Assembly Guide Section K.
Adjusted to include General Drum Info, Gear Motor Tips
and Roast Profiles. Recommended Read for new RK
Owners
New
Assembly Guide
containing nearly 200
annotated images with detailed how-to's Finally!
FREE SHIPPING ON ALL
ORDERS! (Continental 48 States Only)
International Orders, please contact me.
Thank you for your support
Ron Kyle
RK DRUMS
Expect 2 weeks for Delivery.
Reviews
Walt Lewis
Chiammaya Custom Crafted Chocolate
Hard to believe
I've been using my RK drum since 2004 and it
is still as great as day one. In looking for
information for a friend and having been
away from the site for several years I was
amazed to see the progress made. I saw the
new drum latch and had to have it. It
arrived last week but only got around to
installing it today. I had to roast some
almonds
for some Custom Crafted chocolate I make.
Thirty seconds is all it took
and away I went. It takes about 30
minutes on low to roast 4 pounds of almonds.
I did my first batch and began checking at
15 minutes. In 5 minute increments I went
along. The last time I checked and it still
needed a bit longer I
went to seal back up the drum and was
SHOCKED!! Had I broken the latch ALREADY? No
I discovered it pivots and was just fine.
Sure will make it
easier to open and close with my welding
gloves on!
As usual, thanks for an FANTASTIC product!
Scott Angelo-Oceana Coffee
It’s been a
while since I bought my roaster. Great work,
have been having good times & roasting
plenty of coffee. I have even had it
reviewed by the crew at Royal NY, who loved
what I sent them
Jay
Michels
Got the new clip, and pop riveted it on. Must
have taken me all of 2 minutes!
Just completed roasting 20 pounds of various
beans, and I LOVE the new clip!!!!
No more fiddling around with the pin, just pop
it out, flip the clip, dump the beans, and on to
the next batch.
As you mentioned in your review, a bit less
noise, and much faster turnaround times between
roasts.
Still regret not going with the 6 pound drum.
Best Wishes,
Jay Michels
Glenn Secola- Palomar Mtn, CA
I echo everyone else's
comments on the extremely professional quality of
this drum. Ok, we all agree on that of course,
one look and even a fairly non tech/mechanical
person such as myself can see that level of quality
you ensure.
I usually experience
some form of "buyer's remorse" on large purchases, I
don't know why, but that's me.
Not so on the RK Drum
though! I am so glad I finally bought this! I
thought my SC/TO would be the one and
only, (as I roasted my
12oz smugly, thinking of those "other" 3 or 4 oz
roasters)
Roasting coffee with
the RK Drum is like "printing money"! The RK Drum
paid for itself fast.
Your customer service,
attitude and willingness to answer questions, make
suggestions about everything from
roasting to buying beans
to bags etc. You return civility and customer
service to a professional level seldom
seen anymore. You even
took time out on your Alaska trip to "talk me down"
during a difficult roast. I was using
a different motor than
the one you offer and you made several suggestions
that helped me overcome a problem.
I am sure I will one
day get your motor after I tire of customizing ice
packs etc to keep my motor cool for 5 or 6 roasts.
I have now been using
the RK Drum for 6 months or so and still getting an
even roast with my average of 5 -6 # is now routine
for me. Roasting the sometimes fussy Dry Process
greens is now a pleasure, the RK Drum tosses the
beans
perfectly, enabling me
to get very even roasts.
I read with longing
your description of your new cooler. The fact that
you now offer the new latch system is wonderful!
I must say, the RK Drum
is just about perfect! The previous latch was
doable, but I wont miss it. I found a different
latch pin at H. D. that actually seems to be a bit
easier to work than the cotter pin., but I am
ordering the new latch!
Tom Haigler-NC
I have been roasting
for 3 years as a hobby and many of my family members and
friends have suggested that I should start to sell my
coffee. Within the second year of sales, my first
roaster could not keep up with the overwhelming demand
of Tom’s Best Coffee. I have since upgraded to the
premium RK Drum Roaster, which allows me to produce my
product more efficiently. My customers can tell a big
difference in the quality of my roast. I not only
recommend this roaster but I give a A+ to Shane for his
customer service.
Tom Haigler
Lexington, NC (Jan
2009)
Pictorial
Assembly Guide
This will attempt to be a step-by-step setup guide for building
your own roaster, (This can be difficult as every
grill is different.) It is a collection of documents
and images that give close-up or additional detailed information that may
make the assembly of your RK Roaster easier. Since every
setup is unique, a little ingenuity and forethought is necessary
to completing your setup.
*************DISCLAIMER***************
Do we need to
say this? ....ok, here we go.
These
instructions are provided as a helpful guide. They are not
necessarily a step-by-step exact guide for your situation.
Some thinking, planning, forethought, and common sense are
required on your part. If you do not know how to use hand
tools, power tools or otherwise, please acquire the assistance
of a knowledgeable person. Working with tools, flammables
and electricity can be dangerous if common sense is not used.
If you scratch yourself, bruise yourself, cut yourself, burn
yourself, electrocute yourself, drill through your hand, cut
your arm off, poke your eye out, lose any appendages, blow yourself up or blow up your
neighbors, family and friends, or inflict any other kind of injury to
persons or property, we are not responsible, RK is not
responsible, you did it to yourself.
There is nothing
unusually dangerous here and every attempt has
been made to make this guide safe and logical, but use your
head, if you are not sure how to do something, ask a question in
the forum or get some help. If this guide is intimidating,
ask for help from someone who knows this kind of work.
Wear your safety glasses!
Make sure that
your grill selection contains the rotisserie cutouts.
(Figure 1 & 2)These
cutouts can either be on the lid or the base of the grill.
Some of the newer low-end grills don't seem to have this any
longer for some reason. You can still make a grill without
them work, but it will require you to cut into the grill to
accommodate the rod (Figure 3).
Save yourself some headache if you can and get a grill with this
feature. Also make sure your grill is a minimum of
40,000BTU. The Rotisserie Bracket holes, pre-drilled
(Figure 1)
will save you one
extra step, otherwise you will have to drill your own holes.
Also, I think you will have better results if you use a new
grill that has never had meat in it, as flavors and aromas can
get into your coffee. Otherwise clean your grill real well
and run it at 600F for an hour to burn out all the grease and
other odors.
SELECTION OF A
4LB GRILL:
Your drum is
only going to be 12" long in the case of the 4Lb drum, so pretty
much any grill out there will fit the bill.
In all cases,
try to avoid, if you can, a grill with a massive cavernous
interior space. If you buy a HUGE grill, you will just
have to pay in propane to heat the entire internal space, when
the reality is that you only need your heat focused on the
drum/coffee itself.
Any additional
interior space is arguably a waste, and more inefficient.
You can do the dome cap sheet metal mod if you need to, however.
Take your tape
measure along with you to the store, make sure, measure the
width of the grill to see that it is at least 14" wide.
(Figure
3.1)
This is pretty
much a no-brainer, I think every grill made surely is at least
14" wide. But just in case I'll say it here.
Measure your
height from the bottom of the rotisserie cutout down to the
diffuser. The drum is 8" in diameter (4" radius), and you will need
about 1 inch for clearance. Remember the drum will sag
when the rod is heated and the drum full of coffee. I've
seen it done with 1/2" clearance, but you might get some scraping.(Figure
3.2)
Another
important measurement is BTU (British Thermal Units). This
is a measurement of how much heat the grill is capable of
producing.
For a 4Lb Setup,
I think minimum is 30,000 BTU and I'm going to recommend at
least 35,000 BTU. At 30,000 you may need to run wide open
to get an even roast on a fully loaded drum, even with the sheet
metal mods, so I'll recommend 35,000 here.
If you already
have a grill you want to use and you're concerned it might not
have enough BTU, give it a shot, you can do the sheet metal mods,
and then you'll run wide open and worst case you'll get coffee
that isn't as good as it could be. But it's worth the shot
if it will save you from buying a grill.
Consider a grill
with a built in thermometer that goes up to at least 550 degrees
F. 600 highly recommended. One less step to do later
if you don't have to install the thermometer.
Make sure the
grill you buy is sturdy and not shaky or flimsy. This
certainly isn't critical, your roasts will be absolutely perfect
either way, but if you are spending money on a grill, with
proper care it will last you many, many years. The weakest
part of the whole system will probably be the grill. If
you already have a grill, that meets the specs, just go with it
if you want to save money; but if you're going to spend money,
buy yourself something that will hold up. Check the side
trays/tubes, make sure they feel solid. You will mount
your motor to the tray so make sure it can hold 10-12 pounds of
weight without folding up like a cheap lawn chair.
What to look
for:
Width:
14"
Vertical
Clearance: 5"
Recommended
BTU: 35,000
Thermometer
Pre Installed.
SELECTION OF A
6LB GRILL:
Your drum is
only going to be 18" long in the case of the 6Lb drum, you will
need about 20" to accommodate the retaining collars. You
can probably get by with 19" but, shoot for 20".
In all cases,
try to avoid, if you can, a grill with a massive cavernous
interior space. If you buy a HUGE grill, you will just
have to pay in propane to heat the entire internal space, when
the reality is that you only need your heat focused on the
drum/coffee itself.
Any additional
interior space is arguably a waste, and more inefficient.
You can do the dome cap sheet metal mod if you need to, however.
Take your tape
measure along with you to the store, make sure, measure the
width of the grill to see that it is at least 20" wide.
(Figure
3.1)
Measure your
height from the bottom of the rotisserie cutout down to the
diffuser. The drum is 8" in diameter (4" radius), and you will need
about 1" inch for clearance. Remember the drum will sag
when the rod is heated and the drum full of coffee. I've
seen it done with 1/2" clearance, but you might get some scraping.(Figure
3.2)
Another
important measurement is BTU (British Thermal Units). This
is a measurement of how much heat the grill is capable of
producing.
For a 6Lb Setup,
I think minimum is 35,000 BTU and I'm going to recommend at
least 40,000 BTU. At 35,000 you may need to run wide open
to get an even roast on a fully loaded drum, even with the sheet
metal mods, so I'll recommend 40,000 here. I do
currently roast 6Lb's on a 36,000 BTU and even with the sheet
metal mods, I have to run real high gas to get even roast on a
full load.
If you already
have a grill you want to use and you're concerned it might not
have enough BTU, give it a shot, you can do the sheet metal mods,
and then you'll run wide open and worst case you'll get coffee
that isn't as good as it could be. But it's worth the shot
if it will save you from buying a grill.
Consider a grill
with a built in thermometer that goes up to at least 600 degrees
F. You'll need the extra heat and will probably regularly
roast at 600 with a 6Lb green load. The pre-installed
thermometer is one less step to do later.
Make sure the
grill you buy is sturdy and not shaky or flimsy. This
certainly isn't critical, your roasts will be absolutely perfect
either way, but if you are spending money on a grill, with
proper care it will last you many, many years. The weakest
part of the whole system will probably be the grill. If
you already have a grill, that meets the specs, just go with it
if you want to save money; but if you're going to spend money,
buy yourself something that will hold up. Check the side
trays/tubes, make sure they feel solid. You will mount
your motor to the tray so make sure it can hold 10-12 pounds of
weight without folding up like a cheap lawn chair.
What to look
for:
Width:
20"
Vertical
Clearance: 5"
Recommended
BTU: 40,000
Thermometer
Pre Installed.
SELECTION OF A
8LB GRILL:
Your drum is
only going to be 24" long in the case of the 8Lb drum, you will
need about 25" and preferably a minimum of 25.5" to
accommodate the retaining collars.
In all cases,
try to avoid, if you can, a grill with a massive cavernous
interior space. If you buy a HUGE grill, you will just
have to pay in propane to heat the entire internal space, when
the reality is that you only need your heat focused on the
drum/coffee itself.
Any additional
interior space is arguably a waste, and more inefficient.
You can do the dome cap sheet metal mod if you need to, however.
Take your tape
measure along with you to the store, make sure, measure the
width of the grill to see that it is at least 25 to 25.5"
(preferably) wide. (Figure
3.1)
Measure your
height from the bottom of the rotisserie cutout down to the
diffuser. The drum is 8" in diameter (4" radius), and you will need
about 1" inch for clearance. Remember the drum will sag
when the rod is heated and the drum full of coffee. I've
seen it done with 1/2" clearance, but you might get some scraping.(Figure
3.2)
Another
important measurement is BTU (British Thermal Units). This
is a measurement of how much heat the grill is capable of
producing.
For a 8Lb Setup,
I think minimum is 40,000 BTU and I'm going to recommend at
least 45,000 BTU. At 40,000 you may need to run wide open
to get an even roast on a fully loaded drum, even with the sheet
metal mods, so I'll recommend 45,000 here. I do
currently roast 6Lb's on a 36,000 BTU and even with the sheet
metal mods, I have to run real high gas to get even roast on a
full load.
If you already
have a grill you want to use and you're concerned it might not
have enough BTU, give it a shot, you can do the sheet metal mods,
and then you'll run wide open and worst case you'll get coffee
that isn't as good as it could be. But it's worth the shot
if it will save you from buying a grill.
Consider a grill
with a built in thermometer that goes up to at least 600 degrees
F and preferably 650. You'll need the extra heat and will
probably regularly roast at 600 with a 8Lb green load. The
pre-installed thermometer is one less step to do later.
Make sure the
grill you buy is sturdy and not shaky or flimsy. This
certainly isn't critical, your roasts will be absolutely perfect
either way, but if you are spending money on a grill, with
proper care it will last you many, many years. The weakest
part of the whole system will probably be the grill. If
you already have a grill, that meets the specs, just go with it
if you want to save money; but if you're going to spend money,
buy yourself something that will hold up. Check the side
trays/tubes, make sure they feel solid. You will mount
your motor to the tray so make sure it can hold 10-12 pounds of
weight without folding up like a cheap lawn chair.
What to look
for:
Width: 25
to 25.5"
Vertical
Clearance: 5"
Recommended
BTU: 45,000
Thermometer
Pre Installed.
(Figure
3.1)
(Figure
3.2)
B.
ROTISSERIE SELECTION
This is the
recommended Rotisserie (Figure
3.3) available for around $50-$60 at Lowe's,
Home Depot and many other major hardware stores. We only
sell these in the "Everything Kits".
(Sorry, these
things are just a bit too hard to find consistently, in volume
locally for us to stock them for individual sale.)
You will need to acquire this on your own
or buy one of the Everything Kits. Check with the major
hardware chains, they should have something that will fit the
bill.
(Figure
3.3)
The "Ove Glove" is a
kevlar/nomex glove that permits handling of the
400-600 degree drum. This is absolutely necessary and you
should not skimp on this purchase as these hot parts will burn
you instantly and severely if not careful. Also
available at Home Depot.
inks
If you should have trouble
finding one of these mentioned products, the Char-Broil
Rotisserie and the Ove Glove can be ordered and shipped online.
You of course don't have to use these brands but it is what I
have found to work best. Try these links while they last!
The 6 RPM
rotisserie motor for light duty roasting only, rotisserie rod,
handle, support bracket, thermometer, bearings, and mounting
hardware. All of this sits in a flour-sifter type
restaurant sifting tray which can be used for cooling your
beans. This is a basic equipment setup.
(Figure 3.4)
(Figure
3.4)
C.
GRILL SETUP
(Figure
4)
Step 1.
Unbox and prepare your grill for your RK Roasting Setup.
(Figure
5)
Step 2. It
helps to have good stable ground for setup, complete the grill
setup in the way that you would prefer it. Remove all
grates that you would normally grill meat on. The only
thing we want inside is the burners and burner diffusers.
D.
MATERIALS SETUP
(Figure
6)(Figure
7)
Step 3.
Get all of your supplies together so you will be able to build
quickly and efficiently. This should be most of
what you will need.
(Figure
8)
Step 4.
First we really need to check and make sure that your drum is
going to have enough clearance above the diffusers and below the
lid, if the drum scrapes against your grill when turning, you
are going to have to make some significant mods to the grill to
make it work, and you're probably better off returning your
grill and selecting another model. I'll illustrate this
better in the next picture. For now, insert your rod
through the drum and just lay it in position on the grill.
Close the lid and turn the spit rod by hand and make sure the
drum doesn't rub anything (lid or diffusers)
(Figure 8)
Also, when you
have 4-5 pounds of green coffee in the drum, and the metal rod
becomes more flexible due to the heat, the drum could sag nearly
an 3/4 an inch and scrape the diffusers. So just be aware
that if you have 3/4" or less clearance now, when you load it
down and heat it up, it probably is going to rub. This
will be illustrated better in the next picture.
(Figure9)
I've only been roasting
coffee since June of this year (09). I needed to get
a larger roaster, seems like every week I roast more
and more. I did alot research and just did not want
to pull the trigger on a $3500.00 plus roaster.
I contacted Shane and talked to him about a drum. I
ended up ordering the 4# roaster, bought a new grill
and did the sheet metal mods. Shipping was fast and
correct. The drum is built to last a lifetime, the
only thing that I should have done different was to
get the 6# drum for $90.00 more. (Shane should have
talked me into getting the 6# roaster.) LOL
It was simple to set up and get it going. I've more
than maxed it out a couple of times, beans came out
great. You can see the mods i've made to the grill
and the simple bean cooler I built on Shane's web
site.
Bottom line is that the drum is top notch, works
great and is well worth the money! Shane is also a
great guy to talk to and will treat you right.
Dale
Mark
Onks
I'm an engineer--the drum is a
work of art and the motor and mounts are terrific
and the whole kit is well thought-out and it makes
GREAT COFFEE! I've done several roasts using your
suggested profile for 1lb batches and I'm getting
the hang of it! I will graduate to larger batches
when I decide what kind of beans I want to order in
quantity. The only bad thin.g about this setup is
that I want to roast all the time and you need lots
of beans in your inventory to have all that fun!
Thanks for your great products, and
even more for your superb customer service! Keep up
the good work!
Tom
Haigler-Lexington, NC (July 2009)
1 st crack hit at 15:50 minutes..
50 seconds of a pause & beans went
into a slow start of a rolling second crack
/......Time 19:30 (complete)
dumped 4 lbs (3&1/3 lbs Roasted) into a good 12+
seconds of a 2nd crack
(Rolling) and slammed the brakes on 2nd crack when
the beans hit my cooling
fan.... let see if someone could do that with a
roaster under $750.00.....Excellent+ Roaster you got
there Shane!
Tom
Haigler-Lexington, NC (June 2009)
It is so nice to be able to roast
4 pounds of greens in around 20 minutes. My wife
sells most of my coffee at her work place and they
(office) could tell a big difference in the quality
of coffee than the previous roaster I had. It really
does an excellent job for the money that you invest.
Mike Brisson
Atlanta, GA
I've only done a couple of roasts,
and none more than about 3 pounds, But so far I've
been getting good reviews from folks and I certainly
like the coffee myself. The squeak has been
minimized, the wobble in the spit largely goes away
when it's loaded up and hot, and the clasp/door has
not really caused me any problems. In short, I'm
loving my new roaster. It has made my life a lot
easier. And so far, without any modifications I'm
roasting (albeit with smaller loads) at near "low"
on the the three burners.
Rob
Whelen,
Wilmington, NC
Epula, LLC
Hey Shane-- just did my 50th roast
last night. I am really excited about the outcome.
The 1 and 2 lb roasts go a little fast, since my
grill puts out a lot of heat. But the 5 pounds are
going about 15-17 minutes and the flavor is
fantastic. Great product.
Rob
Whelen,
Wilmington, NC
Epula, LLC
Shane-- drum is working
great, developing a very nice patina, if you will.
7 roastings so far, fantastic flavor which to me is
fuller than the fluid air bed roasts. I am getting
to 2nd crack at about 12 minutes. I'd like to slow
it down slightly but that's a good time in my book.
Craig
Jensen-Hammond, LA (Feb 2009)
The drums looked well
built and unlikely to fall apart in a year. Also, since
it used a propane grill, no worries about voltage
issues.
All in all, it is very
direct. You don't have to fiddle with some electronic
program to get it to do what you want it to do. Just
set the temp as you like it. It seems much more direct
and pleasant. I did a range of roasts, from city-ish to
full city to vienna, and am satisfied with all of them.
It is very easy to hear the beans cracking, even though
I had previously only read FAQs about what to expect.
The unit is constructed extremely well. In fact, it is
painfully obvious that the only shoddy construction is
that coming from the grill itself or the rotisserie
spit. The drum looks build like a tank. The motor
assembly is mounted to an extremely thick metal plate
and looks very solid. It all looks like commercial
quality contruction.
(FULL
REVIEW HERE)
Tom
Haigler-Lexington, NC (Jan 2009)
I have been roasting
for 3 years as a hobby and many of my family members and
friends have suggested that I should start to sell my
coffee. Within the second year of sales, my first
roaster could not keep up with the overwhelming demand
of Tom’s Best Coffee. I have since upgraded to the
premium RK Drum Roaster, which allows me to produce my
product more efficiently. My customers can tell a big
difference in the quality of my roast. I not only
recommend this roaster but I give a A+ to Shane for his
customer service.
(This a review by Thomas Owen from Sweet Marias. I sent Tom 3
sample roasts, roasted in a gas grill, with the RK Roasting
Drum. Below are Toms remarks.)
Hi Ron - thanks for sharing the coffee! In
short, I am incredibly impressed. The roasts really appear
to be professional drum roast quality without any sign of
scorching or tipping, and on the City + and Full City you
really nailed the degree of roast on the head. The cup
quality was excellent on these two. Again, I am impressed.
This is better than a lot of small-batch roasters produce.
What I imagine, (and I am not a bbq person) is that it takes
some mastery of the machine paired with some experience with
the coffee. The darker roast blend would be, I guess, a
faster roast and it cups as espresso with a lot of tang to
the roast taste but a little more smokey-carbony-pungent
than I would have expected. There is a big difference
between the lighter ground coffee and the surface color, so
that's why I think it was a little fast and might benefit
from some more roast time ... specifically to back off on
the heat a lot after
1st crack and really ease the coffee slowly into 2nd crack.
This tends to preserve more sweetness in the cup. Once
again, this is another indication that this drum paired with
a good bbq gives the roastmaster a lot of choices in the
outcome, whether that be faster
or slower roast techniques, and that level of control is
something no
other home roaster machine can offer!
If for any reason you want to use my comments as an
endorsement, please do! I think whatever you have learned to
produce these great City and Full City roasts in terms of
monitoring temperature, and judging smell, sight, sound of
the roast, you should try to share in
a tip sheet too. I am going to try the dark roast as brewed
coffee tomorrow am and see of there is more sweetness etc
this way...
Tom
Curtis Scheelke
This is a note to let you know I have been having
great success with my drum. Thanks for the
effort you put into its design and construction.
David Ross
Just did my first two roasts using
your profiles. The results are beautiful!
Thanks for a great product!!
Raid Asfour
We've just received our roaster.... THANX .... very
impressive service and
product!!!!!!!! will recommend you anytime!!
REGARDS
Katherine Murray.
Picked it up this evening and we just roasted our
first batch – WOW! We are very impressed with the
result. Can’t wait to do more :)
Brad &
Jeanette
Nice unit. This is built sturdy and
should last forever. Unfortunately
I dropped motor unit while installing and crushed
the plastic fan. I will epoxy it
together and see if it runs without shaking.
You did a wonderful job on the parts no sharp edges
and even the drilled holes have no burs.
You must have been a machinist or an engineer or
just one talented guy. I am not used to
seeing quality with everything made in china now a
days.
Thanks, Brad
Brian Bircher
I've been meaning to write but I've been too busy
roasting! The drum is
working great and you were right, once it gets
seasoned and "settled in"
it just keeps getting better. I've also become more
adept at controlling
the heat and of course the movements of getting the
drum in and out
quickly become more second nature as you go along.
I've been turning out
some excellent roasts and have been able to hit the
roasts just where I
want them whether it's for a dark roast or a
beautiful City+ or Full
City on an island coffee.
Taking the ceramic briquettes out made all the
difference in the world
as far as being able to reach roast temps faster,
bring my roast times
down to where they should be and to better control
temps during the
roast. It's funny since I had thought it would be
easier to do all that
/with/ the briquettes. I haven't gotten the steel
plate made yet and am
still using the cookie sheet. It's working fine so I
may just leave it.
Anyway, I'm thrilled to death with your drum and am
wondering why I
didn't do this sooner! Regards Brian
Bo out in Montana....
Well, 700+ lbs of coffee roasted in the last year
and a half since purchasing my Drum....and still
banging out some of the best coffee to be found
anywhere.
(if I don;t say so myself) My friends, family, and
even a couple dozen "Customers"?....people who have
adopted me as their coffee supplier will attest-
good beans, fire steel (the RK ) and man it makes
some good coffee,
thanks much again,
Bo Maiuri
Glacier Coffee Roasters.
Paul Jolly:
Thanks to all who steered me right after my poor
experience with the Ronco 4000. A genuine RK drum
arrived in the mail today. It's a beefy rig---no
joke! I headed out to the local welder's supply
store for a pair of good gloves, then returned home
to test the drum out. I fired up the BBQ, burned off
the oils etc. from the drum for 15 minutes, and let
it cool. Once it was safe to touch, I got the grill
back up to heat, added a pound of the Zambia AA to
the drum, and was off. A bit farther off than I'd
hoped, as it turned out...took 22 minutes to get to
second crack, but the emptying & cooling went E-Z.
And man, those beans taste great! Thanks, Ron!
--Paul
Laura Micucci:
Hi,
I whole heartily agree! I bought a motor off of Ron
and what a difference it makes. the shipping was
super fast and all questions were answered promptly.
I am really enjoying BBQ roasting!
Jamie Shepherd
Your drum is awesome! I just roasted my first batch of beans on
my new
RK drum and they came out great. I feel like a kid at Christmas!
Oh
yeah, it is Christmas and this is my present to myself! I
roasted 1 1/4
pound on my first try and chose a bean that I do not really care
for so
that it did not matter what happened. My grill did a great job
of
getting to temp fast and I was able to maintain temps even in
the 45
degree weather with a little breeze blowing. I hit first crack
at 9:11,
cranked back the heat some and it lasted till about 11:00
minutes. I
normally stop my roasts at a C+ and rarely ever reach 2nd crack
but I
wanted to gauge things so I kept on going. At 13:40 I hit 2nd
crack and
at a 14:00 I shut it down and pulled the drum. I don't have a
cooling
system yet so I had a little difficulty but I will get that
squared
away in a day or two. I got a quick lesson in how much heat is
generated in even a pound of beans. It took me a few seconds on
a small
fan to get second crack to stop. I can't wait to try again.
As to my bowed rod issues, things seemed to level out some when
I
heated it all up for the first time and even more on this first
roast.
I think some of my "thump" may have come from the fact that I
can't
seem to get the coupler that mates to the motor to secure to the
end of
the rod squarely. It always wants to have a slight tilt, just
enough to
make things a little uneven. Nonetheless things went great, even
with
my 80 year-old mother watching and talking to me the whole time!
The
beans came out at a very nice FC+ or so and were probably the
most
evenly roasted beans I have seen in a long time. Thanks again. I
will
send some pics of my setup and success later. I've got to go
now; I am
supposed to be roasting a turkey for dinner tonight, not coffee
beans!
Marc Dupuis:
Ditto and more. Fantastic product, but more importantly, great
service before and even better after. RK for President!
md
Eddie Dove
I just wanted to let everyone know that dealing with Ron Kyle
was a pleasure. He patiently answered every one of my questions,
made some recommendations, told me when it would be shipped and
it arrived as he stated. Not only did I enjoy dealing with a man
of integrity, Ron's craftsmanship is a work of art.
Thanks, Ron!
Sincerely,
Eddie
Bob Boseman
Ron,
It's such a pleasure to roast on your equipment! I want to sell
my Hot Top but end up recommending your drum to perspective HT
buyers. :)
Bob
Adam Jahiel (drum #7 3.5
years ago, udated review))
Hi Ron,
I wish the forum had dates, so I could remember when I bought
your
drum (#7 IS a lucky number).
Anyway, I'm still roasting away in Wyoming, and am still
thrilled at
the roaster and results I get from it.
Bought a real espresso machine this summer, and maybe that is
where
the rubber hits the road, because I probably have the best
espresso
and regular coffee in this whole state.
I hope you are selling lots of these things, I'd hate to think
others
are missing out.
Thanks again for having such a great idea.
Ryan Glover:
Just roasted a pound of that Columbian peaberry you sent with my
order
(thanks btw :) ) .....this roaster rocks!!! I am still waiting
for my
buddy to get my a 2x1 sheet of 20gage to use as a heat diffuser,
but I
had to try her out anyways. Man that was very easy!!! Very
impressed
with your product. I'll send you pics of the setup in the next
couple
of days.
inks
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