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
We've just received our roaster.... THANX .... very impressive service and
product!!!!!!!! will recommend you anytime!!
REGARDS
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.
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
Hello All,
I just wanted to take a moment and explain to you my experiences with the RK Drum. I am currently using a Fiesta 36,000BTU setup. I also have Ron's Gear motor setup as well. I must tell you that the combined setup does extremely well. I have now probably roasted two 70 Kilo sacks of coffee through the RK Drum and I always get consistent reliable results. The coffee always cups very nicely and my customers are pleased. I am actually starting out as a roaster and found the entry level costs on roasters to be quite prohibitive. I would recommend this solution to anyone. Due to our increasing volume, I am thinking about building another setup. The only drawbacks I can think of is that it is slightly cumbersome removing the pin from the drum door when it's hot and you're trying to cool the roast in a hurry. However; it only takes a couple of roasts to get the hang of it and you can usually pull the roast, get the pin out and get it into the cooling tray within about 10 seconds. As to construction, the drum is really a very fine piece of work. Not a single complaint on its reliability or sturdiness or design. It really should last a lifetime. Highly recommended!
Shane Lewis
Old Spanish Main Coffee Company
Flowery Branch, GA