Drum roasting versus fluid bed - "How Does It Compare"

Steve_01

Hello all
The heading above says it all.  Has anyone here ever had experience with fluid bed roasting?  How does it compare with drum roasting? 

FreshCoffee2

Hate to say it but google will be your friend in this case. If you look up an industrial manufacturer website that specialises in the development and manufacture of fluid bed roasters, they will usually provide information that tells you the difference between their system & the other more traditional type. Neuhaus Neotec springs to mind; Also Sivetz. I dont really think there can be any "versus". There is one type, and the other, and there are also hybrid designs that use both technologies. My own plant uses both. They all roast coffee, there are el cheapo brand roasters, medium type and expensive type. There are older designs and newer designs, and there are good coffee roasters (the operators) and there are the not very good ( and so we wont call any of them "master roasters" as a general group). It is all these combinations together than influence how the beans come out at the end. Hope that helps.

Brett H

I have no idea but I do know that Dominon Coffee in Townsville use or did use a fluid bed roaster.  I'd be ringing them and having a chat.  I enjoy their roasts every time I visit up north and wouldn't have known what they roast on unless I'd read a pamphlet.

Koffee_Kosmo

There is an Australian adaptation of a fluid bed roaster called a chinook airflow roaster - http://www.coffeeroaster.com.au/ My own KKTO design uses both principles in a round about way KK

mycuppa

You need to put context or qualification around your question. How does it compare ? As a general guide - fluidized bed roasters typically have smaller batch sizes and much shorter batch times. They can require more effort to control given the higher operating temp and would normally undertake a shorter roast cycle - in other words, you really don't have a lot of margin (or time) for error. A batch time of 6 - 8 mins can be very quick. What they lose in batch capacity, they make up in more batches per hour. Fluidized bed roasters have a slightly lower yield per kilo compared to drum roasters as the roasted beans tend to lose a fraction more moisture and are "puffier" in roasted appearance. This is a direct result of higher air temps used to perform the roasting. Too much is written by fluidized bed roaster owners about how their methods result in a cleaner cup compared to drum - IMHO this is a typical marketing-BS statement perpetuated by FBR owners to exert their superiority over drum roasting equipment. A well setup, double-walled cast iron drum roaster can perform equally as well, if not better in the hands of an expert. The differentiating factors are generally the skill of the operator and the effectiveness of the setup. Both are more important than functional differences in roasting technology. Is a Ferrari F1 better than a Renault F1, a McLaren F1 or is it the way in which the cars are setup and the skill of the driver in exploiting the capabilities ? Sometimes a drum roaster is not a drum roaster. Case in point - my Joper might look like a drum roaster, but it is more like a fluidized bed than a drum roaster - it has a large, specially designed fan forced oven that runs super-heated air at almost 600 degrees C through an open end of the drum and does not rely on heating the drum surface for thermal transfer. The drum is only for agitation purposes - it is actually a 100% hot air roaster using a primary form of convection rather than conduction that is more traditionally implemented on many types of drum roasting equipment.  Also be aware that one of the older and larger FBR manufacturers has recently stop manufacturing their equipment - so purchasing used equipment may come with added risks.

Steve_01

Thanks for the info Jeff.  That was a good answer. I would like to throw the next question open. Joe Bloggs is thinking to buy a coffee roaster, what would be your recommendation? First question you will ask is, how much money do you have to spend. So I will answer that question in 3 ways. First investment is $1000.  What is the best roaster for an investment around $500 to $1500. Second investment is $5000.  What is the best roaster for an investment around the $4000 to $6000 mark. Third investment is $15,000.  What is the best roaster for an investment bordering lets say $12,000 to $18,000.