Automatic Roaster Guidance

[mouscacha]

I'm looking at sweet maria's site and I can't tell the difference between 2 automatic roasters. The only difference I can see is the price tag. Please help my newbiness.

Behmor 1600 Roaster
Gene Cafe Roaster

I'd probably be doing the roasting outdoors as indoors I have a recirc hood and have 2 little kiddies running around the house. If there are any hazards or concerns by what I've said, please don't hesitate to kick me for possibly doing something stupid.

 

[DogHair]

I've been roasting for about 2 years with a Behmor. No complaints. I roast about 3/4 lb. per roast and do two roasts a week. In the winter and during bad weather I just put it on the kitchen counter. No real smoke problems unless I over-roast a batch. It makes the house smell like coffee for a little while but it disappears soon enough. No experience with the Gene but I used an I-Roast 2 for a while before the Behmor. The I-Roast works well but the batches are small.

 

[StillShaving]

I just bought the Behmor 1600 Roaster. I chose it somewhat based on price as compared to the Gene Cafe Roaster, HotTop, etc. But also based on reviews which were mostly positive, especially its ability to do 1lb roasts. If you plan to do much roasting indoors then I think the Behmor would be preferable as in theory it smokes less than the other models, otherwise other factors may be more important to you.

I have only done a couple of roasts with mine...the first was not very good as I was just getting into 1st crack and saw a puff of smoke and panicked a bit and immediately hit the cool down button to avoid overroasting. I was able to drink it, but it was far too bright for my liking (though it had not rested very long...so that may have contributed to the flavor, I am not sure). The second batch was much better, getting into the start of 2nd crack before stopping the roast. It provided a much better cup of coffee.

I did get some smoke and coffee roast smell in the house, more so from the second roast, but it was not overpowering. But placing any of these roasters near an exhaust fan that vented to the outside would be preferable if you plan to roast indoors. I can imagine how letting a roast go too long would be like letting microwave popcorn go too long.

 

[StillShaving]

I've been roasting for about 2 years with a Behmor. No complaints. I roast about 3/4 lb. per roast and do two roasts a week. In the winter and during bad weather I just put it on the kitchen counter. No real smoke problems unless I over-roast a batch. It makes the house smell like coffee for a little while but it disappears soon enough. No experience with the Gene but I used an I-Roast 2 for a while before the Behmor. The I-Roast works well but the batches are small.

Behmor profiles and time calibrations are set for 1/2 then 1 lb roasts, so I assume you must be using the 1lb settings then adjusting the time down to match your 3/4 lb load, or otherwise monitoring the roast and stopping it before the computer does? I have only done a couple of roasts on the P1 profile (one with the straight ramp to maximum temps). Do you roast 3/4 lb because that matches what you like to drink in a given time window with regard to freshness, or because the Behmor roaster performs better with that amount as compared to 7/8 or 1 lb.

 

[DogHair]

Behmor profiles and time calibrations are set for 1/2 then 1 lb roasts, so I assume you must be using the 1lb settings then adjusting the time down to match your 3/4 lb load, or otherwise monitoring the roast and stopping it before the computer does? I have only done a couple of roasts on the P1 profile (one with the straight ramp to maximum temps). Do you roast 3/4 lb because that matches what you like to drink in a given time window with regard to freshness, or because the Behmor roaster performs better with that amount as compared to 7/8 or 1 lb.

I get more even roasts with 3/4 lb roasts. My friend roasts over a pound so who knows? I've recently started liking the P3 profile.

 

[Thebigspendur]

I have the Gene Cafe and find it to be a great roaster and I get great results. It's all manual so you adjust on the fly. You can get a chafe collector that you can hook up a dryer vent hose and channel the smoke right out the window.

The only negative I've heard about the behmor are issues with dark roasts though I have no experience with it.

 

[DogHair]

I have the Gene Cafe and find it to be a great roaster and I get great results. It's all manual so you adjust on the fly. You can get a chafe collector that you can hook up a dryer vent hose and channel the smoke right out the window.

The only negative I've heard about the behmor are issues with dark roasts though I have no experience with it.

I don't think the Behmor would do a french roast but I've never tried. Full city is my limit with city+ being the norm. Maybe small batches on the longest setting? I enjoy the simplicity of the Behmor but the guys out on coffeegeek have elevated it into an art form. I'm sure someone's figured out how to roast dark.

 

[thanks]

Not being a big fan of dark roasts, I was originally going to pick up a Nesco. There's just something about the Behmor though, and being able to roast a much larger quantity clinched it. I'll be ordering one of these next week. Any tips or tricks guys?

 

[mouscacha]

Seems like the general consensus is the behmor unless you live in a confined space; at that point going with the Gene Cafe. This sounds like a real interesting adventure.

Can someone clear up why I wouldn't be able to get a dark roast? Is it just not hot enough?

 

[StillShaving]

Seems like the general consensus is the behmor unless you live in a confined space; at that point going with the Gene Cafe. This sounds like a real interesting adventure.

If you were in a confined space with limited ventilation then the Behmor should be better as it should smoke less (at least that is the claim). But based on OP's response, sounds like one can easily hook an exhaust vent to the Gene Cafe and vent everything outside. The Behmor would need some mods to directly attach a vent hose, not sure how easy or effective that would be.

Can someone clear up why I wouldn't be able to get a dark roast? Is it just not hot enough?

It gets hot enough to roast and push into second crack fairly quickly so no doubt it can do a french roast or go all the way and make charcoal. I have read about the same issue...I don't truly know the reason but I speculate it is because of the cool-down design where the roaster "coasts" a bit, meaning it is difficult to cool the roast down immediately when you want to stop the roasting process. And since french roast stage is just before burn stage it is probably difficult to judge the ongoing roast and time when to stop. The Behmor manual continually stresses to think 15 seconds ahead.

With the Behmor you have control over the roast profile (5 choices) and overall times, but nearly everything must be decided before you start. The Gene Cafe offers more control over the roast process throughout the cycle, giving much more opportunity to tweak. Which can be good (more control over final outcome to fine tune coffee to your taste preference) or bad (more labor intensive and harder to repeat each time).

 

[mouscacha]

Thank you all, and thank you for the clarification, StillShaving. I went with the Behmor since it helps with consistency. I like to cook, but I'll leave roasting to the machine. I can't wait for the machine and the 8lb sampler to come in! Oh, and 2lbs of the Ethiopian WB

 

[tsmba]

What do you mean by an "automatic" roaster? Part of the process is learning how beans behave during the roasting process, which requires paying attention to sights, sounds, and smells. Every variety of bean is different, so relying on a machine to complete the roast isn't going to provide even results. None of the machines should be left unattended while running.

 

[DogHair]

What do you mean by an "automatic" roaster? Part of the process is learning how beans behave during the roasting process, which requires paying attention to sights, sounds, and smells. Every variety of bean is different, so relying on a machine to complete the roast isn't going to provide even results. None of the machines should be left unattended while running.

I suppose "automatic" would apply to the pre-programmed profiles?

 

[Thebigspendur]

The cafe Gene also makes a fancier machine with profiles but as I recall it didn't get a good review at Sweet Maria's.

Also if you are comparing machines you have to look within price ranges. The behmor as I recall is quite a bit cheaper than the Gene cafe which I think is just a better made device in general. No different than comparing a hot top to a behmor.

 

[StillShaving]

Thank you all, and thank you for the clarification, StillShaving. I went with the Behmor since it helps with consistency. I like to cook, but I'll leave roasting to the machine. I can't wait for the machine and the 8lb sampler to come in! Oh, and 2lbs of the Ethiopian WB

Great. I think you will like it. If you can roast within eye/earshot I think you will be able to multi-task with it, meaning you should also be able to roast when you are cooking a long dinner. It will mostly go on auto-pilot until the near the end (beginning of 1st crack) when you need to be right by its side in order to monitor the roast to stop it and prevent over roasting. Even though the profiles make it somewhat automated, you have some degrees of freedom based on whether you preheat the roaster or not, and how much coffee you are roasting relative to the selected profile, and when you decide to hit the stop (cool down) button.

You may have seen this software package called BehmorThing which appears to be a customized spreadsheet to track your roasts so that you can better dial things in. I have downloaded the software, but I have not used it yet. I still need to get a kitchen scale so I can start repeating my roasts and experiment with the different profiles.

 

[mouscacha]

Even more great information! Thanks!

Yes, I did mean automatic with profiles. I will most likely be outside smoking a cigar while it's roasting. It gives me a reason to have the wife watch the kids while I'm "cooking." haha!

 

[Jasonian]

I'll go ahead and suggest the Hot Top instead.

It's just a better machine.

 

[mouscacha]

NOW you tell me! Sweet Marias already shipped my Behmor...

 

[StillShaving]

I'll go ahead and suggest the Hot Top instead.

It's just a better machine.

In many aspects the HotTop does look to be the better machine, but it is over twice the price, so it's hard to directly compare. If one has the budget or has enough roasting experience to know this is the type of roaster they want, then there is no debate. As a roasting newbie I looked at the HotTop, Gene Cafe, and Behmor among others. Ignoring price things still where not clear cut, and I believe one can achieve a good roast with any of them.

What makes choosing even harder is seeing new roasters on the horizon like this attractive Quest M3 Roast from Taiwan which apparently costs around 1K and is difficult to buy.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAocGUH4ivc[/YOUTUBE]

 

[Jasonian]

You're right, it's not all that clear cut.

But...

from all of the experiences that I have seen/heard about, I have heard no complaints about the Hot Top, and several complaints about the other two mentioned.

Not that they're bad.. but I figured I would still give my $.02. Afterall, it is often tossed in the mix with the Gene in comparative shopping.