Hello, I am trying to dial in my roasts. I am using a Behmor+. Most I am roasting are mid-way between 1+2 crack. I took a pic of one of my recent roasts. I am showing that the color of the beans are changing color, some light, some dark, some visually in between...as you would assume, but I am questioning the roaster. Should beans be so different in color? Or should I be seeing a more even profile. Is it the amateur roaster, the machine, or something else in my roast profile?

Filling us in on a few more details may help, there's many factors that can contribute to varying bean color such as:

• Coffee Origin (some origins result in a more uneven look)
• Processing Method (for example natural processed coffees leave the undeveloped "quakers" which would be floated away in a wet processed coffee and these quakers don't have the sugar content to darken very much during the roast)
• Coffee Name (some lots are known for quakers or uneven roasts)
• Load Size (an overloaded batch won't roast as evenly)
• Drum Speed (the Behmor+ can turn the drum at twice the speed for better mixing)
• Profile
• Roast Time (length)

I'm not sure what I'm seeing in the photo, pretty hard for me to tell from here.

Landis wrote:Should beans be so different in color? Or should I be seeing a more even profile. Is it the amateur roaster, the machine, or something else in my roast profile?

Agree with Yakster that more info would help. But if, for instance, those are Ethiopian naturals then the answer to your question is none of the above and that the unevenness is due to the beans and is totally normal. Try roasting some washed coffees (eg, Kenyans or Guatemalans) and you'll get a much more even color.

Hi, Yes, of course. Here is some more information. But, from what I am hearing from you both already, is that it is okay, depending on the bean, if it is a little out of color/varied color-and still be normal.

• Sulawesi Toraja "Sapan Minanga" GR1
• Processing Method - Not sure
• Load Size 10oz
• Drum Speed (standard)
• Profile P1 Setting - 1lb
• Roast Time - I roasted to 30 sec after 1C finished

I believe that Sulawesi is a "wet-hulled" coffee - a processing method that is used for most Sumatran coffees. It results in more moisture in the beans, as evidenced by the very green color before roasting. They tend to look lighter than their actual roast level and can roast unevenly.

So not a dry processed coffee like I initially suspected but the uneveness is probably due to the beans and lighter roast (since you said you only went 30 seconds beyond end of first crack). Usually wet-hulled coffees are roasted on the darker side as they often are not that clean and have a lot of earthy almost skunky flavors which some people like and some don't. How does it taste?

My experience with wet hulled or Giling Basah processed coffees is that uneven roast color is pretty normal. Most coffee lots are made up of green coffee from many different small-holder farmers who start the processing on their farms before transporting the greens to the mill, in my understanding this adds to the variation in the beans.

Everything else in your roast looks pretty normal, I wouldn't worry about the variation in this case based on the coffee you roasted. If that were a Central American washed processed coffee it would be a different story. Here's more reading material:

http://legacy.sweetmarias.com/library/c ... ling-basah

How's it taste?

This explains a lot.
Last year I tried to return to Kalossi from Celebes, or Sulawesi as it is now called because the Kalossi was a favourite taste during the 80's.
I paid "a mint" for 10 lbs and it tasted terrible all my 4 roasts. Maybe it was not all my fault. Maybe I used to like the funky taste of earth.
Mostly these days I prefer Ethiopian flavour.
Thanks for the link "Yakster".

I have discovered that some beans have that funky flavour (Sumatra I think) but when I culled the roast of anything looking slightly odd and focused on keeping consistent sized and coloured and shaped slightly puffy beans, suddenly I had a chocolate coffee. Of course that was a large loss, maybe 20-25% but it made the rest of the beans enjoyable.

Wow, thanks everyone. I learned a lot. Yes, definitely makes sense then. An uneven roast does not necessarily tell you that you've messed up on developing the profile. I need to learn more according to taste, timing, bean type, processing, wow too many things; but I like a challenge.

The taste is good! But, I am admitting that I am just a new roaster, and do not know how I can improve things with different roasts, temps and up/down times yet. I am just going past 1C and letting it develop for just a bit.

I got about 14 roasts in, mostly Sulawesi I bought and 2 roasts of Colombian. Then; 2-days ago my Behmor+ I bought 2 weeks ago is ERR6. Turning on, no motor, then shuts down. I followed directions cleaning wise, room to breath, not roasting one after another and letting it cool down for an hour at least after cool down mode, all that. But, I need to send it back. I am doubting I want to go with this machine or not. Pretty disappointed now as a new roaster. I know I can repair it through RMA, but I don't think I am willing to chance it again in the future with this machine at this price (I'd rather spend more for a reliable unit), despite all the success some have been having. Oh, what to do...

Thanks, but for that, thank you all, and I will keep learning and reading all your posts. Great site. Looking forward to getting to the knowledge of knowing all that you know! Thanks!