I have been a home roaster since late 2000, I have used everything from popcorn poppers to a 1kg gas roaster, and just about everything in between. With experience you will find that the B-2K is a very capable roaster and offers powerful manual control over the roast.


   Let me start with these general tips on the early eject. 

1 - Page 15 on the manual has a section on "Factory Programmed Safety." This documents some auto-eject sequences. 
2 - Page 16 has information Target Time and Target Temperature that if set too low will also trigger an auto eject. 
3 - During the roast, any button other than the "EJECT" button, if pressed should continue the roast except when the 428 f. target temperature is achieved.
4 - If you roast an insufficient mass of beans the 428F. auto eject temperature (page 15) can be achieved too soon and the beans will eject no matter what you do, and likely at a lighter roast than that which you seek.


SOME GENERAL TIPS

     To begin, use a scale that weighs in grams to measure the bean mass you are roasting. The Hottop uses a temperature sensor that measures the temperature of the beans as they roast. Particularly with new users, the Hottop works best with 250 grams or a bit more coffee at a time. I never recommend weighing in ounces nor in volume. Roasting the same mass of beans will enable a quicker trip up the learning curve. While lesser amounts are possible, you will get more control and better results staying in the 250 to 260 gram range until you get accustomed to using the Hottop. 

   The "Auto" mode on the Hottop is the one we recommend only to those who are not really interested in precise roasting and just want freshly roasted beans. For the best results you want to use the manual controls the B-2K offers. The top three sections of page 16 of the manual document the manual control options and setting target time and target temperatures for the roast. 

    A full manual mode roast is documented on Pages 19-21 in the owners manual. This documents a manual roast I did when I wrote the manual. The heating element in your roaster is a bit more powerful than the one in the roaster I used when I wrote those pages but it should give you a really good idea as to how to get the roast you want. Once you do achieve that roast you can save the profile following the instructions on the top of page 18 and use it later by following the "Roasting with a Stored Roast" on that same page in the manual.


To get a "feel" for Hottop B-2K "Manual Control" try the following exercise:
  • Start a roast and set the target time and the target temperature to their maximum values (see "Modifying Roast Parameters (bottom of page 17-18).
  • Start a roast
  • When the "Add Beans" signal sounds, DO NOT ADD BEANS!
  • Get the roaster up to about 300F, then use both the fan speed control and the heating element power control (See "Control Functions" page 15) to adjust the roaster to hold the temperature at about 300F. This exercise will help go get a "feel" for what the controls can do for you. TIP: Increasing fan speed quickly lowers the temperure and heating element power changes are slow to respond.
    I know that this is a lot to digest, but take your time going through this as well as the B-2K section in the owners manual (PAGES 14-21). 


And Please Remember:   NEVER LEAVE THE ROASTER UNATTENDED WHEN IN OPERATION!   Even if you are 'roasting' with no beans in your Hottop.