The Kill-A-Watt meter is pretty amazing and simplified enough that you don't need to know how to use a Fluke Voltmeter. Plus, you can use it to accumulate the # of KWH over a period of time for any appliance and find out how much your old fridge is costing you!
kuban111 Said:
I see that you have both the behmor & SC/TO would love to hear your 2 cents on using the behmor vs. the SC/TO. Michael.
The TO/Spacer/SC is manual transmission compared to the Behmor, which is automatic but with some manual options. The Behmor is well thought out and a pleasure to use.
Roasting with the TO means getting out at least 6 different items, hooking them up, and keeping track of the temperature (which I suppose you don't need to, if you're listening for the cracks) and time. Then using oven mitts, carefully pour the hot beans into the cooling cone and activating the fan from below. Very labor intensive and not really a chore if you only roast once or maybe twice per week. With the fire-breathing 1475W Galloping Gourmet, the roast is pretty much guaranteed to be decent as long as I don't let second crack get away. Batch size is optimal up to about 275g, at least for my system. The SC is heat-deactivated and the stirring arms could probably rotate faster for more circulation but it isn't bad. Plus, the SC is an ancient one with metal shaft so all is durable there. The TO roasts well down into the 30's. It will be interesting to see how much of a voltage drop it has the next time I use it.
The Behmor roasts as even a roast as I've ever seen. There is probably not a better roaster anywhere for evenness of the finished product. Even dry-processed Ethiopian beans are evenly roasted. Not so well in the TO. Definitely not the poppers.
I bought the Behmor on a whim after having some extra dough after selling odds and ends around the house. The hope was for an easy way to roast green beans without all the work involved with the TO. I have NOT been disappointed. But the learning curve continues, and its fun.
Noonievut Senior Member Joined: 9 Sep 2006 Posts: 458 Location: Toronto. Canada Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Brasilia Club Grinder: Rocky DL Vac Pot: Other - Aeropress Roaster: Behmor
Posted Wed Jan 23, 2008, 7:40am Subject: Re: Learning Curve with the Behmor
I didn't want to post a new thread for my question, so I picked this one to tag this too (I've read about the behmor here, but not enough to feel comfortable about pulling the trigger, so I'm asking for some advise).
Essentially, I want to know, is the Behmor right for me, given my preferences/requirements:
- I would like to roast about a pound each time, a little less is fine - I will only roast one batch at a time (maybe once every 5 days as I go through about 1 1/2 pounds a week) - I want to roast outside in the summer, and inside in the winter (I'm in Toronto) - when roasting indoors, the best ventillation I can use is to roast on top of my stove, with the exhaust fan on high (window 10+ feet from stove) - I roast to medium most of the time (very little oil on beans)...I currently have a FR+8 - I don't want to set off my smoke alarm when roasting indoors (well, one in 20 times is fine) - I don't want to play with 'profiles' too much...it's fine in the beginning to understand what settings I need to acheive what I want for a particular bean/blend, then I want just use the machine without any further experimentation/fussing - I want clean-up to be pretty easy (e.g. dump chafe collector outside or in a garbage after cool-down, maybe a wipe, not much else) - total time from set-up to putting machine away can't be more than 30 minutes - baby will be sleeping upstairs when this I'm roasting downstairs in the kitchen, so it can't be that loud (the FR+8 and exhaust fan are close to the noise limit) - I want to roast a blend of 2-3 beans for espresso, and 1-2 for drip/aeropress (once I find a blend I like, I won't expirement...much) - the kicker 'experience' for me would be that I can roast one night a week, at the same time as I'm making an espresso and cleaning up (so this would be one 30 minute or less process where I roast my 'next pound' while making and enjoying an espresso...any more time involved and my wife will not be impressed
So, is the behmor for me? Any glaring contradictions in what I'll get compared to what I want?
187 Senior Member Joined: 16 Jul 2004 Posts: 152 Location: Monroe NC Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: Brewtus II & X-3 Grinder: MCI &Solis Drip: TV Roaster: Behmor 1600
Posted Wed Jan 23, 2008, 9:31am Subject: Re: Learning Curve with the Behmor
The Behmor is right for anybody if they are prepared to provide the proper Voltage to allow it to operate properly. It's very forgiving. I roast once or twice a week and never get a bad roast. My first roast with the small screen drum was a 1/2 lb of Maui Moka . The P5 profile was dead on and the roast was very even. I start with 121.5V and never drop below 119.1V. If you can do this you won't have to go through all the various girations that are described in numerous posts. All profiles work as advertised if you provide the juice.
bugbus Senior Member Joined: 22 Dec 2007 Posts: 36 Location: Los Angeles Expertise: I love coffee
Espresso: La Spaz Vivaldi II Grinder: Mazzer Mini E Roaster: Behmor
Posted Wed Jan 23, 2008, 9:42am Subject: Re: Learning Curve with the Behmor
Noonievut,
I think the Behmor has most of what you're looking for with a few exceptions. I have a rather large stainless steel vent over my gas range that leads directly outside and I had planned on roasting under it but I find the little station I setup beside my garage to be just too convenient for cleanup. I use a hand vac for cleaning up after a roast but you have the really fine chaff that's left and clinging to both the chaff tray, the inside of the door, and around the internal nooks. It's a lot faster and more convenient to be able to sweep them away using the included brush when you're outside. Maybe other people are cleaner than me, but I just know that if I attempted this inside I'm going to make a mess. As far as ventilation, I think the exhaust would be fine.
The other factor notable exception is that you want to avoid "experimentation/fussing". I think you can compare roasting to dialing in a bean for your grinder/espresso machine. Even if you are using the same bean at a later time, I imagine it would still require some level of fussing.
Good luck with your decision.
Roasted some Yemen Mokha Sana'ani today with an intent to open the door to extend time between 1C and 2C.
Roast #12: Did a premature clean cycle to break in the small mesh drum. Loaded 227g of the Yemen and set at 1#, P1, B resulting in 20 minutes on the clock. Hit 1C at 11 minutes into the roast. 1C didn't sound too robust so I waited a minute before I cracked the door and vacuumed with the handheld vac. This delay seems to be a mistake since I hit 2C at 13:10. Hit cool at 13:30 when 2C started rolling. Opened door fully 30s into cool to let the hot air escape and then allowed the cool to complete with door shut.
Nice looking FC+ roast. Shook the drum of cool beans over the trash bin for what seemed an eternity before the chaff stopped. Weighed in at 186g.
wideasleep1 Senior Member Joined: 19 Feb 2005 Posts: 587 Location: Sausalito,Ca Expertise: I live coffee
Espresso: VBMDoubleDomo Grinder: Mazzer Mini Vac Pot: nope Drip: Bodum Press Roaster: IR1 and 2,SC/TO,Behmor
Posted Wed Jan 23, 2008, 10:37am Subject: Re: Learning Curve with the Behmor
bugbus Said:
The other factor notable exception is that you want to avoid "experimentation/fussing". I think you can compare roasting to dialing in a bean for your grinder/espresso machine. Even if you are using the same bean at a later time, I imagine it would still require some level of fussing.
I agree with bugbus, but also think you can succeed without much experimenting/fussing...indeed that was the original goal of this thread: "Official Behmor Profile Thread" Profiles that a newb getting accustomed to a new machine can use to get great results without experimenting/fussing. I know some folks are tinkerers, and some just want results. I think the bimmer satisfies both..I think it could be several years before I'm comfortable saying I know exactly what the bimmer is capable of, but I've decided to master my current fav SO/blends before pushing the envelope further. Until that time, a monitored P1 will be my friend, along with data collection. I have no hesitation saying the bimmer fits your needs, likely better than anything else on the market. G'Luck!
Posted Wed Jan 23, 2008, 12:48pm Subject: Re: Learning Curve with the Behmor
Noonievut Said:
I didn't want to post a new thread for my question, so I picked this one to tag this too (I've read about the behmor here, but not enough to feel comfortable about pulling the trigger, so I'm asking for some advise).
No offense, but I didn't ask Joe as it's nobodys business & privileged negotiating info between Joe & Larry Solomon (Pres of GB). Even if I knew, I wouldn't say anything without an A-ok first.
I just picked up that Bunn coffee maker so my next purchase will have to wait a bit (or my wife is going to hurt me).
Posted Wed Jan 23, 2008, 5:36pm Subject: Re: Learning Curve with the Behmor
These longer roasts have a smoother flavor to me and I rather like them. Maybe the connotation that baked is bad is not fair.
I would say baked is baked. It's not how long the roast takes but not hitting first crack with vigor in other words no "cracking" sound .. the beans get darker and darker but never crack. These beans are very baked .. I find them hard to drink at all ... very muddy and make one gag. Yuck.
I am guessing your longer roast are not baked beans.
I have read about issues with low ambient temps, but I am still unclear what folks are doing about it, and how they manage to get consistent roasts. In Utah I would be dealing with temps in the garage from 20 (or less) in the winter to 100 in the summer.
I can't relate to 20 F degress but at 49 F in the garage the Behmor worked fine set at it's lowest setting ( P ).
Like you my garage does get to 100 to 105 in summer ... not sure what effect it will have but my pan roasting was always better in winter temps. Cooling the beans might be more of an obstacle in summer but I never ran the Behmor in summer heat.
I am spoiled though roasting indoors and have little desire to roast in the garage. A box fan in between the Behmor and a window works very well .. so I hope the garage will be for fair weather roasting only if at all.
raisin Senior Member Joined: 15 Nov 2007 Posts: 73 Location: nj Expertise: I love coffee
Grinder: Virtuosa Roaster: Behmor
Posted Wed Jan 23, 2008, 7:41pm Subject: Re: Learning Curve with the Behmor
bugbus Said:
I like the idea of simulating a P2 profile using P1 and opening the door. Seems a lot easier than trying to calculate in advance where you want the 3rd leg temp reduction to occur and then setting the start time based on that calculation. This is like having your nose pressed against the glass of your car door as you try to jimmy the lock open with a wire hanger. If anyone else has had success with opening the door to lengthen the time between 1C & 2C I'd love to hear about it. Is it best to open the door right at the beginning of 1C or later? Not sure if 1C has enough of a momentum to finish. Wouldn't want to throw a wet blanket on it so to speak. .
I've been experimenting with a few of the technique's mentioned in these threads, especially as they pertain with de-caf coffee's.
First off, the chaff collector is totally unnecessary with de-caf selections, and it's so nice to watch the color and sheen develop without it's obstruction.
I've also had problems with 2c following 1c too quickly to hit my marks, so I have been experimenting with stalling the roast directly after 1c with a 10 second opening of the door. Very little smoke is present at this point, so it's not a problem with odor, and I'm getting several minutes of space between the cracks. Roast evenness, as evidenced by color is improved (even though this is already a strength of the Behmor). So far- so good, but you must monitor your roast continuously.
Another habit I've picked up is too accelerate cooling by removing the chaff collector (if present) after 2 minutes, and playing a hairdryer (on cool!) over the beans. You will be amazed and pleased with how quickly the charge reaches room temp with this method. Be sure to angle the dryer in from the side to avoid recirculating the hot exhaust.
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