First 2 days with the Behmor

Roasters and roasting

Moderators: GreenBean, Gouezeri, bruceb, CakeBoy

First 2 days with the Behmor

Postby claust » Sat Oct 03, 2009 11:06 am

2 days ago I received my Behmor roaster as a long awaited replacement for my dead Hottop. Since I am blind there are some special challenges using a roaster with a display and the options the Behmor gives the user.

The basic operation is not a problem, even though the layout of the buttons is a bit strange, but the important groups, weight, time and programs can be distinguished without sight easily. I am sure that at Sometime in the future I will by mistake activate the button that stops the roaster maybe when I want to start the cooling. It could have been a nice design to have to press the button twice with a warning on the display the first time you press the button, this would make it harder to turn off the roaster by mistake.

The one thing that is really hard to operate on the Behmor without sight is the time ajustments, both the profile change and the possibility to add time at the end of a roast. It would have been nice if the Behmor like the Hottop had an audible warning when you have the last opportunity to add extra time at the end of a roast.

I have one really strange result of roasting. Yesterday I roasted a homemade espresso blend. 200 gram mixed beans, some Java and Sumatra from SM, and the Harara I think Steven still has on his coffee list.
I chose program 4 ½ pound, and c to be sure that there was enough time so I could stop the roast manually.
The problem was that this roast never did enter second crack wich I want my espresso blends to! Since p4 is recommended for espresso blends I find it strange. There was about 3 minutes after the beginning of first crack.

My first roast was a Monsooned coffee bought from the Danish Behmor distributor. I have always found Monsooned coffees very hard to roast because first and second crack often blends together. on p1 225 gram it happened again. 70 seconds from the beginning of first crack to a rolling second crack, so the next time I will try to use p3 or stop the rost during first crack.

Finally a question for other Behmor roasters. The manual is not very clear about the difference between p1 and p2, wich beans have you roasted on p2?
claust
 
Posts: 7
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2004 8:15 pm
Location: Aarhus the second largest city in Denmark

RE: First 2 days with the Behmor

Postby Ziobeege » Tue Oct 06, 2009 2:16 pm

I think for me the recommendations of “hard”, “soft”, “espresso” beans can be taken too literally. Rather, you are better off understanding the profiles and not be too slaved with the black & white recommendations – they should be seen as an indication but nothing more than that

P1 applies 100% of the full roaster power for the duration of the roast. In other words, it works at is full capacity. P2 applies full power for the approx the first 60% of the roast, then it tails off to 60% power for the next 30%, before going up to full power for the last 10%. P3 gradually steps up to full power only after 60% of the roast is complete – and stays there. P4 steps up more gradually, achieving full power after 65% of roast completion. P5 is more gradual still, and wont be at full roasting power until 70% of the roast is complete.

For me at least the most effective profile has been P2. It applies enough power to effectively heat the bean, but then eases off enough during the mid to latter stages to space out the 1st and 2nd cracks – which both can be heard audibly. P4 for me does not have enough 'guts' and although I do get to 2nd crack, it blends in with the 1st and takes perhaps overall too long. P1 unsophisticated blast profile can also work well but it might be a little too much for beans that are on the softer side – and maybe your Indonesian and Indian coffees are hence the rapid cracking from 1st to 2nd. To answer your question I roast centrals, brazils as well as throwing in some columbian or bolivian for good measure. So therefore a combination of both “hard” and “soft” beans and they work beautifully on the P2 as a blended mix

I have also found that using the Behmor profiles and suggested times it consistently puts me in the ballpark of 2nd crack, with only a little a bit finessing of the incremental time adjustments required. If you were to perhaps set it at the max time possible for P2, wait for the 1st crack to begin, and then using Behmor’s suggested gap between 1st and 2nd cracks on the P2 (which are 3m.10s for 1 pound, 2.10 for half pound and 1.30 for qtr pound) anticipate second crack on this basis. Admittedly I only roast full pounds, but I have found the suggested 3.10 time to be pretty accurate. The only reason why I suggest this is that there is 30 second coasting time when hitting the cool cycle which you need to factor in. The cooling cycle does not stop the roast on the dot. Not sure what roaster ever can. Anyway, hope this helps
Ziobeege
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: London

Re: RE: First 2 days with the Behmor

Postby voice_of_reason » Fri Oct 09, 2009 7:40 am

Ziobeege wrote:Admittedly I only roast full pounds, but I have found the suggested 3.10 time to be pretty accurate. The only reason why I suggest this is that there is 30 second coasting time when hitting the cool cycle which you need to factor in.

Here's a question then - if 3:10 is the right amount of time after first crack begins until the start of second, but you have to allow 30 seconds of coasting after cooling starts, does that mean you actually adjust the timer to 2:40 when first crack begins? i.e. allowing the 30 seconds coasting to bring it up to 3:10.
voice_of_reason
 
Posts: 41
Joined: Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:16 am
Location: Buckinghamshire

RE: Re: RE: First 2 days with the Behmor

Postby Ziobeege » Fri Oct 09, 2009 12:57 pm

I tend to just hit the cool button after counting down around 2:40 from the start of the 1st crack - at whatever time that might be. If I need to add a bit more time to get to around 2.40 then I will do that as well, although that happens only occasionally. Around 30/40 secs into the cool cycle I hear quite clearly the more rapid snaps of the 2nd crack which then stops as the cool cycle finally takes a hold. It means that the roast is stopped just after 2nd crack entry - FC/FC+. Still a fair bit more to learn, and not a roasting guru by any stretch, but the Behmor impresses me, at least in comparison to the IR2.
Ziobeege
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: London

Re: RE: Re: RE: First 2 days with the Behmor

Postby voice_of_reason » Fri Oct 09, 2009 1:03 pm

Thanks, that's what I thought. So telling you in the manual to adjust your timer to 3:10 as soon as your hear the first snaps of first crack isn't correct then, as it doesn't take the coasting into account. If you do that, you'll end up 30 seconds into second crack and probably incinerate your roast.

I know the manual also says to forward think your roast, but it also quite clearly suggests setting your timer to 3:10 when first crack starts! A bit confusing I think.

I'll try adjusting to 2:40 when I next do a full pound and see how it goes.

Cheers!
voice_of_reason
 
Posts: 41
Joined: Wed Dec 10, 2008 9:16 am
Location: Buckinghamshire

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: First 2 days with the Behmor

Postby Ziobeege » Fri Oct 09, 2009 1:10 pm

Certainly for me that is correct. The manual reckons to "forward think by 10 seconds". That really isnt enough. I am sure other machines can stop their roasts much more rapidly, but for a battling but honest portable drum roaster like the Behmor it needs a bit more time to properly stretch out its cooling legs
Ziobeege
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Aug 18, 2009 8:31 pm
Location: London


Return to Roasting - Equipment and Techniques

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 26 guests