculous, you don't need to spend that much at all" and "maybe it makes sense, if you have the money to invest". It sounds like you plan to do some semi-commercial roasting with this - so if you are so inclined, you might figure out how much you plan to roast for sale, what your profit might be etc. And I would check out what these roasters sell for used; it could be that it will hold its value well. We had a shop roaster we bought used, roasted on it, and then sold for a bit more than we paid. Don't forget too that roasting that much, you'll need to invest in proper installation (i.e. double wall venting) and you might have neighbor/fire code issues with generating that much smoke. So the ultimate cost could be a lot higher than you think. Best- Maria

[LuebberingBen]

What do you get for $6200? Just basic controls? Chaff collector?

I too am considering this roaster for ~10 pounds/week for friends and family.

Ben

[terrenova]

Sounds like I'm in the same boat as Scott - considering purchasing a 1lb sampler. I'm considering the San Franciscan and have heard great things about it; even on this site it seems well regarded. The only question I have is on the SM page that shows all the roasters used, it shows the SF for $4,000. I'm guessing this was a few years ago because I've been told it's now running at $6,000...almost the same as the Diedrich! Can anyone from SM comment on this??

Also, any insights on a comparison between these two?

T.

[Scott M]

Ben - $6200 is the base proce, options are additional. I have requested more information from Diedrich as this roaster and its options/capabilities isn't on their web page yet, except that they are taking advanced orders.

[Alan]

I agree that if you want to use it for a side business, you should make a rough business plan to see if the cost is worthwhile. Figure out how much coffee you would sell over some period of time and then see how long it would take to make your money back.

But if you can afford it and you really just want to take your coffee obsession to the next level, I say go for it!

-Alan

PS -- I'm jealous

[fretboardcafe]

I agree with the other posters... If you can justify the the cost and even suppent the cost with some bean sales... Go for it.

Plus, she's really pretty. I'm suprised no one mentioned that

Dave

[miKe mcKoffee]

Those seriously considering a commercial grade "home" roaster suggest including the US Roaster Corp one pounder in your researching. A few SM'ers (including Les) have it and love it.

I do not have the .5k, but do have a fondness for the USRC 3k.

[kaboodle]

Hey Mike,

You mentioned the US Roaster 3K...what does one of those cost? I have no business plan, no intention to "roast for revenue", but have to admit that I too "have a fondness" of having a roaster like that for home use.

Rick

[miKe mcKoffee]

Hey Mike,

You mentioned the US Roaster 3K...what does one of those cost? I have no business plan, no intention to "roast for revenue", but have to admit that I too "have a fondness" of having a roaster like that for home use.

Rick

My 3k ran $11,650 (plus ~$450 freight IIRC) back fall '07, before anticipated early '08 price increase. This included IIRC ~$4,500 customizations above base model price with PLC profile controller, end of batch auto-dump, over sized fan to enable simultaneous roasting/cooling and ethernet interface.

I must also mention the USRC roasters are under-rated batch capacity wise, 3k=6.6#. I routinely do 8# production batches no problem. Not some 20+ minute roast time either, even though pushing it's capacity 21% over rating can do still do ~15min City. My darkest roast is my Vienna Gloriette Blend, ~40sec into 2nd, with profile built targeting 16:30 EOR. Just finished a couple 8 pounders of it. First batch finished/auto-dumped 16:37. Oh bummer, missed EOR target by 7 seconds while off working on chain hanging platform for speakers. THAT is why I spent the extra bucks for the profile control system. Once profile dialed in I can multi-task bagging previous batches or whatever while roasting.

FWIW I'd take a USRC over Diedrich any day. While the Diedrich IR's are supposed to be very energy efficient they don't have the batch capacity of comparable batch sized USRC. So what if I can ONLY get about 40 batches from a 5gal/20# propane tank. That comes out to ~$0.30 per batch/$0.04 per LB greens:o Ok realistically with pre-heat and doing some smaller sized batches lets call it a nickel a pound. Yeah, over a year and a half with the USRC 3k and a few tons roasted and still way pleased with it's performance, including including in the cup of course.

I would not recomend the USRC 3k as a "home" roaster. I have done as small as 1# batches and could do smaller I suppose but use the CCR HotTop for itty-bitty batches. Realistically the USRC 3k can roast ~200LB in an 8 hour non-stop roast day though the most I've done in one session was 160LB. (but not 8 hours roasting either)

Gotta stop playing around typing, still have work to do before going home!