How are Ambex roasters manufactured?
What kind of warranty do you offer?
In what colors are Ambex roasters available?
What type of burners are the roasters equipped with?
Do burners need replacing?
How long will the roaster last?
At what percentage of batch capacity does the roaster operate most easily?
How promptly do you answer service calls?
Do you perform on-site maintenance?
Can I install the roaster myself?
Why should I participate in your roasting class?
Why Ambex?
Ambex manufactures a wide range of commercial coffee roasting and processing equipment from a table-top up to 4 bag drum roasters and all associated equipment.
Additionally, Ambex represents some of the most respected names in the packaging and conveying industries
to effectively handle the needs of any roasting facility.
Technology - Ambex is in the forefront of adapting high efficiency, low maintenance drum roasting to the 21st Century. Our Roast Illuminator and ProfilePlus RT (patent pending) data logging and control systems have brought next generation PC based control systems into reach of any drum roaster. The staff at Ambex are constantly refining our equipment and searching for ways to advance the craft of roasting coffee.
Education - Ambex taught hundreds of roasters about the "whys" and "hows" of coffee roasting through our 3 day Professional Coffee Roaster Class. Additionally, Ambex employees routinely lecture and write on the art, science and business of roasting at many venues, as well as many publications throughout the industry.
Support - Ambex has on staff a full time maintenance and support technician; a full time in-house engineer and 4 full time experienced roasters. Whether a roaster is having a technical issue, needs CAD exhaust drawings, or just needs advice on blending ... the Ambex team is standing by to answer questions and provide feedback and assistance.
Price - Hands down, there is no other company in this industry where Technology,
Education and Support are a better value than at Ambex, where service comes first.
That is why we continue to grow year after year after year...
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How are Ambex roasters manufactured?
The Ambex roaster design was created by Ambex, Inc. The manufacturing process is completed in 2 parts for overall production of an Ambex roaster. PART 1: The steel for the roasters is fabricated in Turkey. Once the pieces are complete, a powder coat paint is applied and baked on to withstand high heats. The body is then molded and welded together to form the shape of the roaster. This creates the outer shell for the Ambex roaster. Once the shells are complete, the roaster bodies are places on a container and shipped overseas to Charleston, where they will catch a train in port to head for Ambex. PART 2: Upon arrival to Ambex, the roaster shells are unloaded into the Clearwater, FL warehouse facility, pending final stages of production. When orders are placed for the roasters, Ambex manufacturers will complete all operations components of the equipment... including motors, burners, controls, electrical, etc... The functionality of the Ambex roaster is fully tested, then the roasters are cleaned and prepped for shipping to customer facilities. All operating parts are US shelf stock components that are easily accessible for replacement or repair, making service extremely easy... but even furthermore, allowing owners of the Ambex roaster to operate self sufficiently.
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What kind of warranty do you offer?
Ambex roasters have 2-Year All Inclusive Warranties on them. These warranties will cover all manufacture related problems that may occur within the first 2 years of ownership and may include parts, service, on-site visits, over the phone troubleshooting, etc...
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In what colors are Ambex roasters available?
The Ambex roaster comes in 3 standard colors: red, yellow and black. However, custom colors may be ordered with customer supplied color tiles from Home Depot, Lowes or similar. Custom colors may add to production time and/or cost, but will require a proper proposal upon inquiry. Some owners have added pinstripes and other decorative coloring to equipment, including stickers and similar... but high heat paint is recommended and certain areas of the roaster may not take well to paint, such as the drum and face plate where chrome areas are. Ambex does not do detailed painting with pinstripes or supplied artwork, only full body color may be ordered upon production.
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What type of burners are the roasters equipped with?
Ambex roasters utilize extremely efficient atmospheric burners. This type of burner will not require airflow changes to achieve desired results with your roasting. The atmospheric burner may be compared to that of a barbeque grill or gas stove as it uses an open flame. As you decrease gas flow to the burner, the flame instantly decreases the heat output, whereas when you increase gas flow to the burner, the flame will increase the heat output. Keeping the airflow at a maximum while you manipulate your burner is effective because the airflow will move through the drum acting as a principle means of removing chaff, smoke and exhaust air... and by removing these elements, you are able to produce a clean, bright coffee.
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Do burners need replacing?
Ambex burners are extremely durable and should never require replacement throughout the life of the roaster. The burners are comprised of cast manifolds and brass jets, which should never rust or corrode.
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How long will the roaster last?
With proper maintenance and care, an Ambex roaster is expected to last a lifetime of 20-30 years. All operational components of the roaster are U.S. made shelf stock parts that are easily accessible from either Ambex or a local parts suppliers such as Grainger or similar... inquire within when service or maintenance is required.
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At what percentage of batch capacity does the roaster operate most easily?
Ambex roasters will roast coffee batches from 100% maximum capacity down to 10% minimum capacity. For best results with quality and control of your roaster, we recommend roasting at a maximum of 80% capacity to avoid cutting back airflow to the drum. If you are new to roasting, the easiest capacities of roasting are between 50% and 80%. Roasting batches below 50% capacity may be more difficult for first time roasters as it will require experience and skill with the roaster... but can be acquired after becoming familiar with your equipment.
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How promptly do you answer service calls?
Ambex addresses all service calls immediately upon receipt. Office hours are Monday through Friday from 9AM to 5PM. Our service technician is available for troubleshooting and repair/maintenance questions during these times. If there is a need for service outside of office hours, a customer may use the "Ask Don" link on our website to post questions and they will be addressed at the opening of the very next business day. Coming soon... Ambex will be posting a web link to a service page where customers may order their own parts from a Service and Repair order form via the Ambex website... allowing immediate orders on parts needed once the submit button is pressed. When a service call is made to Ambex, our technician is extremely prompt in handling parts shipments on parts in inventory as well as parts that require ordering. Almost all parts are shipped within 24 hours unless custom order is required. Additionally, customers may be directed to a local parts store where they can pick up parts immediately for faster turnaround for their repairs when applicable.
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Do you perform on-site maintenance?
Ambex can perform on-site maintenance for customers if requested. Roaster operators typically prefer to attend the Ambex Professional Roaster Training Course offered in Clearwater, FL when considering a purchase where they will learn maintenance for their new roaster. The roaster manuals also provide a maintenance section for operators to refer to. However, after 5-7 years of operation, Ambex has visited sites of roasters to perform complete maintenance cycles on the roasters to ensure longevity to the equipment as an additional service offered at a reasonable rate. Due to the process in which these roaster are manufactured, Ambex provides an extremely customer friendly roaster, which allows for easy operation, service, maintenance, etc... by the owner. The Ambex roaster is one of the most customer friendly roasters on the market, allowing for self-sufficiency once in operation in customer locations. This allows for the customer to get to know his/her machine more intimately inside and out regarding roasting and mechanicals. Nonetheless, Ambex is always a phone call away to support the operators with this process and come on-site should it be required.
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Can I install the roaster myself?
Ambex roasters can be installed to a customer's location in a couple easy steps. It is not required to have an Ambex staff member present for installation. This is what you will need to install your roaster... 1) Ambex coffee roaster; 2) proper location for installation; 3) ducting system (either customer supplied or Ambex supplied) and most likely roofer or contractor to cut hole in location to punch duct through ceiling or wall and flash piece that penetrates; 4) gas supply (natural or propane) hook up and gas company may need to prep line; finally 5) electrical outlet to plug the roaster in. The roasters come ready for installation. They have the electrical wired up with 110V/60Hz standard on the YM2-YM15 units (available in alternate electrical as necessary) and the larger units are typically 220V single or 3-phase (or as specified otherwise per orders). The customer will order the roaster in either natural or propane and the roaster will come with approximately a 3-4" nozzle off the rear end of the roaster for attaching your gas supply hose. The exhaust ports for duct attachments are located on the left side of the roasters and will be specified in the install pages per the size roaster being purchased; install pages may be e-mailed at anytime and are available via the Ambex website.
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Why should I participate in your roasting class?
The 3-day Ambex Professional Roaster Training Course is held once a month for beginning roasters, prospective buyers, current roasters freshening up their skills, etc... Training is held in our roasting room in the back of our cafe (New Harmony Coffee & Tea), which is in the same building as our offices in Clearwater, FL. This course is geared toward providing attendees with all the tools necessary to become confident roasters in their own environments. Ambex does not only focus on educating participants on how to operate the equipment, we include many aspects of what it takes to operate as a roaster on a professional level. During this 3-day course, we welcome attendees with a green broker who will spend time teaching the fundamentals of green coffee, regions, how to buy, what to look for and top off the segment with a complete hands-on cupping session with 9-10 coffee types. Monin Gourmet Syrups contributes to the course with a presentation on flavoring and invites the class to a tour of the Monin bottling plant just 1 mile from Ambex, then treats the class to a full dinner and social time after class. Flavormatic provides a brief session to add education on bean flavoring as an option as well. Terry Davis, owner of Ambex, teaches most of the class with sections focused on roasting, blending, basic roaster terminology, and so on... with a very casual, open structure to encourage class participation and questions along the way. Additionally, Ambex will introduce our RoastMaster, Kathi Zollman, to teach the class how to master an espresso as well as several other techniques. Kathi will also go over a sensory awareness demonstration. Don Vining, Ambex Service Technician, will review all maintenance and service techniques with attendees... furthermore, he will instruct the class on how to maneuver through the equipment by taking a YM15 apart and reconstruct it. This will allow the class to understand the complete interiors of the Ambex coffee roaster. Paul Ribich, Ambex Engineer, teaches a complete educational session on Ambex technology, including the Roast Illuminator and Profile Plus DCQ. Attendees will have the opportunity to see the technology in use and get a full understanding for the benefits of controls, as well as have the opportunity to work with the engineer who developed the systems (Paul) and use them while roasting. On the final day of class, tours will be provided for all attendees interested. We will visit the Ambex site where the roasters are manufactured, the Ambex wholesale roasting facility and then return to the cafe roastery to spend the day roasting and applying the knowledge learned in previous days with use on the equipment. Ambex staff will be available on-site all day for private meetings if attendees would like to sit down and go over any additional items, discuss other business topics, acquire recommended industry resources, etc... In summary, the Ambex Roaster Training Course will be a vital tool in preparing you for the next step in your business planning and will help you get your feet planted firmly on the ground for your next goal to... ROAST TRUE!!
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