I have been running a small business out of an Aillio Bullet and it is a great machine. I have a few wholesale clients and roast for multiple customers so I roast quite a bit and I have had no issues (I deep clean it about twice a month). I agree with a lot of the points made in this video especially with the playback option. It’s great for consistency and still allows the user to make adjustments as needed. I highly recommend this roaster for anyone starting a small business or who really wants to take home roasting to the next level.
This sounds like a coffee nerd's dream! If you don't mind me asking, is this something you're doing on the side, or as your main income? What are you doing to differentiate from larger/established roasters?
@@doctormoobbc And a coffee nerd I am. Roasting is still my side job but I have hopes that it will become my main job soon. My main job is currently as a full time barista at my local coffee shop so I'm happy to stay under the umbrella of coffee everywhere I go. The main thing I do to stand out is being super transparent with my coffee roasting. The people in my town had never even seen a coffee roaster so showing small videos of the roasting process, explaining to people how roasting works, brewing coffee in "unique" ways are ways that I get more personable and "stand out".
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I was recommended by a fried to get this roaster. One question I am assuming there is no need for venting from the machine is that right?
@@johnbrockman1912 how different is this from using a sweet Maria’s popper? I’ve been using a popper for almost a year and I want to start a small side hustle and selling people freshly roasted coffee but I’m still using the sweet Maria’s popper!
I'm coming up on 4 years roasting on the Bullet. On top of everything noted below, let me add that customer support has been responsive and personal. They offered an upgrade kit for the IBTS, even! While the software has been a journey, the hardware has been a joy to roast on. Over 15 years I roasted with Behmor, Hottop, and even started on an air popper. I agree that with the Aillio you get what you pay for.
Great video! I have a Bullet and have done 20 roasts so far. I am still learning how to get the most out of my roasts, but am loving the journey. Been home roasting for over 15 years, most recently I used a Quest M3. The Bullet was def worth every penny. There is a learning curve, but it is more of me needing to learn and understand the roasting process in relation to the different coffee varieties.
I've had my Bullet for a year now and loving it. With it I started a tiny roastery selling to family and friends. Now that I've gotten more customers I decided to get another one 😄 Had to upgrade the cooling tray to a third party with spinning arms like the big boy machines got. It is for sure a great piece of equipment!
@@bairdmiltich4935 Correct! It's absolutely amazing. Going from a Gene Cafe where I cooled down my beans by holding them out the window (lol), the Bullet's cooling tray is a million times better. Cafe Natureve made it even better. Like a stepping stone between personal cooling tray and a commercial one.
@@chrisgrimsgaard absolutely! After having that cooling tray for a few months I don't think I could go back. I wish more Bullet owners has the opportunity to use one, made a world of difference doing back to back roasts.
That’s really cool! This is my dream roaster and it sound like your path with it is something I’d like to emulate someday! I’ve been roasting for 7 years with a Whirley Pop and with all of my family and friends enjoying my roasts and even sometimes some small sales in my local neighborhood, I personally feel like I’ve reached a ceiling in the quality I desire. Saving up for this guy hopefully soon.
Great video! I remember when you helped me get started when I first purchased the bullet! I really appreciate your time! I roasted with the bullet for over a year before we upgraded to the San Franciscan. There were times when I spent 4 to 6 hours in front of the bullet at once and I just couldn’t do it anymore. However, we still use the bullet for sample roasting. Absolutely love this machine!
Hey, Shawn! You said you’d spend 4 to 6 hours using the Bullet. I’m curious, did you start a coffee roasting business? I’d like to know how the bullet withstand back to back to back roasting throughout a day of roasting like you describe. Thanks!
@@KennonWryt Thanks! Yes it was the first legit machine. The only other things I had were hand held roasters that you put over a fire. The Bullet is what I really learned how to roast on. It’s a fantastic roaster. I recently sold it for pretty much what I paid for it when I purchased it back in March of 2020.
I moved from a modified Kaldi Wide to a Artisan 3E with full PID control. It's been amazing for both myself and selling to friends and family. 1/2 pound to 3 pound capacity is just so beautiful. When I was roaster shopping, the bullet did look very nice though and from what I've heard many owners do like it.
Same, been using a heat gun plus motorized flour sifter since 2018, roasting 1lb at a time. Contemplating my next build now and seeing the amount of control on this thing has me lusting.
@@gpsawyer lusting is the right word lol. Same here. Heat gun flour sifter setup. I just recently ditched the drill and got an actual little DC motor with a potentiometer. Much better speed control. Also have an additional section on top with a damper to trap or let heat pass. Super fun.
A few decades ago I roasted with a Diedrich 40kg coffee roaster . I have now within the past few weeks want to start roasting at my home . Having used the best , this appears the way to go , but need to save money to buy
Planning to get a bullet when the timing and funding line up, going to be a much needed upgrade from a behmor. Appreciate the great video as always! :)
I have worked my way up from a fresh roast over the last 10 years…For the last year and a half I’ve been using a kaldi fortis with artisan and I couldn’t be happier. If your willing to do a little diy (gas and venting) along with some tech( phidget interface with Mac or pc) …you can have a 600g roaster with great control for a lot less money. It’s also built like a tank.
This video is evidence of the extreme danger of getting into specialty coffee. I'm going to lust after this stupid machine and I was already losing sleep over the Linea Mini. Impressive piece of equipment.
I watched one James Hoffmann video. Now I'm using acupuncture needles to evenly distribute 18 grams of coffee into my VST basket just to ask myself how I can improve my next shot...
I am quite new to coffee, when it comes to the higher coffee types, that you make from home. I always liked coffee, and started drinking it at 3 years old. Yes, this does sound young, but a sip here and there was all I got, at such a young age. I saw how the coffee helped with issues I have (mentally), and that is why I started looking into the better types of coffee from home. As a new coffee brewer, if that is the right word for an espresso machine, I have always been interested in coffee roasting. Will I do it? I do not know if I will, but this video has shown me that it can be done at home. Thanks for a nice video.
Thank you for the video. I am awaiting the arrival of my Bullet, should be here next week. Your video and the comment of those below are really helpful.
I've been home roasting on a behmore for two yrs, and I really want one of these. I look forward to more videos. Thanks again for the interesting content.
I roast on my Behmor 2000 and I am getting really good results but I will admit that I am very tempted to get a Bullet. Perhaps in the future the price will be more moderate and the software will have improved. Thank you for your detailed introduction to the Bullet!
Had a bullet and loved it, but I got out of home roasting because I'm allergic to the fumes, and the wife didn't want me roasting inside (even with ventilation) because the smell tends to linger. Eventually it became more of a chore than an enjoyable hobby. However if these aren't issues for you, I highly recommend the bullet. Roasting your own means you can have any coffee you want at a cheaper price. But roasting coffee well requires a lot of learning and practice, so start lower and work your way up. And it actually upped my brewing game just by gaining a deeper understanding of coffee in general.
I have been rosting on the Bullet for about 7 months, for my home only! I previously owned a Behmor and was a bit intimitated by the Bullet, but it turns out it was much easier to get great results from this roaster and really easier to use. I purchase my greens from a local roaster , so we can get togheter and compare results! Happy to see you also enjoyed the Bullet!
I have watched videos covering different ones{gene cafe, hottop, behmor, and more etc) I have also been reading Sweet Maria's website about roasters. I am really interested in this machine but TBH kind of intimidated. I have a somewhat busy life with work young kids wife etc. I am really not sure if I have the ambition right now or more correctly the time for the deep dive in to the laptop, software capabilities of this roaster. Have you used the roaster "manually" or just via software? Am I reading your comment right that you find it easier to use the Bullet vs the Behmor to get better results? Watching this video on the Bullet and the control panel seems kind of intimidating compared to the Behmor. Definitely appears more to keep track of in real time so not to mess up your roast? Is there a big learning curve in your opinion? Any thoughts again would be helpful. Thanks
Well, I bought my 3kg in home garage commercial roaster for around US $35K. I usually roast 1kg on it. And I have option for 3kg. The brand is Monstera, its made in Indonesia, and it build like a tank with 9mm cast iron drum.
My bullet arrived last week to me in San Diego. I orders some Ethiopia/natural from Sweet Maria’s to arrive along with it. It’s my first roaster and first experience roasting. I’ve been anticipating eventual arrival for the last year while I attempted to learn as much conceptual roasting theory. I also found all the controls intimidating, at first, but after a handful of roasts it quickly started to make more sense and felt more familiar. I loved that I could search for recipes on Roast Time based on batch size and bean Origen/type. I had the same issue with adding the bean name within Roast Time, and had to jump to Roast World to revise it. I also love that’s it’s electric, not gas. I’m just starting to attempt back to backs with the use of the F1 button. I’m loving it!
I too am looking at purchasing my first roaster. I have watched videos covering different ones{gene cafe, hottop, and more etc) I have also been reading Sweet Maria's website about roasters. I am really interested in this machine but TBH kind of intimidated. I have a somewhat busy life with work young kids wife etc. I am really not sure if I have the ambition right now or more correctly the time for the deep dive in to the laptop, software capabilities of this roaster. Have used the roaster "manually" or just via software? So any insight you may offer since you said this is your first roaster would be great? Is there a big learning curve in your opinion? Any thoughts again would be helpful. Thanks
@@tjsullivan4793 I feel like there are many great videos out there that can help orient you. Im only 10 roasts in and am feeling like I'm getting a hang of it. I've tethered it to my computer every time because I wanted to track each roast and look back as a reference to help me see what to do different the next time. I've never roasted without the computer even though that is possible. I'm still very happy with my purchase. :)
@@NickWattsOregon Nick thanks for replying. I think I will buy it. It seems from what at least I have read/TH-cam that people seem to really like it. I was really thinking of the Gene but I would hate the feeling and desire to upgrade in a couple years only because the Gene is 650.00 Good Luck with your roasting adventures!
@@normazambada I had a great experience ordering it straight from the Sweet Maria's website. They sent along for free enough old green beans that you use for your first few seasoning roasts. You can also order from them excellent green beans. The beans I ordered from them arrived the same day. Their website is a great resource for roasting information.
It took me awhile to convert what I've learned about roasting to Aillio Bullet, about 4 months. Now I can take control and produce good enough coffee to enjoy with friends and family.
Totally with you on that brother! I was shocked about the speed of heat on this little electric heat conductor. First roast went quite fast! Also hi from KSA!
Per your wrap-up questions: I am a curious serious coffee enthusiast. I don't roast but for sure I do wonder about that possibility, and I really enjoyed your review of this fascinating gear. Thanks for posting this video!
I've been using ikawa home to understand recipes and would later soon dive into this roaster. I really love the idea of roasting in this amount for those who's starting to maybe sell specialty coffee.
I’ve been roasting on a bullet for a little under a year now. Beyond the occasional bug with the software, I really can’t say much negative about it. I am concerned of having it break and it being a relatively difficult process to repair, but nothing has ever hinted to me that something was going to break beyond one time my BT probe reading spiked. But yeah, makes tasty coffee, great to share, fun to tweak. Almost too much data sometimes? I briefly fell into a trap trying to achieve a ‘perfect’ graph rather than trying to get the perfect flavor. I stopped using my sight/sound/smell for a moment there. But that’s on me, not the bullet.
I've owned a Bullet for a couple years now. Great machine. Great to see you spotlight it. I'd love to see you do a series of videos offering tips on roasting on the Bullet. Are you on roast world? Would be interested in seeing your profiles.
I've had my bullet for 3 years. I don't even bother with PC and software anymore. Just roast manually and it does well. I also use it as a sample roaster for my larger commercial Bellwether roaster.
I am another Gene Cafe roaster as well. The Bullet is on my list as well. I have enjoyed how simple it is to roast on the Gene, but have always been limited by the lack of a "bean temperature" which would help with fine tuning a roast cycle. All the Gene really tells you is the temperature of the air blowing over the beans in the drum. One thing in the favor of the Gene is the ability to repeat a previous good roast. The Gene is also hampered by a softer rate of rise than I would like.
I've owned the Aillio for a few months now and there are just a few minor drawbacks to roasting on an electric roaster. First, and unfortunately, the Aillio only comes in the 110v in the US which makes it slightly less efficient in increasing heat quickly than it's 220v counterpart. That being said, I firmly stand by the electric induction technology. Yes, there might be a slight lag in temperature increases when comparing it to a gas roaster, however, this debility does not impede it from making a really good coffee. The technology, weight, software, user-friendliness and cost all come together to rival the Mill City in every single way. The only improvements I would make is to add a bean drop guide to help the beans fall after roasting - I find myself sometimes picking up fallen beans. (I noticed the Japanese versions of the Aillio come with that attachment, not approved for sale in the US yet which makes me sad)
I don't feel limited. The real benefit of 220 is roasting above capacity which I'll only do with a low altitude bean. I've done well with 1200g for low altitude beans. I'm much more bothered by the shape and capacity of the chaffe bin
@@veganpotterthevegan That's good to hear. I haven't yet maxed out the capacity of the roaster (1000g) let alone 1200g 😂 but I'm glad it can be pushed beyond it's limits. I've stuck to 500g roast for now while I try different methods. Once I start producing for customer demand, I'm sure I'll be roasting 1kg batches all day. Oh, yeah I agree with you. I would love to see an accessory/attachment for increasing the capacity or attaching an aftermarket chaff collector. I'd like to be able to roast back to back without worrying about my machine spontaneously combusting (not that it's currently an issue, but still a worry in the back of my mind)
@@giovannyt.6778 I've definitely had bugs with mine. Not actually heat related but heat related🙃 The tiny fan that keeps the heat sensor clean has been an issue but it's been good for about 200lbs of coffee. I also think Aillio may be willing to send out 220 units if you buy direct which I wouldn't do. It's nice to have a distributor to send you fast replacement parts. *I also think you'll find most coffees are easier to roast at 800g or more. Small batches are easier to let get away from you. Of course, you can only drink so much coffee and it's tough just giving it away if you can't really afford to do that.
@@giovannyt.6778 There are people roasting 1500g with the 220 with good results. I personally wouldn't wanna do that even if I could. I just think the drum is too small for that for ideal bean contact. *I do hope they eventually make a larger bullet. 2-3 kilo would be perfect for the size of company I hope to work up to...no interest in mailing coffee and there's a lot of respect between local roasters here and I have other ventures that keep me busy. The AiO is cool but I don't want my roaster doing so much for me.
Great video, I am a little tempted to upgrade from my Behmor but I have a hard time to justify the cost if I only roast for my own consumption. Most of my friends isn’t coffee nerds so selling to friends and family doesn’t make the investment calculation better.
Sick video Sprometheus. I have the pleasure of owning a Bullet as well and I absolutely love all the ways you can approach a roast on it. What strategies have you found to be super helpful in general? Are you a proponent of the soak on this machine or prefer to just hit the ground running? Also curious how you found the IBTS coming from a commercial roaster.
2 questions- 1) how is the smoke? Can you roast indoors? Do you connect an exhaust hose to it? 2) you didn’t mention in your video if you purchased this, if it was given to you, or discounted. Would be good to know for potential bias transparency
The smoke is too much for indoors without an exhaust fan or a setup to pull it out. I paid full price for this, it was bought for my roasting business, not affiliated with Sprometheus.
Coincidentally I got 4 coffee plants (Bourbon Pointu aka Arabica var Laurina) in the post today which I'm hoping to cultivate and crop. If it works I'll plant more but I'll also have an interesting problem of processing and roasting them. Too few videos by reputable coffee vloggers on home roasting. You've done a great series on this so far. Hoping to have a practical reason to re-watch your "ROASTING COFFEE - Learn At Home On A Budget" video sometime in the future.
Thats interesting. Are you gonna look at some entry level drum roaster too? Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on 300-500 USD drum roaster, especially since you have experience with a top of the line model. Been thinking of getting one to raost a little on weekends.
After have a coffee truck for several years, I started to roastwith a Bullet, is an incredible machine, I already have roasted over 1 ton of coffee in a year. Now I don't know if upgrade to a bigger roaster or just get more Bullets.
Love to see more content about this machine, this is a great video! This is my next purchase :) I own a Behmore and even though it gets the job done, this is a whole different level!
You’ll definitely appreciate the control the Bullet provides. I honestly would prefer the Bullet over any of the full scale roasters I used previously.
Hello, I was wondering - would some sort of ventilation be 100% necessary on this machine? I live in an apartment and it would be quite troublesome to set up a/c for this thanks in advance
I have been playing around with my bullet R1 for the past 7 months and I find it pretty good. You can try a neat little hack for the cooling try by using a soup pot stirrer found around for about $25. Makes it much easier during cooling and helps in chaff collection. One of the cheapest and effective hacks for the aillio (other than getting a nice cloudline to modulate exhaust air). RPM is extremally important for a lot more consistent roasts. I have been dropping my beans at D4 and P6 giving it a nice 1:20m soak at the start of any big patch and ramping up to P9 at the end of the soak and gradually drop the P and upping the D until the FC where I reach D9. Made a huge difference in the quality of the roast.
I’ve never used the Sniper, though we had discussed a loaner but the conversation fell off. But I can’t imagine there are many if any small scale, electric roasters as good as this, especially with their roasting software. It’s a killer combo.
Awesome video as I’m on the fence considering to bite the bullet or not. Started my journey with nesco then to stovepop and now direct fire Kaldi. From taste wise, I find the direct fire roast from Kaldi tasted way better than the hot air or even the stovepop. Perhaps mentally the way I think of it is you can pan fry a steak or grill a steak over fire. To me steak over fire will always have more flavor than pan fried. That being said my interest in the bullet is two folds. 1) playback mode to keep roast back to back closely consistent and 2) the induction heating element which may be closely resembles direct fire (perhaps?) Would love to hear your thoughts on same beans roasted by the bullet vs gas type and how the flavor taste if any different for you?
how is the level of heat control compared to a gas roaster? I have a behmor, and my frustration is with the lack of proportional input control for heat. it takes too long to heat up when I want it to. I assume most electrical roasters are like this, but this is an induction roaster, so i'm assuming that responsive control is much greater than an electrical roaster. How does it compare to gas? Thanks
I used to roast with gene cafe for 2 years I had some VERY good roasts(I can give you the one and only profile that works with gene), but I also had some VERY bad undeveloped roasts, because with gene you can't have bean temperature, The most important thing in my opinion
@@peterv6036 Preheat at max temp for 10 minutes with drum loaded Then, be fast, and load the beans Use 200gr for low or medium height grown beans, or 170gr for high grown high density beans Roast at max temp until first crack If everything goes well at about 8'30"-9'30" you will have the first crack When the first crack finishes, remove the beans based to the roast level you want I used to remove after 15", after the 1st crack finishes(for medium roast) Important, don't cool the beans in the drum, it's not working well Remove imidietely the beans and cool them outside with a fan, I used a big sieve with a laptop fan underneath Have a good roast
@@wakeawaken430 cool, thanks! Almost the exact settings and procedure as mine. Got really great results already but looking forward to tweak it with your preferences and try it out.
@@peterv6036 it's not easy, but you can have great results with gene The challenge is with high density beans, -10" or +10" remove time makes huge difference
Great video, thank you. I've been roasting on a Behmor since 2017 and planning to upgrade it to the Bullet mid this year, very helpful video. How consistent are the 1kg batches? Behmor can do up to 400g but I can only realistically do 300g to avoid roast defects and to be able to do quicker roasts 🙂
Okay well I've had the bullet for 4 years and it's been having some issues.. one of them is the belt keep getting loose if you roast close to 2 lb. Also the door is loose and the beans push it out during the roast and get stuck in between the drum and the door causing the drum to stop rolling. These are the two main issues that I've been having since I bought it. I stopped using it 🤷
If I was to learn to roast on a smaller electric roaster such as this one. Would a transition to a larger commercial roaster be difficult or is the hardware similar enough for a smooth transition?
Hey guys, Does this roaster produce a lot of exhaust/smoke when roasting? Mulling over whether or not to go for it as the best space I have is an apartment balcony.
I have been roasting appr. 90 batches on a Cormorant CR 600 gas roaster since I acquired it in late 2020 coming from a small sample roaster. This has significantly enhanced my knowledge of how to create and run roast profiles completely manually on a roaster that is super reactive to heat changes. I roasted with a friend on his Bullet yesterday (did 5 batches of naturals, honeys and washed beans of different origins). The automation, replay of your own and application of other's profiles and the full electronic control is super helpful and of course way beyond what my CR 600 or a simple gas roaster can do. I found that the changes to heat settings have a longer lag than the changes in the gas roaster (probably 20-30 seconds rather than 5-10 seconds on the gas roaster). This means you have to plan your energy budget during the roast (charge temp, soak, step down of energy levels) and stick to it consistently. I found eg. that applying a soak in the beginning of the roast (which is helpful for naturals, honeys or carbonic macerated beans to preserve the fruit notes and external sugars) is risky, because you need to ensure your roast does not stall in the end. If you roast for your home environment for my personal consumption patterns the capacity is a little too large - I would rather prefer 400-500g batches as this matches my coffee consumption better, which may be a little small for the Bullet (rather 700-800g as a sweet spot). I also like the integration with roasttime, although running Artisan provides a similar level of automation (except for the inventory functions, which on Artisan you need to spend 49€ annually to get access to Artisan+). A lively commmunity can be a big advantage - I am not sure how well it works. Need to use a 3rd party cooling device (or at least an industrial vacuum cleaner) to quickly cool down larger batches. Summing up I can see big fun, steep learning curve and great roasts if you master the Bullet. Well suited to a small business and the home roaster with high bean throughput. My concerns are: less reactive than a gas roaster, 1.000 - 1.500€ more expensive than the CR 600 or a Quest, operating cost being an electric roaster is higher than gas (I am still on my first 5kg gas tanks after 90 roasts!), efficient cooling needs add ons, and finally: in case of defects the deep integration of electronics (which is very charming - do not get me wrong here) will call for higher servicing/repair cost and longer downtimes. On the CR 600 all of the components are standard components easily accessible on the Internet and self servicing is super easy and straightforward.
Is there an equivalent priced and sized roaster that works on LPG? An even "niche-ier" product would be one that's roasted in nature, where there's no electricity. Coffee is alive and absorbs "information" from its surroundings, it is imprinted with the vibe it is roasted at.
Thank you for this. I have thought about home roasting and almost bought a Sandbox Smart on a recent promotion here in the UK. Decided to wait awhile to see if my palate improves enough to want to finally make the jump. This would seem a very good next level machine after the Smart
Oh yeah, this is definitely a lot of roaster for your first one. Although it is possible, it’s just a big investment. But roasting is a lot of fun and I’m sure most who have the experience of roasting and tasting good coffee they roasted themselves would have a hard time not loving it.
Have you tried the Quest M3? Im on a freshroast ut planning on moving to the Quest M3 when the freshroast dies. I just cant bring myself to spending 3K or more on a roaster
Yesterday someone mentioned this Bullet roaster and today I see this review posted here. Nice! I am thinking about setting up a small part time roasting business, could you still use this at home? (How much smoke would it generate?) And for what volumes could you use this? Tnx for the video!
Any of the current Bullet users notice any difference in the intake air functionality? I understand from one of the retailers that unlike a gas drum roaster, the bullet does not heat the intake air charge since its induction. The air is heated some by the heat of the drum itself, but thats pretty different. Seems like end results are solid, so just curious if you’re seeing any notable differences in this area. Thanks
Hey Spro, great video! Honestly I was unaware of your roasting background. I've been roasting on a bread machine/heat gun combo for the past 7 yrs. Been thinking about upgrading to either the bullet or the Cormorant CR600. Have you heard of the later? Essentially seems like the classic gas vs. electric debate. Tough decision. I like the romanticism of a gas roaster but electric may be more convenient...
Thanks for the video. Prometheus. What's your opinion about the Kaffelogic Nano7 for home user who is enthusiastic about profiling, and doesn't afford Ikawa.
I wish I could say I was very happy with my latest roaster purchase, I got a Behmor. It’s a terrible disappointment after a custom build I’ve used for the last five years how to be shelved For time constraints because I can’t rebuild it right now
The bullet has looked great for a long time. However, the Behmor Jake looks really fantastic too (even though it'll probably be another year until it comes out).
Agree that the Jack looks super interesting but there is no info about a release date no matter where I look, even tried to contact the company. There is another roaster from Coffee Tech Engineering with a "smokeless" upgrade that is on my radar but it's 2 kilos so a bit big for what I am looking for.
As someone very seriously buying one (albeit used), how would you compare roastime to the more commonly used cropster and artisan? And how would you compare the experience of a bullet to a huky 500T or Kaldi monitored with Artisan?
What's the going rate for decent green coffee? I wonder if roasting yourself may ever save money in the long run. (Not including the KWh this machine uses).
It all varies, it depends on the green and the quantities. But average prices for specialty green will be from $2.80 and then up from there. I’ve got a few on hand now, I think they were all in the $3-5 a lb range.
What are the requirements for venting this roaster? One gets the impression from the video that you're roasting coffee next to your indoor espresso machine. They tend to make an enormous amount of smoke. Also, if there is an issue with the roaster, apart from regular maintenance, how/where do you repair it? Where is this roaster made?
I’m working on a full review video on it and about why I choose it. But basically I wanted something as different as I could get from the Niche in terms of flavor, and with the unimodal burrs I think I’ve achieved that.
What about roast evenness? During one of my roasting training, I was assigned to a bullet, but I found that the roast batch after batch was not really even. Not really sure if it just that machine. How would you rate the roast evenness compared to say Ikawa Pro100 or Roest, just to name a few (yes I know they are sample roasters).
I've been roasting on the Bullet V2 for about a year and I've done as many as 14 consecutive batches in a day. Roast evenness hasn't been an issue at all for me, but I do make sure to empty the chaff compartment every 5 or so batches.
I’ve never had an issue with roast evenness. Generally I keep the drum at max, and haven’t toyed around with lower RPMs yet, but I’m sure they could maybe play a part.
This is actually the part where you'll start to get some ROI. You can get phenomenal specialty coffees for $6.00 a pound. If you're just roasting for your home, you can get a cheap air popper (under $100) and easily recreate roast profiles for your household. You will have paid yourself back after less than 10 lbs of coffee :)
We are a startup coffee roasting business that is using the Bullet as our only roaster. We have heard different stories about how much coffee we should roast at one time. Some people say the max, which is 1kg and others say less than that; maybe 24oz or even 16oz. Do you have any thoughts on how much we should roast at one time?
I am in a similar position. I have the Gene Cafe CBR101 (2016 version bought used for a very low price). So many of the good roasting books are assuming you have a classic drum roaster, and the numbers they use don't apply to the Gene Cafe very well. I have used a optical pyrometer to measure bean temperature, but discovered it only tells me the temperature of the outside of the Glass drum, and not the beans inside. i.e. First crack reads 340f on the optical pyrometer (so essentially you must add 45 degrees F to your reading). Still, it does not have an effective way to track "rate of rise" which is what drum roasters rely upon. It is hard to hear first crack and second crack with some beans (in some cased impossible with some peaberry beans). Still, all that said, some great roasts have been produced with the Gene Cafe, and it was a very good first step. So yes, the Bullet or the Hottop are on my road map in the future.
I have also pretty much decided on getting a Bullet to place in my office. Roasting for personal use and perhaps sell small quantities of exclusive specialty. Thanks for reaffirming me in that decision. One question though: smoke, how bad? I’ve heard that it’s advisable to run a tube to the ventilation system which is a bit of a hassle not to mention an eyesore. You don’t seem to have done that.
I got the Bullet and then a roaster certificate from SCA… like what i make but also stuck every day with what I roasted (each batch 500g) and now miss exploring and buying random coffee.
In my manufacturing background, I worked in a 5.6 million dollar fully automated spray dryer and the recipe editor, required for GMP, was super clunky and non-intuitive. So it doesn't surprise me that a cheaper roaster would have clunky software.
Been roasting on a Behmor for about 5 years now. The roasts have been decent but not spectacular. On a whim I just got the Popper from SM. The fist several 90 g roasts were actually pretty disappointing, but then I got a roast that blew my mind. The temp control is way too sensitive so I stopped adjusting it and just let the natural RoR take place from one setting. That seems to deliver a very sweet cup from Central Americans. The Bullet looks amazing, but for my consumption rate, will never fit my hobby budget.
I have been running a small business out of an Aillio Bullet and it is a great machine. I have a few wholesale clients and roast for multiple customers so I roast quite a bit and I have had no issues (I deep clean it about twice a month). I agree with a lot of the points made in this video especially with the playback option. It’s great for consistency and still allows the user to make adjustments as needed. I highly recommend this roaster for anyone starting a small business or who really wants to take home roasting to the next level.
This sounds like a coffee nerd's dream! If you don't mind me asking, is this something you're doing on the side, or as your main income? What are you doing to differentiate from larger/established roasters?
@@doctormoobbc And a coffee nerd I am. Roasting is still my side job but I have hopes that it will become my main job soon. My main job is currently as a full time barista at my local coffee shop so I'm happy to stay under the umbrella of coffee everywhere I go. The main thing I do to stand out is being super transparent with my coffee roasting. The people in my town had never even seen a coffee roaster so showing small videos of the roasting process, explaining to people how roasting works, brewing coffee in "unique" ways are ways that I get more personable and "stand out".
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I was recommended by a fried to get this roaster. One question I am assuming there is no need for venting from the machine is that right?
I do the same. Run a small business using the bullet. Its great.
@@johnbrockman1912 how different is this from using a sweet Maria’s popper? I’ve been using a popper for almost a year and I want to start a small side hustle and selling people freshly roasted coffee but I’m still using the sweet Maria’s popper!
I'm coming up on 4 years roasting on the Bullet. On top of everything noted below, let me add that customer support has been responsive and personal. They offered an upgrade kit for the IBTS, even! While the software has been a journey, the hardware has been a joy to roast on. Over 15 years I roasted with Behmor, Hottop, and even started on an air popper. I agree that with the Aillio you get what you pay for.
Great video! I have a Bullet and have done 20 roasts so far. I am still learning how to get the most out of my roasts, but am loving the journey. Been home roasting for over 15 years, most recently I used a Quest M3. The Bullet was def worth every penny. There is a learning curve, but it is more of me needing to learn and understand the roasting process in relation to the different coffee varieties.
I've had my Bullet for a year now and loving it. With it I started a tiny roastery selling to family and friends. Now that I've gotten more customers I decided to get another one 😄 Had to upgrade the cooling tray to a third party with spinning arms like the big boy machines got. It is for sure a great piece of equipment!
Did you buy the cooling tray from Cafe Natureve? I ended up picking one up from them and absolutely love it.
@@bairdmiltich4935 Correct! It's absolutely amazing. Going from a Gene Cafe where I cooled down my beans by holding them out the window (lol), the Bullet's cooling tray is a million times better. Cafe Natureve made it even better. Like a stepping stone between personal cooling tray and a commercial one.
@@chrisgrimsgaard absolutely! After having that cooling tray for a few months I don't think I could go back. I wish more Bullet owners has the opportunity to use one, made a world of difference doing back to back roasts.
That’s really cool! This is my dream roaster and it sound like your path with it is something I’d like to emulate someday! I’ve been roasting for 7 years with a Whirley Pop and with all of my family and friends enjoying my roasts and even sometimes some small sales in my local neighborhood, I personally feel like I’ve reached a ceiling in the quality I desire. Saving up for this guy hopefully soon.
Can you add a link to these arms? I didn’t see it when I searched for it.
Thnx for the review. It helped me to make my purchase decision. 🙂
Hey, thanks Sergey! Happy to help, and thanks for the Super Thanks tip! Cheers!
For roasting back to back, you can press f1 during cooling and it will continue to cool your roasted beans while pre heating for the next one! :)
Great video! I remember when you helped me get started when I first purchased the bullet! I really appreciate your time! I roasted with the bullet for over a year before we upgraded to the San Franciscan. There were times when I spent 4 to 6 hours in front of the bullet at once and I just couldn’t do it anymore. However, we still use the bullet for sample roasting. Absolutely love this machine!
Hey, Shawn! You said you’d spend 4 to 6 hours using the Bullet. I’m curious, did you start a coffee roasting business? I’d like to know how the bullet withstand back to back to back roasting throughout a day of roasting like you describe.
Thanks!
@@KennonWryt indeed I did start a business! 6 Planes Coffee Roasters. The Bullet performed flawlessly! It can handle many many roasts back to back.
That is awesome!! Good for you! Was this your first machine for the business or did you start with another machine first?
@@KennonWryt Thanks! Yes it was the first legit machine. The only other things I had were hand held roasters that you put over a fire. The Bullet is what I really learned how to roast on. It’s a fantastic roaster. I recently sold it for pretty much what I paid for it when I purchased it back in March of 2020.
I moved from a modified Kaldi Wide to a Artisan 3E with full PID control. It's been amazing for both myself and selling to friends and family. 1/2 pound to 3 pound capacity is just so beautiful. When I was roaster shopping, the bullet did look very nice though and from what I've heard many owners do like it.
I have been roasting at home on a DIY roaster I built for about 2 years. Cant imagine having this much control. Seems amazing and looks great as well.
I’ve seen some wild DIY roasting setups for sure, but this thing is definitely next level.
@@Sprometheus Yes, the control looks spot on!
roastfromhome?
Same, been using a heat gun plus motorized flour sifter since 2018, roasting 1lb at a time. Contemplating my next build now and seeing the amount of control on this thing has me lusting.
@@gpsawyer lusting is the right word lol. Same here. Heat gun flour sifter setup. I just recently ditched the drill and got an actual little DC motor with a potentiometer. Much better speed control. Also have an additional section on top with a damper to trap or let heat pass. Super fun.
A few decades ago I roasted with a Diedrich 40kg coffee roaster . I have now within the past few weeks want to start roasting at my home . Having used the best , this appears the way to go , but need to save money to buy
Going to buy a Bullet in the coming months to begin my coffee roasting journey! Thanks for the quality video as usual!
Planning to get a bullet when the timing and funding line up, going to be a much needed upgrade from a behmor.
Appreciate the great video as always! :)
You’ll love it I’m sure!
Im sitting in a similar position - I've had a Behmor for about 2 1/2 years and would be awesome to upgrade to Bullet
I have worked my way up from a fresh roast over the last 10 years…For the last year and a half I’ve been using a kaldi fortis with artisan and I couldn’t be happier. If your willing to do a little diy (gas and venting) along with some tech( phidget interface with Mac or pc) …you can have a 600g roaster with great control for a lot less money. It’s also built like a tank.
This video is evidence of the extreme danger of getting into specialty coffee. I'm going to lust after this stupid machine and I was already losing sleep over the Linea Mini. Impressive piece of equipment.
Haha so true.
so ... so true..
I watched one James Hoffmann video. Now I'm using acupuncture needles to evenly distribute 18 grams of coffee into my VST basket just to ask myself how I can improve my next shot...
And then, once you have the Bullet, you will wonder about their AiO ...
I already bought r9 one haha..
I am quite new to coffee, when it comes to the higher coffee types, that you make from home. I always liked coffee, and started drinking it at 3 years old. Yes, this does sound young, but a sip here and there was all I got, at such a young age. I saw how the coffee helped with issues I have (mentally), and that is why I started looking into the better types of coffee from home. As a new coffee brewer, if that is the right word for an espresso machine, I have always been interested in coffee roasting. Will I do it? I do not know if I will, but this video has shown me that it can be done at home. Thanks for a nice video.
Thank you for the video. I am awaiting the arrival of my Bullet, should be here next week. Your video and the comment of those below are really helpful.
I've been home roasting on a behmore for two yrs, and I really want one of these.
I look forward to more videos.
Thanks again for the interesting content.
get a hucky500
I roast on my Behmor 2000 and I am getting really good results but I will admit that I am very tempted to get a Bullet. Perhaps in the future the price will be more moderate and the software will have improved. Thank you for your detailed introduction to the Bullet!
Had a bullet and loved it, but I got out of home roasting because I'm allergic to the fumes, and the wife didn't want me roasting inside (even with ventilation) because the smell tends to linger. Eventually it became more of a chore than an enjoyable hobby. However if these aren't issues for you, I highly recommend the bullet. Roasting your own means you can have any coffee you want at a cheaper price. But roasting coffee well requires a lot of learning and practice, so start lower and work your way up. And it actually upped my brewing game just by gaining a deeper understanding of coffee in general.
You could always get a new wife.
I have been rosting on the Bullet for about 7 months, for my home only! I previously owned a Behmor and was a bit intimitated by the Bullet, but it turns out it was much easier to get great results from this roaster and really easier to use. I purchase my greens from a local roaster , so we can get togheter and compare results! Happy to see you also enjoyed the Bullet!
I have watched videos covering different ones{gene cafe, hottop, behmor, and more etc) I have also been reading Sweet Maria's website about roasters. I am really interested in this machine but TBH kind of intimidated. I have a somewhat busy life with work young kids wife etc. I am really not sure if I have the ambition right now or more correctly the time for the deep dive in to the laptop, software capabilities of this roaster. Have you used the roaster "manually" or just via software? Am I reading your comment right that you find it easier to use the Bullet vs the Behmor to get better results? Watching this video on the Bullet and the control panel seems kind of intimidating compared to the Behmor. Definitely appears more to keep track of in real time so not to mess up your roast? Is there a big learning curve in your opinion? Any thoughts again would be helpful. Thanks
Well, I bought my 3kg in home garage commercial roaster for around US $35K. I usually roast 1kg on it. And I have option for 3kg. The brand is Monstera, its made in Indonesia, and it build like a tank with 9mm cast iron drum.
My bullet arrived last week to me in San Diego. I orders some Ethiopia/natural from Sweet Maria’s to arrive along with it. It’s my first roaster and first experience roasting. I’ve been anticipating eventual arrival for the last year while I attempted to learn as much conceptual roasting theory. I also found all the controls intimidating, at first, but after a handful of roasts it quickly started to make more sense and felt more familiar. I loved that I could search for recipes on Roast Time based on batch size and bean Origen/type. I had the same issue with adding the bean name within Roast Time, and had to jump to Roast World to revise it. I also love that’s it’s electric, not gas. I’m just starting to attempt back to backs with the use of the F1 button. I’m loving it!
I too am looking at purchasing my first roaster. I have watched videos covering different ones{gene cafe, hottop, and more etc) I have also been reading Sweet Maria's website about roasters. I am really interested in this machine but TBH kind of intimidated. I have a somewhat busy life with work young kids wife etc. I am really not sure if I have the ambition right now or more correctly the time for the deep dive in to the laptop, software capabilities of this roaster. Have used the roaster "manually" or just via software? So any insight you may offer since you said this is your first roaster would be great? Is there a big learning curve in your opinion? Any thoughts again would be helpful. Thanks
@@tjsullivan4793 I feel like there are many great videos out there that can help orient you. Im only 10 roasts in and am feeling like I'm getting a hang of it. I've tethered it to my computer every time because I wanted to track each roast and look back as a reference to help me see what to do different the next time. I've never roasted without the computer even though that is possible. I'm still very happy with my purchase.
:)
@@NickWattsOregon Nick thanks for replying. I think I will buy it. It seems from what at least I have read/TH-cam that people seem to really like it. I was really thinking of the Gene but I would hate the feeling and desire to upgrade in a couple years only because the Gene is 650.00 Good Luck with your roasting adventures!
Hello, I am ordering one to SD as well, can you share your buying experience and contact or did you get it from the aillio web?
@@normazambada I had a great experience ordering it straight from the Sweet Maria's website. They sent along for free enough old green beans that you use for your first few seasoning roasts. You can also order from them excellent green beans. The beans I ordered from them arrived the same day. Their website is a great resource for roasting information.
It took me awhile to convert what I've learned about roasting to Aillio Bullet, about 4 months. Now I can take control and produce good enough coffee to enjoy with friends and family.
Totally with you on that brother! I was shocked about the speed of heat on this little electric heat conductor. First roast went quite fast! Also hi from KSA!
Per your wrap-up questions: I am a curious serious coffee enthusiast. I don't roast but for sure I do wonder about that possibility, and I really enjoyed your review of this fascinating gear. Thanks for posting this video!
I've been using ikawa home to understand recipes and would later soon dive into this roaster. I really love the idea of roasting in this amount for those who's starting to maybe sell specialty coffee.
I’ve been roasting on a bullet for a little under a year now. Beyond the occasional bug with the software, I really can’t say much negative about it. I am concerned of having it break and it being a relatively difficult process to repair, but nothing has ever hinted to me that something was going to break beyond one time my BT probe reading spiked. But yeah, makes tasty coffee, great to share, fun to tweak.
Almost too much data sometimes? I briefly fell into a trap trying to achieve a ‘perfect’ graph rather than trying to get the perfect flavor. I stopped using my sight/sound/smell for a moment there. But that’s on me, not the bullet.
Thanks for the review. Good work👍
I just got mine today 5/18/23 I have been using the Behmore for about 8 Years and boy is it tired. Cant wait to start the seasoning :)
I've owned a Bullet for a couple years now. Great machine. Great to see you spotlight it. I'd love to see you do a series of videos offering tips on roasting on the Bullet. Are you on roast world? Would be interested in seeing your profiles.
Also interested in your profiles on roastworld. A roast along would be cool too.
I've had my bullet for 3 years. I don't even bother with PC and software anymore. Just roast manually and it does well. I also use it as a sample roaster for my larger commercial Bellwether roaster.
I’ve been roasting on a Gene Cafe for a few years now. I’m absolutely lusting after this machine. I just need to round up $3,500 soon.
I am another Gene Cafe roaster as well. The Bullet is on my list as well. I have enjoyed how simple it is to roast on the Gene, but have always been limited by the lack of a "bean temperature" which would help with fine tuning a roast cycle. All the Gene really tells you is the temperature of the air blowing over the beans in the drum. One thing in the favor of the Gene is the ability to repeat a previous good roast. The Gene is also hampered by a softer rate of rise than I would like.
I've owned the Aillio for a few months now and there are just a few minor drawbacks to roasting on an electric roaster. First, and unfortunately, the Aillio only comes in the 110v in the US which makes it slightly less efficient in increasing heat quickly than it's 220v counterpart. That being said, I firmly stand by the electric induction technology. Yes, there might be a slight lag in temperature increases when comparing it to a gas roaster, however, this debility does not impede it from making a really good coffee. The technology, weight, software, user-friendliness and cost all come together to rival the Mill City in every single way. The only improvements I would make is to add a bean drop guide to help the beans fall after roasting - I find myself sometimes picking up fallen beans. (I noticed the Japanese versions of the Aillio come with that attachment, not approved for sale in the US yet which makes me sad)
Theres a guy on the bullet owners Facebook page that sells bean chutes for about $50. They’re well made.
I don't feel limited. The real benefit of 220 is roasting above capacity which I'll only do with a low altitude bean. I've done well with 1200g for low altitude beans. I'm much more bothered by the shape and capacity of the chaffe bin
@@veganpotterthevegan That's good to hear. I haven't yet maxed out the capacity of the roaster (1000g) let alone 1200g 😂 but I'm glad it can be pushed beyond it's limits. I've stuck to 500g roast for now while I try different methods. Once I start producing for customer demand, I'm sure I'll be roasting 1kg batches all day. Oh, yeah I agree with you. I would love to see an accessory/attachment for increasing the capacity or attaching an aftermarket chaff collector. I'd like to be able to roast back to back without worrying about my machine spontaneously combusting (not that it's currently an issue, but still a worry in the back of my mind)
@@giovannyt.6778 I've definitely had bugs with mine. Not actually heat related but heat related🙃 The tiny fan that keeps the heat sensor clean has been an issue but it's been good for about 200lbs of coffee. I also think Aillio may be willing to send out 220 units if you buy direct which I wouldn't do. It's nice to have a distributor to send you fast replacement parts.
*I also think you'll find most coffees are easier to roast at 800g or more. Small batches are easier to let get away from you. Of course, you can only drink so much coffee and it's tough just giving it away if you can't really afford to do that.
@@giovannyt.6778 There are people roasting 1500g with the 220 with good results. I personally wouldn't wanna do that even if I could. I just think the drum is too small for that for ideal bean contact.
*I do hope they eventually make a larger bullet. 2-3 kilo would be perfect for the size of company I hope to work up to...no interest in mailing coffee and there's a lot of respect between local roasters here and I have other ventures that keep me busy. The AiO is cool but I don't want my roaster doing so much for me.
Welcome to the Aillio Roasters!
i have using this since August 2016.
Nice video with good experience behind it! 👊
Great video, I am a little tempted to upgrade from my Behmor but I have a hard time to justify the cost if I only roast for my own consumption. Most of my friends isn’t coffee nerds so selling to friends and family doesn’t make the investment calculation better.
see if there are coffee stores around that sell several coffee brands that you can sell your coffee in without much fuzz or marketing and whatnot 😮
great review! thank you!
Thanks for watching and the kind words! Cheers!
Sick video Sprometheus. I have the pleasure of owning a Bullet as well and I absolutely love all the ways you can approach a roast on it. What strategies have you found to be super helpful in general? Are you a proponent of the soak on this machine or prefer to just hit the ground running? Also curious how you found the IBTS coming from a commercial roaster.
2 questions- 1) how is the smoke? Can you roast indoors? Do you connect an exhaust hose to it? 2) you didn’t mention in your video if you purchased this, if it was given to you, or discounted. Would be good to know for potential bias transparency
The smoke is too much for indoors without an exhaust fan or a setup to pull it out. I paid full price for this, it was bought for my roasting business, not affiliated with Sprometheus.
@@Sprometheus thank you for the reply. :)
Coincidentally I got 4 coffee plants (Bourbon Pointu aka Arabica var Laurina) in the post today which I'm hoping to cultivate and crop. If it works I'll plant more but I'll also have an interesting problem of processing and roasting them. Too few videos by reputable coffee vloggers on home roasting. You've done a great series on this so far. Hoping to have a practical reason to re-watch your "ROASTING COFFEE - Learn At Home On A Budget" video sometime in the future.
Thats interesting. Are you gonna look at some entry level drum roaster too? Would be interesting to hear your thoughts on 300-500 USD drum roaster, especially since you have experience with a top of the line model. Been thinking of getting one to raost a little on weekends.
After have a coffee truck for several years, I started to roastwith a Bullet, is an incredible machine, I already have roasted over 1 ton of coffee in a year. Now I don't know if upgrade to a bigger roaster or just get more Bullets.
I’ve seen some setups on IG of 3 bullets roasting side by side haha.
Have you looked into the AiO, their new flagship machine? It's a commercial 2kg roaster.
Crushed the intro 👍🏻
Awesome video! Thank you Guys!
Love to see more content about this machine, this is a great video!
This is my next purchase :) I own a Behmore and even though it gets the job done, this is a whole different level!
You’ll definitely appreciate the control the Bullet provides. I honestly would prefer the Bullet over any of the full scale roasters I used previously.
Hello,
I was wondering - would some sort of ventilation be 100% necessary on this machine? I live in an apartment and it would be quite troublesome to set up a/c for this
thanks in advance
I’m lusting after this machine. Using the Genie Cafe now, but the Bullet looks like what I’m after.
I have been playing around with my bullet R1 for the past 7 months and I find it pretty good.
You can try a neat little hack for the cooling try by using a soup pot stirrer found around for about $25. Makes it much easier during cooling and helps in chaff collection. One of the cheapest and effective hacks for the aillio (other than getting a nice cloudline to modulate exhaust air).
RPM is extremally important for a lot more consistent roasts.
I have been dropping my beans at D4 and P6 giving it a nice 1:20m soak at the start of any big patch and ramping up to P9 at the end of the soak and gradually drop the P and upping the D until the FC where I reach D9. Made a huge difference in the quality of the roast.
Do you recommend this more or Kaleido Sniper?
I’ve never used the Sniper, though we had discussed a loaner but the conversation fell off. But I can’t imagine there are many if any small scale, electric roasters as good as this, especially with their roasting software. It’s a killer combo.
@@Sprometheus Thanks for replying at such a fast speed. I just debating between AILLIO BULLET and Kaleido Sniper M2 Coffee Roaster (50-400g).
Great information as usual. I must say I’m not prepared to go down this hole though. It seems like a dedicated hobby for those interested.
Yeah. I only go through about 2lbs of coffee a month. I would have to be roasting way more than I normally consume to make the investment.
3rd option. My local shop wood fire roasts and I’ll be honest, I really dig it.
Awesome video as I’m on the fence considering to bite the bullet or not. Started my journey with nesco then to stovepop and now direct fire Kaldi.
From taste wise, I find the direct fire roast from Kaldi tasted way better than the hot air or even the stovepop.
Perhaps mentally the way I think of it is you can pan fry a steak or grill a steak over fire. To me steak over fire will always have more flavor than pan fried.
That being said my interest in the bullet is two folds. 1) playback mode to keep roast back to back closely consistent and 2) the induction heating element which may be closely resembles direct fire (perhaps?)
Would love to hear your thoughts on same beans roasted by the bullet vs gas type and how the flavor taste if any different for you?
I haven’t started roasting yet but I have been watching videos and learning about it. I’m planning on starting soon. Let’s see how it goes.
Should I buy this toaster or the ikawa pro ? Definitely buy one of the two. I have never roasted my own coffee before. All input is welcome
Nice review! At 3:41 is that chaff or green coffee coming out from below the drum?
Have been roasting for 20 plus years. Started with a popcorn popper. Have been considering one of these for years…
how is the level of heat control compared to a gas roaster? I have a behmor, and my frustration is with the lack of proportional input control for heat. it takes too long to heat up when I want it to. I assume most electrical roasters are like this, but this is an induction roaster, so i'm assuming that responsive control is much greater than an electrical roaster. How does it compare to gas? Thanks
How did it do roasting the beans? I'm trying to get info and opinions on this unit before I buy it thanks isaac
I used to roast with gene cafe for 2 years
I had some VERY good roasts(I can give you the one and only profile that works with gene), but I also had some VERY bad undeveloped roasts, because with gene you can't have bean temperature, The most important thing in my opinion
How were your settings with the Genecafe?
@@peterv6036 Preheat at max temp for 10 minutes with drum loaded
Then, be fast, and load the beans
Use 200gr for low or medium height grown beans, or 170gr for high grown high density beans
Roast at max temp until first crack
If everything goes well at about 8'30"-9'30" you will have the first crack
When the first crack finishes, remove the beans based to the roast level you want
I used to remove after 15", after the 1st crack finishes(for medium roast)
Important, don't cool the beans in the drum, it's not working well
Remove imidietely the beans and cool them outside with a fan, I used a big sieve with a laptop fan underneath
Have a good roast
@@wakeawaken430 cool, thanks! Almost the exact settings and procedure as mine. Got really great results already but looking forward to tweak it with your preferences and try it out.
@@peterv6036 it's not easy, but you can have great results with gene
The challenge is with high density beans, -10" or +10" remove time makes huge difference
Great video, thank you. I've been roasting on a Behmor since 2017 and planning to upgrade it to the Bullet mid this year, very helpful video. How consistent are the 1kg batches? Behmor can do up to 400g but I can only realistically do 300g to avoid roast defects and to be able to do quicker roasts 🙂
dont get the bullet. hucky500 for the win.
I do not need a roaster. I do not need a roaster. I do not need a roaster. My birthday is coming up though... maybe I need a roaster... 🤨
Haha, if you’re going to get a roaster this is the one!
@@Sprometheus I've been eyeing it for years to be honest. I'd love to get into it, but it's not exactly a cheap plunge to take.
Okay well I've had the bullet for 4 years and it's been having some issues.. one of them is the belt keep getting loose if you roast close to 2 lb. Also the door is loose and the beans push it out during the roast and get stuck in between the drum and the door causing the drum to stop rolling. These are the two main issues that I've been having since I bought it. I stopped using it 🤷
That's so cool! Any plans for making a beginner's guide to home roasting?
I’d like to do some tutorials for sure. Just figuring out the best way to go about it
@@Sprometheus Thanks! You're the real MVP
If I was to learn to roast on a smaller electric roaster such as this one. Would a transition to a larger commercial roaster be difficult or is the hardware similar enough for a smooth transition?
Hey guys,
Does this roaster produce a lot of exhaust/smoke when roasting? Mulling over whether or not to go for it as the best space I have is an apartment balcony.
I have been roasting appr. 90 batches on a Cormorant CR 600 gas roaster since I acquired it in late 2020 coming from a small sample roaster. This has significantly enhanced my knowledge of how to create and run roast profiles completely manually on a roaster that is super reactive to heat changes. I roasted with a friend on his Bullet yesterday (did 5 batches of naturals, honeys and washed beans of different origins). The automation, replay of your own and application of other's profiles and the full electronic control is super helpful and of course way beyond what my CR 600 or a simple gas roaster can do. I found that the changes to heat settings have a longer lag than the changes in the gas roaster (probably 20-30 seconds rather than 5-10 seconds on the gas roaster). This means you have to plan your energy budget during the roast (charge temp, soak, step down of energy levels) and stick to it consistently. I found eg. that applying a soak in the beginning of the roast (which is helpful for naturals, honeys or carbonic macerated beans to preserve the fruit notes and external sugars) is risky, because you need to ensure your roast does not stall in the end.
If you roast for your home environment for my personal consumption patterns the capacity is a little too large - I would rather prefer 400-500g batches as this matches my coffee consumption better, which may be a little small for the Bullet (rather 700-800g as a sweet spot).
I also like the integration with roasttime, although running Artisan provides a similar level of automation (except for the inventory functions, which on Artisan you need to spend 49€ annually to get access to Artisan+). A lively commmunity can be a big advantage - I am not sure how well it works. Need to use a 3rd party cooling device (or at least an industrial vacuum cleaner) to quickly cool down larger batches.
Summing up I can see big fun, steep learning curve and great roasts if you master the Bullet. Well suited to a small business and the home roaster with high bean throughput. My concerns are: less reactive than a gas roaster, 1.000 - 1.500€ more expensive than the CR 600 or a Quest, operating cost being an electric roaster is higher than gas (I am still on my first 5kg gas tanks after 90 roasts!), efficient cooling needs add ons, and finally: in case of defects the deep integration of electronics (which is very charming - do not get me wrong here) will call for higher servicing/repair cost and longer downtimes. On the CR 600 all of the components are standard components easily accessible on the Internet and self servicing is super easy and straightforward.
Is there an equivalent priced and sized roaster that works on LPG? An even "niche-ier" product would be one that's roasted in nature, where there's no electricity. Coffee is alive and absorbs "information" from its surroundings, it is imprinted with the vibe it is roasted at.
I would love to try this thing!
Thank you for this. I have thought about home roasting and almost bought a Sandbox Smart on a recent promotion here in the UK. Decided to wait awhile to see if my palate improves enough to want to finally make the jump. This would seem a very good next level machine after the Smart
Oh yeah, this is definitely a lot of roaster for your first one. Although it is possible, it’s just a big investment. But roasting is a lot of fun and I’m sure most who have the experience of roasting and tasting good coffee they roasted themselves would have a hard time not loving it.
get a hucky500.
Have you tried the Quest M3? Im on a freshroast ut planning on moving to the Quest M3 when the freshroast dies. I just cant bring myself to spending 3K or more on a roaster
Yesterday someone mentioned this Bullet roaster and today I see this review posted here. Nice! I am thinking about setting up a small part time roasting business, could you still use this at home? (How much smoke would it generate?) And for what volumes could you use this? Tnx for the video!
Not sure if you are aware of the Arc 800, but if you are, which roaster would be best for a small batch home coffee roasting and why?
Any of the current Bullet users notice any difference in the intake air functionality? I understand from one of the retailers that unlike a gas drum roaster, the bullet does not heat the intake air charge since its induction. The air is heated some by the heat of the drum itself, but thats pretty different. Seems like end results are solid, so just curious if you’re seeing any notable differences in this area. Thanks
Hey Spro, great video! Honestly I was unaware of your roasting background. I've been roasting on a bread machine/heat gun combo for the past 7 yrs. Been thinking about upgrading to either the bullet or the Cormorant CR600. Have you heard of the later? Essentially seems like the classic gas vs. electric debate. Tough decision. I like the romanticism of a gas roaster but electric may be more convenient...
Thanks for the video. Prometheus.
What's your opinion about the Kaffelogic Nano7 for home user who is enthusiastic about profiling, and doesn't afford Ikawa.
How do the Hottop roasters compare for less money? My local espresso guy recommends that I get a Hottop coffee roaster.
Good video. Thank you.
Thanks Cheekster!
I wish I could say I was very happy with my latest roaster purchase, I got a Behmor. It’s a terrible disappointment after a custom build I’ve used for the last five years how to be shelved For time constraints because I can’t rebuild it right now
The bullet has looked great for a long time. However, the Behmor Jake looks really fantastic too (even though it'll probably be another year until it comes out).
Yeah I’ve been seeing pictures and hearing about the Jake for years, not sure what’s taking them so long.
@@Sprometheus They released an update back in February saying they're wanting to release a number of them for testing. Maybe you could snag one 😄
Agree that the Jack looks super interesting but there is no info about a release date no matter where I look, even tried to contact the company.
There is another roaster from Coffee Tech Engineering with a "smokeless" upgrade that is on my radar but it's 2 kilos so a bit big for what I am looking for.
Random question - Would a home coffee roaster that has sold here and there ( in Florida) need an LLC? Basically just getting started. If so why?
As someone very seriously buying one (albeit used), how would you compare roastime to the more commonly used cropster and artisan? And how would you compare the experience of a bullet to a huky 500T or Kaldi monitored with Artisan?
This thing rocks! Couldn’t be happier- roast on!
i want a bullet 😮 specially after seeing the for sale group, some people have used it daily several hours a day for years thing still works well!
What's the going rate for decent green coffee? I wonder if roasting yourself may ever save money in the long run. (Not including the KWh this machine uses).
Check out Sweet Maria’s, Happy Mug, or Coffee Bean Corral, they all have a nice selection of greens
Or Dean's Beans, they are fair trade and organic
It all varies, it depends on the green and the quantities. But average prices for specialty green will be from $2.80 and then up from there. I’ve got a few on hand now, I think they were all in the $3-5 a lb range.
What are the requirements for venting this roaster? One gets the impression from the video that you're roasting coffee next to your indoor espresso machine. They tend to make an enormous amount of smoke. Also, if there is an issue with the roaster, apart from regular maintenance, how/where do you repair it? Where is this roaster made?
I got my eye on that Lagom P64. Why the switch?! Tell us more
I’m working on a full review video on it and about why I choose it. But basically I wanted something as different as I could get from the Niche in terms of flavor, and with the unimodal burrs I think I’ve achieved that.
What about roast evenness? During one of my roasting training, I was assigned to a bullet, but I found that the roast batch after batch was not really even. Not really sure if it just that machine. How would you rate the roast evenness compared to say Ikawa Pro100 or Roest, just to name a few (yes I know they are sample roasters).
I've been roasting on the Bullet V2 for about a year and I've done as many as 14 consecutive batches in a day. Roast evenness hasn't been an issue at all for me, but I do make sure to empty the chaff compartment every 5 or so batches.
I’ve never had an issue with roast evenness. Generally I keep the drum at max, and haven’t toyed around with lower RPMs yet, but I’m sure they could maybe play a part.
Oh no, I didn’t know you could roast your own coffee at home. This is devastating for me financially.
This is actually the part where you'll start to get some ROI. You can get phenomenal specialty coffees for $6.00 a pound. If you're just roasting for your home, you can get a cheap air popper (under $100) and easily recreate roast profiles for your household. You will have paid yourself back after less than 10 lbs of coffee :)
And the rabbit hole claims another soul
I was in the exact same situation, until my family bought me a Behmor and a bag of green coffee... My Coffee Game was forever changed in that moment
We are a startup coffee roasting business that is using the Bullet as our only roaster. We have heard different stories about how much coffee we should roast at one time. Some people say the max, which is 1kg and others say less than that; maybe 24oz or even 16oz. Do you have any thoughts on how much we should roast at one time?
I have a gene cafe cbr101 and I suppose this will be the next step
I am in a similar position. I have the Gene Cafe CBR101 (2016 version bought used for a very low price). So many of the good roasting books are assuming you have a classic drum roaster, and the numbers they use don't apply to the Gene Cafe very well. I have used a optical pyrometer to measure bean temperature, but discovered it only tells me the temperature of the outside of the Glass drum, and not the beans inside. i.e. First crack reads 340f on the optical pyrometer (so essentially you must add 45 degrees F to your reading). Still, it does not have an effective way to track "rate of rise" which is what drum roasters rely upon. It is hard to hear first crack and second crack with some beans (in some cased impossible with some peaberry beans).
Still, all that said, some great roasts have been produced with the Gene Cafe, and it was a very good first step. So yes, the Bullet or the Hottop are on my road map in the future.
would you go for Ikawa or Alio Bullet ?
I have also pretty much decided on getting a Bullet to place in my office. Roasting for personal use and perhaps sell small quantities of exclusive specialty. Thanks for reaffirming me in that decision.
One question though: smoke, how bad? I’ve heard that it’s advisable to run a tube to the ventilation system which is a bit of a hassle not to mention an eyesore. You don’t seem to have done that.
@@dsdf_fdp1858 Yeah, now I caught it, just flashed by in a second. Thanks.
I got the Bullet and then a roaster certificate from SCA… like what i make but also stuck every day with what I roasted (each batch 500g) and now miss exploring and buying random coffee.
You realize you can do smaller batches? Rob Hoos does 150g batches for sampling and many others roast 300g when starting.
Would the Bullet be a good sample roasters.
Now we need a video on sourcing green coffee beans
In my manufacturing background, I worked in a 5.6 million dollar fully automated spray dryer and the recipe editor, required for GMP, was super clunky and non-intuitive. So it doesn't surprise me that a cheaper roaster would have clunky software.
How much? Thanks.
It looks like a neat piece of kit. I'd have to drink a lot of coffee to warrant one though.
You didn’t talk about batch size at all. Did you experiment in this area much?
Been roasting on a Behmor for about 5 years now. The roasts have been decent but not spectacular. On a whim I just got the Popper from SM. The fist several 90 g roasts were actually pretty disappointing, but then I got a roast that blew my mind. The temp control is way too sensitive so I stopped adjusting it and just let the natural RoR take place from one setting. That seems to deliver a very sweet cup from Central Americans. The Bullet looks amazing, but for my consumption rate, will never fit my hobby budget.
Can you cover the sandbox smart roaster?!?!?!?!