When roasting at home you can do anything you set your mind (or machine) to. With all the roasters on the market, finding the match to make your perfect batch is in the details. So, we dug into the Behmor roaster details and outlined them below. We want you to find the best roaster for your needs.
What Is the Behmor Coffee Roaster
The Behmor roaster is an all inclusive, counter top drum roaster that looks a bit like a convection oven. The Behmor 2000AB+ has the ability to quietly roast up to a full pound of green coffee at one time. This roaster boasts innovative smoke suppression technology, a removable chaff tray, and easy-to-use roasting drum with paddles for consistency.
The Behmor roaster is ideal for light and medium roasts. There is also a safety feature, if the roaster is ever left unattended, that will automatically place your beans into the cooldown phase if not turned off during the roast.
The control panel let's you change the:
- roast weight
- time increments
- roast profiles
- programmed roasts
General Roasting Tips for the Behmor Roaster
Every at home roaster is a bit different, so here are ten principles to keep in mind every time you roast.
- Roast in a well ventilated area
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The Behmor suppresses smoke during the roast, but that means the machine holds the smoke inside until the cooldown phase. If you open the roaster door before it cools down completely, smoke and chaff may escape. Roast in a well-ventilated area to avoid these problems, even with the smoke suppression technology.
- Everything on the roaster is HOT!
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This roaster works very similarly to an oven. Coils on the back heat up the inside of the machine. So, it may not always feel like the whole machine should be hot.
Be aware this machine works at very high temperatures and all of the pieces are extremely hot during the entire roast. You're dealing with a lot of metal, so keep a potholder ready in case you need it. Do NOT open the door to the roaster at any point other than the completion of the cooldown phase.
- Be sure to run the cooldown sequence
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The coffee beans will continue to roast during the cooldown phase, until the roaster is sufficiently cool. Allow the entire cooldown sequence to run for the roast to finish properly and the metal pieces to become safe to remove.
If at any point you need to stop the roast, do NOT open the door until the cooldown sequence is complete. You can also use a coffee bean cooler if the Behmor doesn’t completely cool down the beans.
- Don’t use an extension cord or power strip
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When using countertop roasters, it can be tempting to plug into an extension cord. Using a power strip of any kind will cause problems with the timing and consistency of your roast. Use a dedicated 15 or 20 circuit wall outlet to supply the correct voltage to your machine.
- Roast above 55 degrees ambient temperature
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Any extreme, external temperatures - cold or hot - will negatively affect your roast. To ensure your target temperature is most accurate, only roast when it is above 55 degrees.
- Be mindful of little ones
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The roaster is extremely hot, so it is very important to tell anyone around not to touch it. Be aware if you have any children nearby to keep an eye on them and tell them to stay away from the roasting equipment.
- Be sure to clean out the chaff collector
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This roaster comes with a chaff tray that collects the chaff during the roast, but there may be some excess to be mindful of. Keep a vacuum handy to clean up any chaff that got underneath the tray or on the counter. Remember chaff is very flammable and needs to be disposed of after every single roast.
- Roast on a clear, non cluttered area
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Make your space is clear of any materials that may interfere with your roast.
- Use an external timer
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The Behmor will keep count of how long the roast takes. Depending on the roast, you may need to add or remove time. Using an external timer let's you make accurate notes about the roast and perfectly replicate it in the future.
- Record your roast
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This roaster can be as simple or complex as you want it to be. Keeping record of each roast is essential to duplicating roasts in this machine. Always keep your attention on your roaster, don’t set it and forget it.
Walk-Through a Roast on the Behmor Coffee Roaster with the CBC Team
We created a video to walk you through how to roast using a Behmor coffee roaster. You can follow along in the video or read the summary below. Feel free to refer back to this section as much as you need to.
We want to make roasting coffee in a Behmor easier for you. This way, you can enjoy the fun parts, like choosing beans and deciding on the roast profile.
Setup
There are three main parts to the Behmor roaster:
- The body
- The rotating drum
- The chaff collecting tray
To set up your Behmor roaster, simply insert the drum roaster and tray into the machine. Once you connect the rotating drum to the motor, then you can place the chaff collector underneath the drum.
Loading
To load your coffee beans into the roaster, open the lid and fill the roasting drum with your green coffee beans. The drum chamber has an easy to open lid on one side and a square peg on the other. After pouring the coffee beans into the chamber, click the lid shut and place the square into the motor.
The drum should be resting securely in place before adding the chaff tray. There are levers that flatten so you can load the tray into the machine.
Ensure you set the flap at the top in the downward position during roasting. Please open this flap upward only when cleaning out the chaff at the end of the roast. Securely place your two items, shut the door, and begin the roast.
Changing the settings
To start the roasting process, we recommend turning the light on before trying to change any of the settings. Click the 1/2 pound button, P1 (the highest temperature setting), and push start. Make sure you push your start button and external timer at the same time to accurately track your roast.
Observing the roast
The Behmor has a small window that lets you watch the roasting process. Make sure you use all the sights, sounds, and smells to roast your beans to perfection.
The roast time of each bean is slightly different, so keep an eye on the timing of each roast you run.
A beep will sound three minutes before the timer ends. This beep warns you that the cooldown will start if you do not turn off the timer. To turn off this beep and continue your roast, press “start” and add time with the “c” button to add two more minutes as needed.
If the timer on the roaster runs out and shows blinking numbers, it will automatically place the beans into cooldown mode. Keep notice of your external timer and make note of any additional roasting time.
Roast completion, cooldown, and clean up
When you have reached the first crack, let the time run out to begin the cooldown sequence. Remember to wait until multiple beans crack together to note the first crack of your roast.
The roasting profile determines how long your roast runs before it is finished. The machine will beep 10 seconds before starting a 13-minute cooldown sequence automatically.
Let the entire cooling cycle finish before opening the door to the machine. At this point the elements inside shouldn’t be too hot, but use a towel or hot hand just in case.
Take out the chaff tray by pulling the same trigger on the handle to release the flaps. Remove the drum, lid side lifted first, and shake out any excess chaff from the chamber before unloading the beans.
You may need to shake and twist the cylinder to get all the beans out because the drum paddles may catch a couple stray beans as they fall.
Remember to clean the machine after roasting to remove any leftover chaff that may not have been caught in the basket. Vacuum up any chaff from inside the roaster and the counter after emptying the tray. Now, you have finished roasting your coffee and cleaned up your roaster. You've successfully learned how to roast coffee in the Behmor!
As always, our team of coffee roasting experts are available and happy to answer any questions you may have. You can reach us at [email protected]. But, before we finish, let's discuss one more item - is the Behmor coffee roaster a good fit for you?
Is the Behmor Coffee Roaster a Good Fit for You?
Home coffee roasters have many options available. Coffee enthusiasts consider the Behmor 2000AB+ the top choice for roasting one pound of coffee at a time. If you are interested in manually roasting large batches of coffee repeatedly, this is the best choice for your needs.