Behmor 1600 arrives - some pictures - Page 2

[prof_stack]

Just had a capp with 3-day old Behmor roasted beans, from the first (and so far only) roast. VERY smooth and delicious flavor. I'm going to go have another capp, one over my daily routine.

IMAWriter: Thanks for the post. I've read your postings on CG concerning the Behmor as I have followed the progress over the last (maybe a) year. Certainly no regrets here.

The Behmor is a watershed event in home roasting.

[narc]

What is the expected life span of the heating elements? My foggy memory thinks it remembers reading the roaster should have a 900 cycle life span. Is that referring to heating elements, catalytic or whatever reduces the smoke part, some other major component wearing down? Will parts be available from the manufacturer? Does this roaster look like it will be relatively easy to replace worn or broken parts? I'm impressed at the #1 capacity on 120v/20amp circuit. And the price point at ~1/20 the cost of a Dietrich pounder. How much time between batches should you or do you have to wait?

[IMAWriter]

What is the expected life span of the heating elements? My foggy memory thinks it remembers reading the roaster should have a 900 cycle life span. Is that referring to heating elements, catalytic or whatever reduces the smoke part, some other major component wearing down? Will parts be available from the manufacturer? Does this roaster look like it will be relatively easy to replace worn or broken parts? I'm impressed at the #1 capacity on 120v/20amp circuit. And the price point at ~1/20 the cost of a Dietrich pounder. How much time between batches should you or do you have to wait?

I believe you might mean 120V/15Amp circuit?
I think a 20 minute wait after cooling cycle is completed is more than adequate...Joe may have other thoughts on this. Just not to forget, that after every 5-6 roasts, a "cleaning" roast cycle..no beans...should be performed...12 minutes + cooling is perfect.
I believe the most critical part in the roaster is the after burner...again, Joe would be the guy.

[prof_stack]

Behmor roast #2: 1/2# of Colombian Choco from SweetMaria's. Buttons 1/2# Profile P1 with 90 seconds added before the roast began. The outside temp "warmed up" to the low 40's.

There was a LOT of smoke early on that subsided after a few minutes. Perhaps some chaff didn't get cleaned off some elements from the last roast.

13:30 is the max time allowed for 1/2# on Profile 1. That limited the roast such that first crack was going for 1:30 when the cooling cycle began. Light roast, very evenly done. But I decided to "cheat" the system for the next roast (next post).

Some pix:


Chaffy roast with some beans that slipped through the cracks.


Light roast, to be sure. Is this called a "cinnamon" roast? Smelled nice.

[prof_stack]

Roast #3: 1/2# of Guatamalan Huehuetenango Organic from The Captain's Coffee. Profile P1 but this time I selected 1# which gave 18:00 for the roast. So I had to monitor the roast and start the cooling when I wanted to.

No smoke through most of the roast until the second crack got going. First crack started at 6:00 (12 minutes in) and second crack started at 4:00 (14 minutes in). I hit the COOL button and listened as the second cracks continued for less than a minute. Some smoke was evident but less than what I would expect from the TO/SC. More beans were ejected and a couple got stuck in the drum (see photo).

THIS is the roast I was aiming for. Very nice. More pix:


This is a nice way to warm up the hands on a cold day outside. The right side is HOTter.
What do those little hand symbols mean that are next to the text?


Opening the door to speed up cooling helps. Notice the chaff blown against the screen.


Last chaff photo I'll post.


Had to break the bean to get it out.


Great color and even roast (as usual). Can't wait to try this one (but I will).

[Niko]

Wow.
That latest roast looks gorgeous!


I'm getting tired of breaking out the stuck beans....it'll be nice when the new drum is available.
Any idea on how much $ it will cost?

[prof_stack]

Wow. That latest roast looks gorgeous!

I'm getting tired of breaking out the stuck beans....it'll be nice when the new drum is available.
Any idea on how much $ it will cost?

I thought it was mentioned on CG that the price would be reasonable, about $20. Maybe that's just wishful thinking, but anything not too far north of that would work for me.

Learning curve moment: A point of inflection, so to speak: The A B C D buttons are the TIME controls, so I could have selected 1/2# per the weight of the beans and then press C to get a 14:00 minute timed roast. Then the + or - buttons could be used as needed near the end of the roast.

Again, I'm impressed by the thought put into the Behmor. And the execution.

[IMAWriter]

I thought it was mentioned on CG that the price would be reasonable, about $20. Maybe that's just wishful thinking, but anything not too far north of that would work for me.

Learning curve moment: A point of inflection, so to speak: The A B C D buttons are the TIME controls, so I could have selected 1/2# per the weight of the beans and then press C to get a 14:00 minute timed roast. Then the + or - buttons could be used as needed near the end of the roast.

Again, I'm impressed by the thought put into the Behmor. And the execution.

Funny, I posted to you an hour ago...don't see it here...
I mentioned a way to stretch that Colombian roast a bit....
Also said...it's time to roast a #...I do 15 oz sometimes, depending on the bean...this is by weight...
The optional basket is really designed for very small beans, such as Yemen, Harrar, peaberry's, etc...
Not recommended for the larger beans, as there's a bit less heat circulation, I believe...

[prof_stack]

Today I sampled the 3-day old #2 and #3 roasts (shown above) in the Gaggia Factory. Both in capps.

The #2 cinnamon colored Colombian roast was mild and smooth. Very nice early morning drink.

The #3 Guatamalan Huehuetenango Organic was outstanding. Really great stuff. Interesting that going into second crack like it did caused divots in some of the beans. The P1 profile really had the beans hot before I hit the cool button. My TO/SC rarely produces divots perhaps because I adjust the temperature more frequently and don't let it get much above 440F according to the probe on the beans.

No matter; the Behmor has made 3 wonderful roasts for me (out of 3, batting 1000).

[prof_stack]

There is certainly more roasting traffic on CG than HB.

Anyway, roasting outside in mid 40's I have to set the roaster to 1# setting to get 1/2# of beans to roast properly in any profile but P1. Yesterday's roast of some SM Nicaragua Longberry Java something took 19 minutes to get to second crack using P3. Gloriously smooth capp this morning.

With school out for 2 weeks (finally!) its time to get some holiday roast gifts ready.

[IMAWriter]

There is certainly more roasting traffic on CG than HB.

Anyway, roasting outside in mid 40's I have to set the roaster to 1# setting to get 1/2# of beans to roast properly in any profile but P1. Yesterday's roast of some SM Nicaragua Longberry Java something took 19 minutes to get to second crack using P3. Gloriously smooth capp this morning.

With school out for 2 weeks (finally!) its time to get some holiday roast gifts ready.

You're right about more roasting "traffic" on CG. What makes HB so cool, is that there are lots more "seasoned" coffee folk, especially those deeply into espresso, machines, grinders, manual levers, and such. Both places are home away from home to me.
My recent experiences with the 1600 (we're in the 40's most days now here in the Nashville TN area) tend to correspond to yours....slower roasts in all but the P1 setting. one suggestion would be to roast in the garage, first warming up the garage a few minutes with a safe electric heater ($35 at Costco).
This is not a roaster that was meant for outdoor roasting...in fact, quite the opposite.

[cannonfodder]

I have a HotTop, but here is a quick and easy fix for those cold days. I made a HotTop house. I use a cardboard box just a little larger than the roaster. You obviously do not want it to touch the hot roaster. I cut a 2 inch flap in the back for the fan to vent out, a side flap to allow access to the roaster controls and cut the front out so I can see the roast. It may sound like a lot of holes, but the ambient temperature inside that little box is much warmer than the outside air. It also keeps the wind from blowing around the roaster. I roasted outside on the deck just a few days ago, and it was in the 20's that evening and the roast progressed along like it was in the 60's.

[IMAWriter]

I have a HotTop, but here is a quick and easy fix for those cold days. I made a HotTop house. I use a cardboard box just a little larger than the roaster. You obviously do not want it to touch the hot roaster. I cut a 2 inch flap in the back for the fan to vent out, a side flap to allow access to the roaster controls and cut the front out so I can see the roast. It may sound like a lot of holes, but the ambient temperature inside that little box is much warmer than the outside air. It also keeps the wind from blowing around the roaster. I roasted outside on the deck just a few days ago, and it was in the 20's that evening and the roast progressed along like it was in the 60's.

I've done similar when using my SC/UFO combo....works like a charm....wind is not a problem in the garage...I leave the door open a crack to vent out the co2....but when we get into the 20's, the ambient temperature may require a "shelter" to retain heat...the Behmor retains heat very well...I gather Joe spent long hours tightening things up.

[prof_stack]

I've done similar when using my SC/UFO combo....works like a charm....wind is not a problem in the garage...I leave the door open a crack to vent out the co2....but when we get into the 20's, the ambient temperature may require a "shelter" to retain heat...the Behmor retains heat very well...I gather Joe spent long hours tightening things up.

I've never heard of a Stir Crazy / UFO combo. Which one provides the heat and air?

A "shelter" around the Behmor would have to be carefully made to make sure the super hot parts on the sides and rear have clearance. Plus, room to open the door quickly as needed.

Two roasts today in the mid 40's (gosh, warmer weather would sure be nice) turned out great. 1/2# roasts set to 1# so more minutes were available. About 20 minutes for each roast, into second crack when the COOL button was pressed.

It is such a pleasure to just take the Behmor outside, plug it in, and let it go at it. Sure, I have to keep an eye on things, but it beats hauling out the TO/spacer/SC, Powerstat, fan, temp probe, cooling tower, colander, etc. It might take longer to roast, but the results have so far been really good.

[prof_stack]

Here's a photo of some lightly roasted Kona beans from today:


I'm so impressed how evenly the Behmor roasts the beans. This one I roasted inside for the first time as the outside temps force a 1# setting for 1/2# roast to get it correctly finished. These Kona beans made awesome espresso after being roasted in the TO/SC some months ago. So tomorrow's noontime espresso should be equally good or better.