Quest Manufacturer's Instruction Manual
QUEST M3 Coffee Roaster
Instructions
Note: Do not use any voltage stabilizer or booster on M3.
【Assembly Tips】
When using the roaster indoors, please use it near the window. The roaster should be used in a well ventilated location so that the smoke is easier to suck out.
The rear half of the pipe at the top of the roaster (close to the control cabinet) can be the handle when you are moving the M3 roaster. When carrying with the pipe, please hold the pipe firmly and take the roaster straight up or down softly without shaking. If you feel the pipe moving when you are holding the pipe, it is normal because the pipe is not firmly fixed in the socket. The roaster weighs 10kg, so when you are trying to carry the roaster, please take account of your own arm strength.
This roaster is heavy and can not be dropped or rudely placed. Please place theroaster carefully. After placing the roaster properly, please attach the wooden lugs, with the reverse side, of the cover of the bean entrance and the cover of the cooling chamber to the outer part. The roasted bean collector should also be attached with lugs on the two sides. Take out the green bean measuring cup in the cooling chamber. The filter plate should at first be inserted obliquely and then made level on the 4 fixing points. (The side with sockets should be placed on the deeper side
Screw the balance weight tightly on the handle of the roasted bean exit.
Screw the thermometer into the front socket to the end and then reverse it until the number is seen. This side is the front side. Then, slightly fasten the screw.
Insert the sampling spoon (stick) into the socket on the front cover. (The protruding point should be put into the socket when the spoon is not in use.)
Softly turn the adjusting screw in the middle of the electric-current meter to make the indicator return to zero.
On the upper-left of the control panel, the electrothermal and current meter shows the heat level by representing 0.5A (A current x 110V voltage = W) with each calibration. On the upper-right is the main time switch. On this roaster, the main time switch is not used as a timer but only as a safety switch for the occasion in which the roaster is left on. To use this switch, just turn it to be over the set time length and turn it back after the roasting is finished. (The calibration at the 6 o’clock position is the main power OFF; 9 o’clock is about 10 minutes; 12 o’clock is 20 minutes; 3 o’clock is 30 minutes. The switch can be turned back to OFF from each position.)
The knob at the bottom-left is for the heat level control (to adjust the current level of the electric heating tube). With the current meter, the heat level can be seen (the speed of heating).
The knob at the bottom-right is for the blow level control. (Before using different socket, double-check the number position of the lowest level on the knob. The procedure is as the followings: Open the cover of the cooling chamber and take out the filter cup and the plate for placing the cup. After that, the wind blower can be found. Then, very slowly, turn the knob to the right to make the fan revolve. Right at the moment when the
fan can not be seen clearly, the position indicates the lowest blow level.) During the Easy-Roasting Mode, the lowest blow level can be applied during the whole process and only the heat level needs to be adjusted. The highest blow level (the most right side) is used to suck out the scrapings in the roller and to cool down the roasted beans.
Unless you are sucking out the silver skins or your have any special need, using the lowest blow level is suggested. (For the beans which do not have many silver skins, the lowest blow is enough to blow the scrapings out to the filter.) The roller of this roaster is small. Do not use the high blow for too long during the roasting unless it is necessary; otherwise the heating speed will be affected. Please adjust slightly first to ensure the expected effect.
Application of the Sampling Spoon (Stick)
1. When the spoon is not in use, it is fixed in the front cover of the roaster. The front protrusion of the wooden handle needs to be inserted into the concavity of the socket (bottom-right); otherwise, there will be beans remaining in the spoon after the other beans are inserted.
2. When sampling, slightly draw out the spoon. After the protrusion leaves the concavity, turn left immediately until the protrusion faces upwards and keep the position for 1 to 2 seconds (the beans will get into the spoon). After drawing out the spoon, observe the colour and smell of the beans and then insert the spoon back right away. (If the socket is open for too long, the temperature may be influenced, especially at the later stages where the temperature is more sensitive before letting the beans out.)
3. When inserting the spoon back, keep the protrusion upwards. After inserting it to the end, turn the spoon right until the protrusion enters the concavity (this is to pour out the beans in the spoon to empty the spoon).
4. To put it simply, the application procedure is as follows: use the left index finger, middle finger and thumb to slightly draw out the wooden handle until the spoon can be turned. Next, make the spoon turn left to make the protrusion upwards. Afterwards, draw the spoon out to observe and smell the beans. Then, keep the protrusion upwards and insert the spoon back to the socket to the end. Finally, turn it right to make the protrusion enter the concavity.
5. When the beans being roasted are lighter than 120g, the sampling may be influenced that the beans may not be easy to get. The other functions will not be influenced.
Turn on the Roaster and Begin the Roasting
Attention:˙This roaster is a high-temperature oven. Do not touch
the unrelated parts when using it. Never put fingers into the roasted bean exit (there are blades inside)˙Nearby supervision is required during the whole process. ˙Within one hour after the process, heat still remains on the roaster so please prevent the roaster from being touched by other people or flammable objects. ˙The roaster should be particularly kept away from children.˙When the roaster is not in use, unplug the roaster and properly organise the power wire. ˙ Please try to use the electric sockets with ground connection and make sure the voltage is 110v. Do not use the step-up transformer to increase the voltage. ˙The extended wires and adapters may reduce the power. Try not to use them. ˙If it is necessary to use the extended wires or the adapters, please use the thicker wires and the plugs and sockets which are able to afford high current.˙
A. Preheat the roaster when it has not been in use for a long time：
Insert the power—110v. The cover of the roasted bean exit should be properly closed.
Turn on the main time switch so that the motor of the roller and the cooling fans under the machine box will begin to revolve.
Turn the blow knob to the lowest level (the position can be found out with the above-mentioned method or somewhere between 4.5 and 5).
Make sure there is soft wind coming out from the air outlet on the right hand side (the one on the left hand side is to cool down the motor and will be turned on right after the roaster is on). ˙Otherwise, when there is no bean in the roller and the thermometer can not measure the temperature because of the poor ventilation in the roller, abnormal local heat gathering, just like dry-burning, may very easily happen. If it lasts for a long time, the roaster may be damaged.
For the heat level, turn the switch to make the current meter indicate 8A and begin to preheat (in order to shorten the preheating time, the highest heat level can be used; however, remember to turn it back to the normal level by the time the temperature is reached). ˙Low blow level is required during the preheating. ˙No oven can stand the dry-burning when it is empty unless the temperature is low. ˙Therefore, when the roller is empty, do not let the temperature exceed 250° for too long (under low blow level). ˙The dry-burning damage is caused by improper usage so it is not covered by the guarantee. ˙Nevertheless, as long as the temperature is normal during the preheating and meanwhile the beans are properly inserted, the dry-burning can be avoided. ˙As M3 is completely made of metal, it is of course not so fragile. However, proper usage is still required.
B. Bean Insertion：
The capacity of a full measuring cup, with the top level with the cup edge, is about 150g (different bean varieties may cause slight differences). First of all, for the green beans, use the roasted bean collector to sort out the scrapings, unsuitable beans and other miscellaneous substances. When using the measuring cup to pour the beans directly, please use the left or right hand side of the square bean entrance to pour the beans in so that the beans will not enter the wind pipe. After applying this method for a few times, you will be familiar with the process. If the beans accidentally enter the wind pipe, use the tail of a brush to get the beans out (or use a funnel).
The reason for turning the knob to the 10 o’clock position during preheating is to avoid negligence (M3 is very quiet and makes no smoke during the preheating and is therefore easy to forget). Before inserting the beans, turn the knob to be over the predicted time. If you forget to do so and the roaster stops during the process, just turn on the switch again.
After the temperature reaches 175℃, adjust the appropriate roasting heat and blow level and then insert the beans (refer to the advice on the bean quantity and heat level). (The 175℃ standard is just a reference. The timing can be advanced or postponed based on different need; however, either way will influence the total time length of the process. The higher temperature at which the beans are inserted, the shorter the process will last.)
C. Heat Level Adjustment:
When using the same heat level during the whole process, refer to the following advice (can be adjusted when necessary): when the beans weigh 150g: 7.5A; 200g: 8A; 250g: 8.5A. If the process takes too long, the heat level can be slightly increased, and vice versa. The different levels can be changed and experimented to find out the most suitable combination.
The current will begin to be stable in 2-3 minutes after the heater begins to work; therefore, it is not necessary to check the current within 3 minutes after the heater begins to work.
Easy-Roasting
It is suggested that people who just begin to use the roaster can use the easy-roasting first. After you get familiar with the process, you can try your own ways.
The lowest blow level can be applied during the whole process of the Easy-Roasting. ˙Regarding the heat level, refer to the advice. ˙In 10-20 seconds before the bean-out temperature, turn off the heat and use the highest blow level to suck out the silver skins, and then, open the exit to let the beans out. ˙(All the figures can be changed with your own preference.)
To Try New Method.
After inserting the beans, turn the blow level to 0 (turn the knob to the most left side). Then, keep the roaster steaming for 2 to 3 minutes. After vapour comes out from the crack, turn on the blow to the lowest level. ˙Steaming can make the beans to level so that the roasting can make the bean more averagely roasted. ˙ In 10 to 20 seconds before the bean-out temperature, turn the blow to the highest level (to suck out the silver skins for 10 to 20 seconds and then let the beans out). You can also try decreasing the heat level by 1-2A during the roasting to delay the temperature increasing. This can extend the roasting time to make the beans more thoroughly cooked; however, it may also decrease the sourness. This method can be applied with your own need.
If you have the spirit to explore, M3 is a roaster that can be manually adjusted. It has many different combinations of roasting methods. Boldly and systematically, try to apply your imagination and creativity with the principles of cooking so that your own preference for flavour can be found soon.˙
You can boldly try other roasting methods. ˙The flavour has no standard. ˙The point is to try to make the one you like.˙
D. Bean Cooling
After letting the beans out, put the roasted bean collector in the cooling chamber on the rear control cabinet, turn the blow to the highest level to cool the beans down, and use the bean-stirring stick to make the beans level. ˙ After 3 minutes, examine the beans (not the metal around) with hands. If the beans are already as cool as the room temperature, they can be taken out. ˙ (If the beans which are being roasted have a lot of silver skins or are over 200g and the silver skin filter cup is already over half full before the roasted bean collector is put into the cooling chamber, the filter cup can be taken out before the roasted bean collector is put into the cooling chamber so that the cooling will be more effective.) Or, take out the filter cup first and then cool the beans down.˙
Roasting Style Selections：
The timing for letting the beans out is about 200-230°, depending on personal need. At the beginning, the sound of bean crack and the temperature figures at the moment can be compared to set the standard (as the tested objects are solid beans but not liquid, the displayed temperature differs with the position of the testing stick and the area of the testing stick covered by the beans. Therefore, the difference between the displayed temperatures may only be a reference. You still need to find out the temperature range of your preferred roasting style).
When you use the same bean-out timing, for example 210°, to roast two batches of beans, the one batch with the higher heat level will finish earlier. On the other hand, the other one with the lower heat level will take more time. ˙When the higher heat level with shorter time is applied, the sour taste of the bean may be more obvious (as the vegetable may have the fresh taste when it is quickly stir-fried). ˙When the lower heat level with longer time is applied, the taste may be more complicated and mature, as the Espresso Coffee Maker may make the coffee more creamy.˙ If the coffee tastes sharply sour, the roasting time can be extended (with lower heat level) or increase the roasting degree. Or, decrease the heat level (by 1-2A) at the middle stage of the roasting and turn it back to the original
heat level after a while. If the taste is too light, the heat level can be increased and the time can be shortened to keep more flavour. Or, use light roasting to increase the complexity of the bean flavour.
During the roasting, the blow level should be properly adjusted. If the blow is too high for too long, the temperature in the roller may be too low so that the roasted beans may have weaker dry fragrance. Unless you have any special inspiration or purpose, the lowest blow level or that of slightly higher is enough for roasting. However, if there are a lot of silver skins, the highest blow level can be applied for a short time (10-20 seconds) to suck out the skins. ˙When the hot beans in the roasted bean collector are to be cooled, the highest blow level is needed. Also, turning off the blow during the roasting can be experimented too (the cover of the cooling chamber should be opened). And then, turn on the highest blow level for 10-20 seconds to suck out the silver skins when you see them through the window. The whole process should be repeated for 2-3 times.
Before the timing for letting the beans out, turn off the heat and turn the blow to the highest level.
【Clean and Maintenance】
After the roasting, sweep all the silver skins in the cooling chamber into the filter cup and attach the filter cup back after dumping the silver skins. Then, turn the blow to the highest level (with the heat off) for one minute to suck out the scrapings in the roller (the force of sucking will be slightly stronger without the filter cup). At this moment, there is the force of sucking inside the roller so that the cover of the bean entrance can be opened to sweep the bean powder in the square bean entrance upwards onto the socket of the wind pipe and then into the filter cup. ˙ Clean the cooling chamber again and then turn off the roaster and organise the wires.
When the roaster has not been in use for a long while, place the M3 roaster upright (the emission outlet is on the bottom) so that the bean scrapings in the heating layer can be poured out.
When the roller for direct-heat (with holes) is used, more scrapings will fall down onto the outer layer of the roller (the silver skins will be sucked out when the blow is at the highest level). Ordinarily, the exterior roller can be examined by checking the edge of the inner roller when the bean entrance cover is opened. When there are some scrapings, lift the front of the legs of the roaster to make the roaster lean 45 degree or stand upright so that the scrapings will fall down from the holes under the roller. This cleaning procedure should be performed time to time. Or, use the vacuum cleaner to suck the scrapings from the hole.
When detaching the roller, unscrew the thermometer or temperature-measuring wire first. Then, use the attached hexagon spanner to unscrew the five inner hexagon screws at the front, where the spanner can get in. When the screws are completely unscrewed, support the square bean entrance and the wind pipe with hands to prevent them from falling (they are not firmly fixed).
When assembling the parts back, on centre axle of the roller, the side with channel should be connected with the axle of the centre motor. Slightly screw the axle into the motor axle until it is fixed. The proper position is that the inner roller, except for the axle, completely gets into the exterior roller. Next, insert one end of the upper blower into the rear control cabinet (remember) and close the front cover. The centre axle should be accurately inserted into the bearing socket. Make sure the cover is fixed properly (can be felt), and so are the five screws. Finally, moderately screw the parts.
When the roasting is finished, turning off the power and opening all the covers are the best way to cool down the roaster
If there is one particular place to put the roaster, opening all the covers for better ventilation during ordinary time is suggested.
After the roaster is used for several times, the scrapings on the fans of the blower should be brushed off. ˙The colour changing does not matter. However, the thick scrapings must be brushed off or be sucked out with the vacuum cleaner. If the scrapings are stick on the fans for too long, the blow function will be damaged (the fans can be seen when taking out the plate fixed with the filter cup). Developing the proper habit of cleaning the roaster regularly can avoid the tough stains.
After being used for a period of time, the filter cup will be stained with the coffee oil smoke (looks yellow). Please immerse the filter cup in hot water and then brush it, otherwise the blow and cooling functions will be influenced.
After the front centre roller bearing is used for a long time and the grease already dries out, the crack between the rotating and un-rotating parts of the centre axle should be greased.
This roaster can be easily used (fixed heat and blow level during the whole roasting) or manually adjusted with different roasting styles. It means that there are various combinations of application of this roaster. ˙Boldly and systematically try different combinations with record can find out the way to make your favourite flavour earlier. ˙Try to keep your habitual way when roasting. ˙Change only one factor every time so that you can find out the reason for the different flavour.˙
Contact and discussion are the most welcomed if you have any questions or
problems.
Contact person: Molly Yen
Email: questm3roaster@gmail.com
