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I loved this - this is why I love HN. Although roasting the beans in my oven would terrify me - the chaffe could so easily catch fire, couldn't it? I own the B
by ScottWhigham 13y ago
I loved this - this is why I love HN. Although roasting the beans in my oven would terrify me - the chaffe could so easily catch fire, couldn't it?
I own the Behmor - I'm rather new to it (< 50 roasts). I'm happy with the purchase however I would caution anyone interested that (a) there's a massive learning curve (as OP points out), and that (b) even though it is marketed as being able to roast 1 pound of coffee, you will only really get a light-to-maybe-perhaps-kind-of-medium roast if you put a full pound of coffee in the drum. I only learned this after going through about 10 pounds of coffee (~20-30 roasts). I like a really dark roast - what I learned is that I can only roast 10 ounces at a time with the Behmor. Check out the top-rated review on Amazon - the guy says he can only roast 7-9 ounces at a time.
After looking at $800 roasters, I'd still buy the Behmor if I was new to this and wanted a roaster. But here's the thing: to roast 10 ounces of coffee takes about 35 minutes - you have a 15-22 minute roast followed by a 12-13 minute cooling cycle. If you go through a pound of coffee a week (which is likely for two adult coffee lovers), that means you'd have to spend almost an hour per week to roast your own coffee using the Behmor. And this roast - there's about a five minute time period in the latter/end part of the roast itself that has to be attended. So you start your roast, come back 10-12 minutes later, wait for the cues you need, and then you can go on with your life.
And you know what isn't great? The Behmor's temperature sensor will shut the unit down if it's cold outside (like below 30 degrees F). When it's cold, you'll have to get your roast prepared indoors, then take it outside, and start the roast. And that five minute period where you have to watch your roast? Let me tell you - it sucks to have to monitor a roast outside in 16 degree weather!
That said, after roasting my own, it's almost unfathomable to me at this point to want to quit using the Behmor and go back to someone else's roast. I've enjoyed the learning curve.
- cpenner461 13y agoWow that seems like a very long time (especially on the cooling side). Using my Turbo Crazy setup (see other comment here), I hit second crack in about 10m (which I'd like to get pushed out to about 12m I think, but the temp control on my convection oven is not very precise). For cooling I dump the beans into a 2 sided perforated oven pan (I can't find an exact link, but imagine 2 of these that attach together: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002KE5OLY/ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002KE5OLY/) and shake it gently over a fan, they're cool in about 2-3 min. I figure on about 15m per half pound of coffee. FWIW I've never had chaff catch on fire, and it seems to me that my setup is probably cranking a hotter/more direct heat than an oven would. But yes - roasting in the cold stinks - and yet I still do it as well. :) On the plus side, that cooling time drops to a min or so when it's 30F!