Behmor 1600 for newbie - Page 2

#11: Post by **mgacosta** » January 27th, 2016, 11:49 pm

Newbie here too! Does anyone here pre-heat the Behmor for 3 minutes? Thoughts? Thanks!

#12: Post by **yakster** » January 28th, 2016, 12:00 am

Sure, if you've got a plus model there's no cut off, but for the original better stick to around two minutes or so. I preheat without the beans, just the chaff tray.

#13: Post by **jlt3b** » January 31st, 2016, 11:03 pm

@ branch - thanks for allowing me to insert my "little thread jack" and for your input...

#14: Post by **jlt3b** » January 31st, 2016, 11:04 pm

The reply I just sent was for brianmch

#15: Post by **brianl** » February 2nd, 2016, 12:45 pm

mgacosta wrote:Newbie here too! Does anyone here pre-heat the Behmor for 3 minutes? Thoughts? Thanks!

I preheat until the B thermostat reaches 151. This is usually around 2:30 to 3m. I roast outside and its in the 30-40s though.

#16: Post by **brianmch** » February 12th, 2016, 9:45 am

I tried to preheat to 200 the last time I roasted because I've been looking at my beans and it just seems that my timings of when the color changes happen are out of whack.

The first batch went okay. Actually it was really good. Took nearly 4 min to get there IIRC.

The next batch went to err2 as probe B was showing 300 after a short time. The first batch didn't get to 300. I don't think I let the machine cool adequately between roasts and it was pretty warm that day (50F).

Will revisit this in upcoming roasts.

#17: Post by **brianl** » February 12th, 2016, 2:56 pm

Keep in mind that err2 occurs with the B probe reaches 330 (therefore you need to be proactive and lower the power level). However, I found that going over 300 will usually overroast the outside of the bean relative to the center. I stick between 250-290.

#18: Post by **brianmch** » February 26th, 2016, 11:14 am

That's the great thing about this...mistakes usually result in a lost batch of coffee which isn't the end of the world. The upside is that I learned from too high a start temp and probably won't do that again.

I will say that the roasts I like the best have a B temp of 150-160 at the start and a pre-heated chaff tray but not drum.

#19: Post by **Moonshine** » February 26th, 2016, 3:55 pm

mgacosta wrote:Newbie here too! Does anyone here pre-heat the Behmor for 3 minutes? Thoughts? Thanks!

I have roasted with two different models of the Behmor, as well as the Gene Cafe, HotTop B2K, and the Nesco. The Nesco is a nice little machine to start out with, but it is noisy, and you won't hear the cracks. I would have been content with it if it were not for the need for increased capacity. The next machine was the Gene Cafe, which I really liked. The roaster vented smoke very well, and it had the best chaff collector I had seen on a home roaster. I picked up the Behmor original, becausse I had committed to a fundraiser, and the heating element on the Gene went south that day. I did not like the original Behmor, as I could not even hit first crack on a 1 pound setting reduced to 12 ounces. The elements failed on that. I have the Plus model now, and the manuel mode of operation, drum speed, and stepped temperature control make a HUGE difference.