Getting started / How important is seasoning your roaster?

Roasting on the Bullet R1
1

I just received my roaster and I’m planning out my setup. I’ve ordered a few items on amazon that I think should be enough to get me started.

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My main questions are

  • How important is seasoning my roaster? Do I need to order a few pounds of “throwaway” coffee for seasoning or will this just happen naturally over time? (i’d like to primarily roast light)
  • Is the setup above sufficient for getting started? Am I missing anything?
  • I live in an apartment building, I’m planning to vent out the window but there isn’t a tight seal (large, casement windows). Should I be concerned about this or can I just feed the duct out the window and close it when I’m finished.

Thank you all for your time, reading through the forum here has been incredibly helpful so far. Very sorry if this question has been answered elsewhere.

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In terms of seasoning, my R2 manual says it’s required and the resulting coffee is not for consumption because of the manufacturing byproducts that will be in the coffee. I roasted 3 500g batches of inexpensive Robusta before throwing them out and doing my first roast.

With respect to materials to start, I have the same, but the 6” version for a higher CFM (400) and more power. Since you’re roasting indoors, you might also consider a filter box. I have the AC Infinity one for 20 x 13 x 1 filters.

1 Like
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Thanks, that makes sense, i’ll plan to order some inexpensive coffee for seasoning.

Do you think the AC Infinity filter box significantly reduces smoke? or whats the main benefit? Based on other threads that I’ve seen I assume the ordering is:
Roaster => AC Filter => Fan => out the window

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The primary benefit for me is filtering out any harmful particles in the smoke before they cake on to my AC Infinity fan and get blown outside. In my setup, the roaster is close to the open garage door through which the exhaust is vented. Sometimes, the exhausted air is blown back into me, but the filter gives me an additional assurance that this air has been cleaned on its way out. It will also make a difference in terms of what people see/smell outside, just in case you have neighbors who are nearby.

And yes, that is the exact order: Roaster exhaust → Filter → AC Infinity → Outside