Behmor 2000AB Plus

I am reviewing my Behmor 1600 AB purchased in July of 2019, so there may be some variation between that and this newer model. But I wanted to get good solid experience under my belt before reviewing. First of all, this isn't a frozen taquito microwave--don't expect to start it and walk away. It's a hands-on tool that exists to heat plant lignins...like a wood stove, say...and so requires attention to the process. Second, getting more out of this machine requires some understanding of the engineering of the timing and heating parts of the process, and the difference between the preset roasting programs and the user-set variables. Mr. Behm and his team supply all sorts of data on that--you just have to read it. I have roasted at least 200 batches--1/4 lb at first to learn, later 1/2 lb, then settled on 12 oz beans and the 1 lb programs as my Behmor's "sweet spot." By now I have it all down to about half a dozen manual tweaks to the basic 1 lb program...with variations for different beans/varieties. The consistency of the roasting profiles' temperatures amazes me every time. Like reviewer George Park, I roast in our garage, at temps 45 F and over, then haul it into a small utility room with exhaust fan during the winter months. It amazes me that whether it's 95 F and 30% humidity or 45 F and 95% humidity or anything in between, with a few minutes of preheating to the machine and chaff tray, this little machine produces the SAME TEMPS at the SAME TIMES (provided I start with house-room-temp beans!) within a couple of degrees. Wonderful controls engineering. I am the roaster for our posse, which can be a bit time consuming along with fermenting vegetables, making yogurt and cheese, processing garden and meat windfalls, milling and baking, etc. But the results are wonderful--much better than buying someone else's roasts. It took me a good ten years before deciding to buy a Behmor, and I wish I'd done it years ago. Our model Behmor doesn't have "warning beeps" which is fine by me--I'm sick of getting beeped at by every b(l)eeping piece of technology in daily life. I prefer quiet coupled with having an attention span and focus.

Good: seems to work fine. First motor burnt out quickly but the manf was VERY quick to reply and very helpful! Some things break, but their response was well beyond what I'd expect. 5* on the customer service. I'm not very sophisticated so I don't experiment with the roast profiles or times or anything. Bad: chaff management isn't good. Surely there is a better way to handle it. The pan and chaff catch might get half of it. Then it's a bit finicky to clean it out. Unless you also get a vacuum, I guess you're just supposed to brush it out. I'm talking about the half of the chaff left in the machine. You brush it to the front and then I half close the door to let it fall through the hinge crack. Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but the clean up is a 2* Also, if the chaff catches fire, then the smoke and temp all changes in the chamber so if you think you're controlling your roast, you're wrong. Read the book. It's not great, but it does give you an idea of what all the buttons do. It's not intuitive at all. Sometimes a button does one thing and then for another function it does the opposite of what you expect. I'd try another roaster before I bought this one again. It works, but I'm not in love with it. 4* on performance. 5* on customer support/warranty. 2* on pain to clean up and chaff management.

I am very excited about my Behmor 2000 AB. I was impressed that a representative from Coffee Bean Corral called me before they shipped it to talk about my interest in roasting, find out if I had any questions and offer ongoing support. I am brand new to roasting and have given my roaster a few trial runs. It has taken me some time to study the instructions but so far I have been successful. It's nice to know that I can always call if I need any support. As soon as my samples are gone, I definitely plan to order beans from Coffee Bean Corral.

After years of using a iRoast2, I am ecstatic to have a roaster that allows me to actually hear the first and second crack! So far, I have completed four small (100 g) roasts and am impressed by the quietness, reproducibility and lack of smoke from this roaster. There is no doubt that this is not a "put the coffee in, press a button and walk away" roaster, but should it be? Not if you really care about your coffee. There are plenty of controls to customize your roast, and the manual that comes with it (and I highly recommend reading it thoroughly) is quite instructive. The only downsides I have found so far are that it is sometimes a challenge to insert the roasting cylinder (square post into square drive have to be aligned) after pre-heating the roaster as recommended, but so far I haven't burned myself. Also, I find that chaff cleanout takes a little longer than it seems it should. Not all the chaff is caught in the chaff tray and the handy brush (included) is required to clean out the chaff from the roasting chamber. Finally, an occasional bean will get stuck in the roasting chamber. For me these are small irritants that don't take away from what seems to be an excellent product. Only time will tell how the roaster ages (does it get easier as I get used to the routine, or do the small irritants become large irritants) and its long-term reliability. I used my iRoast2 for 15 years. I am hoping for the best and recommend this product for the serious roaster.

This is my second Behmor and regret not getting a motor for my old one as the new one SUCKS. Will not get into second crack, takes forever to get into first crack roasting 15 oz. Total waste of money as I hate this machine.

We have had the Behmor 2000 about two months now and it is even better than our old 1600. I honestly don't think there is a better home roast deal anywhere! We loved the coffee samplers and are saving our gift certificate! The log book was nice but portends little use as we have been roasting a long time. Coffee Bean Corral is the best place to shop, we couldn't have gotten these incentives anywhere else. Just an example of how they do business, the best!

This roaster is perfect for my home roasting needs, there was a slight learning curve, but there is so much information on line. Roasting levels are very easily reproducible once you find you happy spot.

Replaced my 1600 AB. Looks about the same. My old roaster lasted through many roasts. Looking forward to more of the same with this one. Audible warning is nice.

I have done 3 different roast. First to light, second dark almost got away from me,but the 3rd a nice medium so far so good.

This is my second Behmor. Loved the first but motor was starting to slow down after several years. Don't care for the new one at all. First, after roasting for 20 years I know what to expect and don't want to have to baby sit this thing for 25 minutes. Secondly no matter what I do cannot get a roast into second crack. Lastly the function where you control everything really does not work at all. Oven will not heat when you slow the speed down. Regret buying.

I am very pleased with this purchase. The Behmor 2000 is very consistent and does a fine job roasting beans.

So far after a couple of roasts it is doing great. Im getting a really even roasts. After first crack I wait about 20 seconds to hit the cool down button, then let it run for about 5 min then pull the beans out. and let it cool the rest of the way.

Much better than original 1600 with just one quirk. My last Behmor was 1600 model(original) and it lasted me 9.5 years and we roast 1lb a wk on an average. But it did not offer that control over roast temp and time that the newer model provides. After the rotary drum died and coffee beans burnt, we decided to upgrade. Smart decision. The new Behmor 2000AB is more advanced, has faster drum rotation and roasts faster too. I roasted 1lb this morning in 20F outside in my garage and it warmed up without an issue. The older model would have given an ERR screen in that cold weather. Quirk is that you have to push the Start button again before it goes into the final roast stage.Otherwise it goes into cooling mode. So, two things can happen. One is that you were paying attention and pushed the button on time. The other possibility is that you we’re not paying attention and were a bit late hitting the Start button, you can simply turn it off and hit P1 or any other roast button and get the first/second cracks by timing the roast manually. Overall the features are better than 1600 and the quirk although annoying is built for safety and I totally get it and support it.

After a bit of experience, I have found the Behmore to be an excellent roaster after using a freshroast..very easy to get a french roast on P5 if u watch the temp and alternate between P4 and P5 on manual. Very happy with the machine and loved the coffee included in the order. Great Experience.

My old Behmor 1600 finally gave up the ghost, but this new model is amazing. Bigger/faster motor and finally got an audible beeper. I also got some beans to try and I like this site (i.e., reviews) and the coffee better than the other two major green bean sites. I'm also really getting better results by biting the bullet and only roasting 1/2 lb batches (on the 1lb roasting setting).

I have had the Behmor AB2000 for a couple of weeks now. So far I am really liking it, as I don't have to roast nearly as often as I did using the FreshRoast machines. I wanted a machine that would allow me to roast up to a pound at a time, and the Behmor is one of the few machines that can do that. It's a little quirky, but just a little, and it didn't take me long at all to understand it as well as I need to in order to get a good roasting result. Caveat: I live in Ohio, and roast in my garage where temps can dip into the 30s. I have not yet had the opportunity to see if the Behmor can power through an Ohio winter, as the FreshRoast machines can (with the optional extension tube for the FreshRoast, that is). So the jury's out on that. Things I like: 1. One pound batch size! 2. Excellent chaff collection. 3. Solid build - seems like a very solid machine that will last a long time. Things I don't like: 1. Behmor seems to limit the amount of time available for a batch, trying to protect us from ourselves for our safety (maybe their lawyers got a little too involved in their product design). I'm hoping that I can add time as needed, and that this nannying doesn't prevent me from getting a decent roast in winter. We'll see. 2. You can't see the beans in this thing due to the mesh screen (unlike the FreshRoast), so you can never be sure how dark your roast is. This takes some real getting used to... seeing the beans in addition to hearing the cracking adds a level of confidence that you just can't get without seeing them. 3. The Behmor is a lot less time-predictable than the FreshRoast and therefore you have to be there the entire time it is roasting. But as a positive, you don't have to roast as often. Some will like this, some won't (especially in winter). CBC says you will get a phone call before they ship, which didn't happen. I did get an email, but an email isn't a phone call. So, CBC should probably amend their promise on the website if they are no longer calling - no use getting expectations up and then disappointing. (I don't really feel I needed a phone call, but once someone promises it and doesn't do it, it's a negative.) Overall I am EXTREMELY satisfied with CBC as a supplier after dealing with them for many years.

I've had the 2000AB for about a month now and roast about every other day. I share many of the roast with friends and family as I search for the perfect flavor. The roaster is very easy to use and provides a lot of flexibility as you can simply use the program modes or go completely manual. Any regrets? Yeah, I wish I had started doing this years ago.

I have been steadily experimenting with the Behmor. It's easy to use and great step up from grill roasting.