Green Coffee Buying Club
Coffee Discussion boards => Hardware & Equipment => Topic started by: JoshFox Bread on September 01, 2017, 08:16:33 AM
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Still new to the site and a total novice at roasting. I opted for the Behmor as my first roaster as it was suggested by a commercial roaster I know. As I learn as much as I can online I see its shortcomings from a commercial setup but after doing about 40 roasts I'm pretty happy with the machine and have made some great cups. I found the old thread that is 27 pages deep and relates mostly to the old Behmor and thought maybe an updated thread focusing on the Plus model, particularly manual roasting profiles. Currently I'm still just learning the variations on the beans themselves along with flavor profiles from types, origins, and processing methods.
I suppose I'll share my current process which is manual mode with a preheat to 260F on the B button. Loading a 375g charge as quickly as possible and starting manual 1# setting and P5. After a couple of minutes I'll up the drum speed until crack which seems to bring on first crack faster than with low drum speed. I try and balance the oven around 300 on the B button with some toggling between P4 and P5. Once first crack is near I'll let it go and as crack starts open the door for 15 seconds and drop to P3. drop the drum speed and try and stretch out the first crack. tricky thing here so far is each variety really behaves different. some are loud and obvious, some quiet. some seamless and some do end. Many give early pops that should be disregarded until crack really sets in. None the less that is the profile and I'll roast to City+ or FC on the first roast and then decide which way I want to go from there.
Love to hear what others are doing. Adjustments that can be made for types of beans. Anything really.
Cheers
Josh
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I, too, roast with a Behmor Plus.
I preheat the machine for two minutes and pop in the drum with 340 grams of green coffee. I use the 1lb setting and switch to manual mode - P5 and higher drum speed. When first crack starts, I drop to P3 and the lower drum speed to stretch out the development. Following the suggestion from Royal Coffee, I time the development from the beginning of first crack. I usually go for one and a half to two minutes. This gives me a lighter roast.
I would love to hear how others are using their Behmors, too.
Victor
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Hi Josh and Victor,
How long is it taking you guys to get to yellowing then 1C?
I found that a load of over 300g would stretch the time out too long. I also toggled power to try to extend the time of 1C.
Good luck with the B,
Brian
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I usually get to First Crack after about 12 minutes. I don't go by visuals because I don't trust what I can see through the window and I don't have a good comparison to ascertain color.
I'm rather confused about the time issue. Several people seem to think that the shorter the time to first crack the better, so I would have to reduce the amount of coffee I roast. Other people seem to be proponents of extending the drying phase which wold argue for a slower build up of temperature. I use 12oz or 340 grams because it seems like a good compromise.
Your thoughts?
Victor
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A shorter time to 1C allows for a longer 1C relative to the roast time which tends to result in better coffee.
12min was in the general range it took me to get 340G to 1C. 2 min after that for 1C to cool gives a 14 min roast. 2/14 = 14%.
With a 200 gram batch I would get to 1C in 9-10 min and have a 11-12 min total roast. 2/11 = 18%; 2/12 = 17%.
I tended to like these longer ratio roasts better. One can always go longer towards 2C to extend the ratio to get more sweetness and less fruit/ floral/ acidity/ nuance but as a rule I don't hit 2C. Some coffee's benefit more from a darker roast (Indo's in particular) or use methods ('spro where too much acidity can be bad) and I will often run a test batch long for the heck of it.
I learned a lot about coffee using a Behmor. Really had to be attentive.
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I've been roasting in a pop-corn popper for about 3 years now, and I just got my first real roaster, the Behmor 1600 plus. I'm realizing all the nuances of roasting that now come into play.
For those of you who have been using this machine for a while, is it really important to let it rest an hour before each roast? I know the manual says that but I was wondering if that really is necessary.
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I've been roasting in a pop-corn popper for about 3 years now, and I just got my first real roaster, the Behmor 1600 plus. I'm realizing all the nuances of roasting that now come into play.
For those of you who have been using this machine for a while, is it really important to let it rest an hour before each roast? I know the manual says that but I was wondering if that really is necessary.
I don't let it rest an hour between roasts, at least not on purpose. Typically when I have time to roast coffee, it happens all at once.
If you were looking for any Behmor advice, I would say one of the most important things with the Behmor is the cooling. If you have some sort of external bean cool, something as simple as a metal mesh colander and a fan, you will increase the quality of your roast. Although, I will admit, some roasts I simply hit the cool button 15-30s sooner and let the roast bake a little more when I don't have the time to sit with it or don't want chaff everywhere.
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+1 for external cooling.
I opened the door to cool, sucked the chaff out with a shop vac, and turned a tabletop fan facing into it while the beans spun in the drum. Didn't have space for an external cooler where the Behmor was used.
It takes a while to cool down before a second roast can begin, 13 to 18 minutes or so I believe. DON'T prematurely stop the cooling cycle or you'll have to re-do that countdown before the next roast.
Preheat to the max temp allowed so the roast doesn't trigger thermal shutdown, roast, cool. Repeat.
Don't be afraid of it. Roast 200-250g batches to get a handle on things. Make 1, no more than 2 changes at a time with back to back roasts of the same bean. Keep a detailed minute by minute log to track temp change so you can know whats happening in there as it doesn't offer the same feedback as other roasters. It can be a good roaster that provides in the cup rewards from attention to detail, patience, and persistence. Else you'll have a bean baker.
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Definitely work with some profiles until you get the hang of it. I now roast 340 grams. Preheat for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Start with 1 lb setting and P1 profile. Immediately go to P5 (100%) power and increase drum speed with D. Once First Crack begins shift down to P3 and slower drum speed to develop the roast more slowly. I roast to 2 - 2 1/2 minutes after start of First Crack. Longer for wet processed coffees and shorter for naturals or dry processed coffees.
I've tried pulling the beans earlier to cool, but it creates a real mess. Since I'm cooling the roast before Second Crack I don't worry too much about the roast coasting along.
Good luck!
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Just remember that in the Behmor, the beans continue to roast for about a minute after you hit the cool button so you have to kind of time that in darker roasts. As mentioned, an external cooler would do the beans a lot better. Some of the heavier / denser beans, you may have to reduce the charge weight to get up to the temps you want. I remember the old one would like to time out on me with a Sulawesi.
Another trick some folks have used is to prop the front up with a piece of 2 x 4 underneath, that tips it back towards the heating elements and pushes the bean mass closer to them. Instead of resting closer to the floor in the drum, it is resting closer to the element. That can get a little more heat out of it as well if you are finding issues there. Not sure howimportant that'd be for the new models but the older ones where the heat kicked on and off several times during a roast cycle, that could be a big plus there.
Have fun and let us know what you come up with that works for you.
Aaron
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Definitely work with some profiles until you get the hang of it. I now roast 340 grams. Preheat for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Start with 1 lb setting and P1 profile. Immediately go to P5 (100%) power and increase drum speed with D. Once First Crack begins shift down to P3 and slower drum speed to develop the roast more slowly. I roast to 2 - 2 1/2 minutes after start of First Crack. Longer for wet processed coffees and shorter for naturals or dry processed coffees.
I've tried pulling the beans earlier to cool, but it creates a real mess. Since I'm cooling the roast before Second Crack I don't worry too much about the roast coasting along.
Good luck!
+1
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I don't know about the new models but in cooler temps the preheat is almost a must. The older models if you turned it on and tried roasting in cooler temps you could eventually get an error and a shutdown on the damned thing. This would always almost inevitably happen right as you were getting close to first crack too. Now you have to cool the damned thing down let it do it's cycle thing, even unplugging you have to wait at least 5 minutes. yes you can re do those beans but at that point, the roast is kind of pooched. To be honest this was one of the things that eventually galvanized my decision of getting my artisan roaster, I got tired of ruining batches in the winter months.
Aaron
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I went from roasting in a modified popper for many years to the Behmor+.. & agree, need that preheat. I never got an err on the +, but it took too long, imo without it. I preheat to 300 on the B, then pop in my load- 8-12 oz depending on what I'm roasting and how many I want to turn that day (I only roast for me & my husband, sometimes for gifts, and a lb a week for a good friend in trade for his chix eggs.) The Behmor was a nice step up for our indoor-only use vs the tiny loads I could do in the popper.
Put the load in at 1Lb, up the speed & P5. Get to about 315, drop to P3.. up to P4 if needed to keep it in the 310-315 range till 10:30 when the fan comes on, back to P5 if I'm not on it already. 1C happens soon after (or before, depending on my load size/variety) and once it's going, I drop the speed, and down to P3 to stretch it out a couple mins. I usually pull our roasts at FC-FC+, sometimes just into the first snaps of 2C. My friend likes darker roasts no matter the origin, so for him I kill it after 2C starts, and the residual carries it into rolling 2C for several seconds before I pull the charge.
I cool externally- popping that door open and smoking out the kitchen for those darker roasts.. pull the drum and dump onto a fan/strainer setup that cools super-fast, machine set back to cool itself. Silicon dipped gardening gloves are the bomb for dexterity & protection.
I've been of the mindset that fast rise to 1C, and coast seems to work.. but I also do like sweeter roasts, and am finding the roasts in the Behmor to be more to my liking than the faster (& much brighter) roasts I got out of my popper- regardless of ending at 1C or bringing it to beginning of 2C- they were brighter from the popper.
I've not tried comparing a slow developed coffee in the Behmor to a fast, but am curious to see what diff it may make in the end- any input on that point I'd love to read.
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Just remember that in the Behmor, the beans continue to roast for about a minute after you hit the cool button so you have to kind of time that in darker roasts. As mentioned, an external cooler would do the beans a lot better. Some of the heavier / denser beans, you may have to reduce the charge weight to get up to the temps you want. I remember the old one would like to time out on me with a Sulawesi.
Another trick some folks have used is to prop the front up with a piece of 2 x 4 underneath, that tips it back towards the heating elements and pushes the bean mass closer to them. Instead of resting closer to the floor in the drum, it is resting closer to the element. That can get a little more heat out of it as well if you are finding issues there. Not sure howimportant that'd be for the new models but the older ones where the heat kicked on and off several times during a roast cycle, that could be a big plus there.
Have fun and let us know what you come up with that works for you.
Aaron
Going to try this trick- the newer Behmor still cycles off/on to regulate temps- and I find the heat build a little too slow for what I believe would be best.
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jo, it still cycles on and off, but being closer to the heating elements, the thought is it sucks up more of the heat into the bean mass when they are on so you get a bit heartier roast. That is one thing I always was concerned about with the beh over the years I have used it. It's like wow, this thing is coasting here, sometimes for 45 seconds or so.. what is that doing to the roasting process. Obviously the beans do come out roasted, but the humpty dumpty on the energy being provided into them makes one wonder.
Aaron
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Agreed. I wish it was a variable load to the elements vs on/off.. I know the mass builds and retains the heat- but I can't help imagine a smoother stable heating system would work better. Makes me really curious (not going to attempt it, unless I get a used seriously cheap-o Behmor) what effect using a variac on it would have- using full power and having outside control via the transformer to dial up/down the power to the elements. Hmmm.. Not sure if the solid-state smart circuits would even allow that type of tinkering. Eh, back to roasting today as the snow melts.
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I'd not go over voltage, even a few volts, at the critical point on an element can cause damage. With that though it will still cycle unless you totally bypassed everything and just turned the elements on. There is also a high temp cutout on it, if you go too high it will trip off there too... but again, if you hack it and bypass that part of the circuit you can do it manual, but, as said before, the Beh is really good at starting fires if you go much into second. So manually pouring the heat to it might be a problem if you are not very careful.
Aaron
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I'll have a more detailed response later but one of the tips I have read that really works is to put tin foil on the inside of the unit that covers the window. The Behmor loses a ton of heat through the window. I know that eliminates the ability to view the roast but in all honesty that wasn't much use to me. It really did have an impact on the ability of the unit to get hot and maintain that heat. I roast in my garage and live in Pittsburgh so it did have a major impact on my roasts during the winter. I attached the foil with Kapton tape so it would stay in place.
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I never heard the trick about covering the window with foil. Wish I would have known.
I was able to force the Behmor element to remain on and only cycle it back when I started nearing the hi-temp cutout by running manually. Took a lot of babysitting and logging to learn its rise characteristics by bean type and charge size.
The only fire I've ever had was my Huky when I hadn't cleaned the chaff out of the element. Awkward minutes those were.
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Out of curiosity, what internal temp triggers the high temp cutout? I have only played around with manual roasts a tiny bit but I'm getting dissatisfied with the quality of the auto roasts now that the machine is several years old and not as efficent as it was out of the box.
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I don't recall exactly what it was as I've chucked my roasting log. I think that I triggered it about 4-5 minutes in without a charge to see what the number was. That's what I would do if I were you to see what the number for your machine is given its age. Kinda like calibrating it.
When roasting manual I was told to record my time and A & B temps every minute until the exhaust fan kicked on, then go to 30 sec intervals. It made a difference in my roasts. It also helped me cut my batch size down because roasts over 330 g were taking way too long. Coffee really doesn't do its chemical reaction thing as well when the times/temps are out of spec.
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I have triggered the high temperature cut-off a couple of times. I think it kicks in somewhere between 320 and 330 degrees.
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Thanks for the suggestion and info. I've burned out 2 afterburners and decided to do without the feature. So my exhaust fan is MIA but I'm okay with a bit of experimentation to calibrate my roasts. :)
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I had to replace an after-burner and I'm not looking forward to having to do it again. It was more time consuming than I imagined, and the connectors frayed.
I'll be interested to hear how your Behmor performs without one.
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Yep it was a pain the first go around which is why I just sent it off to Behmor to do the second one. They are really quick and polished it up a bit as well. :) But alias that one only lasted about 15 roasts.
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Was there any charge for the repair? How did you manage the shipping?
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UPS round trip was about $65. At the time (Christmas) they asked for a donation to my favorite charity in their name. It was a win win. An email to their support email was answered promptly.
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I have triggered the high temperature cut-off a couple of times. I think it kicks in somewhere between 320 and 330 degrees.
Hm, and here I was thinking that my B readings were way off since everybody here talks about proper roasts needing to get up to around 400. If what you say is true about this cutoff, though, then my B readings might be accurate after all...
I triggered my first cutoff today, though had I read this thread and known where the cutoff was, I might have been able to avoid it.
I had probably just a little over a pound of Colombian (included with roaster purchase) in there and the cutoff came RIGHT as first crack was starting to take off. Darn. I would say the roast was pooched, but I like lighter roasts anyways, so I'm keeping this "spotted" roast around for cupping experience. With the drum stopping, some of the beans got way burnt (french territory) but others maintained a semblance of city-city+.
Yes, I know that a pound is pushing it with the Behmor, but I did it once before with a Brazilian without any issues. I guess the Colombian was a harder nut---er, bean--- to crack and so pushed me to the cutoff ::)
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I'm interested in why you reached that cut-off temperature. How hot was the preheat?
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I'm interested in why you reached that cut-off temperature. How hot was the preheat?
I used to preheat only to 200 on B, but then I found that I could go a good bit higher, so anticipating the Colombian being more difficult, I got it up to around 230, and by the time I got the chaff collector and drum in, it had dropped to about 220 or so, if i recall.
As I said, I got a good ways into the roast (13-14 mins), but at 1C, just as I go to cut the heat, the dreaded 'Err2'.
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I think that if you want to start with that high a temperature in your preheat, you have to monitor the B temperature very closely and either open the door periodically or lower the heat level - P4 or P3 - in order to keep the temperature below 320 degrees.
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I've been messing around with the manual roasting method for a month or so now. I pre-heat to 290°- 295° and by the time I get everything loaded I'm at about 285°. I use P5 until around 310° adjust to P4 and let it coast up to 315° adjust to P3 and try to keep it around 315° switching between P3 and P4 all with drum speed on high. When the fan kicks in the temp drops 20° to 25° in a flash and it takes full on P5 for about 5 minutes to get back up to 315°ish which I try and maintain until first crack. I drop to P3, if not already there, turn the drum speed down, crack the door open to extend the first crack out. I pull the load after about 30 seconds after the last few snaps that are grouped not the lingering individual snaps. First crack happens about 12 to 13 minutes into the roast with hard type beans (all I have on hand). I've read here and other blogs that folks are getting to first crack in a shorter amount of time. I'm wondering if getting to first crack actually makes a difference in the cup? I've started using a 2x4 under the front of the B to tilt so more of the beans are closer to the heat elements. This shaved a couple of minutes off from my original 14 to 15 minutes to get to first crack. But sadly the 8 to 10 minutes to first crack continues to elude me.
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How much beans are you using in each load?
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OMW, guess that is an important dara point. 12oz setting the B on 1 pound
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I suppose you could try reducing the load to 10 or 8 oz? Please tell us what happens.
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Going to try this today, but still interested in what a shorter roast to first crack has on the final cup. Am I chasing something that, in the end, doesn't make a better cup?
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I've heard people say that trying to use the Behmor like a commercial roaster doesn't make much sense.
Earlier in this thread, Brian recommends shortening the pre First Crack phase in order to increase the ratio of First Crack to PreFirst crack times. It will be interesting to see if you think it makes a difference in the cup.
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OMW, guess that is an important dara point. 12oz setting the B on 1 pound
The folks over at Royal have a behmor roast description for some of the crown jewels. They do a preheat to around 200, put in a half pound on the one pound setting, then ride P5 to 1C (generally; it varies a little depending on the bean obviously). Some variation follows during 1C development.
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OMW, guess that is an important dara point. 12oz setting the B on 1 pound
Also, interesting you can preheat to such a high temp, you must have some dexterous skills to insert the drum while the right side slot is moving, because if I preheat to 250, cut off insert drum, and try to restart, the machine locks up and won't respond to anything but a cooling cycle....
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I am very, very nimble. LOL
I pre-heat using a 1lb setting, if I use the 1/4lb setting same thing happens to me
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Did 4 roasts this morning, two 10oz initial and two 8oz initial. Same set up and processed used in all 4 roasts, pre-heat to 300° put in drum, 1lb setting D for fast drum speed, 2x4 under the front, P5 on heat to about 310° as read on B then P4/P3 to coast/maintain 315° until 7min 30 sec when fan kicks in, back up P5 until heat loss is recovered and back to P4/P3 until first crack. Drop drum speed to slow, pull 2x4, crack door and if not already at P3, P3.
With the 10oz charges first crack was 10:30ish into the roast, I was able to stretch first crack for 1:50, no more cracks. With the 8oz charges first crack was 7:45ish into the roast and stretched it for about the same amount of time at 1:45.
What I noticed most was that with the smaller charge, it seemed like I could control the temp rises and drops much better, and if my math is right the ratio of time in first crack to time to get to first crack was much better with the smaller loads. I pulled all four roasts about a minute after the end of first crack.
One thing is for sure, I'm having a lot more fun with trying to hit the sweet spot using the manual method rather than letting the B do the work.
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I tried the 2x4 under the legs and TBH I didn't notice any difference. However, I saw a tip on another forum that mentioned putting foil over the window. *That* made a big difference. Put your hand over the window once the roaster gets to a good temp and you'll feel how much heat you are losing there. The window is too small to be of any real use in watching the color of the roast so I haven't missed it at all.
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I am very, very nimble. LOL
I pre-heat using a 1lb setting, if I use the 1/4lb setting same thing happens to me
Inspired by your bravado, I too attempted the insert the drum while spinning maneuver.
I'll be d-----d if it wasn't easier than inserting while the machine is stopped!
Now to test the foil on the window. I had read about this but not tried it before since I'm both roast by sense and numbers guy. But having just tried one roast purely by numbers, the extra heat on the beans might be worth the tradeoff...
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OMW, guess that is an important dara point. 12oz setting the B on 1 pound
The folks over at Royal have a behmor roast description for some of the crown jewels. They do a preheat to around 200, put in a half pound on the one pound setting, then ride P5 to 1C (generally; it varies a little depending on the bean obviously). Some variation follows during 1C development.
I saw that had some Behmor notes with their Crown Jewels, which makes absolutely no sense to me as opposed to lot-buying/defect roasting: they're trying to get profiles down, they already have the coffee, presumably have access to superior equipment, and the typical Behmor roaster isn't going to be their typical customer.
Just looking at their site shows that they are now using an Ikawa in addition to their Probatino. Makes much more sense as they are making super slight changes that really aren't possible to detect in a Behmor given its roast system.
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OMW, guess that is an important dara point. 12oz setting the B on 1 pound
The folks over at Royal have a behmor roast description for some of the crown jewels. They do a preheat to around 200, put in a half pound on the one pound setting, then ride P5 to 1C (generally; it varies a little depending on the bean obviously). Some variation follows during 1C development.
I saw that had some Behmor notes with their Crown Jewels, which makes absolutely no sense to me as opposed to lot-buying/defect roasting: they're trying to get profiles down, they already have the coffee, presumably have access to superior equipment, and the typical Behmor roaster isn't going to be their typical customer.
Just looking at their site shows that they are now using an Ikawa in addition to their Probatino. Makes much more sense as they are making super slight changes that really aren't possible to detect in a Behmor given its roast system.
Yes, and they admit as much. Behmor roast profiles are there as a shout out to the home roaster, whom they seem to hope to target with the crown jewel line of coffees.
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Another thing to note about the Royal site and their Behmor profiles. His times are waaaaaayyyy off and I couldn't figure out why until I looked at the pic of his set-up. He is roasting outdoors and using an extension cord without using a variac. He's losing a ton of juice using that extension which makes his profile times way longer than they should be. I am hitting first crack with that Yemen I just bought almost a full 2 minutes earlier than he is. I do use a variac but do not overpower at all. I try to get as close to 120v on the meter before I start roasting, thats all. It helps keep my times more consistent. If his juice at the box is already low, and then he uses that extension cord, then that explains why his times are so much longer.
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It also seems to me that he only roasts about 1:20 or 1:40 into first crack. Seems like too short a roast to me.
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I have said this many times before and I'll say it again. it does not matter what my machine does or how it behaves, you need to learn what YOUR machine does and how it behaves. As many are quick to point out, there are so many variables, what iffs, and he done what!! 's that you can not really standardize and say ok, if you use this machine, 'this' is the magic profile to get perfection every time. If he's outside, wind is a huge factor as well. Even on a hot day, a little breeze can cause a venturi on that top vent and suck a lot of heat right out, tinfoil window cover or not. There are so many little things that can make a big difference. To say his times are way off, umm yes, and I bet the variables affecting his machine are way different than yours too. This is why you need to learn the process, and how it applies to YOUR machine. Not to mention once you have learned how the whole process works, if something does throw you off, ie a bit lower voltage, a bit of a breeze, you know how to easily counter it's adverse affects.
Royal I would say tries to cater to pretty much everyone. They sell low grade 'institutional' coffee, and of course as we know high end coffee. The home roasting crowd is growing as well. Just look at us, you get Peter who buys a pallet of coffee from them at a time, a big mix up of many different origins. You get me who buys a pallet at a time of the same coffee because it's selling so fast I can't keep it in stock. We are just home roasters and we buy pallets? Yep, it might be a good idea to try to cater to our crowd as well. I also know of a few business owner, brick and mortar roasters down state who have more than once, seen a big seller I was doing, and on occasion bought a 5 lb bag from me, only a week later to turn around and get 30 sacks or so for themselves of the same coffee from Royal. We may be just home roasters but we genuinely have a fairly large influence. When we talk about this or that, or brag on what we accomplished with our 5 lb stashes, the big guys are listening as well. If selling Peter 1 sack of Rwanda, for him to send out to 20 other people, ends up with someone buying a few pallets of that same coffee, by feedback they heard from Peters one sack wonder :P Then it's in Royal's best interest to keep Peter, and the rest of us happy.
Speaking of wierd roasts, I think tomorrow just for the hell of it, Im gonna dig out one of my old I roasts and have at it, for old times sake.
Aaron
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That's an excellent point Aaron. When I said that he was way off with his times, it was in comparison to the times I was getting. That doesn't make me right and him wrong...or vice versa. It was simply an extreme diversion from my experience and being the obsessive knucklehead that I am, I needed to find out why.
I also agree with you about home roasting growing exponentially. When I first went down this rabbit hole, I had *no* idea how many people shared my mindset. It's great to know I'm not the only idiot in town. rofl
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When I first started out, I was moving a bag or a two at a time, maybe once a month or so. Recent years up until my little medically induced sabbatical, im getting 1099's from pay pal because of all the money going throu there. Now i have to kep track of all the stuff very closely to show to the irs to prove that 94 thousand dollars was NOT all profit, that 88 of that went right back into the beans bags postage and scotch tape. Now if I sell roasted, it falls under the cottage rules but still a different type of numbers to show. You went from selling 1lb of this for 5 dollars to selling for 11 dollars, why? It's roasted, and usesmore beans per lB of final product...yep it can get real fun. I still enjoy it though and honestly can't wait until i can retire from main painful job to just puttering around and doing coffee / fishijng / jiggin / assaying / chem analysis . stuffs
I want a job whee I can wake up, fart, and blame the bird for it, and he says bullshit, YOU farted and laughs.
ahh the days
Aaron
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I'm surprised that some here are getting 10-12 oz on the 1lb setting -- I normally roast between 5.5 and 6.5 oz if using the presets (for some profiles I'll drop the suggested time by 90 seconds). I've never gotten anywhere close to a decent roast for larger batches of coffee. I've opened up my machine and cleaned out the fans. etc. I am wondering if there are other troubleshooting tips (I keep the temp gauge clean).
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The newer Behmors are garbage in my opinion. I have heard nothing but problems from them. I have had several of them over my years, probably ran through about 4 or 5 of them. The first few were built like tanks and ran well. The newer ones, seemed less power and didn't get the job done like the old ones did.
One trick you can try is to put a 2 x 4 under the front legs, that pushes the bean mass backwards a bit and closer to the heater elements, some say they get a bit more heat out of it. I did that for a bit on one that was dying and it seemed to help a little bit but nothing profound, the thing still kicks on and off by it's thermostat, not what the beans are feeling.
Aaron
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I've tried the 2x4 and it does help slightly, but not enough to make me want to keep the Behmor. It shortened the time to first crack by about 1:30 to 2 minutes. I'm saving my pennies for either a HotTop or a Huky. Having 35 days to try out retirement not too long ago I agree with Aaron, can't wait for the days that I can do what I want to do instead of what I have to do.
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I learned a lot during my 2 years using a Behmor but am happier now and making better roasts with my Huky. Lots to learn if so desired, but can also be used more simply.
I would consider a Quest, Coromat, Artisan fluid bed, or Bullet to be competitive roasters to the Huky in addition to the Hot top. All have pro's and cons, but I think all provide adequate control over heat and airflow to yield good to very good roasts.
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Thanks for the suggestion, I've looked at all except the Coromat and will certainly do some homework on that as well.
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Oh and let me throw this little tidbit out there for a Behmor. and in full disclosure this was NOT their fault.
Putting the roaster with the chimney part of it outside the window, the door part of it inside the window, so you can roast inside but the smoke goes outside is a B A D.... idea.
The wind sucking across it will create a suction through the thing and you WILL catch it on fire. cough cough... at least.... that's what someone once told me. No seriously though, have to be careful when we do stuff that was not intended. The 2 x 4 is a good idea, so if I use a 2 x 6 it'll be even better because it's pushing the beans closer to the heating elements right.... ummmm WRONG.... because now that it's on a large slant, all the chaff is fluffing out of the chaff holder and into the heating elements now. Ok, that one I honestly did NOT do, I could see that mess coming a mile off if I did it, I ain't dat stoopid, but this is a prime example of on how when we fiddle with stuff, we really need to think things through, and never EVER leave the roast unattended. I don't care if it's for 30 seconds. That 30 seconds can turn into 5 minutes before you know it when your CRS kicks in and now you have a problem.
CO2 fire extinguishers will put the mess out, and NOT ruin your coffee, (well hello captain obvious, at that point your coffee is already pretty F'd), but you are not spraying chemical powders all over the room or into your roaster, THAT is critical because Purple K eats electronics. Make sure you have a good PAIR of oven mitts, (No just one will not do) in case you have to do the walk / run of embarrassment to the door with a hot smoking mess. If that don't work, a METAL 30 gallon trash can with a METAL lid works wonders too. Heft the mess into that, close the cover and walk outside with it or let it cool or whatever. best part, the fire is contained so no worries about embers etc setting the carpet or mother in laws dairy queen hair doo on fire.
anyways, a bit of hijacking happened here, but the behmor is good to learn on, but folks tend to grow out of them eventually, and if you do catch the thing on fire, it IS designed to take that fairly well. A cleaning cycle and it's good to go again.
Aaron
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How much is effective for espresso roaste
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Welcome Ali. I have limited experience with the Behmor, but using my daughters last fall, I was able to do a decent FC+ roast by keeping the batch size down (8 OZ) while the ambient air temps were in the 60s. Not sure if you want something darker, but others with more experience will chime in soon, I'm sure.
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I generally load 10 oz with the 1 pound button and can get to a decent espresso roast. I don't use the presets instead I go full on manual. Ambient temps are 66-70 and I preheat to 295-300 degrees before I drop the beans, that is unless the beans are low altitude or soft bean, I drop the beans earlier around 250 degrees. And here is the disclaimer, my Behmor is 4 years old and has about 130 roasts on it so it doesn't react like a newer roaster. Good luck, experimenting is half the fun I think.