one of these is heading my direction as i type ... if any of you have dug into home coffee roasting, you know that most machines are very pricey ... altho i'm very happy/pleased w/the results i'm getting out of my FrankenRoaster (modified bread machine w/a heat gun from Lowe's), i like this concept A LOT b/c it requires no electricity (can you say fresh roasted coffee on a campout?) ... max batch size is 6 oz's, so i'll have to do a couple of roasts to equal what i'm doing now, but i'm very anxious to give this a shot ... will post up some results later on this week ... BTW, i got the basic, entry-level model for $70

most budget roasters use popcorn poppers - and i have one & have used it - but it's tough to control the heat on it, and most times i find i over-roast ... nothing feels "under control" w/a popper to me

I watched the video. It definitely sounds interesting. I may give it a try for $70.

heck ya - FINALLY - an affordable home roasting option ... i already know how i’m gonna mod it (w/a thermocouple to monitor bean temp) - but ya, i’m getting pretty excited about it ... the guy that developed it has been a professional roaster for a long time; he used a KickStarter campaign to launch the concept

Do you order your beans online?

not yet - got a local roaster i buy my greens from ... Sweet Maria’s or Green Bean Corral will prob get some business from me this year - i want to try some different stuff this year

https://imgur.com/a/N0Z0x77

HIVE Roaster in the house & first roast in the books - glad i added the thermocouple into the bean mass so i could see what to do different next time - but all in all, a successful first trial run & these Honduras beans turned out just as i had hoped ... my house smells like a coffee house now 😂🤷🏻‍♂️☕️😃

first roast turned out great, but a lil on the medium side - ground it up & gave it to my GF for her to brew in her Mr Coffee (which tasted great, actually) ... got the 2nd roast in the books this past wkend - an Ethiopian bean - took it a little further than the Honduras before dumping the roast & chilling it ... it's been resting since Saturday so my plan is to grind & brew tomorrow or Thursday - usually day 3/4 is when the bean's have recovered from the roast, settled down, and taste good (to me) ... i'm digging this roaster - a lot actually ... it's very efficient - more so than my bread machine/heat gun setup ... it's not that much work, either, & i'm growing to like this "active' roasting deal quite a bit, along w/being able to do it inside the house any time i want to ... $70 very well spent IMO ... i like the portable butane stove method, as well - gives off way more heat, quicker, and didn't burn my fingers up at all

the timer is - lap 1 temp hit 140C (drying phase), lap 2 temp hit 180C (browning phase), lap 3 hit 220C (roasting phase)