Thanks Charlene for the advice again!

your instruction list, 2nd step the P5.. is that the lowest heat setting or that for the manual mode?

Its so bloody confusing, I have to dig out the instruction manual again

Yup, someone cares for me alright.. ME! used up my service reward money I got from work and got me the Behmor. I guess it was more memorable than using the $$ for gas for fast food. jk

Oh you bet, I always dreamt of owning a small scale ceramic roaster, maybe one day... I hope you get yours so you can tell me how wonderful it roasts.

I went all out today, got myself 12lb of Sweet Maria beans! I was lost for words at the amount of selection they have so I did what any roaster newbie would have done.. I got the sampler packs. I picked up the 8lb espresso blends, and the 4lb chocolate notes blend. Ever tried those?

The prices are decent except for the shipping with USPS to Toronto which was $43 US!! But oh well, I figured I have to try a reputable online vendor like SM at least once so I know what coffees tones should taste like.

Thank you Charlene, I cant wait for my SM blends to arrive!

Seems there is some online confusion about the P1 to P5 buttons. Manual says it is the highest heat setting and that bears out when using manual mode.

Great news on your order from Sweet Maria's!

On shipping costs... at least you don't have to pay a Canadian vat tax, right?

Keep me posted when you start roasting them. Interested to follow your progress.

zany13 wrote:Thanks Charlene for the advice again!

your instruction list, 2nd step the P5.. is that the lowest heat setting or that for the manual mode?

Its so bloody confusing, I have to dig out the instruction manual again

Yup, someone cares for me alright.. ME! used up my service reward money I got from work and got me the Behmor. I guess it was more memorable than using the $$ for gas for fast food. jk

Oh you bet, I always dreamt of owning a small scale ceramic roaster, maybe one day... I hope you get yours so you can tell me how wonderful it roasts.

I went all out today, got myself 12lb of Sweet Maria beans! I was lost for words at the amount of selection they have so I did what any roaster newbie would have done.. I got the sampler packs. I picked up the 8lb espresso blends, and the 4lb chocolate notes blend. Ever tried those?

The prices are decent except for the shipping with USPS to Toronto which was $43 US!! But oh well, I figured I have to try a reputable online vendor like SM at least once so I know what coffees tones should taste like.

Thank you Charlene, I cant wait for my SM blends to arrive!

I think you are using manual mode. I am pretty sure I was using auto mode, cause my timer says 18:00 even when I pressed P1.

I will try to play with manual mode next time.

Since I haven't got any SM beans yet, I will go 2 weeks with roasted stuff (whatever I can find) lol.

I think with USPS you will not have to pay a carriage fee like USP. I got that flat rate (1-12lbs) but there is a higher priced one offered for USPS, I think that's for higher weight, so maybe if that works out I will just order more from them and pay that price instead.

I read up that SM had their site hacked into 2 years back, and it was not very safe to purchase from, did you hear about that?

I use manual mode only when the roast is nearing the end of the roast time out... about 5-6 minutes out.

Press batch size: 1 (one pound) - timer shows 18 min

Then press profile select: P5 - timer still shows 18 minutes

Then press programs: D - timer changes to 23 minutes

Then up increment the timer with the + button to reach 25 minutes 30 seconds on the timer.

That should do it for you!

I wouldn't worry about a 2 year old reported hacking. TONS AND TONS of people order beans from SM.
I am ready to order again from SM... likely will do that today.

Cheers!

Hi Charlene,

I got the beans from SM! I didn't have to pay any duties

So 12 lbs of all different blends to try out... How do you usually store them? I just kept mine in my cabinet. IS that ok?

So should I just roast 1/2 lb batches to play it safe? Also, do you wait 4-6 days before using the roasted beans?

I will roast my first SM batch this sat and see how they turn out. Going to try the monkey blend, read the reviews on the SM forum and people like this one a lot.

Congrats on your shipment, Calvin!

I just got my shipment this week also and roasted two 1 pound batches yesterday. They need a few days more rest before using.

I can only tell you what I would do. That's the caveat.

I roasted 1/2 and 1/4 pound batches getting started. Less waste if one screws up a batch and the roaster seems to like smaller batches. Since then, I only roast 1 lb batches for brewed coffee. I'll start experimenting with smaller batch sizes for espresso to experiment with roast levels, with this roaster, for a given SO or blend to discover and make notes of what I like and don't like.

For specific programming for roasting smaller batches, I would read the Behmor manual (RTM).

Worthy of note, beans will continue to darken for a bit after starting cool down.

I would read SM's full description of each of the bean types on hand and learn about the specifics of each. It's getting to know the general, and individual, bean types and bean processing types, that guides selection of a particular roast level for a given bean thereby, expected cupping results.

There is a lot one can learn about beans and it is of importance to the bean roaster.

For what it's worth, I think if you are using the P5 profile on the Behmor 1600+ in Auto mode, you are baking the beans, not so much roasting them. I used this machine for about a year now. At first I did the same thing, using P5 in Auto, because that's what was suggested as a starting point in the manual or something else I read. The roasting times were quite long compared to the popcorn type of roaster we were using, and we were always a bit disappointed with the results. Then a few months ago I decided to try manual mode. While researching this I also learned that Auto/P5 in the Behmor is too slow, it bakes the beans, and you don't get the full flavor development.

If you want to keep using the Auto mode, I would suggest starting out in P1 or P2. First crack will come much sooner. When it does, then hit P3 to drop the heat and extend the roasting time a little if you want to. When I started roasting this way the results were a big improvement - we were finally getting the full flavor from our coffee again... In the end I just ran in manual mode all the way, starting out at the highest heat (P5) and dropping to P4 or P3 at or just before FC.

Will

Useful input, Will. On the 1600, & with the 1600+ upgrade, I have always used P5. Never had a baked taste problem. That said, higher heat, thus faster roast time, is in line with practices discussed on roaster forums. I will try it out.

Hello guys, well I roasted this 1/2 lb bag on Saturday afternoon. Rwanda Rulinodo Bushoki

https://www.sweetmarias.com/product/rwa ... shoki-4972

Didn't know what to expect. I kind of botched the roast, we went all the way to 2nd crack before I pressed "cool".. whoops.

I went manual mode this time and the damn beans went first crack so much faster when I turned on the faster drum rotation. It went to 1st crack and then within 1 min I heard the 2nd cracks and there was still 3:00 on the clock before the Rosetta stone "C" procedure!

They came out Vienna roast level, but what I noticed right away was that there is no funky wood smell, like my previous beans from the local beanery! The beans cooled a bit and they have a legumes bean type of smell, like roasted smoked black beans. It was a new scent to me, cause for 3 years I have been getting used to that chestnut, wood tones. Now this was exciting!

I waited till today, and pulled a shot. I video taped the shot on my phone and uploaded it to youtube. I apologize its not the best of framing and my family is heard in the background , but I think its one of the most beautiful naked portafilter shots I have ever pulled. Not much blonding and the colour is very dark compared to the usual roasts I have done before.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2oXg0OEVYe8

The taste of this is extremely interesting. Its a combination of dark smoky chocolate(not overly bitter), a bit of sweetness, and a hint of spice like cinnamon. I've never tasted a shot with compounded notes! This has certainly been an eye opener. Now I know that good quality beans do make a HUGE difference in taste and aroma. This shot tasted like something I have never experienced in my 5 year espresso hobby; store bought or home brewed.

Charlene, thanks a million for motivating me to get the beans at SM, they were well worth it. I cant wait to try to other 11 blends I got and see how they turn out!

Calvin, I see you are in Toronto. Have you tried any beans from the Green Beanery (2 locations in Toronto)? They have great selection and good quality.