I forgot to mention my usual caveat that when I roast decaf beans my batch size is pretty close to 1# for the 1# settings, etc. I don't normally drink decaf, but like to have some on-hand for visiting company and family to have that as an option. I also generally take decaf roasts into second crack and have no trouble with this on the Behmor. I stop most of my normal roasts in the City to Full City range as a personal preference.

I've always found it fascinating that the decaf roasts start out smelling pretty unappetizing with a chemical smell but at some point the coffee does eventually start to smell normal.

danetrainer wrote:Not a factor with a Behmor, the main issue is that it has a mesh drum and even trying to pre-heat the unit is tricky. The units temp sensor and computer logic makes for difficult heat management, and most times up to 1C is too low and slow, then too fast after 1C. I worked with mine in completely stock form, but many modded the unit to take over control of the heating elements/temp sensor/fan; by-passing the logic board. It still turns out to be difficult to control because of the direct heat on the beans from the infra-red elements.

When I roasted on a Behmor I felt the same way about the direct heat. I think a nice mod for the Behmor would be to switch the rotation of the drum. Then mod the fins to keep the beans on the opposite side of the drum away from the elements.