EddyQ wrote:I have looked over a lot of posts about the behmor. Many are happy with the roast quantity and quality. But there are quite a few not pleased with the lack of controls and being too automated. I guess that argument could apply to Fresh Roast as well. But, more so with the Behmor. I'd much rather no automation during my learning phase.

The 1600+ gives you manual control, and the auto modes are still there if you prefer.

MNate wrote:And then skip all the beginning roasting steps and go straight to an end game roaster.

And what roaster is that? Probably a nice big roaster that does 1-2lbs at a time and cannot roast much less than a lb. So that learning thing will cost you dearly in coffee. I think . . .

EddyQ wrote:Thanks amagad. Just curious, if you did not have issues with consumption, would you have kept with the Fresh Roast a bit longer? Also, I'm curious how long you roasted with it.

I have looked over a lot of posts about the behmor. Many are happy with the roast quantity and quality. But there are quite a few not pleased with the lack of controls and being too automated. I guess that argument could apply to Fresh Roast as well. But, more so with the Behmor. I'd much rather no automation during my learning phase.

I still have it sitting in a cupboard. My first two weeks, I used it daily then after that 4-6 times a week for about 4 months before deciding upgrading was imminent. The behmor does have manual control capability so its not entirely automated. If I were to do this all over again, I would have invested in a Huky and skip the upgrade path but im happy with behmor for the time being.

oh, i roast 370 grams about once every 5 days now

EddyQ wrote:For several years I had the desire to roast coffee. But I usually talk myself out of it since I can buy rather good coffee. But the bug keeps biting . . .

You only live once, for a finite amount of time. That is why I will upgrade to a full bore roaster this year; target is April to order and put together my own Huky. It appeals to me in many many ways and has a great following with a lot of support both here, at the Huky forum and elsewhere. Sharing issues, ideas, and successes is great.

It's produce is just for me, my family, friends and neighbors. I have no desire to go commercial at any level. That decision narrowed the field of potential roasters down considerably.

This is for fun and pleasure and learning...

PS: The intangible: For me, presenting to Kuanho Li to make me my roaster borders on presenting to Hattori Hanzo to make me my katana. He is shown deep respect and honor by those for whom he has created.

EddyQ wrote:Oh, I am planning to roast. Just trying to decide where to start and my next steps. Lots of popcorn/dog bowl suggestions here.
Ok, so if I start with this method, what is the likeliness of getting a very good roast (like as good as
a commercial roaster) in say a few months or 6 month? Is it even possible to roast this high of quality with this method?
I'm feeling there would be a lot of variations even after I gain some experience. One sure way to kill this roasting desire would be poorly roasted coffee for 6 months.

Not sure how close you can get to a commercial quality roast in 6 months, but you can still do quite well with a few months and a few kilos of practice beans.

Out of necessity, I started roasting my own coffee after moving. Put together my own homemade roaster, a real funky contraption that's gone through a few design changes. My own roasting has progressed and gotten better with experience. Honing in on a roast profile means roasting 350g of beans and comparing to the last batch; still I'm able to have some great espresso with the help of Artisan and guesses based on experience.

The main tool I wish my roaster had is a trier and if you want to get serious in roasting that may well be an important function to have. Were I buying a roaster at this point it would be a requirement high up on my list.

I used the behmor (with only pre-programmed curves) for a long time and was basically happy with it, but eventually the lack of control gets to be a drag. I upgraded to the Quest M3 last summer and love it. There is a learning curve, but I think your worst roast with the M3 will be way ahead of the dog bowl mentioned earlier.

The behmor is good, but you will eventually outgrow it if you get into roasting.

I don't know much about roasting but if I was ready to jump into it (need to get my coffee/espresso expertise tuned first) I would go with a Behmor 1600! Here's why:

It's available at Bed Bath and Beyond and the 20% coupon does apply to it!
It's $310 (after coupon), very low investment compared to the benefits
It has automated controls if you don't feel like tinkering or know how to tinker (in the beginning) but it also has some manual controls.
For $310 you get into roasting with a decent roaster and a decent amount of customizability and manual control.
Behmor's customer service is excellent.
If you don't like it, return it to Bed Bath and Beyond, no shipping costs or worries.

Honestly, if it's my money and I want to roast, that will be my first step. it's a no brainer.

As a new college grad and newly wed the Behmor 1600+ was the pick for me. Its interface is simple and practical, you can use pre set profiles or manually change temp and drum speed.

I did 4-5 roasts with the pre set profiles (which is recommended) to get a feel for the thing. Then I went manual and have never turned back. I've been roasting for a little under a year and am starting to make something I would say is comparable to coffee shop quality.

Pros
- cost
- ease of use
- ease of transport/clean up

Cons
- limited capacity (I usually do a 3/4 lb roast)
- cant do back to back roasts (the most ive done in a day is 5 over the course of 7 hours)
- limited/skewed temp readings

The Behmor isnt going to make you a master roaster over night, but I certainly wouldnt say I am selling myself short on quality by using it.

*disclaimer* I am eyeballing upgrades in the 500 g range (Kaldi, Mercury, etc.)

thecoffeefield wrote:I don't know much about roasting but if I was ready to jump into it (need to get my coffee/espresso expertise tuned first) I would go with a Behmor 1600! Here's why:

It's available at Bed Bath and Beyond and the 20% coupon does apply to it!
It's $310 (after coupon), very low investment compared to the benefits
It has automated controls if you don't feel like tinkering or know how to tinker (in the beginning) but it also has some manual controls.
For $310 you get into roasting with a decent roaster and a decent amount of customizability and manual control.
Behmor's customer service is excellent.
If you don't like it, return it to Bed Bath and Beyond, no shipping costs or worries.

Honestly, if it's my money and I want to roast, that will be my first step. it's a no brainer.

That is a heck of a deal. I would have expected that would be excluded from the coupon. Good find!

AKucewicz wrote: Pros
- cost
- ease of use
- ease of transport/clean up

Cons
- limited capacity (I usually do a 3/4 lb roast)
- cant do back to back roasts (the most ive done in a day is 5 over the course of 7 hours)
- limited/skewed temp readings

The Behmor isnt going to make you a master roaster over night, but I certainly wouldnt say I am selling myself short on quality by using it.

*disclaimer* I am eyeballing upgrades in the 500 g range (Kaldi, Mercury, etc.)

I cannot argue that the Behmor is a good repeatable home roaster. Certainly much more repeatable than a heat gun and dog bowl. But you still really have no more idea of the roasting profile any more than with the dog bowl. All you are doing is more accurately tweaking heat and time to get to first crack and beyond. It also comes with better agitation and conveniences. Adding thermometry to the unit is said to be quite difficult. At least with the Fresh Roast, you can add a thermocouple rather easily. As I said, I believe the Behmor has more limitations than I would want while learning to roast.

Last night I dug out of my basement an old Wagner paint strip gun. It has 1450Watts and with a quick internet search shows some people have roasted with it. I have a SS dog bowl and plan it order some beans soon.