Professional roasters and hobbyists alike have debated control questions ad
nauseam. It seems to matter little whether an adherent to one school or another is working on a tabletop or a four-bagger; there are proponents of each approach in every roaster size category. Often, the discussion degenerates
into a West Side Story-style face-off of backhanded compliments, posturing and
outright demagoguery. Many times those with the loudest voices, longest careers or most impressive résumés win by default or through intellectual intimidation. The craft adherents accuse the “technology geeks” of
being trapped in a futuristic fantasy where HAL will one day handle all aspects of the roasting process. Likewise, proponents of the coffee roasting as pure science school accuse the craft roasters of being neo-Luddites attempting to bar Darwin from entering the roastery door. Although it can be quite entertaining to listen to hardcore partisans of both schools
espouse their orthodoxy, it is rarely, if ever, very informative.