# First roast on the Behmor



## jimrobo

The fedex man dropped my behmor off this morning. Great service as always from steve at hasbean. I only ordered it late tuesday!









I carefully unpacked it all. it was well packed. Too well packed really I have a kitchen full of cardboard now.

OK so no messing around I put it on its initial dry burn as per the instructions and let it do a cycle. It smelt like a new toaster!

First problem I found was the power cord! You get about a metre of cord and it says not to use an extension. This is a major annoyance because you have to put it right next to a plug socket.

I wasn;t feeling so brave so I put it right next to my back door on my metal bin rather than straight on the kitchen worktop. Not sure whether this is particularly safe but I need to buy a small heat proof table thats very low in order to plug it in.









OK so no time like the present, I measured out 250g of greens I also got from hasbean. Steve recommended nicaragua limoncillo. I realised the machine is set up for imperial weights but I decided to be stubborn and I wanted to do it in grams. maybe this was a bit of a mistake because it meant I actually had slightly more in than the machine was expecting which is the reason why I had a slight problem later on in the roast which I'll get to later









So I fired up the roastmaster app to record it, selected the beans/machine/programme etc hit start and then 1/2 + start. Off she gos! I need to read up on the app because it didn;t actually start recording and I missed the first 20 seconds having to go back into the roast on the app.

The first 10 minutes I sat there by the roaster expecting all sorts of things and actually not much happened!! The beans changed colour slightly and the smell went from grassy to a sort of baked chocolate brownie. Maybe like a mocha brownie smell? It was rather nice!

I got first crack around 13:20 and looking at the timer I realised I only had 2 minutes left! I was pretty sure I was going to need more time so I pressed the + button as many times as it would let me, which was only an extra minute or so. First crack finished and there was only about a minute left. I was hoping I would hit second crack and I think I was almost there when beep the machine automatically went into its cooling cycle.

This is when things started to get messy! CHAFF!!! Jeesus I never expected the machine to chuck out a load of chaff! As soon as it entered the cooling all of a sudden it was like a budgies cage!









I let it reach the end and full of trepidation I opened the door and went in for a look! I thought I had completely under roasted them not getting to second crack but when I compared them to some hasbean roasted beans I had in I think they aren't too far under.









I let them cool, weighed them (208g) and then put them in one of the gold resealable bags again from hasbean.

They didn;t really smell of much at first but after an hour or so in the bag if I open and get my nose in they really smell quite good.

Now I am just sat here looking at them! AFter the wait for the machine, all the setup, the pre burn roast and actually roasting my first batch, cleaning up and putting them in an airtight bag its like chinese torture knowing I have to wait 2 days to try them!!!

I am not expecting too much from them although they do look quite good now but I'm not sure what affect not reaching 2nd crack will have on their taste?? Next batch I will put less beans in so I can take it slightly further and hopefully just hit the 2nd crack.

Also I made a bit of a schoolboy error and had the washing machine on so I struggled to hear what was going on in the roaster!


----------



## MikeHag

Brilliant, Jim. Just... Wow!







Those beans look fantastic to me.

It's good to get your comments on some of the weaknesses of the behmor, as well as the good things. I get the feeling more people will be home roasting over the coming months/years and I think there are not really enough balanced reviews or walkthroughs on t'internet yet. I hadn't heard of the short cable issue - or that you shouldn't use an extension cable. That would be a PITA I think.

Bein a roasting noob I find it fascinating to hear people's experiences as they get into roasting


----------



## jimrobo

they seem to look ok in the picture!! It was completely down to the behmor though I literally did nothing apart from extend the time and even then I didnt really take them far enough. I didn;t even mess with programmes i literally just hit the half pound button and start. No heat profiling at all.

The power lead is a real pain though because unless you have a power socket right where you want to use the unit you are pretty much in trouble!

Looking forward to getting stuck into monsoon malabar now as thats going to be a bit of a challenge. Theres no way I am going to be able to drink everything i am raosting though I am going to have to start giving them away or something!


----------



## crispy

Woo, free beans









Do like the look of the Behmor, such temptation... might have to do a few more days of work to get one, new year's treat if I can behave until then =)

As CoffeeMagic said in another post, have a little read about s profiling for coffee roasting...also, time until first crack appears to be less important than the time between first and second crack... please note this is not my knowledge as that is pretty much non-existent...

Didn't realise it ejected the chaff, would have caught me completely unaware.. think you need to have a vacuum cleaner going next time, or maybe a funnel with tube attachment to send it outside / in the tube...

Let us know how the beans taste... great post..


----------



## vintagecigarman

Welcome aboard the Behmor wagon! Great results for first try.

I've tried to find out why you're not supposed to plug the machine into an extension lead and have never had a reasonable explanation. Suffice it to say that I've used them on a heavy duty lead in the past and had no ill effects.

The operating voltage is critical to consistent results. I've found that where I live the voltage can vary between 235 and 245 depending on the day/time. So I've bought a plug in voltage reader that goes between the Behmor and the mains socket. This doesn't stabilise the voltage, but at least I know what the voltage is whilst I'm roasting, and I can adjust timing accordingly. (A little less if the voltage is above 240, a little more if it is below.) Obvioulsy it's best not to run other things off the same socket whilst you're roasting.

I wouldn't worry too much about a heatproof table - the bottom of the Behmor is the one bit that stays relatively cool. (You'll have discovered how hot the rest of it gets). But buy a fire extinguisher or fire blanket to be on the safe side. If you're roasting when its dark it's worth having some form of secondary lighting readily available in case the power goes out - and my first Behmor managed to blow all the lights after about 40 roasts. (You could be left fumbling in the dark with a machine that's cut out at the very hottest part of the roast and needs carrying outside if the beans ignite). I may be a bit paranoid about the safety angle, but having once been involved in an office fire I'm keen not to repeat the experience.

Did you open the door during cooling? The chaff is usually well-contained if you keep the door shut - but my preference is to open it as soon as the cooling commences as the beans cool much quicker. (But I'm not using it in the house).

You may want to experiment with a pre-warm (without beans or drum) prior to roasting - this now gets the thumbs-up from the Behmor website, and has definitely improved my roasts.

You may also want to try leaving the roast beans out in the open to de-gas quicker - at least overnight - rather than bagging straight away.

Within a very short space of time you'll be tinkering with the programmes and tricking them into giving you exactly the degree of roast that you want. You've started off by giving yourself some problems by using 250g on the 8 oz programme - you've been roasting around 10% more than the roster thought it had to do. If you want to continue along the metric route, you may have more success if you tell the machine that you are roasting 16oz when you put 250g in, and then adjust the timing downwards rather than upwards like you have been doing - will give you a lot more leeway to adjust. You can always end the roast at any time by pressing Cool if it's going on too long.

Great write up of your first roast - thanks.

Only another 4 and you'll be doing the clean - and only another 39 and you'll be taking it to bits to do the super-clean! Happy days!


----------



## RoloD

There's no logical reason why you can't use an extension cable.


----------



## jimrobo

this is a complete stab in the dark but I wonder if the cable lengh is due to the resistance in the wire. The longer the wire the higher the resisitance and since it is linked to the power then the longer the cable the lower the maximum potential power outage? SInce Power equals Voltage times current I am guessing the resistance in the longer power lead leads to either lower voltage or charge. That is a complete guess though!!!

I got all the chaff with the door shut which I thought was strange. I was thinking about opening it but I was unsure whther it was ok to do.

Next roast I am definately opening the door to cool and preheating. I'm also going to lower the amount of green beans I put into the machine. Reluctantly I'll go with the imperial measurement!

Thanks for the tip with the degassing. I have now taken them out and left them in a bowl to degass.

I definately found out that the whole unit gets hot!! And it isn;t very well weight distributed! All the weight seems to be towards the back so balancing it on my bin turned out to be trickier than I thought!!

I'm already thinking about wanting to have another go and start changing the roast profile but alas I am stuck with the presets but I am sure they will keep me busy enough for now.

I was also thinking about whether you can roast other things in there. Maybe something like chestnuts at christmas??


----------



## vintagecigarman

Never tried anything other than coffee. But I've read of others roasting nuts successfully.

You may want to give Profile 4 a try. Works well with espresso blends.

Sent via Tapatalk from my HTC Desire HD.


----------



## CoffeeMagic

Great to see. Come on over to the dark side (or med-dark). So you got confetti'd - should've had the Gene - no mess with chaff. Experimenting is half the fun. Watch out with that Malabar.

...have to say I love the Fire Extinguisher (big red). Was that purchased for the occasion


----------



## RoloD

jimrobo said:


> this is a complete stab in the dark but I wonder if the cable lengh is due to the resistance in the wire. The longer the wire the higher the resisitance and since it is linked to the power then the longer the cable the lower the maximum potential power outage? SInce Power equals Voltage times current I am guessing the resistance in the longer power lead leads to either lower voltage or charge. That is a complete guess though!!!


 From the manual "As with any appliance the use of extension cords could adversely affect roaster functions and dramatically extend roast times." But that would only be the case if you were using thin cable that could not support the current or had a very long cable run. A couple of metres of 13 or 15 amp extension cable is not going to make any difference - certainly not at 240v (at 110 volts the power drop, if I remember my physics correctly, is slightly more significant. This is why the cables that run across pylons are high voltage).

What do you think the wall socket is connected to - a power station? No, it is connected to a 13 amp ring main that could be several metres from your distribution box. Or a spur that is connected to that ring that could itself be several metres long.


----------



## CoffeeMagic

RoloD said:


> There's no logical reason why you can't use an extension cable.


There is the potential voltage drop depending on the length of the extension cable, and I think they also try to cover the safety aspect of it being used outdoors







. It is the same for my roaster too, not to use extension leads.


----------



## jimrobo

CoffeeMagic said:


> Great to see. Come on over to the dark side (or med-dark). So you got confetti'd - should've had the Gene - no mess with chaff. Experimenting is half the fun. Watch out with that Malabar.
> 
> ...have to say I love the Fire Extinguisher (big red). Was that purchased for the occasion


ha hmmm maybe I should have gone for the gene..!! oh well too late now!

the fire extinguisher has been a resident for a while but I've only ever used it to prop doors open!! I thought I'd better have it on hand just in case









I'm sure I read on the has bean forum that steve suggested p5 for the monsoon but I'll probably try one batch on P4 and one batch on P5 and see if I can find any difference between them.

Anyone care to suggest how long I need to wait before tasting them? My first roast is staring at me and I am desperate to put it in the grinder!!

I suppose I should practise cupping it though.


----------



## lookseehear

I'd have a cup tomorrow morning, then again on the hour every hour, so you can see how they progress!


----------



## vintagecigarman

You have much more willpower than me, if your first roast lasts more than an hour before being sampled. I knew it was wrong, but couldn't help myself.

Go on, give it a go, and report back!

Sent via Tapatalk from my HTC Desire HD.


----------



## jimrobo

oh sod it!

well.......I compared it to the cupping notes on has bean and I definately get a lot of the notes that steve got. Theres definately green apples! In fact maybe a little too much green apple! Theres a very slight toffee after taste too but its very subtle. I suspect on a has bean roast the toffee would be much more developed.

It was a bit acidic though however I only pulled one shot and it was a little over extracted. I suspect with a finer grind and a touch less dose it would be really really nice. I also think it would have been a better test if I cupped it rather than pulled espresso with it.

In fact my only slight reservation is there is a very small and subtle wort of muddy taste right at the end. If I wasn;t looking for it I probably wouldn;t get it but because I am looking for it I can taste it. Maybe that might go after its had a couple of days de gassing?

Overall its definately a success though! definately worth cupping tomorrow morning before the rugby!!


----------



## CoffeeMagic

The flavours will certainly develop over the next 2-6days so give it time to mature. I can normally start drinking a new roast after about 24hrs. I would however recommend bagging as soon as it is cool - leaving it out to degas only allows greater exposure to the air - put in a bag with a valve. The acidity maybe due to a light roast and newness.


----------



## jimrobo

Ok I've now put it in a bag with a valve it.

I'll try cupping it the morning and I'll pull some espresso. if it's still acidic I may do another roast tomorrow and take it slightly further.

Is a darker roast generally sweeter or is it just bean dependent?


----------



## vintagecigarman

Bit of a difference of opinion here as I find that the roast develops best if it's not sealed airtight immediately.

Can't give any reason for this - it's just empirical.

Sent via Tapatalk from my HTC Desire HD.


----------



## jimrobo

Ok guys well I'll give both methods a go and see if I can see any difference.


----------



## vintagecigarman

jimrobo said:


> Ok guys well I'll give both methods a go and see if I can see any difference.


Absolutely full marks for diplomacy! You should be working for the UN!

Actually, I just love the differences of opinion that coffee produces (and it's great the way we can discuss them here without flaming each other). Within the past few weeks I've seen people maintaining that espresso can taste better if the crema is removed, that you can pull good shots from lever machines without tamping, and just tonight, researching a US forum I've come across an acknowledged expert stating that there ain't no point in home roasting if you don't use it as soon as it's roasted - sod giving it time to de-gas.

It's the variables, and variability of opinions that make the whole process such a challenge, and that's what I love about it. Makes an old man very happy!


----------



## jimrobo

Well both you guys are experienced roasters so I value both your opinions. Way more than my 1 roast experience!

On a side note I'm looking forward to watching the first game of the rugby world cup in the morning with a cup of my home roasted!


----------



## jimrobo

Second roast wasn't quite as successful!! Messed this one up a bit and took it about 10 seconds into second crack but it kept on going for about another 20 seconds during the cooling even though I opened the door. And there was rather a lot if smoke!!









Not sure how these are going to taste??? Burnt probably!


----------



## MikeHag

Amazing the difference 30 seconds seem to make at that point in the roast.


----------



## jimrobo

I know!! I did preheat the behmor and I dropped the dose by 10g too so I was expecting to hit 2nd crack but it all happened very quickly once you get into the deep end!


----------



## MikeHag

The good seems to be that the roast is even and they're all cracking at the same time


----------



## jimrobo

the good news is the first roast is tasting a lot better today after its forst 24 hours. I am hoping it is going to get even better by tomorrow


----------



## vintagecigarman

Does look a bit dark - but there again I've seen beans on sale in Whittards that look a whole lot worse.

It's amazing just how time-critical the roasting process is in the Behmor (and also why I think it's important to be aware of any voltage fluctuations) - a few seconds can make a major difference. The manual talks about thinking ahead - if I remember correctly I think it says you get into the way of thinking 10 seconds ahead - but I really think you need to think quite a bit further ahead than that. Particularly as once started, second crack doesn't stop as soon as the cooling cycle commences - you've obviously realised that.

What you will realise is that, with the same quantity of the same beans on the same profile, the time between the end of the first crack and the start of the second is fairly constant. You can judge from the end of first crack when second is likely to start and be ready for it.

Have you found a worthy cause to donate your surplus beans to? Your friends will probably find that even what you consider as failed roasts are better than they've been buying from the shops.


----------



## CoffeeMagic

Don't feel bad about those beans. My first roast in the new roaster were just like that, possibly oilier. I braved out a tasting and was ready to consign them to the compost heap until my neighbours tried it and thought it was great. Being a charitable old soul, they now have the benefit of about a month's supply of ground charcoal and I have the benefit of not having to beat myself up about the lapse in concentration - win/win







. You see, there is a silver cloud at the end of each roast (normally chaff).


----------



## jimrobo

Yes I think it says 10 seconds but as you say you need to plan ahead of that really. Next roast I am going to be ready and I need to get ideally just before 2nd crack and the door open immediately.

I've just tried the darker beans and they are as they look although I've tasted worse french roasts! Some people may well enjoy them though! Maybe they'll get better though over the next few days??

I can palm them off on a few friends who are interested but I'll have to grind them for them as they don;t have grinders!

One thing I really do need to get right though is using my roastmaster on my ipad. I completely messed the roast recording up again. I think you need to set the roast up with all the details first then save it and then press start rather than trying to start the roast and then inputting the details. It meant I have missed the start of my first roast and completely missed all of my second roast.

The good news is the first roast really is excellent. Its a whole cup of toffee apples! And the muddy aftertaste i got yesterday has pretty much completely disappeared.


----------



## CoffeeMagic

jimrobo said:


> ...
> 
> One thing I really do need to get right though is using my roastmaster on my ipad. I completely messed the roast recording up again. I think you need to set the roast up with all the details first then save it and then press start rather than trying to start the roast and then inputting the details. It meant I have missed the start of my first roast and completely missed all of my second roast.
> 
> ...


Yes, you need to set up all the data, except outcome, before you roast and save. You can edit anything later or delete it from the list of roasts if unused. Also, before you start I found it useful to set the right graph to the front (temp) if you use it. I have the heat input graph (profile) at the back.


----------



## jimrobo

thats exctly what I didn;t do the first 2 times and I couldn;t figure out what I had done wrong!

I hadn't saved the initial information so when I pressed roast before save it just saved the roast and took me back to the main screen!

Also I have no idea about the graphs yet. Do you record the actual temperature and input it into roastmaster or did you just put the profilw information on P1/P2/P3 etc as in the back of the behmor instructions?


----------



## CoffeeMagic

The profiles will be your Heat graphs and you can just set up a Temp graph to go with them. When you edit the roast you can then select which profile you intend to use and input the temp at various points of note, like 1st crack etc. Once you build up a few graphs you will see where all the other first cracks were as comparison and as a prompt.


----------



## madriddan

I've been more of a lurker than a poster since joining but I'm really enjoying this thread.

Been thinking for a while about doing some home roasting and have a couple of questions.

Did you all self-teach or do any courses on roasting or can recommend any book on the subject.

With the Behmor how do you observe the first and then second crack? What do you actually see?

Thanks for any help.


----------



## madriddan

Agh..can't edit

or is the sound of the crack loud and clear?


----------



## CoffeeMagic

Welcome as a forum member, madriddan







.

Personally, mine comes from a lot of research (conversations, books and web) and a fair amount of experimentation and practice. There's really no substitute for hands-on. I would add that a forum such as this one is a great place to get advice and feedback. Choice of books tend to be personal and it comes down to whatever suites your needs and pocket. I think vintagecigarman will be able to recommend a few good books and he has also provided a great deal of help regarding the Behmor.

You will hear 1st (popping) and 2nd (crackling) crack. That, combined with visual observation of bean development and associated smell you should be able to get a good result fairly quickly with whatever method you use. Don't always rely on automation to do that for you - it's an aid, not an end in itself.

Visually, the beans go from green to yellow to cinnamon to brown (hopefully not to glossy black) and increase in size. It would be great to have a few more roasters.


----------



## jimrobo

I had my first throwaway batch today!

Been really struggling to get the monsoon right. It seems my first attempt was a mere fluke!!

The notes say roast dark but my dark monsoon really isn;t nice. Its very bitter. I am going to go back to how I roasted the first batch and roast it light, stopping it just before second crack.


----------



## madriddan

Jimrobo,

Thanks for that. I don't think it will be too long before i get my Behmor and I'll look forward to sharing my results and getting advice on here.


----------



## vintagecigarman

Welcome to the world of roasting.

Much as I love buying books (-and the combination of a bottle of wine and Amazon One-Click has cost me a LOT of money) I have to admit that to the best of my knowledge there are no books out there that will teach you home roasting. Kenneth Davids' book on the subject can give you a lot of very interesting background, but it was written pre-Gene and pre-Behmor. Sinnot's 'Art and Craft of Coffee' has an interesting chapter on home roasting, with some quite good info on the Behmor - but as CoffeMagic says - you'll do a lot better by experimenting yourself. Nice though these books are, you'd learn more about practical roasting techniques by spending the money on some greens and a pan to try stove stop roasting!

You might like to investigate the US SweetMaria's website, as there is lots of great info about home roasting there.

What I can tell you categorically is this: If you buy either a Behmor or Gene and follow the instructions, you'll be making drinkable coffee from day one. After that it's up to you!

Don't worry about how you will distinguish between first and second crack - when you've heard them once you won't forget it. The major trick, certainly with some beans in the Behmor, is learning how to arrange for the roast to stop at just the right point into second crack.


----------



## madriddan

Thanks for the advice, Vintagecigarman. I do know the SweetMarias website. It has gives great overviews of the beans from different countries then focusing on specific estates. I find it very readable. I'll go back and read up on their roasting pages and see what I learn. Can't wait to get started now.


----------



## vintagecigarman

madriddan said:


> Can't wait to get started now.


The great thing about both Behmors and Genes is that their suppliers both give dependable next-day delivery. You could be roasting on Tuesday!!

Like CoffeeMagic says - we need more roasters on here. Be great to get a little circle going swapping and tasting each others' roasts.


----------



## vintagecigarman

madriddan said:


> Can't wait to get started now.


The great thing about both Behmors and Genes is that their suppliers both give dependable next-day delivery. You could be roasting on Tuesday!!

Like CoffeeMagic says - we need more roasters on here. Be great to get a little circle going swapping and tasting each others' roasts.


----------



## CoffeeMagic

jimrobo, just thought you would like to know that the next release of the RoastMaster app will have Behmor curves. Had an email from Danny at Rainfrog...

Lots of cool things coming in the next update - Label printing, file import and export, dropbox, Blend snapshots, better navigation for profiles and programs and snapshots, custom roaster settings, Behmor curves and a ton of small tweaks.


----------

