Owner`s manual

12
For your first batch select a variety that is easy to roast. Most any of the varieties from Central or South
America will do fine. Guatemalan, Colombian, Brazilian, Bolivian, or Costa Rican are all good choices.
These coffees have very loud cracks that are easy to recognize, and they are relatively inexpensive, so if
anything goes wrong, you don’t have to feel too bad about discarding the beans.
CAUTION: Before beginning your first roast, please read and understand the
section of this manual dealing specifically with your roaster:
Page 14 for the KN-8828B-2K - Page 22 for the KN-8828P-2K
Basic Operation of the Hottop Coffee Roasters
The Hottop‘s default programmed roasting process consists of three distinct stages which are con-
trolled by the internal microprocessor, and unless you decide to interrupt or modify the process, all func-
tion automatically.
WARNING: Never leave the roaster unattended during a roast!
1. WARM UP - during this time the roaster pre-heats much like you would do with your oven before
baking, but in this case it is entirely automatic, controlled by the Hottop Coffee Roaster’s programming.
2. ROASTING - When the machine signals to add beans the roasting process begins. The roasting
cycle will normally take from about ten to twenty minutes, but can be as long as twenty-five minutes or as
short as you decide depending on how YOU want to roast the beans!
3. COOLING - After roasting, for best taste, it is important to cool the roasted coffee as quickly as
possible, this is called the cooling cycle. The Hottop Coffee Roaster features an external cooling tray, and
it cools the beans down to approximately room temperature in less than five minutes.
After pouring the beans into the Hottop Coffee Roaster it is important to always remain near the ma-
chine and pay attention at all times. Refer to the “Coffee Roasting Color Samples” on page 13 and watch
the beans through the window in the front of the Hottop Coffee Roaster. You will see the gradual changes
in color taking place.
Make a mental note of how much volume the beans take up when first poured in. You will notice a
definite increase in volume as the beans expand during the roast. The various aromas of the smoke change
throughout the roast as well. Initially, there is a little humid smoke that has a pleasant grassy scent. As
the roasting progresses, this turns into a more dense smoke that smells like hay, and later somewhat like
making pancakes or baking bread. Smoke is a normal by-product of coffee roasting, so don’t worry. Smoke
does not mean that there is anything wrong with your machine. Smoke production will increase as the
temperature of the coffee beans rises. Darker roasts create more smoke than lighter roasts.
Sound is the most reliable indicator when you are roasting your first batches. When the beans are a
cinnamon-brown color and the temperature is about 385 F. you will hear the first sounds of “first crack.” It
is almost impossible to miss these loud and fairly sharp snaps. Apart from being an obvious sign of where
the beans are in the roasting process, the sound of first crack also tells you that you should start monitoring
the process even more closely. Although little has happened up to this point, the roasting will proceed very
fast from this point forward, and the beans will change a lot in the next few minutes.
As first crack ends, there is usually a short pause of around one or two minutes. Now is time to be
very alert, and listen for second crack which is a much softer sound, and can be a bit more difficult to hear.
This may also be around the time when you will hear the beeping of the Hottop Coffee Roaster that signals
it is near the end of its roasting cycle or is signaling a temperature alert.
If the machine doesn’t eject the beans automatically, push the “Eject” button about the time that
second crack becomes active (about 400-410 F.) or even before this time. The Hottop Coffee Roaster then
proceeds with the cooling cycle. When the cooling cycle ends the machine beeps repeatedly to indicate
that it has finished the entire roasting and cooling process, and then shuts itself off.