Home Roasting Roaster Questions?

[Dantheman]

Ok- I'd like to start home roasting. I'm getting my Bonavita maker and Capresso Infinity Grinder on Tuesday. Now I'm really interested in pursuing this home coffee hobby even further. I'm looking at the Behmor 1600 roaster- Starter Kit from Sweet Marias which comes with 8lbs of coffee. I've done quite a bit of due dilligence in looking for a coffee maker- in the process looking through other coffee forums I've taken an interest in roasting. I think it would be very satisfying to take it from fresh green bean through the process of roasting, then to drinking a delicious cup of my own roast.

Any advice/suggestions?

I realize there are other options not as expensive, but in my research, it seemed quite frequently, that home roasting hobbyists moved from the smaller less expensive equipment(SR500 for instance) up to the Behmor, or something equivalent. So I'd rather get the next level now and get started right.

I'll definitely start off making very small batches (1/4-1/2 lb) as I realize there is a learning curve. I work in a large Corporate-type office and have plenty of friends that have volunteered to sample the beans and give honest feedback.

Lastly, I'd like to get some good resources for cupping information as I'd also like to start training my palette properly so I can describe my roasts and also know they are roasted properly.

Thanks B&B Cafe Community for your input. His site has been truly a gift to me as a resource for so many items ( shave gear, cigars, whisky drinks, Panama Hats, etc...etc). Really a great, informative group. So thanks in advance for any input and thanks again for anything you've suggested/commented on in The past that has helped me.

Cheers!!

Dan

 

[Jim_M]

I've got a Behmor 1600. It's a little slower than I'd like it to be, but overall it gets the job done. I roast about 1 pound/week in 1 pound batches. I tried doing half pounds, but the cycle time between batches was too long, and I wasn't really excited about roasting multiple times/week.

That's a good machine you've got, it's a great value for the money.

Re: cupping . . . just brew coffee and drink it. Unless you're planning on consuming your coffee a few spoons-full or slurps at a time you don't need to worry about cupping. It's how it tastes fresh out the pot that really matters.

Good luck, and enjoy your new hobby.

 

[Dantheman]

Thanks for the input. I don't have a roaster as of yet, but the Behmor is likely the machine I'll go with.

 

[Jim_M]

If you're handy, the KKTO or SC/TO are great options, too. A big benefit with either is that you build them from the ground up and can really tailor them to your exact needs.

-
Jim

 

[StillShaving]

I also have a Behmor 1600, for some of the same reasons you mentioned. I purchased it with the plan of trying out different profiles on different beans in order to get the most out of each bean, but in practice found that I always roast on the basic profile 1 (sometimes opening the door to dump heat at different stages), since I was more interested in trying out different beans that learning the best heat profile for any single origin. Plus I got lazy after finding the coffee was more than good enough.

As you start roasting you will do some of this by accident, but I recommend that you deliberately do a series of roasts across the spectrum. Meaning do one roast just barely into 1st crack and another well into 2nd crack to show yourself the extremes in roast taste. Then do a few more roasts in between, stopping just after first crack, just into second crack and places in between, in order to discover what you like the best.

You may also want to join a coffee buying club/co-op or make friends with a local roaster who also sales green coffee. Enjoy!

 

[Mick]

The best bang for the buck would be the Hottop roasters. They will handle up to 1 lb which is considered small batch roasting.

http://www.hottopusa.com/

After the Hottop models you get into commercial (natural gas and propane fired and exhaust plumbed) small batch roasters and the price goes through the roof.

Before I invested in a roaster I would visit all of the specialty roasting houses in your area and see what they are doing.

For me there is such a good roasting house here that it is not worth my time to roast my own. I can go in and get some coffee that was roasted that day (or the previous day) for little more than what I can buy green beans for.

Unless you just want to spend the money and time, see what is available close by before you jump into roasting your own coffee.

 

[Dantheman]

The best bang for the buck would be the Hottop roasters. They will handle up to 1 lb which is considered small batch roasting.

http://www.hottopusa.com/

After the Hottop models you get into commercial (natural gas and propane fired and exhaust plumbed) small batch roasters and the price goes through the roof.

Before I invested in a roaster I would visit all of the specialty roasting houses in your area and see what they are doing.

For me there is such a good roasting house here that it is not worth my time to roast my own. I can go in and get some coffee that was roasted that day (or the previous day) for little more than what I can buy green beans for.

Unless you just want to spend the money and time, see what is available close by before you jump into roasting your own coffee.

Thanks, Mick. I appreciate your input and providing a sensable answer. I agree this appears to be a great unit a great segway into home roasting as a hobby. This machine you pointed out may very well be in my future, but I have to keep budget in mind and also the fact I'm a newbie at roasting. Although I do know a fair amount about coffee, where it comes from, how it gets here to the States, and some of the behind-the-scene info. But I do have much to learn.

All that being said, I'll still likely start with the Behmor and then likely move to the HotTop somewhere down the line. The HopTop has great features and much control over the roast, but as a newb, sometimes I may not know where I want/need it to go. This comes with practice/trial/error. Hence, the cheaper machine to start.

Thanks again, as I've told you before, I value your input and appreciate your taking the time to respind and add links. You seem to have some experience and willing to share. Also, voicing your opinion/input in a manner that is approachabble. By that I mean you don't present your opinions in a "Here's how to do it and it's the only way/best way". I really appreciate that.

Keep you updated. Firstly, have to get my new Bonavita machine and new grinder. Fully looking forwad to,that right now.

Cheers,

Dan

 

[Dantheman]

I also have a Behmor 1600, for some of the same reasons you mentioned. I purchased it with the plan of trying out different profiles on different beans in order to get the most out of each bean, but in practice found that I always roast on the basic profile 1 (sometimes opening the door to dump heat at different stages), since I was more interested in trying out different beans that learning the best heat profile for any single origin. Plus I got lazy after finding the coffee was more than good enough.

As you start roasting you will do some of this by accident, but I recommend that you deliberately do a series of roasts across the spectrum. Meaning do one roast just barely into 1st crack and another well into 2nd crack to show yourself the extremes in roast taste. Then do a few more roasts in between, stopping just after first crack, just into second crack and places in between, in order to discover what you like the best.

You may also want to join a coffee buying club/co-op or make friends with a local roaster who also sales green coffee. Enjoy!

Thanks. Appreciate the input. I plan on doing exactly as you described initially. Keep a log of roasts and where in the process they're at and try them all at different stages.

Thanks again!

Dan

 

[jumper]

I've been using a Behmor 1600 for a few years now and I like it a lot. There was a small learning curve but I found all sorts of info and tips in the coffee forums. I've logged every batch and now I can pretty much get any bean to exactly where I want it. My friend has a Hottop, which is more expensive but she doesn't like it as she is having a hard time nailing down a profile.

It's a good hobby and I wish you luck in your research

 

[StillShaving]

For me it was an easy choice to start home roasting but I went with the Behmor based on its cost and shorter ROI.
But @Turtle makes a good point about checking out your local roasters, especially if someone is on the fence about roasting, as it is not an easy process to get right and the cleanup can be a pain. If there was ever a work process with high Economies Of Scale it should be coffee roasting, with proper equipment it should barely take more effort to roast 30 lbs as it does 1 lb. So a large volume roaster should have some advantages. (Note this statement/opinion made without any first hand knowledge of those big industrial sized roasters.)

 

[ANeat]

Ive been roasting coffee 4 or 5 years now, went the gamut from heat gun/bowl, popcorn popper, to a homemade rotating hopper that used a heat gun source. I now use a Behmor and really like it. (about 6 months now on the Behmor).

I usually stick with roasting 1/2 pound at a time. When doing a pound I really didnt care for the amount of coasting after the roast in the "cool down" part. Lot of heat mass with a pound and the Behmor's cooling didnt seem to handle it for me. Had an off taste that I wasnt used to that I determined was that "baked" effect you get from the roast coasting past where you wanted to stop..
Even at 1/2 pound I prop the door open to aid in letting the heat out when cooling.

I do a pound a week (2 roasts) on average and the Behmor seems about perfect for that. Roasting coffee in general in real fun/interesting to me

 

[ANeat]

I should add that I tried the same thing Turtle suggested and went to purchasing coffee from small batch roasters and was really tempted to stay with that. You can certainly keep quality coffee at hand even out in the boonies like I am.

In the end I missed the variety. I usually order 10 pounds or so green at a time and its almost always something different. I just love the variety of stuff available and always having something different. Different continents and different process, Ive been on an Africa kick lately and just got some Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Kenya variety's that Im looking forward to

 

[Dantheman]

Thanks for the info. Pretty much dead-set on the Behmor. Haven't ordered it as of yet, will do so, very soon.

 

[Mick]

I should add that I tried the same thing Turtle suggested and went to purchasing coffee from small batch roasters and was really tempted to stay with that. You can certainly keep quality coffee at hand even out in the boonies like I am.

In the end I missed the variety. I usually order 10 pounds or so green at a time and its almost always something different. I just love the variety of stuff available and always having something different. Different continents and different process, Ive been on an Africa kick lately and just got some Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Kenya variety's that Im looking forward to

The last time I was in my local roaster's they had 45 different single origin, blends, and roasts available. 45 is more than enough for me to not get bored. I have 8 different ones here now (all roasted in the past 6 days) and I will NOT get any more until I burn through at least half of these as I want to stay as fresh as I can since it is so convenient. I need to get a couple more grinders as it is a PITA to turn the Baratza over to empty it and the Super Jolly is set up spot on for espresso so I don't want to touch the grind settings as it is as perfect as I can get it for the 4 espresso roasts I use on a regular basis. I have been running more coffee through the Super Jolly as it is easy to shut the gate, remove the hopper, and dump the beans. The problem is that there are at least 3 portafilters of beans in the throat and chute that I need to grind and brush out so that I don't get an "odd blend"

 

[jazzguy]

The Behmor was an endless source of frustration for me. I had roasted on many devices before I got it: hot air popper, Zach and Dani's (now Nesco), and I Roast 2. The best results I get from the Behmor are superior to any of those roasters, but I've never been able to get consistent results from it. I got the most consistent roasts from the I Roast 2, but it sounds like a jet engine in your home and has a smallish capacity. Before purchasing a Behmor I suggest you test the line voltage in your home from the outlet you plan to use it on. If it is low, you're going to have trouble achieving anything beyond a light roast and probably won't have success roasting a full pound. Also, I have never been able to use mine indoors without setting off the smoke alarm unless the roaster is right near an open window, so consider that as a factor in the location you will use the unit. The good things about the Behmor are the relatively large batch size and the quiet operation which makes it easier to pick up the audible clues of the stages in a roast.
For a starting reference, I recommend reading Ken Davids's book on home coffee roasting.

 

[gmgaj]

I roast with the Behmor, and it is my favorite of all I've used. I will add that I had kind of a lemon, and fought with getting it working properly for a while. I ended up swapping out boards and fans before sending it back to the factory for a diagnosis. I will say that even though I struggled with getting it running properly, the customer service was fantastic through the entire process. Especially after working with the customer service (or not) with my i-Roast.

The Behmor is a terrific machine. It roasts well, is quiet, and gives a great results. I would recommend it.

 

[Sullybob]

The best bang for the buck would be the Hottop roasters. They will handle up to 1 lb which is considered small batch roasting.

http://www.hottopusa.com/

After the Hottop models you get into commercial (natural gas and propane fired and exhaust plumbed) small batch roasters and the price goes through the roof.

Before I invested in a roaster I would visit all of the specialty roasting houses in your area and see what they are doing.

For me there is such a good roasting house here that it is not worth my time to roast my own. I can go in and get some coffee that was roasted that day (or the previous day) for little more than what I can buy green beans for.

Unless you just want to spend the money and time, see what is available close by before you jump into roasting your own coffee.

I thought that the Hottop only roasted 8-10 ounces at a time?


When I started researching home roasting I looked into the Hottop and the Behmor.

I really liked the versatility and the features of the Hottop but I didn't like the $800-$1000 price tag.

I liked that the Behmor could roast up to a pound at a time and I liked the $299 price tag.

What it came down to was the price of the machine and how much coffee I could roast at a time. My family goes through 2-2.5 pounds of beans a week. That means that with the Behmor I have to roast 2 or 3 times a week. With the Hottop I would need to roast 4 or 6 times a week. In the end I went with the Behmor and I've been very happy. If I was going to do it all over again I would probably get another Behmor. I think that the Hottop offers a lot more control and customization of the roast but the Behmor is very easy to use and right from the first roast I was getting great coffee.

 

[Dantheman]

I'm happy to report back that I did decide on the Behmor and it did show up on my doorstep yesterday, along with 8 pounds of beans for roasting. I performed a Dry Run last night to break in the roaster. I plan on roasting a small 1/2 lb batch tonight, letting them rest 2 days and giving them a taste over the weekend. I'll report back my results. I really like the look of the roaster, it seems well made, the instructions are very straightforward and I seem to understand all the levels of roasting. Now, just need to give it a full test roast and see the results. Honestly, because the roaster is still in the breaking in stage, along with my inexperience, I'm not expecting stellar results. I'm hoping for just some results that are drinkable. Gotta start somewhere. I'll report back with results.

 

[gmgaj]

Honestly, because the roaster is still in the breaking in stage, along with my inexperience, I'm not expecting stellar results. I'm hoping for just some results that are drinkable. Gotta start somewhere. I'll report back with results.

Don't worry, your results will be just fine. Your roast will coast a little during the beginning of the cooling cycle, but unless you just stop before first crack, or after second, you'll have some pretty good coffee.

 

[ANeat]

1/2 lb P1, 12:00 minutes; get thru first crack. You will get great coffee...... On mine with 1/2 lb first crack will start with between 2 to 3 minutes left depending on the beans. 2:10 to 2:40. After that you can vary things, You can hit cool as soon as you stop hearing them crack, and thats kind of like listening to popcorn pop, there might be a random pop but you can tell its pretty well done in first crack....
Anyway, The Behmore recommendation of 2 minutes after first crack STARTS as the upper "limit" (for 1/2 lb) is pretty close and a good rule of thumb, so if first crack starts at 2:40 hitting cool at :40 seconds will generally work. You can hit cool sooner if its finished with first crack. Thats where you can get into experimenting with City, City+, Full City etc, etc.... and even get into second crack to some degree. But if I recall Behmore recommends not really getting into 2nd crack or it may be tough to stop/cool off. Definitely hit cool if 2nd crack starts before the time is up....

Oh, and dont be discouraged if you under roast or over roast a batch or two..... It happens....