Mill City North TJ-068 (1kg)

the verdict

the north TJ-068 is a 1kg sample roaster that doubles as a micro-batch production machine for very small operations. the double-wall drum design carries over from larger models, which is unusual at this size and gives you more even heat distribution than most sample roasters manage. you can run batches from 200g to 1kg, though anything under 400g gets twitchy and over 800g you're pushing thermal limits. profile logging with bean temp, environmental temp, inlet temp, and drum temp gives you more data than you'd expect on a machine this small, useful if you're cupping for green buying or dialing in profiles before scaling up. it's overkill if you just need a sample roaster for QC, but makes sense if you're a micro roaster selling 5kg to 10kg weekly or a green buyer who wants replicable sample roasts. lockable casters let you move it around, and the detachable control panel gets it through doorways. main drawback is cost: you're paying for build quality and certification that matter more on production machines.