# Hive Cascabel Roaster + Data Dome



## CoffeeBloom (Oct 25, 2020)

Hi everyone,

I'm just embarking on my first home roast.

I've just ordered this little guy as my roaster of choice, all hand-made by Matthew in California https://hiveroaster.com/collections/frontpage/products/cascabel-with-thermocouple-the-data-dome-plug-and-play. It doesn't break the bank and seems to be getting some good reviews, and very interested in using the Artisan software as well to track and profile with.

Specs:



This is a Cascabel Hive Roaster with the thermocouple installed as well as a data bridge, cords and a custom metal enclosure.


With this setup you can plug into your computer and be able to use Cropster, artisan roaster scope or other roasting software to monitor your roast profile


The kit includes:

One Cascabel roaster with Purity lid


One data dome lid with thermocouple installed


One Data bridge inside of a custom metal enclosure


One mini USB to USB cord.



I'll be in my kitchen - open windows and gonna try not to smoke the flat down. *Any tips and tricks for first time home roasting? *

Thanks in advance!


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## alanmason (Sep 3, 2020)

Hi, I recommend that you follow Mathew from Hive on Instagram and watch his videos. If you have any questions ask him, he is super helpful and patient.


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## RDC8 (Dec 6, 2016)

Let us know how it goes - and maybe post some pics of the resulting roast(s).

What beans will you be roasting?


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## CoffeeBloom (Oct 25, 2020)

alanmason said:


> Hi, I recommend that you follow Mathew from Hive on Instagram and watch his videos. If you have any questions ask him, he is super helpful and patient.


 Thanks mate! Will definitely be watching his vids intently, and DM him.



RDC8 said:


> Let us know how it goes - and maybe post some pics of the resulting roast(s).
> 
> What beans will you be roasting?


 Will definitely be documenting and sharing with you all 📝

I just got 2x500g bags of Colombian El Carmen from Rave: https://ravecoffee.co.uk/products/colombian-suarez-green-coffee-beans

I asked them for some roasting tips as well for this particular green. Very quick and helpful response from their Head of Coffee:



> The best thing about getting a new roaster is lots of trial and error! But as a starting point I would recommend using a high heat at the start of your roast and to reduce the heat over the course of the roast. You want to slow the rate at which the bean temperature increases when you hit first crack - you should hear this!
> 
> Depending on where your probe(s) is positioned, will depend on what 'high' heat equates to in artisan, but you will soon find this out after experimenting. Your temperature graph should show a plummet at the beginning of the roast followed by a smooth curve upwards that levels off at first crack. We would recommend stopping the roasting process around 90s-2mins after FC and cooling the beans as quickly as you can.


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## CoffeeBloom (Oct 25, 2020)

Hi guys,

Just got my hive roaster over the weekend!!!

Had a quick go at it, without the data dome just to get a feel for the process, definitely an arm workout but I think I can cut down the time by pre-heating it and frankly having less beans in!

But really good fun and a beautifully made product, I'm documenting the journey over on instagram - *@project.8.roast *






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## alanmason (Sep 3, 2020)

I roast 150g batches, any deviation and you have to rethink your heat input and expected timings. I try to hold the roaster loosely in both hands and keep my elbows still and tucked into my body, this reduces fatigue and the chance of tennis elbow. I can easily do 3 roasts back to back like this.


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## Matt D (Apr 13, 2020)

Good evening , I'm thinking of starting my roasting journey . I'm loving the reviews of the Hive . Is there a comparable product in the Uk or is it worth importing ?


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## Jack121 (Mar 31, 2021)

I recently imported one, it came to £180 for the data dome with shipping, I selected the dhl option, strangely there was no tax to pay.

It's a brilliant little roaster, a bit of getting use to with the arm movements but I'm managing to trace past roasts on artisan with ease, so you can play with each roast variable, I would highly recommend it as a great starter to learn on as I don't think there is anything else with artisan support, gas powered, for that price.


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## Irisco (Jun 12, 2020)

Thats really helpful, thank you for the information. I will most probably look to get one in the future, it's looks well made and the person behind it has put a lot of thought behind it. It's nice that you can take it as seriously as you want to and it could accommodate a novice such as me & somebody more competent also. Thanks


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

Hi. Have just ordered mine too. Would be great to compare notes. My big challenge now is deciding on a bean. I prefer darker roasts for espresso so might start there. Was thinking something South American, but would love any recommendations.

Down the line I think I'll do something for the aero press too, but likely to be 150g at a time and Coffee Compass supply 2kg, so am pretty locked in with my first option I reckon.


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## alanmason (Sep 3, 2020)

I use the hive and coffee compass, I usually ring them to discuss which greens to buy. The mystery coffee is 2kg but all the other green coffee comes in 1kg bags


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

Oh right. When I select green beans under the different "roasts" it's always 2kg. Might give them a shout


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

Managed my first few roasts with the Hive.

Initial impression:

* It's built really well

* It's a lot of fun and a very visceral experience of roasting. You definitely feel proud of the end result

* The roasts were more even than I expected as a complete novice.

* The data dome connected really easily to Artisan

*Cooling is much easier than I thought - dump into a jam straining funnel and hoover.

Issues:

* I've found heat management very tricky. My first roast was dried in under 4 mins and the RoR was well over 60 F/min. On my camping stove I have had to have it on the lowest setting and turn the regulator almost off on the bottles to get a fair heat. Also didn't realise that raising the roaster higher above the flame would make it hotter! Apparently the trick is to move it to one side of the flame). Might try on the electric hob next

* The constant shaking means it's hard to get a handle on how much heat is going in. Not a criticism as this is clearly not a precision roaster, but as a noob, keeping track of the RoR was quite hard. This means my declines tend to be a bit jumpy and one had a very long meyard phase.

* I'm still learning how to read Artisan well. I did set Artisan to poll more frequently but this just added a lot of noise so have gone back to sampling every 3 seconds and plotting curves over 6s

Overall though I think I'm going to enjoy this. Reckon I'll mostly be making aeropress coffee rather than espresso. Can't see me getting enough consistency to make a blend I could repeat. But then that's not necessarily a bad thing.


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## Rob1 (Apr 9, 2015)

Whoah serious déjà vu. Have you posted this exact thing in another thread somewhere?


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## apf102 (Jul 27, 2020)

Rob1 said:


> Whoah serious déjà vu. Have you posted this exact thing in another thread somewhere?


 I've posted a few bits on Instagram.... I think. I'm losing track. The baby isn't sleeping 😁


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