Most of what i have done to the Behmor is here - PID, smoke control, higher RPM drum etc. - is here: Modding the behmor

I had read a lot and talked to some commercial and semi-commercial roasters before I got a Nesco. It died in 80 or 100 roasts and I got the Behmor. I think that I had a consistently drinkable roast on a single blend in 15-20 roast cycles. For my needs, I buy larger bags (100lbs +/-) of a single bean or blend and roast it for 2-4 months. It was much too hard for my brain to wrap around all of the variables on changing the beans frequently. I am 14 months and 300+ roast cycles into the Behmor now.

The PID could give me all kinds of control over the roast but I would need to track great amounts of data and run green loads smaller than 320g. I have two notebooks full of information tracking every single roast that I have done for 6 data points already and since we consume almost 1kg of roasted beans per week - I "need" the output. I roast to a Full City + level, exclusively for espresso on two set-ups that I know well. As a system, it is working well for our needs.

If you have a way to vent the smoke effectively, you can punt the afterburner. It needs cleaning and takes some of the juice that you need for the elements.

WES

You could start roasting with a Behmor. It costs about $300 (often including about 8 lbs green coffee). If you don't include your time roasting as money spent (and you also do the suggested Behmor maintenance schedule) - I think you will actually start saving money on coffee - as compared to your $15 pro roasts... Yes, in a year or less... if your Behmor lasts 3 years - you will save a lot - if your green beans are in the $5-$6 range

But you have to like roasting every week... and concentrating on it. I like roasting coffee, and I roast 40-50 lbs. a year with my Behmor - inside in my little California kitchen. The smoke suppression of the Behmor is pretty good - but not perfect. All the mods, etc, people do with their roasters - I am not willing to do that. But I do keep a roasting log - and listen hard to those cracks ... and I clean the thing regularly.

I find that with the Behmor - I prefer to simply use the basic P1-A profile. I roast only for espresso, and espresso based drinks. I roast Full city+ through Vienna. 10 oz. about every 5 days (I use the 1 lb. setting and adjust the time + or - depending on the sound of the roast near the end. I generally buy Sweet Maria's espresso blends - but do an occasional single origin roast. There are, obviously, far better roasting experts on this site than me ... and I screw up my roasts sometimes - but not that often; my coffee is always fresh.

I like my coffee fresh.

Howard

I roast in the house with my Hottop B just using a box fan in a window to remove smoke. Darkest I roast is FC+ & I don't have any problem drawing what smoke is produced out the window. I can only guess that those who complain about excessive smoke from the HT are roasting much darker then I do??

another_jim wrote:Roasting coffees is fairly straightforward, but it takes at least a year or so to become proficient. Many amateurs and professionals never become proficient, since they need to do much more than just roasting espresso blends in a way they think "tastes OK.":

• You need a roaster or need to modify one so you can control the heat level and read the bean temperature
• You need to compare your roasts with professional roasts of the same coffee
• You need to do light roasts and cup them, so you can spot the mistakes you are making early in the roast
• You need to do occasional dark roasts and make sure they don't taste ashy. If they do, you'll need to learn to control the maximum temperatures the beans are getting (this is equipment dependent).
• You need to buy coffees at least as good as are being sold by the top roasters.

So as with most buying advice -- all the choices are lousy unless you are willing to do the work.

Precisely why I don't roast coffee, make my own wine, and other, similar things that require x amount of time and effort to do well. I'm too busy, and -- you know -- there are those professionals that are so nice, they actually ship super-good coffees right to my front door!

This doesn't mean that others shouldn't do it. I am sure that some home roasters do an excellent job, and that all home roasters have fun and enjoy their hobby. I just know it's not for me.

Cheers,
Jason

To the OP: Mike, as you've already gathered (I think) from the other posts, there is no way you are going to "justify the costs" to your "better half." Roasting may, in the long run, save you money because greens are significantly less expensive than roasted beans -- in the same way that making your own espresso, cappuccino or lattè is cheaper than paying *$ -- but while many consider "morning coffee" a necessity, there are only two explanations for roasting yourself: it's a hobby, or it's a job.

I presume too many animals (and their owners) would complain if you switched careers, so that leaves "hobby." And there is never a justification for the expense of a hobby -- that would take all (or "a lot") of the fun out of it!

Cheers,
Jason

Roasting at home can be *very* rewarding. It's fun and interesting and adds a new dimension to the coffee journey and experience. Be prepared to invest plenty of time into the roasting itself as well as the reading/research. Of course, this is part of the fun for me so I do not consider my time as a "cost".

I would assert that there is much more value than than JUST to learn about coffee.
I would further assert that it can eventually save money (over purchasing artisan roasts online).

Now that I have become (mostly) happy with my results, it has gotten difficult to for me spend upwards of $20/pound for delivered fresh artisan roasts when I can produce fresh roasted at home generally for $5-$6 per pound (this is my final cost after delivery and roasting weight loss). Sometimes I buy more expensive greens but almost never pay more than about $10-$12/pound delivered even for COE coffees (this translates to $12-$15 per pound finished cost).

I will readily admit that for coffees that cost $15 to $20+ per pound green I prefer to buy pro roasts because I would hate to buy a $20/pound coffee and have a roast go South on me...part of the value in home roasting for me is the whole "Zen" thing : research, select roast, blend, taste...repeat. So having an expensive roast go bad would be frustrating and the possibility would raise my anxiety - as opposed to having the hobby be a relaxing pastime.


For starters I would suggest (after reading up a bit) buying a few pounds of an inexpensive all-purpose type of bean and roast it several times to different levels using different profiles and then taste the results brewed as drip (or press) and also as espresso. This will get you familiar with some of the cause-and-effects as well as becoming more familiar and confident with your roasting setup.

Also - Keep a log! Record each roast with key variables noted and then go back and make taste notes.


Roasting at home will teach you much about the bean...and after a while you *may* reach the point where you prefer your results to commercially-available products that cost twice as much.

You have received excellent advice so I will keep my remarks to a minimum

Here is a discussion of my purchasing decisions from a year ago.

Behmor or HotTop for Christmas?

I ended up with a HotTop B and I am quite happy but will make some modifications to include temperature logging and possibly insulation very shortly.

I would add that home roasting allows you to keep a wide variety of beans (green AND newly roasted) around to sample and taste at your will. Getting this variety to your tastes is not easy or possible from mail order. The same is true for variety of espresso blends. While I do have my favorites and go to blends I also have a good stash of Brazilian, Ethiopian, Central American, Sumatran, Yemeni and other SO beans. I roast each alone to know how they cup and how they taste as SO espresso. This makes blending them at my leisure and will more enjoyable for both variety and to learn about blending and coffee in general. As a hobbyist that is one of the best parts of home roasting.

...."how to justify the cost?" If you define cost as just green bean roasted to acceptable quality+ hardware against purchasing freshly roasted coffee you may come out in the long run saving money. Add the other costs: wasted greens during the process of figuring out your roaster, wasted greens in trying to determine the roasting profile of a particular bean, time, maintenance & repair, power .... Home roasting for the enjoyment, satisfaction, challenge is the real cost benefit.

It also removes some of the "black box" dilemma with pre-roasted beans. Ergo, that I (as the barista) do not know what goes into making coffee before putting the roasted coffee through the machine. This is something I have a problem living with, I want to understand the complete process with everything I do, and preferably get my hands dirty as much as possible. Then, after trying it, I can evaluate if it's worth paying somebody for their skills and time, and I've also learned a bit more about the complete start-to-end process, which I at least like to think helps me do my part of the process (in this case, making espresso/coffee) a bit better.

Then again, this might just be a psychological rationalization due to that I'm a bit frustrated of the fact that I can't wet/dry process coffee cherries in my own kitchen. If there would be a way to grow coffee in my garden here in Finland to the standards those panama dudes does it, I surely would have my own sun-drying patio where my gas BBQ and garden furniture stands now.