[BlueDragon]

I don't recognize what make of roaster that is, but I do remember trying to use an AlpenRost as a sample roaster.

Terrible results.

That was back when I roasted about 20 bags a month on larger roasters (but not so large they didn't still qualify as what is termed "small batch" roasting).

Am not in the coffee biz, anymore, but I do miss the variety. I don't miss that sorry excuse for a drum roaster, though. As a 'sample' roaster, it was no good. I could never get rid of the plastic taste. Lining the small dump bin with foil might have helped.

Never buy an AlpenRost --- not of the vintage pictured, anyway. I could do better or as good, in a frying pan over an open fire.

I see the one you have has a cooling bin. I'll assume it's air suction cooled, much as larger roasters. It appears there may even be a thin, narrow sweep at the bottom? I can't tell from the photo, but passing under the beans, lifting & stirring a bit would be good.

What kind of overall time profiles do you use? A bit less than ten minutes? 12?

I've gotten the impression that with micro batches, shorter roasting times than typically used with actual commercial roasters, is better.

Trying to match the roast profile I used in larger roasters would tend to 'bake'. I found that out when using a 30 Kilo machine, roasting both large, and smaller amounts.
The larger batches would develop well under a certain profile...trying to match that profile, in the same equipment, with a load 1/4 the weight, wouldn't give identical results.
The smaller loads not only would want to roast faster, but liked it, too.

But then again, there are lots of variables. Air temp, air flow volume, what the radiant heat transfer rates of both the drum itself, and the individual coffee are like, etc., not to mention moisture content of the bean, in the first place(!)- bean density & size, all enter into the equation.

As far as your claim that roasted coffee is "stale" after three to five days, most pros would differ on. It outgasses for about three days.

And yes, I typically always like it best right out of the roaster. (I should have ALWAYS cupped the next day, avoiding the initial out-gassing, but I didn't)
I've probably brewed thousands of cups that way, snatching a handful from the cooling bin. BUT --- some coffees & blends actually mellow out after a few days, even a week, with the overall cup improving as harsher edges sort-of round off. Been there, done that. Heavier bodied coffees can tend that way...

[Magnatron]

The unit I have is called the Hottop. You can find more information at www.hottopusa.com

The roaster is more like the higher end sample roasters you will find like Probat. It has a drum, and a cooling tray that has a rotating arm. Air is pulled down through the beans and the arm agitates them until cool. Room temperature can be had in less than three minutes. They are expensive units, but well worth the money. They are very user-serviceable, and Hottop stands by their equipment.

The roaster is very flexible as far as profiles go. I generally ramp up to first crack within about five minutes, then slow the process down to two degrees a minute until the second crack. You don’t want to let the unit stay at one particular temperature, as that is when you start “baking” the beans.

As to staling, I stand by my statement. There is a peak time when the beans are at their optimum flavor. Past five days, I don’t know any bean that will be at that point any longer. Past that point, the beans are stale, in my opinion. Regardless, grocery coffee IS stale. Most of what you find on the shelves is at least a month old - most times many months.

Cupping coffee is different than enjoying coffee. Most cuppers do pull samples within the first few hours of roasting. While it can help a taster gain an idea of the bean’s profile, a suitable rest is necessary for the coffee to reach it’s full potential.