Huky Forum
START HERE => Introduce Yourself => Topic started by: K.Brown on August 26, 2017, 08:18:04 PM
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Hi guys,
I'm very new to the forum and I've been reading quite a bit about the Huky. What I would really like to know is if I cannot master a roast, have even your worst attempts been drinkable?
I'm hoping that this doesn't turn out to be so complicated that I just shut down. I have an opportunity to purchase a use Huky approximately 1 year old. Is there anything you would look for before buying?
Thanks in advance for your input
Kevin
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I wouldn't recommend a HUKY to anyone who has never roasted before.
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Hello Kevin,
I would like to soften a bit the clear statement from Susan.
For sure, the start with a Gene or a Behmor is easier and softer.
But if you are playing around a bit at start, with the empty roaster, to learn how it reacts and study the Artisan curves to have an idea what you are going for, it is really possible.
Maybe you will have the "chance" to blend some unplanned darker beans with a lighter roast, but this can happen with another roaster as well.
If it is just one roaster out of several options for you, check for a more simple version to start with.
If you like the Huky, the philosophy and what you see --- go for it.
The feeling about having bought the wrong compromize is much harder to take (for me).
Just my personal feeling
Peter
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I started with a Huky, but I wouldn't recommend everyone to start here. If you're a person who reads up on what to do, and study the forum, you'll have no problem jumping right in. Just be aware that there is no right answer for a lot of things. Also, be ready to learn for many roasts to come :)
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Thanks everyone for your recommendations and suggestions.
My thoughts are since there are so many people who advocate for Huky and you can control so many variables at the right time while roasting it seems like the roaster to have, why start with anything else. Plus the roaster seem to hold its value if It doesn't work out.
Questions, what bean would you recommend to start with? cheaper is better as I'm probably not going to be the master roaster right out of the gate.
I have done a lot of reading and will be doing a lot more reading before my first few roasts.
Thanks
Kevin
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Take a look at Bohdi Leaf Coffee Traders. Sign up for the newsletter and you'll get notifications when beans are on sale.
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You may need 5 pounds of "waste" coffee to learn the roaster. (When buying a new roaster some people like to get the drum prepped with coffee oils coming from slightly over-roasting a few full loads of beans and letting them oil off inside the drum while the drum cools after roasting. It's also a good opportunity to learn the basics of how the roaster works and reacts.) So, maybe a small bag for learning the basics.
But to learn about roasting, get some decent beans and not the cheapest stuff. You will find very good templates to work from on this forum, so you will probably get a decent result quite soon. Nice washed Central Americans/Colombians etc. are easy to work with and quite forgiving. Unless you really mess it up the coffee will be nice and inspire you to go back to the roaster.
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Thanks for the roasting and bean tips guys. I've picked up my roaster last night and now setting things up.
I have a Center 304 which I'm having a hard time getting my Macbook Pro OS X El Capitan ver 10.11.6 to communicate with. I've decided to use the Artisan Program and was successful in downloading it to my computer.
Question: Am I having to install drivers and if so can anyone direct me to where I might be able to download them for my macbook pro?
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There's a recent link on Home-Barista (https://www.home-barista.com/home-roasting/need-basic-help-getting-started-with-center-304-and-artisan-t48258.html) on this very topic...
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Edtbjon
Thanks for you help I was able to piece things together with your referral. At least I think I have it figure out, I downloaded a driver from https://www.silabs.com/products/development-tools/software/usb-to-uart-bridge-vcp-drivers
and after doing so am able to now read my BT and ET via Artisan on my Macbook Pro
1 Step at a time :D
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My opinion on the suitability of the Huky, is it's the best value/option for learning traditional gas coffee roasting. No it's not as easy to use as a professional one pounder machine, or a 1K for that matter. It will force one to learn how to manage heat, air, and the corresponding roasting profile.
Some people get Huky's with the idea it's a plug and play coffee roaster and end up dissapointed; that's how I snagged mine. And other's end up transitionating to a commercial shop roaster and going all in.