Customer Reviews

Swissmar A8200 Bravi 8-Ounce Rotary Drum Home Coffee Roaster

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The smell of the roasting coffee is just the beginning of the great experience with this roaster. Easy to use and a snap to clean. I use a digital scale to measure the quantity going in (the volume measurements varies according to the beans, so do it by weight. Bravi instructions are 225 mg; No more No less.)The smoke during roasting is part of the process. Putting the roaster under my kitchen hood handles that. The most fun is having guests watch it happen. Most have never seen/heard (yes, you hear the bean cracking)coffee roasting. A conversation starter for sure! During the automatic cool down, the kitchen smells wonderful (the aromas seem to improve during cool-down). Then, get ready for a GREAT coffee experience. I set my digital roast level to 15, and get the right color for my taste. When grinding, I only grind enough for immediate use. Also, for some reason, the grounds of my home roasted beans seem to 'fluff up' about 20%, so I have to cut down the quantity of ground coffee I brew (usually I use 1.5-2 Tbs per cup) so the grounds don't expand beyond the filter (I use a drip machine). The dark rich brew and fresh taste from home roasting is unlike any other experience I've had with coffee. To help make sure your Bravi is ready to roast, you need to be sure you have cleaned up any beans and chaff from previous roastings. Clean the chaff collection pull-out dish to avoid smoke from burning. Also, brush off the surface under the bean collector bin. (If a bean is left under the bin, the Bravi may not sense it is closed and ready, and not start.)Great experience and I recommend the Bravi to anyone.

UPDATE; 7Dec2011 The cover has warped, and I can't find a replacement. I'm off to find a new/different roaster.

Initially I was crestfallen when I used this machine and could not achieve coffee roasted in any way resembling coffee I am accustomed to. That is to say it would not roast dark enough even on the highest (longest time) setting. I figured that it had something to do with differences of opinions on what roasted coffee should be or something, but I'm telling you, the coffee didn't smell like coffee, and it tasted green, which I've heard (Paul Hinderlie, former 5 star restaurant owner of The Harborview in Lake Pepin, WI, told me people had actually looked down their noses at him for not serving unroasted, green coffee) people like, so I figured that this unit was simply geared for different tastes. Not to judge, maybe some day I'll be there, but in the mean time, I just want the perfect cup of espresso.

Of course it more likely has to do with fire safety, so proceed at your own risk.

But I quickly came up with the perfect solution: Simply add less beans than they suggest (they warn against this). They (the swissmar people) describe the prescribed bean content in weight, which comes out to about 1 and 1/3 cup of green beans. I only add slightly less than 1 and 1/4, set the machine to 15 (the max. setting) and hit the cool button when the beans are just so. Do this by both ear and sight, as the beans begin to crackle and you can lift the lid and look right in at the beans to see how dark they are. If you don't hit the cool button the beans will invariably burn/over roast.

And I loved it at the time. It worked well, but was sensitive to line voltage. Too much of a drop in voltage and you got barely roasted coffee. (This was a bit of an issue in my old house.) It was difficult to clean, slow to cool off after a roast, but it was a simple device and easy to keep working. It's been sold now since I got a Behmor which roasts most of a pound at a time, is easier to do repeated batches, and has better temperature control. But wasn't available when I first started roasting.

Not worth the high price. Difficult to clean and very persnickety. Comes with a bunch of sensors that, if not properly triggered, keep it from roasting. Not long after I bought it, I couldn't get it to start without jamming a pencil in one spot, and now it doesn't work at all. When it works, it works fine, but it doesn't always work nor does it last very long.

It works, but you have to use your own timer and get used to what length of time it takes for each type of bean to roast. Using the directions has resulted for me in burnt beans over and over. This is my second. Had to send the first one back for repairs. Not sure who gave it 5 stars, but roasting coffee does not smell good; it tastes awesome however, but the smell? Don't think so.
I guess it is worth the money and I'm now very used to it so I'm familiar with all the quirks. I'd buy one again cause I know this one and would be afraid to put and other $300 plus on something new to me.