I recommend this roaster and would definitely buy it again.
Positive Product Points
Easy to use Easy to clean Roasts very well
Negative Product Points
Instructions a little weak
Detailed Commentary
This is my first roaster and I am now hooked. This roaster is very easy to use, www.sweetmarias.com has a very helpful tip sheet. This is a value packed little machine. The roasting process is easy to see, the machine is very quite so hearing the 1st and 2nd cracks is no problem at all. It is sensitive to voltage changes, these fluctuations don't affect roast quality. It only roasts a small amount of beans at one time, if you are looking to roast large quantities of beans this unit is NOT for you. Since I roast for home use, I do not see a need to upgrade to another machine. If you wait 30 minutes between roasts everything cools down and is ready to roast another batch.
Buying Experience
www.coffeestorehouse.com is very helpful and quick to return e-mails. It also came with 5 lbs of free green coffee beans.
Three Month Followup
The machine is a joy to use, it took a little tweaking to get the time down for different types of roasts. It is very quiet which makes it easy to hear the first & second cracks. I added a Variac which makes it very simple to repeat roast profiles. I recommend keeping a log of each roast since not all beans roast at the same rate or crack at the same temperatures. Bottom line, I would by this machine again in a minute.
One Year Followup
Nice little roaster, use it occasionally. Christmas of 2005 my wife bought me a Hottop which is my primary roaster. The Fresh Roaster plus 8 is a great beginners roaster. Works even better with a variac.
