Behmor 1600 arrives - some pictures

[prof_stack]

The Behmor came today, only one day delayed due to the MONSTER FLOODS in western WA and OR. After unpacking and getting it ready I did the mandatory burn-in. A 12-minute no-load roast cycle followed by a 10-minute cooling. The roaster came from Sweet Maria along with 8# of green beans.

Anyway, I took some pictures to give the curious some idea of what all this hub-bub might be about.


It is recommended to do the burn-in outside. I concur.


That's 1/2# of Cameroon Caplami Java in the basket


The chaff tray in place


It's hot in that chamber!


Lots of chaff in the chaff tray, plus 18 beans that were too small. I didn't notice the uneveness of the bean size when I chose the Cameroon beans.


Some chaff remained in the roaster. The supplied brush cleaned it out easily.


VERY EVEN roast. My next goal is to begin blending green beans and I'm sure the Behmor will do a fine job.

The roast was done with the 1/2# and Start buttons, but I added 2 minutes to the time towards the end. First crack started at 12 minutes, the time the roast would have stopped if I hadn't added the time. Second crack never started but the smell of the roast made it clear I could stop. No smoke. Sweet-Maria's, in the notes, suggests letting the Behmor do the full cooling and not taking the stuff out early. I'm cool with that. But the outside temperature was 38 degrees and falling so 10 minutes was probably more than enough.

[Cathi]

Very Nice! I've been wanting to see some detailed pics. Looking forward to more.

Thanks,

Cathi (still swimming around parts of So. King County)

[prof_stack]

Quick early comments about the Behmor:

It's too early to evaluate it completely (duh), but I am VERY IMPRESSED with the build quality and the ease of use. The thought that went into this roaster is astounding. Joe Behm's 8 years of work to get this to the market was well worth it, imho.

The evenness of bean color and the ensuing aroma as the beans de-gas is very nice. I've been roasting for three years this month, starting with just poppers. Then came the probes and voltage control and fans and the like. Later I added the turbo-oven / stir-crazy and made different and better roasts. I'll still use the TO/SC for peaberries and other small beans, at least until the optional basket with smaller mesh holes becomes available.

But I really have to recommend the Behmor. It is a bargain at the $300 price and really makes the decision for the home roaster easy. Why pay $500 or more for Gene or Hottop when this has all that and does full pounds?

Obviously we'll see how QC holds up over time and use. But for now the Behmor bandwagon seems like an easy and correct one to jump aboard.

[Spresso_Bean]

Nice pictures and writeup - I wonder if we'll ever see Mr. Behm with a "it roasts, it toasts, for only three easy payments of..." infomercial. You never know.

[prof_stack]

Nice pictures and writeup - I wonder if we'll ever see Mr. Behm with a "it roasts, it toasts, for only three easy payments of..." infomercial. You never know.

Well, you won't see him say "Set it and Forget it."

[narc]

Do you plan to use the same greens and different roasting profiles? It would be interesting to hear your impressions on the effect of the different profiles on the roast.

[SJM]

I've been roasting for three years this month, starting with just poppers. Then came the probes and voltage control and fans and the like. Later I added the turbo-oven / stir-crazy and made different and better roasts. I'll still use the TO/SC for peaberries and other small beans, at least until the optional basket with smaller mesh holes becomes available.

Excellent pictures and information. Thanks.
You're gonna make Santa have to think really hard whether I get the Flo Jet for my Bunn or a Behmor 1600.

Just one question: have you had any experience with an IR2 to compare it to ? (Sorry 'bout the dangling prep.) Since that is my only roaster experience (I gave up the popcorn popper quite early on), I'm always curious how they compare. Sweet Marias suggested that perhaps the primary difference was batch size. I'm still looking for a better reason than that (and simple greed, of course) to upgrade...

Thanks as usual.
Susan

[Niko]

I've got an iRoar2, a Hottop "P", the Behmor and a Gene Cafe in my kitchen right now.
I can compare the iRoast2 to the Behmor for you...
"there is no comparison".

[prof_stack]

Do you plan to use the same greens and different roasting profiles? It would be interesting to hear your impressions on the effect of the different profiles on the roast.

Great question, Noel. Yes, I will change the profile and time with the same beans until I find what seems a perfect flavor coming out of the Gaggia.

For example, last night's roast (the only one so far) was very pleasant in the cup this morning but I prefer a darker roast. The ambient temperature was below 40 so that probably slowed things a bit. Next time, more time, waiting for 2nd crack to start up before pressing the cool button.

[Niko]

You should get a variac.
Crank up the voltage a little and you'll easily get that darker roast you like.
BTW, your roast looks great, another day of rest and it'll be tastier

[avdiscolo]

Thanks for your review. Please continue to share your experiences.

I have become interested in home roasting, but I have also become really spoiled with great espresso roasts: Espresso Vivace Vita, Olympia Big Truck, and Klatch Belle Espresso. Can someone give me an idea how much work it takes to roast something that's not only drinkable, but enjoyable?

[prof_stack]

You should get a variac.
Crank up the voltage a little and you'll easily get that darker roast you like.
BTW, your roast looks great, another day of rest and it'll be tastier

Thanks. I have a Powerstat (same idea as Variac), built like a tank, so I can use next time if the outside temps are still low. Any idea, Niko, on how much voltage is safe for the Behmor?

I plan to continue roasting outside.

Niko, btw, I enjoyed watching your Youtube video on the roaster(s).

[prof_stack]

Thanks for your review. Please continue to share your experiences.

I have become interested in home roasting, but I have also become really spoiled with great espresso roasts: Espresso Vivace Vita, Olympia Big Truck, and Klatch Belle Espresso. Can someone give me an idea how much work it takes to roast something that's not only drinkable, but enjoyable?

Did you know you can buy green bean blends from Cafe Vivace? Pricey, but authentic. I have a pound to play with in the Behmor. I'll do two roasts with it.

It is AMAZINGLY EASY to roast green beans into something great. If you have the $$$, buy the Behmor and you're good to go for a long time. If you want to learn the art of roasting, get a popper and learn from the beginning (as many of us did), close-up to the beans as they swirl, heat, crack, crack again, smoke, and then cool, all under your control. I wouldn't trade that experience with anything, even a Behmor 3 years ago.

Even with the Behmor there is the ability to tweak the roasts to your liking and change things on the fly. Or just let the thing do its programmed thing and the roast will be fine.

But the espressos you mentioned are blends of different beans and that requires more learning about beans, something I plan to learn.

[Niko]

Any idea, Niko, on how much voltage is safe for the Behmor?

I plan to continue roasting outside.

I set it to about 124V, Norm.
So after the element is on, it varies between 118-120V depending on what the roasting cycle is doing on any particular profile. I think it may be safe to go even slightly higher.

[narc]

I have become interested in home roasting, but I have also become really spoiled with great espresso roasts: Espresso Vivace Vita, Olympia Big Truck, and Klatch Belle Espresso. Can someone give me an idea how much work it takes to roast something that's not only drinkable, but enjoyable?

Sorry prof_stack for going a bit off topic, but to answer avdiscolo's question. Yes, but sometimes frustrating. Back in I think '02, I blended 50:50 mix of a Mocha Mattari and Guatemalan Antiguan from a finca I've long forgotten who. The resulting espresso was an incredible blueberry milk to semi-sweet chocholate bomb. Everyone that tried it commented on the intense blueberry flavor. No refined tasting talent needed. Since then have yet to come close to duplicating. Duplicating year after year your signature blend as the Pros do is a real roasting talent.

[Youjest]

Thanks for the photos and info Prof.

I am interested to see what you think of the Dolce and how it is roasted with its different beans. Not sure which bean it is in the blend, but you will find one that does not roast as well. It needs to roast longer.

Good luck picking them out pre-roast.

BTW. If it ever floods at Profs house, we are all in trouble.


Brian

[prof_stack]

Thanks for the photos and info Prof.

I am interested to see what you think of the Dolce and how it is roasted with its different beans. Not sure which bean it is in the blend, but you will find one that does not roast as well. It needs to roast longer.

Good luck picking them out pre-roast.

BTW. If it ever floods at Profs house, we are all in trouble.
Brian

Brian, thanks again for the Dolce beans! I'm looking forward to doing 2 roasts with them, half-pound at a time. I'm curious how the Behmor will do. All reports so far from users indicate that it roasts VERY evenly. The design of the drum is a big reason, I think.

Flood waters are receding. I-5 is mostly open again. Living on top of a hill does have some advantages.

[IMAWriter]

Thanks. I have a Powerstat (same idea as Variac), built like a tank, so I can use next time if the outside temps are still low. Any idea, Niko, on how much voltage is safe for the Behmor?

I plan to continue roasting outside.

Niko, btw, I enjoyed watching your Youtube video on the roaster(s).

Some of you may know that I was one of Joe's Beta testers...over 6 months, and 3 different versions.
You'll want 120 out of your wall...at peak heat, the voltage will drop anywhere from 118 to 116...starting at 116 out of the wall won't get nearly as good a result...you may even fail to get to first crack in 17 minutes (full pound roast)....but with adequate voltage, reaching 2nd (if that's your desire), is easily done in well under 19 minutes...I've worked hard, using Joe's excellent suggestions regarding adding and subtracting time to get where I want to be WHEN I went to be.
The optional basket makes doing a peaberry, or Ethiopian/Yemen sized beans a snap...no lost beans whatsoever, which (as I've mentioned on CG numerous time) makes the Behmor especially competent at roasting pre-blended espresso blends.
You'll not want to roast in temps below 40 outside. This roaster puts out very little, if any smoke...yes, a bit of co2 is inevitable, so go to the garage...leave a slight crack in the garage door or window.
I'm not sure if a Variac type device will actually alter the parameters, as the power is designed to cycle higher to lower, etc depending on the Profile(s) chosen. In my experience, in 40f and up ambient temperatures, indoors, no temp control is necessary.

[Niko]

The Behmor has been kicking ass for me on the 1 pound roasts, I ain't ever gonna' roast less than that in it!
Here's a pound of Yirgacheffe smokin' like a demon and it was only a City+ roast, this roaster does smoke...you have to look at it carefully at an angle but it's there. If I stand right in front of the roaster, you can hardly see it but the camera doesn't lie...it also makes the Behmor look fat (camera adds 10lbs)

[beansbats]

Thank you for all of the information! My Behmor from SM's should arrive on Monday I can't wait, and am looking forward to comparing it to the other misc coffee roasting devices I have around the house.

-Steve