Coffee Roasting Question

I see that the most recent threads on coffee roasting are rather old. I used to roast in old popcorn poppers years ago, when you could still get ones that were hot enough. Even so the batches were very small. Recently I’ve considered returning to roasting. My new house has more space and easier access to outside so it would be simpler to walk out and roast. Plus I’m spending a lot on coffee from top roasters and if I can get close to those quality of roasts for the price of green beans I’d like to do so.

So, anyone still roasting with a Behmor? Anything else clearly better while still coming in under $1000? If so, what are the thoughts on this method? I favor African coffees foremost then Central and South Americans, no dark roasts, so getting very dark roasts isn’t important to me. My understanding is that was the major complaint about Behmor, the inability to do a very dark roast. Also I don’t need to roast more than 1 lb at a time, as I know that is a limitation of some roasters.

Thanks!

I need to repair my Behmor (hopefully trying to get that resolved this week) but they updated the control panel maybe 2 years ago and it allowed for darker roasts. IMO, it’s a nice, simple machine and the capacity is quite good – I’d say it does better around 400g than a full pound, but still quite usable.

I look every once in a while and it’s Behmor or $2k for a test batch roaster every time I look.

I use the Behmor and “graduated” from the popcorn style a year or so ago. Works very well and I would not go back to buying beans. But I am too lazy to seek out the best roasters in case some people like that route. Love the variety of beans and control over the roast. Cost wise keep in mind a pound of green beans is about 12 oz of roasted coffee. It always requires careful monitoring during the first crack so the finicky nature of home roasting is not for all. But given the huge step up in quality (and variety) I would no go back.

I know there are better roasters but they get up in the 2k range I think.

Thanks all. I’m leaning Behmor. It looks like there are a couple of good sub $1500 options, Quest m3, Aillio Bullet, but even that is a fairly pricey step. I’m thinking on a Behmor I can recoup pretty quickly, as I am currently buying from top roasters, typically about $16-20 per 12 oz. bag.

I use a Behmor. Have the upgrade panel, but have not steeled my patience enough to install it. (The current Behmor is the “plus” version, so no upgrade necessary.)

One advantage that the Behmor has over many (most, nearly all?) hair-shirt options is that its afterburner does a very respectable job of smoke suppression. This is a pretty big deal to me. Even if I trusted my kitchen hood to be efficient enough to exhaust a ton of smoke quickly (I don’t), using a roaster there would mean moving it into position every time it is used. The Behmor rarely produces visible smoke. Occasionally I see a few wisps when doing longer roasts. I leave it set up on a counter in the laundry room and roast once or twice a week. The ceiling exhaust fan there removes the residual combustion products effectively enough that I’ve only set off the smoke alarm (in hall outside laundry room) twice in 2.5 years. Both times I had left the door ajar too much (doh).

I’m very happy with the roast quality and really enjoy roasting and consuming a wide variety of coffees. In particular, I like being able to roast at City/City+ darkness… darker roasts became de rigueur in the US after Peet’s popularized them in the Bay Area and Star(Char)bucks followed them.

My wife has had her Hottop since December 2009. Roast 9oz batches. She roasts fairly regularly – usually a couple of batches per week. No issues. I’m always surprised how quickly the beans cool once ejected.

start roasting outside. Look up “popcorn lung,” something that roasters are now getting when roasting in poorly ventilated areas.

Behmor 1600+ has served me well for 2 years and about 500 roasts, though converted to the + only about a year ago. Thinking of an Ailio now. I roast for us and kids and friends and it is getting out of control. Did 7 roasts past weekend.

another plug for Bodhi Leaf as a source for beans. Weekly specials, great service, great people.

Bronchiolitis obliterans… lovely. Thanks for the heads up.

Thanks all. When I used to roast with a popper I always did so outside. I imagine I’d do the same with a Behmor, because of smell but also because it is enjoyable (though I recall some frigid winter roasting).

At present my consumption is probably suited to the Behmor and I’ll probably bite. I worry that on some of the coffee forums they claim you’ll never get the extreme complexities out of this machine, and frankly even amongst pro roasters I feel that only the top, top roasters really pull all of the complexities out of their beans. Still, I feel it is worth the try, and the relatively low investment is likely recouped in six months to a year of cost savings. Certainly worth it as a project for that length.

Where would you buy your Behmor? Local store like Bed bath beyond or online like a Sweet Maria’s or Amazon?

I would think Amazon. If SM does free shipping then I’d consider them because they give you an 8 lb sampler with the purchase, but its $20 more than Amazon.

$369.99 at Bodhi Leaf Coffee Traders. Some free beans also. no affiliation . . .

Thanks Alan. Looks like $25 to ship to me though, so at $45 over Amazon I’m not biting for four pounds of beans. If I was local and could pick up maybe that would do it. However, based on the good recommendations here and on the other roasting thread I may check out their bean selection.

I love my Behmor! I prefer super fruity, high acid coffee, so in general, African and lighter roast. To get what I am looking for, I started experimenting with the various settings and roast profiles on the roaster as well as a few other tricks. Via various coffee roasting books and some forums, I have learned that a slow over all process but rapid center bean roast results in my preferred roast profile. First crack occurs around 385 F so I pre-roast my beans in an oven to 275 F for about 25 minutes and then transfer them to a pre-heated Behmor to complete the roasting. I generally use roast profile 2 for all roasts but have experimented with others thru my learning process. I will use roast duration as and example to give you an idea of the difference between pre roasting in the oven and going straight to the Behmor. Generally, first crack for my go to bean (Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and Harar) using only the Behmor occurs around the 12 -14 minute mark for 12oz on profile 2. For the same quantity using a pre roast, first crack occurs around the 7 minute mark. This method yields a fully roasted bean, but lighter over all roast resulting in a fruity complex cup. For what it’s worth I’m a Sweet Maria’s guy, I live local to Oakland so I pick up at the warehouse and have never had an issue with quality. Have fun! Roasting the perfect batch, or at least the pursuit there of, is half the fun. Enjoy!

Agree on Bodhi Leaf for beans. Sweet Maria’s has good quality too, but more expensive.

when you get your Behmor and have done some roasts to get familiar, let me know. Wil give you some tips. I have done over 500 roasts on mine.

Thanks - I have been thinking about this for a while, and think I will take the plunge.