Greetings fellow coffee addicts, I have been a fan of fresh coffee for many years but never really took the plunge into home roasting.

My interest started to come closer to the surface a few months back and I began researching home roasters. I found a full spectrum from popcorn poppers to multi thousand dollar models but I was lucky enough to come across a lightly used Behomer 1600 Plus for sub $200.

To say I'm new is a complement, I'm as green as summer grass to proper roasting, I could sure use some input from fellow roasters. I have purchased 2 2# sample packs of green beans from Burman Coffee Traders. So far I have roasted 4 quarter pound beens at different settings and roasting times. My 'plan' is to wait a few days for the beans to degass before testing my work.

I could sure use some input from fellow roasters, green bean resources, ( I like Burman and Sweet Maries so far ), tips on buying storage containers, adjunct items, and more importantly type of beans, i.e what country, style, bean names/types, but especially tips on the Behomre 1600+.

My first roast was a flop, but I fully expected it, it's simply a learning curve. The next was a bit under roasted ( we like dark roasts ) but the next two were very dark (that was what I wanted) with a nice oily sheen. I can't wait to taste them and see what we like.

I'm totally. open to all inputs, don't hold back, tell it like it is, I need to learn big time.

I have a Behmor 2000. I buy beans from Roastmaster and Burman. I have tried many different beans. I like light roasts. From Burman I like their Blue Mountain and Kona. I also like most Panamanian beans. From Roastmaster I buy a lot of Geisha beans, but these are mostly light roasts. I roast on a weekend and let them sit till the following week. I store my roasted beans after they sit in the freezer. It is a lot of fun and after 2 years I still learn. Best of luck.

Slight detour.....what burr grinder do you use?

I've been enjoying my Behmor 2000 for a couple of years. It takes practice.

I roast 12 ounces at a time and use the 1 pound setting. I'll go until first crack and then cool.

I prefer Sweet Marias for beans. My favorite is Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. I stock up when it's available.

quote:

Originally posted by sgalczyn:
Slight detour.....what burr grinder do you use?

We have a Breville coffee maker with a built in grinder. My 'plan' is to add a ceramic burr grinder to the mix of toys on the kitchen counter top.

quote:

Originally posted by Jeff Yarchin:
I've been enjoying my Behmor 2000 for a couple of years. It takes practice.

I roast 12 ounces at a time and use the 1 pound setting. I'll go until first crack and then cool.

I prefer Sweet Marias for beans. My favorite is Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. I stock up when it's available.

We have the same 'plan', we didn't want to waste a full 1/2 pound of beans to only find I made a mistake. Once I'm comfortable with my roasting technique we will do the same thing.

I got a grinder for christmas this year, so i am starting in on this adventure.
Looking to get a decent pot now, any thoughts?
My old Mr Coffee cant be doing the best job.

I find I need a finer grine like 3.5 to get some flavor but I feel like its the basket filter that is killing me.

I'm just a couple months ahead of you and I'm using a Freshroast SR800 with an extension chamber. I almost bought a Behmor but wanted to get into it cheap to start (I couldn't find used that I trusted) I've bought from Burman's, Sweet Maria's and Coffee Bean Corral so far. Yirgacheffe's and Costa Rican's are my favorites so far. I pull and cool externally about 30 seconds after first crack dies off. I don't know if I do a good job or not but I much prefer my home roasted to store bought every day of the week.

quote:

Originally posted by mark60:
I'm just a couple months ahead of you and I'm using a Freshroast SR800 with an extension chamber. I almost bought a Behmor but wanted to get into it cheap to start (I couldn't find used that I trusted) I've bought from Burman's, Sweet Maria's and Coffee Bean Corral so far. Yirgacheffe's and Costa Rican's are my favorites so far. I pull and cool externally about 30 seconds after first crack dies off. I don't know if I do a good job or not but I much prefer my home roasted to store bought every day of the week.

I'm with you on that too, I pull at the same point, just after first crack is complete, I was lucky and FB Market place where the Behmor was listed, used 7 times ( she sent me her log book ) and included 1# green beans for $185. Love the hobby so far!!

Oh, where to start….been doing this for 5 years now.
Coffee stores, eventually you will eventually buy from Genuine Origin. Yes it is 65 pounds per box, but stored properly lasts for years. I probably have 300 pounds of different beans in basement. Makes roasting day fun as I get to choose what part of world to pick a coffee from.
Roasting is about trial and error. Read literature and watch videos for tips, but what it comes down to is…what are your roast preference. I go a bit into 2nd. crack every time. I tend towards coffee in the chocolate, Smokey taste varieties.

Grinder….need a good burr grinder, toss away the blade one. Again, experiment with grind size, I tend to go more course, the longer the age of the roast.

Coffee pot must be a specialty coffee association certified one. I went expensive and have not regretted the choice. Also, get a French press or a nice pour over, why limit yourself.

Roasted coffee must be kept in the friis containers. You will need a few as you will have different vintages of coffee.

Do not shy away from making blends, most of my morning coffees are a blend of 3 or 4 beans. Again, experiment. Have friends over on the weekend and have a coffee sample day.

Stores….Coffee Bean Coral, has a bunch of great reference materials, aka coffee 101. They stock many beans, have good descriptions on the beans.
Burman Coffee, better prices and less expensive shipping than CBC. Good descriptions on coffees.
Genuine Origin, your buying 65 pound boxes on this site, but prices are better. Logistics have hit them hard as they used to have 130 plus coffees available. They are My go to site.
Royal Coffee, the Crown Jewel selections are fun to read up on. Lots of details on how to roast each crown jewel, how to extract also. Great reference articles on this site. This is a wholesale operation, but the Crown Jewels offer a way to get exceptional coffee. I use them from time to time.
Smith Farms…for the Kona drinkers. Small farm in Hawaii that offers green Kona Coffee beans for sale, pretty much only from October to March. They sell roasted coffee all year, only sell green beans for part of the year.

Final thoughts, get an Aero Press, makes great coffee and is the way to have great coffee while on vacation. There are coffee competitions specifically for the Aero Press.

You will find that some days the coffee is excellent and other days just so so. Read an article from a person who wins coffee roasting championships, they stated that maybe 10-20% of the time they make exceptional coffee and some days it is very disappointing. The key is trial and error. Keep a log book when roasting, make notes on how the brew tasted. Let some coffee sit 15 days before drinking and drink some after 4 days, they key is to find your sweet spot which takes time and experience.

Also, do not shy away from the decaf beans. There are great ones out there and your friends will not know it is a decaf or half caf blend.

I use a Capresso burr grinder. Have fun, that's the main thing. I did a lot of trial and error. I owe Jeff Y as he answered my questions before I bought a roaster. I have had fun doing this.

Where is Beancooker when you need him

Oh, no. How much money are you guys going to have me spend now?

I’ll be watching this thread.

quote:

Originally posted by mark123:
Oh, no. How much money are you guys going to have me spend now?

I’ll be watching this thread.

My exact thoughts … lol

I haven't roasted in over four years, but before, I've been at it for a dozen years. Starting with an off-the-shelf unit (iRoast), I upgraded to a homemade Stir Crazy/Turbo Oven system that was quite satisfying, but still had some limitations, and the oven crapped out after 3 years. Wanting to improve the experience, I graduated to a drum roasting system using a dedicated propane BBQ grill, a rotisserie system, and a custom made coffee bean drum with a capacity of 2 lbs. It was an excellent system, I posted a pic of it here years ago. It gave me years of trouble free roasts. And I was a dedicated customer of Sweet Marias.

Unfortunately, since moving, I had no space to store the system in my garage, so now it is just Peets and other brands. If I can make some room, I'll hopefully get back into it again, I still have the drum and rotisserie unit.