RK Misc

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.

Hi Shane,

I love my RK drum - I think I've probably roasted 100 pounds in it by
now.  As bad weather begins to creep into Northern Indiana I have a
little more time on my hands and I realized I neglected to let you know
that a friend of mine wrote an article about my roasting. If you go to
www.thebeacher.com - go to past issues for 2011, select October 6  and
you'll get a pdf version of The Beacher. If you scroll down to page 36
you'll find Charley's article.  The RK drum gets honorable mentions
there.  I hope you enjoy it.

Dick Coffee

My search for "larger quantity, more control" has ended. The smallish popper batches were getting bothersome. I tried HG/DB, but the gun I had did not move enough air and my roasts were flat. But, the quantity was nice.

Given the investment in a better gun, this would be a great method. But I
went for the RK drum.  It arrived today. I quickly cleaned, prepped and rushed to the gas grill 
to "burn" some UGH! My old Charbroil 3 RPM motor is pretty clunky, but I couldn't wait. I did order Ron's motor, but it is not ready to ship. I roasted 4 test batches of 150 gr. each; Ethiopian Harrar FC+, Java Estate Prince FC+, Guatemala Huehuetanango FC+ and SM Donkey V. I wanted the
Harrar at FC, but just wasn't quick enough getting the drum off and  emptied!
Practice! Practice!
 
 I am very happy with the roast control. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to hear the cracks. Not a problem!! Now to let the coffee rest & taste!! My stash has been diminished by the simple capacity of the drum!! The drum is a work of industrial art! It is truly a pleasure to use!
 
 Cheers,
 Geary

I owe you a big thankyou for your advice Shane! That drum is really starting to work for me. Some time in the future I will have to send you a documented time and temperature profile on what is working for me with that srum. One of the bigger hurdles is the barbeque. It doesn't regulate it's heat very well but I have put a bank of 4 thermometers on the front of my barbeque that I use to moniter the heat. This helps me keep an even roast along the full length of that long drum. Your suggestion of preheating the barbeque to 600 has really helped, I also am preheating the drum a little. What really has helped is the times that you projected for me. When I followed those times I started learning when the second crack was happening. this has made the difference. -Jason

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