Hive Coffee Roaster: Review & Sample Roast

[@hgward]

I had been pan-roasting for years with really good roast results. Then I got a Hive. Really good roasting became great roasting. I haven't tried a light roast as I prefer medium & dark roast so I can't attest to how well the Hive might handle that type of roast. Beans with a reputation as a difficult roast (Indian Monson, decaf, others) are a walk in the park. I have a data dome thinking I would use it and the Artisan app and create some profiles. I don't use it. A timer, uncongested noise, decent hearing, and a good glance every now & again are all you need.

[@photina78]

For cooling, many inexpensive blow dryers used for hair have a "cool shot" setting that blows cold air to set your curls. That would be an easy way to blow cold air on the beans. I've also heard that you can put a cookie sheet in your freezer, then pull it out and dump your hot beans on it. I've been researching all different ways of home roasting, including other Hive videos, and your review convinced me to get the Hive. Thanks! I have an electric stovetop, and that might work. I could also buy a portable gas stove, but I'm not sure how much money I'd have to spend on the fuel for a 12 minute roast.

[@thebolderbrew]

Cool, hope it works out and yields some great roasts! Definitely hard work for a small batch but it's a lot of fun. Good call on the hair dryer... Will try!

[@photina78]

@@thebolderbrew I found out the cannisters of butane for the small camping stoves only cost $3.00 and you can get approximately 10 roasting sessions out of one can.

[@mshah556]

"Hey ,I watched this helpful video three times before attempting to roast Vietnamese green beans. Here's my process: 1. Charging temp was 390°F, but it dropped to 210°F after adding the beans. 2. First crack occurred at 8 minutes 30 seconds with a temperature of 340°F. 3. I dropped the beans at 10 minutes 30 seconds. 4. Weight loss was 10.5%. However, I prefer a medium-dark or dark roast, so I'm unsure how to achieve that. I've heard that weight loss should be higher than 15%. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks again.

[@ArrogantBaSStard]

Thank you for this video. I normally buy store bought beans. Do you find that the home roasted beans deliver a much better flavor? On a scale of 1-5, how much flavor difference would you say this gives? I am trying to determine the value of putting in the labor every few days. Thank you!

[@jestonhopper5137]

@ArrogantBaSStard I use the hive and I can say without a doubt 5/5 I will never buy store bought beans again! People have offered to buy from me and I am by no means a pro.

[@ArrogantBaSStard]

@@jestonhopper5137 thank you!

[@thebolderbrew]

Thanks for watching. That's a good question, and it deserves a whole video. But for now... From 1 (identical) to 5 (game-changing difference), the difference vs. store-bought is 4-5 once you know what you're doing. Way fresher, not-so-dark roast level, and better bean quality on average. However, coffee from a good, specialty roaster is also a 4-5 difference. It costs 2-3x as much as the supermarket: maybe an *additional* $5-$10/bag. But it's consistently good and takes zero work. In other words, you can pay for that difference with time *or* with money. Which to choose? Depends on how much you enjoy the process...which is not just the weekly labor, but also the learning curve and ongoing experimentation. In your shoes, I would: - Try a few coffees from great specialty roasters (or a sampler subscription like angelscup.com/ ) to see how much I really care about the difference. (That assumes I have good brewing equipment and technique, which is another topic.) - If I don't care about the difference, then get whatever's freshest at the supermarket. - If I really care about the difference, then try out home roasting. I'd get either a Hive (more effort but more control) or an air popper (less effort but less control; also dirt cheap), plus a green coffee sampler from sweetmarias.com/. It won't immediately taste as good as from a specialty roaster, but that's a reasonable goal. - If home roasting didn't float my boat, then I'd only lose ~$100 on that experiment, and would just buy from a specialty roaster instead. If I like it, then I've got a potentially cost-effective new hobby. Hope that helps!

[@thebolderbrew]

Nice, and good to know the Hive is working for you! It's fun to give samples to people who have never tried *good* coffee before. Pretty eye-opening!